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HOMER HICKAM QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
Spring '07 Issue, April 2007
click here for this issue's photos
Dear Gentle and Prodigious Readers:
Once again, we're rushing around to get our newsletter out to you. It seems we're always playing catch-up and my tenth book The Red Helmet is due to the publisher on May 1. We've had some wonderful things to come our way since we last wrote, and some things that weren't, including a fire in the house of Linda's parents, and the terrible shooting at my alma mater, Virginia Tech. More on those below.
Spring here in Huntsville has been a study in contrasts. For a while, it was nearly like summer and everything sped up. Daffodils bloomed, cherry tree and redbud blossoms popped out, followed closely by the dogwoods. (Photo 1) Things were really glorious, but then a cold spell, actually freezing temperatures, struck. (Photo 2) Linda and I covered up vulnerable species as best we could but the frost got most of them. Now, with the cold weather continuing, and many trees and other plants suffering, it's going to take Mother Nature some catching up to do to pull off a luxuriant summer as we generally have around here. Somehow, I think she'll pull it off. Linda and I think we saw a small eagle sitting in a tree yesterday. That's a good omen, if you're into omens.
In any case, wherever you are, regardless of the temperature in your neck of the woods, please keep in mind those young men and women who are overseas doing their duty so all we have to complain about is the weather. Occasionally, go up to a military man or woman in an airport, or on the street, and just say "Thank you." It will make you both feel better. Trust me on this. For that matter, do the same for the policeman who makes a special effort to keep your neighborhood safe, or the fireman who stands ready to come to our rescue, or all the medical and rescue workers who train so hard to be ready when disaster comes.
In case you haven't noticed, I've been writing a blog. To catch up on it, please go to my Blog page on www.homerhickam.com. Some things are there that aren't here.
Best wishes, and happy reading!
Homer, Linda, Maxx, China, Batman, Flopsy, and Little Bit (and the rest of the fish)
THE WRITING LIFE:
Where to begin with this aspect of our life? There has been so much going on! Succinct and to the point here, I think. First, The Far Reaches, my third Josh Thurlow novel, will officially be in stores by June 12, maybe sooner. Shaver's Books is already taking requests for autographed copies to be mailed to you. Excellent reviews so far in Publisher's Review and Kirkus.
Here's the Kirkus review:
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Hickam sends his recurring hero, Josh Thurlow, to the World War II invasion of Tarawa and then off to an edenic atoll with a few stalwart troops and a complicated Irish nun who hopes he will carry out her own battle plan. Introduced in The Keeper's Son (2003), U.S. Coast Guard Captain Thurlow, sea-savvy native of the Outer Banks, operates independently under the mandate of Navy Secretary Frank Knox, sending back private reports and analyses providing the Secretary with unfiltered information on the successes and failures of the Navy's mission. The invasion of Tarawa, with which this rouser begins, threatens to be a disaster of the first order. The American strategy of island hopping has brought the fleet to a low-lying string of islands well defended by Japanese troops prepared to fight to the death. The emperor's forces have prepared earthworks that seem impervious to the Navy's giant guns, and the day the Marines have picked for invasion is cursed by a tide that will send the invasion craft straight into murderous reefs. Thurlow, seeing that the Marines have no idea what they are getting into, joins the troops and is quickly involved in one of the bloodiest battles of the war. He, his fellow Outer Banksman Bosun Ready O'Neal and a handful of Marines make it out alive, spirited off to the islands of the Far Reaches. They have been rescued by a band of islanders led by Sister Mary Kathleen, who has already escaped the Japanese once and is dead set on going back to settle things with her former captors. When the outriggers land the little fleet on the Far Reaches, it takes no more than a few minutes for them to succumb to the charms of the islands and the islanders. But Sister Mary Kathleen, with whom O'Neal is hopelessly in love, will not let anyone forget her mission to invade the main island where she endured captivity and fell from grace. Excellent war and, when the guns aren't firing, equally fine peace. THE FAR REACHES Dunne/St. Martin's(320pp.) $24.95 Jun. 1, 2007 ISBN: 978-0-312-33475-8
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I'm happy that The Far Reaches will be out just in time for Father's Day. If there's a man in your life who likes to read, trust me, he'll like this novel, even if he hasn't read previous Thurlow novels. Women will like it, too, of course. A word of caution: These novels are adult, not meant for kids! To preorder the novel, go to http://www.homerhickam.com. You'll see its book cover there, plus the first few chapters of the book. Click on the cover to go to more information on the book, then click on it again to preorder. Or you can e-mail or call our friend John Shaver at his bookstore here in Huntsville for an autographed copy when it comes out. Info is here: http://www.homerhickam.com/gifts.shtml.
Here is the book tour schedule for The Far Reaches:
Davis Kidd, Nashville - Tuesday, June 12, 6:00pm.
Books & Co, Dayton - Wednesday, June 13, 7:00pm
Davis Kidd, Memphis - Thursday, June 14, 6:00pm
Quail Ridge, Raleigh - Friday, June 15, 7:00pm
Manteo Booksellers, Manteo, NC - Saturday, June 16, 1:00 pm
Booksmith, Birmingham, AL - Monday, June 18, 6:00pm
Capitol Book, Montgomery, AL - Tuesday, June 19, 4:00pm
Barnes & Noble, Jones Valley, Huntsville, AL - Friday, June 22, 7:00pm
If you live in these cities, I hope you will come out to say hello!
