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1. Why did you decide to answer these frequently asked questions?
To avoid having to answer them again. I enjoy fresh new questions but the old ones get, well, old. So do the answers.
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2. What are you working on now?
I just finished Red Helmet, my big new romantic novel set in today's Appalachian coalfields. It will be out in February, 2008. Next up is co-authoring the memoirs of Anousheh Ansari.
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3. Are you going to write any more books about the Rocket Boys or Coalwood?
Probably not. I think an author can go to the same well too often. Rocket Boys and The Coalwood Way told the complete story of the Big Creek Missile Agency. Sky of Stone finished the story of my home town as I lived it. We Are Not Afraid fills in the gaps.
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4. How can I get you to speak at my organization?
Contact Greater Talent Network at ekb@greatertalent.com or 800-326-4211. Another way to get to see me is to keep an eye on the What's New section on the home page of this web site. My book tour schedules will be published there. Come out to see me then! That's the best time to collect an autograph, too.
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5. I want your autograph. How can I get one?
The surest way to get my signature is to buy one of my books and have me autograph it. You can call my friend John Shaver's book store at (256) 533-7364 or e-mail him at shaversbks@comcast.net. Teachers who teach Rocket Boys, however, fall into a different category. If you'd like an autographed photo for your class or school, please see the autographs info on the Educator's page.
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6. How to you spell your name? It's Hickman, right? Or Hickham? How about Hiccum?
It's Hickam. H-I-C-K-A-M. Six little letters, that's all there are and they are arranged just this way and no other: HICKAM.
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7. How about your first name? Is it Homar? Or Hiram?
It's Homer, as in blind Greek poet. If, however, you're from Coalwood or knew me at Virginia Tech or in Vietnam, you can call me Sonny or Flash.
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8. I notice your first books you use the name Homer H. Hickam, Jr. Now you use just Homer Hickam. Why the change?
Computers got confused and often filed my name under Jr. or the middle initial. I gave up and went to the simplified name.
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9. What has been your greatest accomplishment?
I hope I haven't accomplished it yet.
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10. What writer do you most admire and why?
John Steinbeck. He had a positive outlook on life and had an innate sense of the goodness of people. He was also just a good writer who wrote about intriguing characters.
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11. What is your favorite book?
There are so many I admire. If pressed, I suppose I'd say Steinbeck's "Cannery Row" but my reasons for loving it are not literary but personal.
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12. As a writer, what has been the biggest hurdle you've had to overcome?
That too many people perceive me as an engineer or a scientist rather than a writer.
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13. I loved the book title Rocket Boys. Why did they call the movie October Sky?
The short answer is Universal Studios marketing people got involved and they just had to change the title because, according to their research, women over thirty would never see a movie titled Rocket Boys. October Sky is an anagram of Rocket Boys.
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14. I want to work for NASA (or accomplish some other goal). Can you help me?
Yes. Read We Are Not Afraid. It's filled with excellent advice for anyone wanting to figure out how to have a good life without fear and accomplish your dreams.
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15. I see some differences in dates, even characters between the book Rocket Boys and the movie October Sky. Which is right?
The book is the true source. The movie got a lot of things wrong. Still, it's a good movie.
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16. Which is the correct title for your first memoir, Rocket Boys or October Sky?
Rocket Boys. If you want to call the book October Sky, however, I have no problem with that. It's a good title, too. In all versions of Rocket Boys and/or October Sky, the words in the books are exactly the same.
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17. Do you ever see any of the other Rocket Boys?
Yes, once a year at the annual October Sky Festival in Coalwood. We're still very good friends.
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18. What happened to your brother? Did you ever become friends?
Jim recently retired from the position of head football coach at a high school in Roanoke, Virginia. He is now the line coach for a junior college. Yes, we are very good friends. We're brothers, after all!
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19. How is your mom?
Still going strong and very much in charge of her affairs, thank you very much.
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20. Who are your personal heroes?
The greatest man I ever knew was my father. He was a brilliant intellectual who could do just about anything. He read voraciously and passed along that trait to me. During his years in Coalwood, he was probably the best mining engineer in the country even though he didn't have a college degree. My mother is my hero, too, because of her stubborn ability to overcome obstacles in life. The Rev. Richard of the Mudhole Church of Distinct Christianity was a hero of my youth, of course. Miss Riley, my chemistry and physics teacher at Big Creek High School was truly a hero. That's why she has become such an icon for teachers all over the world. The men and women who serve in our armed forces are my heroes of today.
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21. What do you like to do in your spare time?
Spare time is kind of hard to find these days. When I get a moment, I love playing with the cats or reading. I also jog four or five miles every day. I still love to scuba dive, too, but don't do that more than a couple of times a year. I also love to hunt dinosaur bones with Dr. Jack Horner in Montana.
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22. Where do you get your ideas for your books?
The memoirs come from my personal experiences in Coalwood, of course. Torpedo Junction came from my years as a free-lance writer for a variety of diving and history magazines. Back to the Moon, the novel I published immediately after Rocket Boys, was wishful thinking. The Keeper's Son is based on the fifteen years of research I did for Torpedo Junction. It was natural that I would eventually get around to writing a novel using that research. The result was the Josh Thurlow series.
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23. Can I send you a copy of my book manuscript?
No. I won't read it for legal reasons and because I simply don't have the time.
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24. How much time does it take you to write a novel or one of your memoirs?
About a year, including research, but I'm going to try to speed that up a bit in the future. Too many books, not enough time!
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25. How much editing is done to your books?
Very little, I'm happy to report. When I turn in a manuscript, I have honed it to as near perfection as I can.
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26. I found an error in one of your books. Do you want to know what it is?
No. I already know what it is. I've probably tried to get the publisher to correct it but have finally given up. We'll both have to live with it.
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27. Where do you live?
Alabama and the Virgin Islands. I like them both for different reasons.
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28. Help! Your book is out of print. How can I find it?
None of my books are out of print although certain kinds of bindings may be. If you absolutely can't find the book you want, contact Shaver's book store at shaversbks@comcast.net
256-533-7364 CDT
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29. Which book of yours is your favorite?
The next one!
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30. What is the best part of being a writer?
Freedom! I can go anywhere and still write.
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31. I understand you're an amateur paleontologist. Will you write about that?
Yes. I am writing right now a fiction book, working title, The Dinosaur Hunter.
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32. Why don't I see your books advertised more? And why aren't they prominently displayed in book stores? And why do I never see them in airport book stores?
These are the very same questions I keep asking my publisher!
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33. Do you have as much fun writing your books as we do reading them?
Yes!
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34. My school is using Rocket Boys/October Sky as a reading assignment. How can I get information for my report?
First, read the book because watching the movie is not going to help you. The movie is good but it's not anywhere near the real story. Then go to the Students page on this web site. After that, it's up to you.
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35. Did you really tell John F. Kennedy that we should go to the moon?
Yes. That story is in Rocket Boys/October Sky in the "A Suit for Indianapolis" chapter.
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36. Does that mean you're responsible for the entire moon landing program?
Yes. Sort of. I don't know. Maybe. Read the chapter and make up your own mind.
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37. Anything else you'd like to say to your readers?
Yes. I would like to say thank you a million times over for reading my books and recommending them to your friends and families!
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Frequently Asked Questions