HICKMAN, Patricia

PERSONAL: Married; husband's name Randy (a pastor); children: Joshua, Jared, Jessica (deceased).

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, Warner Books, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

CAREER: Author; Simple Joy! (speaking ministry), founder.

WRITINGS:

Angel of the Outback, Bethany House (Minneapolis, MN), 1995.

Voyage of the Exiles, Bethany House (Minneapolis, MN), 1995.

Bustin' Loose, illustrated by Taia Morley, Augsburg (Minneapolis, MN), 1995.

The Red Hot Pepper Fiasco, illustrated by Taia Morley, Augsburg (Minneapolis, MN), 1995.

The Emerald Flame, Bethany House (Minneapolis, MN), 1996.

Beyond the Wild Shores, Bethany House (Minneapolis, MN), 1997.

The Treasure Seekers, Bethany House (Minneapolis, MN), 1998.

Katrina's Wings: Miracles Happen in the Most Places, Waterbrook Press (Colorado Springs, CO), 2000. Sandpebbles, W. Pub. Group (Nashville, TN), 2002.

The Touch, Tyndale House (Carol Stream, IL), 2002.

Fallen Angels, Warner (New York, NY), 2003.

SIDELIGHTS: Patricia Hickman's novel Voyage of the Exiles takes place in England during the 1700s. George Prentice is arrested for picking pockets, and later his wife is accused of stealing. They are both sentenced to live in a new colony of convicted felons in Australia. Their teenaged daughter finds work with the commander and is able to join them in Australia. All three family members turn to their faith in order to find each other and survive in the new colony.

Katrina's Wings: Miracles Happen in the Most Places tells the story of Katrina, a teenaged girl who is unhappy with her life. Katrina lives in Arkansas with her low-class family. She wants to be an artist and feels the need to leave Arkansas to make a better life for herself, but has no support from her family. She feels she is stuck in her position until she finds religion and it changes her life for the better. All about Romance contributor Mary Sophia Novak noted, "Katrina's Wings met or exceeded my best initial expectations, and I was very pleased to encounter this unusual read."

In Sandpebbles March Longfellow and her son are distraught after her husband's death in a boating accident. Her pastor is ready to retire and invites Colin Arnett, possible replacement and a widowed father of four, to preach at his church. March finds herself attracted to the pastor, but she won't allow herself to have feelings for Colin, and pushes him away. March eventually realizes she can let go of her deceased husband and begin a relationship with Colin. A Publishers Weekly contributor claimed, "It's a good if not exceptional story with some nice touches of humor."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

periodicals

Booklist, March 15, 1995, John Mort, review of Voyage of the Exiles, p. 1309.

Library Journal, February 1, 1995, Henry Carrigan, Jr., review of Voyage of the Exiles, p. 65; September 1, 1997, Melissa Hudak, review of Beyond the Wild Shores, p. 166; April 1, 2002, Melanie C. Duncan, review of Sandpebbles, p. 86.

Publishers Weekly, March 18, 2002, review of Sand-pebbles, p. 76.

School Library Journal, July, 1995, Claudia Moore, review of Voyage of the Exiles, p. 105.

Voice of Youth Advocates, December, 1995, Kathleen Beck, review of Voyage of the Exiles, p. 302.

online

All about Romance,http://www.likesbooks.com/ (June 3, 2002), Mary Sophia Novak, review of Katrina's Wings: Miracles Happen in the Most Places.

Patricia Hickman Web site, http://www. patriciahickman.com (June 3, 2002).

Romantic Times Book Club, http://www.romantictimes. com/ (June 3, 2002), Roberta Blair, review of Katrina's Wings; Diane Johnson, review of The Treasure Seekers.*