Moving on to the next novel. The Red Helmet is just about completed. It will be out in February, 2008, just in time for Valentine's Day which is good because it is a book filled with romance (not to mention action and adventure, of course). I see as a funny but wise tale of a woman, a man, a town, and a coal mine. The publisher, WestBow of Thomas Nelson, Inc., is already very high on this book and is planning quite a publicity splash for it. More to come on this, I swan, much, much more.
The next book after The Red Helmet is as yet untitled, and is my first with a co-author. It is the memoir of a very special woman, Anousheh Ansari, who came to the United States at age 16 from Iran without knowing a word of English, then went on to graduate near the top of her class in college, then to operate an extremely successful telecommunications company. Looking for more worlds to conquer, she funded the X-Prize that sent the first privately financed piloted craft into space, and then flew with the Russians up to the International Space Station. Anousheh is a magnificent example of what can be accomplished in a free country, and I am proud to help her tell her story which also, incidentally, includes a very lovely love story, too. Go here for a press release on our cooperative effort and much more: http://www.anoushehansari.com.
JOURNEYS:
A word on the terrible event at Virginia Tech. Most of you know I am a proud graduate of that great university. In fact, I am scheduled to travel there on May 10 to receive the Virginia Tech 2007 Distinguished Achievement Award, and then attend commencement exercises the next day. I also wrote the foreword for a coffee-table book sponsored by the Tech Alumni Association titled Cut In Stone, which refers not only to the beautiful "Hokie stone" of many of the buildings on campus, but the indelible history of the university. If you'd like to see more on this book, go to http://www.vtcutinstone.com. When the full implications of the murders on the campus at Virginia Tech became clear, I sent President Steger a letter of sympathy. You can read it on the home page of http://www.homerhickam.com.
Incidentally, the weekend prior to going up to Virginia Tech, Linda and I will journey to Marshall University to deliver the 2007 commencement address. I will also receive an honorary doctorate in literature. This is a great honor and I am truly humbled by it. Go here for more: http://www.huntingtonnews.net/marshall/070412-staff-commencement.html.
Although Linda will tell you more about it in her space, the fire I mentioned above happened here in Huntsville to her parents while we were at our wonderful Skyridge home in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. See http://stjohnhouserentals.com/Skyridge.htm (Photo 3). Along with us were our friends we call the Mountain Marauders, who are fellow adventure travelers and dear friends for many years. After a great morning of diving, we came back to hear a phone message from one of Linda's brothers that the home her father built with his own hands fifty-five years ago, had burned. No one was hurt but her parents were in a state of shock. It was all Linda could do to keep from flying home immediately. We had guests who would have understood (some of them grew up with Linda in Huntsville) but since her four brothers and sister were there to help her parents, she decided to stay the few days left in our St. John trip. It was a worrisome time for her and I know she was glad to get home to do what she could to help her folks recover from the trauma of seeing all those years of memories go up in acrid smoke. There is much to mourn. It was a beautiful home I loved visit in the twenty-two years I have known the Terrys.
I've been sticking close to home to work on my writing except for a brief (and wonderful) excursion to Grand Rapids, Michigan who was celebrating Rocket Boys/October Sky as their community read. Go here for a report: http://www.mlive.com/grandrapids/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-35/1175266217232490.xml&coll=6.
This past weekend, I also journeyed to Virginia Beach to support the city's Symphony Orchestra League I had a grand time there, too, and signed books until midnight!
COMING UP:
Looking beyond, I will be heading back to Montana in late May to help Jack Horner find some more dinosaurs. I found some skull bones of a T. Rex last year and we'll be looking for the rest of its skeleton. Then, the book tour for The Far Reaches, another journey to Skyridge, more dinosaur hunting, a speech at the Museum of the Rockies, and then gearing up for the season to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Sputnik, including a very special October Sky Festival in Coalwood. Much, much, much more on this to come!
Happy Spring and Great Reading!
Your writer and friend,
Homer Hickam
FROM LINDA:
As Homer said, my focus has been on helping my parents with this fire at my family home. The walls still stand, but nearly everything in the house is burnt or is so smoke damaged it must be thrown out. This includes their cherished first edition signed copies of all of Homer's books and many handmade fabric items, as my mother is a talented seamstress whose work is carried in several fine art shops. We will be able to replace the books of course, but fifty years of other cherished family heirlooms can never be recovered. We have to remind ourselves though that it was all “just things” and that we luckily still have all over loved ones, the most important thing there is.
Our kitties are fine, they love spring and their screen porch, though sadly they are noticeably getting older. (Photos 4 -8) We are blessed to have a mobile veterinarian who comes every two weeks to check Batman's sugar glucose reading in particular and our three physicist “daughters” to take care of the kitties when we travel. This gives us peace of mind that all is well at the Hickam house.
My friend Tracey Greene is an artist with a specialty in animal portraits. I commissioned her to do the four Hickam cats on rocks! (Photo 9) Tracey says she enjoys learning about and getting to know the lovely subjects of her pet portraits, and tries to infuse each one with a bit of the pet's unique personality and spirit, as if she were painting one of her own furry crew. If you need a unique gift for a pet lover that will be cherished forever, commission Tracey to do a painting. She paints all kinds of other animals too. Please see her recent wonderful commission of a family piece with a dog, a cat, four gerbils and a dog angel (click on Journal) at http://www.tagscats.com. Please tell her you heard about her work in Homer's newsletter.
Spring is a time of sweet renewal, so let's let the glorious weather and nature at its finest heal our hearts and souls. All best, Linda.
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