About Rick
Truth, Told Slow
I’m Rick — around here, folks know me as Ricky Rude, which is as much a way of living as it is a pen name. I believe truth is rude. It doesn’t care about your comfort, your schedule, or your carefully curated feed. It just is. Most of what I write is my attempt to tell it anyway — honestly, gently, and with a little grit.
I live in Virginia Beach, not far from the boardwalk and seagulls of Rudee Inlet that show up in my stories. I call this season of my life my “Year of Resurgence” — a return to the things that actually matter: faith, family, story, and doing the next right thing, even when it’s inconvenient. Every word on this site comes out of that same place.
Novels
Southern literary fiction, co-written and solo. Long-form stories about buried secrets and the truth that finds its way out.
Memoir
True stories about the people who made me. Starting with HUNNY — a tribute to my parents’ 54-year marriage.
Children's Books
Stories for kids 7 and up, like Sal & Sugar — seagull tales set at Rudee Inlet about kindness, courage, and friendship.
Fables
A lion and a butterfly, meant for the young and the young at heart — stories built to be shared out loud with the people you love.
Essays
Short, honest reflections on faith, creativity, authenticity, and what it means to live on purpose in the South.
Poetry
Verses under the pen name Ricky Rude — the rawest, most unfiltered form the truth takes.
I didn’t set out to build a brand. I set out to tell the truth about my family, my faith, and my home — and it turned into this.
WHERE THE STORIES LIVE
Every book started as a conversation, a memory, or a walk on the boardwalk. Here’s where they end up.
