His carefully researched novels feature strong characters confronting a crisis of some kind, often of their own making. He prefers writing about recognizable people who respond in ways that are thoughtful, if sometimes misguided. He draws on his reporting skills and legal training to anchor his books in reality. His third novel, Are You Happy Now?, was a finalist in fiction from The Society of Midland Authors book awards. Two of his short stories published as Kindle Singles became immediate best-sellers.

Babcock’s work reflects a strong sense of place—small town Illinois and Wisconsin, Chicago, the Nevada desert. He writes lyrically, but with journalistic clarity, and his books are animated by his belief that humor inevitably forces its way into our complicated lives. As the Washington Post said of his first novel, Martha Calhoun: “What begins as a quiet stream of conversation quickly widens into a mighty river of a book that is deep, swift and—here is Babcock’s crowning achievement—hilarious.”

With my son, Joe, shortly before he stomped me in a match.

Richard Babcock grew up in rural northern Illinois. He earned a law degree at the University of Michigan, but turned immediately to writing and editing, working with some of the best journalists in the country. He spent a decade as a top editor at New York magazine, then twenty years as editor in chief of Chicago. Since then, he has taught writing and provided literary services to other writers.