About
Richard R. Becker is an award-winning American author whose gripping stories blend resilience and moral complexity. His upcoming novel, Born on Monday (2025), promises a thrilling tale of small-town sins that will leave readers breathless.
His debut novel, Third Wheel (August 2023), soared into Amazon’s top 100 thriller and suspense literary fiction novels, earned a Kirkus Reviews feature, and won seven awards, including Literary Thriller of the Year by the Artisan International Book Excellence Awards. His debut collection, 50 States (2021), born from a challenge to write one story a week for 50 weeks, topped Amazon’s literary short story charts for three months and secured multiple honors, including first place in the Spring 2022 BookFest Awards.
Raised in Milwaukee by his grandparents after his father’s tragic death, Richard overcame poverty, club feet, and his grandmother’s cancer. These challenges infuse his work with emotional depth. After relocating to Las Vegas, he worked diverse jobs (fast food, retail paint, muralist, stage foreman, and convenience store clerk among them) to fund his education at Whittier College and the University of Nevada, Reno, where he shifted from psychology to journalism, with an emphasis in advertising.
A seasoned writer, Richard founded Copywrite, Ink., a 35-year-old communications firm, and invested 20 years of teaching at UNLV. An active community volunteer, he serves on the Las Vegas Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission. Richard enjoys acting, hiking, photography, and time with his wife and two adult children.
Inside the Mind - Richard R. Becker
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What inspired you to start writing?
I've always been a storyteller of sorts. When I was young, all of my toy soldiers and stuffed animals had backstories. Most often, however, I told these stories with pictures because I wanted to be an artist. While I was studying art and psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno, an advisor suggested I enroll in the Reynolds School of Journalism because they had a program with an emphasis in advertising. Instead of graphic design, the program focused on writing articles and advertising copy for print ads, television commercials, etc. Since graduating, I've been a commercial writer for over 35 years. Five years or so ago, I finally found a way to prioritize writing fiction like I would any other deadline I had on my desk. I set out to write 50 short stories in 50 weeks. The project became my debut book, "50 States," which won four literary awards and became a literary short story best seller.
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Can you tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest novel, "Born on Monday," will be released this Oct. 21. It's a gripping tale of resilience, moral ambiguity, and small-town sins — a literary thriller where three lives collide in a desperate fight for survival while truth becomes a casualty and redemption carries a cost. The story follows Billy Stevens, a quarry worker haunted by loss, is drawn into a web of betrayal when a brutal crime pins him as a suspect; Jessica Michaud, who returns to care for her ailing mother, only to find herself hunted by a vengeful ex whose chilling threats awaken old wounds; and journalist Andrea Kearney digs into a local dynasty’s corruption as the storm’s fury mirrors the rising tide of violence. The three of them must come to terms with past and present threats while a historic nor’easter descends on Augusta, Maine.
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