In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Emergency Medical Fund, or the Dallas-based Mary Crowley Cancer Research Center.
Roxanne Conrad (1962-2020), aka Rachel Caine, lost her fight with a rare and aggressive cancer, soft tissue sarcoma, on November 1, 2020, shortly after entering hospice care. She was fifty-eight.
Roxanne Longstreet was born April 27, 1962 and grew up in West Texas. She went to Texas Tech University, graduating with an accounting degree and a minor in music in 1995, and worked as a professional musician and in corporate communications. She met her husband, the artist Cat Conrad, at a convention in 1991. In 2010, she became a full-time writer.
Roxanne was known worldwide as thriller, science fiction, and young adult writer Rachel Caine. With over fifty-six books in print and millions of copies sold, she was a popular guest at conventions in the United States and around the world. Her popular book series include the young-adult Morganville Vampires novels, the Great Library series, and the #1 bestselling Stillhouse Lake novels in adult thrillers.
Her friend and literary agent Lucienne Diver wrote, “Roxanne is one of those rare people who … I typed that sentence and realized that I had to replace the ‘is’ with ‘was’ and the numbness that had been protecting me since I learned of her death flooded away. I cried so hard I couldn’t see the keyboard. And then I shook so hard I couldn’t hit the right keys. And when I got it out of my system, I went right back to work, because that’s what Roxanne would do.”
Roxanne’s friend and assistant of eleven years, Sarah Simpson-Weiss, wrote, “Eleven years ago I was a baby librarian who took a chance and contacted an author about coming to Iowa for a signing, never dreaming that Rachel would not only come, but become my dearest friend, my mentor, my Person. She has taught me more and given me more than words can ever express. She was the best of us, always giving.”
Conrad is survived by her husband.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Roxanne’s personal wishes, there will not be an in-person memorial service. However, the family is making arrangements for a virtual memorial service and more details will be released on that in the coming weeks.
Social media tributes are appreciated and may be posted to the Rachel Caine Fan Page on Facebook, and @rachelcaine on Twitter.
