News and Updates
Barbara’s 2nd novel Unswerving now published by University of Wisconsin Press.
Great News!
A wonderful review in Foreword Reviews. “In Barbara Ridley’s gripping novel Unswerving… a woman facing tremendous losses transforms because of her courage, resilience, and community.”
And More News!
Barbara’s first novel When It’s Over is now distributed by Simon & Schuster. Order Here
When It’s Over is now available as an audiobook narrated by the award-winning Jilly Bond! Listen to a sample:
BUY Unswerving
Buy When It’s Over
New Published Stories
New! October 2026
Essay published in Calyx, prompted by a response to Barbara’s 2nd novel Unswerving: Is a Disabled Lesbian Protagonist Too Much?
October 2025
The Lit Nerds, Five Star Reviews.
Handwritten Letters. A short nonfiction piece inspired by the discovery of a box of old letters.
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About Barbara
Barbara Ridley is an author of literary fiction and personal essays/memoir pieces. Her debut novel, When It’s Over, set in Europe in World War II, was published 2017. Her second novel, Unswerving, was published (2024) by the University of Wisconsin Press.
Originally from London, U.K., she has lived in California for most of her adult life. She loves the San Francisco Bay Area which is now her home, and likes to spend as much time as she can in the great outdoors.
She was born in London and grew up in a tiny village in Sussex. She attended the University of Sussex and the North London School of Nursing, and worked for 40 years as a nurse and then a nurse practitioner, specializing in the care of adults with physical disabilities. Now retired from her day job, she is focusing on her writing. She lives with her wife in the East Bay.
