Erika Raskin grew up to the sound of typewriter music. Her mother, bestselling novelist Barbara Raskin, was a rollicking story-teller who could turn mundane trips to the corner grocery store into readable high drama. Marcus Raskin, Erika's dad, was an author of non-fiction but still delighted in getting his daughter to make up back-stories of unsuspecting passers-by. She learned at an early age to collect details, catalog interesting behaviors, and then put them on paper.

Erika has written essays for print and radio, articles and short stories. Her fiction has been recognized by the Reynolds Price competition, Glimmertrain, and the Virginia Commission on the Arts. Her first novel, 'Close', will be published by Harvard Square Editions in October of 2014. There are others waiting patiently inside of her computer.

Erika and her husband, who have three grown-up offspring, live in Charlottesville, Virginia. They have a dog named Sullivan, who on his very first day of puppy school, was asked to please never return.