Welcome to the Fiction of Emily Bump Girard
I write layered, emotionally honest novels set in the fictional Appalachian town of Radiant, Virginia—a place where recovery is possible, relationships are complicated, and memory has a long reach.
My characters are everyday people navigating extraordinary grief: a grandmother raising her grandson after her daughter’s death, a lawyer in recovery risking everything for a kid who reminds him of himself, a ghost watching the living try to heal.
My stories are for readers who love books that make them feel: hope, ache, tenderness, and transformation.
I’m currently seeking representation for my second novel, A Thousand Ways to Say I’m Sorry.
I love hearing from readers, writers, and fellow mountain dwellers.
You can email me directly at emily.girard.writer@gmail.com
Want to know more about me? Read my bio.
The Radiant Novels
Three standalone novels set in Radiant, Virginia—a fictional Appalachian town where recovery is hard-won, violence is never simple, and grace arrives in unexpected forms.
POSTS from
Sandcastles at Sunset
On Building, Letting Go, and Why We Create Anyway Even with the flu, the beach over the holiday was magical. I sat in the sand, aching from head to toe,…
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Three Novels, One Desk
Three Novels, One Desk Reflections on a Literary Journey I took all three of my novels to Staples this week and printed them. Now they’re a small mountain of paper…
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The Shortest Day
The winter solstice occurred while we were at the beach. The shortest day, the longest night. The rebirth of the sun, taking back the day minute by minute until June…
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Book Three is DONE!
Book Three is DONE! (So why don’t I feel anything?) Just last week, after suffering for two weeks with the flu (during my much-needed beach vacation over the holidays), I…
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Birthday Girls and Cheerleaders
I officially have no minor children—my baby is eighteen. It feels impossible, the overnight transition to adulthood for this child who’s always been my shadow. But she’s a grownup now.…
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Dog Days: Christmas Sweaters!
Today was a big day at the Girard house! Another snow day—day four and counting of no school for Marcy. (She’s still in bed.) But the weather didn’t prevent the…
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On Doubt. And Rejection. And General Suckiness.
I’ve been querying (searching for a literary agent) since August, first with my too-long debut novel. After twenty-four form rejections, I re-evaluated my book, my query. I cut 20,000 words.…
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My Final Post About the Weather
IT FINALLY SNOWED on Thursday night. I shouldn’t say finally, because we haven’t had measurable snow in my area this early since 2018, so it was a rare gift. But…
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All Right, Mother Nature. You can stop showing off now!
I KEEP TELLING myself to stop taking pictures of sunrises. My website is overrun with them. Surely, I can come up with something new. And then the sky does this:…
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Becoming Ourselves
On unexpected surprises, heartache, and the joy that follows This is the most personal essay I’ve ever written—and the one that matters most to me. Becoming Ourselves is the story of my…
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A Rut? Or Just Home?
How returning to the same view, the same story, can be an act of faith — not a failure of imagination This essay was originally published by Pen with Paper…
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A Tale of Two Trees
Bare branches and hopeful lights; reality and ritual I LOVE SNOW. On Monday, for the first time since 2018, we had a winter weather advisory in December. We don’t usually…
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All photos © Emily Bump Girard, taken in the Shenandoah Valley