This Goodly Land

Judith Richards (August 7, 1942–present)

Alabama Connections

• Montgomery, Montgomery County: adult residence
• Mobile, Mobile County: adult residence
• Fairhope, Baldwin County: adult residence

Selected Works

• Richards, Judith. The Sounds of Silence. New York: Putnam, 1977.
• Richards, Judith. Summer Lightning. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1978. Rpt. Atlanta: Peachtree Publishers, 1987.
• Richards, Judith. Triple Indemnity. New York: Arbor House, 1982.
• Richards, Judith. After the Storm. Atlanta: Peachtree Publishers, 1987.
• Richards, Judith. Too Blue to Fly. Atlanta: Longstreet Press, 1997.

Literary Awards

• Alabama Author Award, Alabama Library Association, 1980, for Summer Lightning
• Alabama Author Award, Alabama Library Association, 1999, for Too Blue to Fly

Biographical Information

Judith Richards was born in McLeansboro, Ill. Her father was employed in the timber industry, and the family moved frequently as she was growing up. In 1955, they settled in Wayne City, Ill., a small town where they had relatives. Richards graduated from high school in 1960 and joined a traveling show as an actress in ingénue roles. The following year, she married her first husband, a fellow actor in the show. In 1968, a newly divorced Richards moved to Montgomery, Ala. She worked in a variety of jobs, including teacher, performer, and real estate manager. Richards became acquainted with C. Terry Cline while working for Colonial Educational Exhibits and Land Alive Foundation. Her first book, The Sounds of Silence, published in 1977, was based on some of her experiences with Land Alive. Richards published four more books between 1978 and 1997, several of them loosely based on Cline's Florida youth. Richards and Cline were married in 1979. They live in Fairhope, Ala.

Interests and Themes

Judith Richards’ novels feature young protagonists growing up in the southeastern United States. Three of her books are set in the Everglades region of Florida.

For More Information

Please check your local library for these materials. If items are not available locally, your librarian can help you borrow them through the InterLibrary Loan program. Your librarian can also help you find other information about this author.

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Photo courtesy of Alabama Booksmith.

Last updated on May 30, 2008.