Rachel Caine

Roxanne Longstreet Conrad (April 27, 1962 – November 1, 2020), known by her pen name Rachel Caine, was an American writer of science fiction, fantasy, mystery, suspense, and horror novels.

Personal life

Caine grew up in West Texas and graduated from Socorro High School in El Paso, Texas, in 1980. She earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University in 1985, with a minor in music. Caine wrote and published novels and short stories starting in 1990. She was a professional musician who played with notable musicians including Henry Mancini, Peter Nero, and John Williams.

From 1999, Caine was employed in corporate communications as a web designer, editor, corporate communications manager, and finally as director of corporate communications for a large multinational company. She took an eight-month hiatus for most of 2008 to meet pressing deadlines, and retired from her position to write full-time in 2010. She lived in north Texas with her husband, artist Cat Conrad. Caine did most of her writing at home and on the road during appearances.

In 2018, Caine was diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma. She died on November 1, 2020.

She was awarded with the Kate Wilhem Solstice Award by the SFWA in 2020, the citation saying “Rachel Caine was a prolific and wonderful writer, but also dedicated herself to using her platform to lift up others. From mentoring to fundraising efforts, Rachel was always there for the community.”