Biography of Irene Radford



An update of the old photo.

Photo by T.L. Karr

This one shows how time catches up with us all. Pretend all that grey hair is really blonde.



Meet my new writing parter, Lilac.

Lilac the cat

She's all grown up now and doesn't fit in front of the monitor, but this is still my favorite picture of my beautiful baby kitty. She's big enough now (about 7 pounds) to scare the 200 pound bear off of her deck — with the glass door between them. See the bear below if you don't believe me.



Guess who came to dinner on my back deck?

Guess who came to dinner?



Irene Radford, Author of The Dragon Nimbus Series

Irene has been writing stories ever since she figured out what a pencil was for. Combining a love for Medieval history and a fascination with paranormal, Irene concentrated on fantasy writing.

Irene is a member of an endangered species, a native Oregonian who lives in Oregon. As a service brat, she lived in a number of cities throughout the country until returning to Oregon in time to graduate from Tigard High School. She earned a B.A. in history from Lewis and Clark College, where she met her husband. They currently make their home in Welches, Oregon, where deer, bear, coyote, hawks, owls and woodpeckers feed regularly on their back deck.

In her spare time, Irene enjoys lacemaking and is a long time member of an international guild.

My real life isn't quite so organized. Most of the time I have to use my floor as a filing cabinet and have to rely on my day-planner as my brains.

Growing up in the shadow of two very large older brothers and a tall, elegant older sister, I had to prove myself smarter and more beautiful than the others in order to survive — just like any normal runt of the litter. The smarter part I still believe.

I tried a lot of different things searching for my niche in life. History fascinated me early on and I stuck with it through college. Needlework began as a necessity. I always made my own clothes and loved fancy knitting and embroidery. Then, in my mid twenties I discovered tatting at a county fair. I had found the hobby — more likely addiction — of a lifetime. Tatting led me to the Portland Lace Society and the International Old Lacers. Then I discovered bobbin lace, the ultimate puzzle. I've won several local and regional prizes for my work and still play with it, though I no longer have the time to let it consume me. Check out the dedication to The Loneliest Magician. Creating a patdch for a dragon wing out of lace was the best part of this book.

Ballet is still a passion of mine. I gave up seeking a career as a dancer in high school when I realized I'd never have the length of leg or masochistic tendencies to make it as a pro. I taught youngsters the rudiments of ballet for many years until a broken ankle robbed me of the flexibility and balance I needed to continue teaching. That dark moment in my life brought me the best revelation of all. Writing.

I no longer had reasons to put off becoming a writer. Without ballet and jobs to divert my mental and physical energy, I finally had the incentive to take my writint seriously. For years I'd kept it secret, indulging in it, binging in writing between midnight and 3AM once a year when my husband and son went camping. Now I had the confidence to announce that I must work at it openly. I must devote my time to it in order to know if I could succeed or not. I joined Romance Writers of America. I invested in typewriters and then computers. I read. And I wrote.

The rest is history yet to be made.

Check the links on this site for upcoming books and special events. I hope I get to meet you at a con or a booksigning soon. Feel free to e-mail me with questions and comments about the books or life in general.


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