Lorin Morgan-Richards

"I remember my first book as a child was The Indians Knew by Tillie S. Pine, an early reader from 1965 explaining the cultural ways and historical resourcefulness of Native Americans and how they are applied in the sciences today."

When Richards entered second grade, he was diagnosed with a form of dyslexia that required tutoring through the ninth grade.

By his early teens, he was reading and became inspired by Edward Lear, L. Frank Baum, Roald Dahl, and Lewis Carroll; helping him overcome his reading disability.

Lorin Morgan-Richards (born February 16, 1975) is an American author, illustrator, and songwriter, primarily known for his young adult fiction and Gothic Western comedy series The Goodbye Family.

In the past, Richards served as the publisher of Celtic Family Magazine, and was the founder of the Los Angeles St. David's Day Festival, one of the largest Welsh festivals of its kind in the United States.

Morgan-Richards was born in Beebetown, Ohio, and is of Swiss (Amish) and Welsh descent.

Richards was raised in an old converted one-room schoolhouse in Beebetown, Ohio, that had a well for water.

His mother (a student of fine art) taught him the basics of drawing and music composition on the family pump organ.

Richards also credited his imagination on the plentiful books his family owned, creative isolation, and the sheer number of animals they took care of, many of which he incorporated into his early drawings and writings.

Richards interest in Native American and American Western history began in childhood.

In 1990, at the age of 15, Richards wrote and produced his first film entitled The Cowboy Movie.

Between 1993 and 2003, Richards received an AA Degree in Liberal Arts at Cuyahoga Community College and credited his Anthropology Professor Mark Lewine as a mentor.

During this time, Richards also achieved minor success in producing music projects containing modern dance and theater, and befriended and collaborated with artist Textbeak.

"I first attended Tri-C Western campus where my focus was on Liberal Arts. At the time, I kept a journal of random thoughts, doodles, and lyrics and used the filter of music as my art. So, the bulk of my classes were in this field of study. I made connections with other artists who shared similar passions, and we were all eager to form various projects of expression. I moved to Lakewood to be closer to the performance spaces and switched to Tri-C Metro where I was awakened out of my shell by an Anthropology teacher named Dr. Mark Lewine."

In 1999, Richards solo album ENKI and subsequent live production were based on Zecharia Sitchin's book The Twelfth Planet.

The show premiered in Cleveland, Ohio under the choreography of Michael Medcalf.

Native American musical act Shouting Mountain opened the evening.

In 2001, Richards followed the success of ENKI with the production of An Occurrence Remembered, influenced by the metaphysical war writings of Ambrose Bierce.

The performance premiered in New York City.

Richards reflects on the performance: "Rehearsals were underway when 9-11 happened and I recall we continued only for our own therapy of the situation, knowing theater-goers were not going out. It was a tremendous performance, but it financially broke me."

Richards calls his synth music "Dark Electronic Storytelling" as it is conceptually based on written works and is meant for dramatic performance.

In 2002, Richards moved to Los Angeles to start over where he refocused his artistic direction into writing and illustrating, which he said: "did not need the expenses of my past but only a pen and paper."

Richards conceptualized most of The Goodbye Family characters in 2009 during a trip to the UK and France with his wife, although they were mentioned before this in his western novel Me'ma and the Great Mountain.

Richards explains "I took a diary on the trip to write my second novel The Goodbye Family.

The Goodbye family consisted of undertakers Otis and Pyridine, their daughter Orphie and her pet tarantula Dorian.

Orphie was first seen atop the Notre Dame Cathedral with gargoyles, Otis was trying to board a train at customs with a shrunken head, Pyridine was sewing a limb back together in Cardiff, and Dorian was capturing a fairy to eat.

Following these illustrations, a cat Ouiji was unveiled and Orphie is said to have a brother named Kepla, but he is hardly ever seen and it is unclear if he even exists."

Between 2009 and 2013, Richards was bookbinding his limited edition versions of each title with runs equaling 50 to 400.

These collectible books were typically oversewn by hand with a faux leather hard backing and linen pages inside.

In an interview he states:

"Having seen what is being printed by majors these days with poor quality paper, I wanted to provide the reader with a book that carries more value near the same price and that can last for generations. Nothing would be more inspiring to me than to know my books are treasured like an heirloom."

Stylistically, Richards prefers a pencil and ink approach to his illustrations, and his writing often has elements of dark satire.

Many of his stories also have a strong environmental message.

While his novel Me'ma and the Great Mountain (2012) began drafts as early as 2002, it was Simon Snootle and Other Small Stories that became his first book release in 2009.

The following year Richards delivered four new releases including his second book of short stories in A Boy Born from Mold and Other Delectable Morsels.

Between 2015 and 2018 Richards ran two weekly cartoons on Steamkat, a comic strip site, The Goodbye Family and The Noodle Rut.

Richards won the 2016 Official Tasty Nugget award for his illustrated story Sad Lost Doll.

Richards announced on social media in June 2018 that he was re-releasing previous albums and upcoming tracks under the new moniker Elder Moon.

Since 2018, Richards has syndicated his series The Goodbye Family on Tapas as well as through his social media.

In 2021, Richards created The Goodbye Family: The Animated Series.