Ru Emerson (15 December 1944–15 August 2025), also writing as Roberta Cray, was a fantasy novelist, best known for writing original tie-in fiction.
A lifetime speculative fiction reader and writer, Emerson was first published in 1986 with the fantasy novel The Princess of Flames. Her skills for writing both characters and action brought her into media and gaming tie-in work including as the first author writing for the Xena, Warrior Princess book series. Emerson continued writing through the 1990s for adult and young adult readers, and in 2015, contributed a recipe to Ad Astra: The 50th Anniversary SFWA Cookbook, benefitting the SFWA Legal Fund.
[Quote from board member.]
Ru Emerson lived 80 years.