erika raskin.

I’ve been gathering story skeletons, punchlines, and snippets of “overheard” conversations since childhood. When I discovered writing, it was like happening upon the world’s greatest display case for my collections. I especially love crafting fiction as no matter what the characters get up to (or whatever mean thoughts flit across their minds) all I’m doing is reporting. BEST INTENTIONS, my second novel, is about medical malpractice — of the institutional variety. CLOSE, my first, concerns family therapy. On TV. I’ve done non-fiction for print and radio, and am currently working on a novel-in-stories.

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I grew up in Washington, D.C., the daughter of a novelist and human rights activist. We lived in an old brick row house that was a hub of the women’s, civil rights and anti-war movements. There was an endless soundtrack of Motown, typewriter music and politics.

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My husband has been my boyfriend since I was 18. We have three children, two sons-in-law, a grandboy and a grandgirl, many siblings, nieces and nephews. When we all get together we turn touch football, gin rummy and ping-pong into blood sports.