Michael W Hickman Interview Published on: 23, Sep 2024

I have wanted to write since elementary school, but I am dyslexic, and my grammar and spelling are terrible. I published my first novel at age 69.

I wanted so long because I have a helper, Google Assistant. I asked Google how to spell a word and what its definitions are.

I have a good imagination, and I’m able to come up with stories—I even written down a few. As for IT, it helps, but trying to extrapolate into the future can be a challenge. I hope some of what I came up with will come true one day.

I grew up around my grandparents’ farms, and I ran through the hill as far back as I can remember. I would play in the woods and build forts. My parents would take my brother and sisters and me camping around Ohio and Michigan. We even went camping in the winter. Throughout my novels, I have sprinkled stories of my life.

The themes of my novels are the love for each other and your family. I was a single father raising my two sons for sixteen years. When I became a single father, my oldest was six, and my youngest was four. At the same time, I was growing my career in the computer industry. And I would do it all again.

I found Max, a Great Dane mix, at the pound. He has been with me for nine years. Amber is a Shiba Inu/Australian Shepherd mix and looks like a fox. I named her after Amber in my novels. A friend’s son and his wife’s dog had a litter, and Amber was the one no one wanted. I took her sight unseen.

I take them for a walk every morning, and I can let them off the leash so they can run free.

I watch how they run and act and incorporate that into how the nonhumans act and move.

I have been doing genealogy for most of my life, and the stories of my family have played a big part in my stories. I found I am related to James Buchanan, the only single US president.

Both sides of my family arrived in the US in the seventeen hundreds, and if I can make one more link, I can apply for pioneer status in Ohio. My family has been certified as the families of Licking County. And Daniel Boone named the county.

My jaw hit the floor when I discovered I was related to Samuel Clemens and Zane Grey. I don’t know how much this has influenced my writing. I know I have a long way to go before I come close to the way they write, if ever. But it feels good knowing others in my family have been successful writers.

Being retired, I can write with inspiration strikes. My favorite time to write is at night. During the day, I sit at my desktop. But at night, I set in my recliner with my laptop and get down to business. My sons are grown, and my youngest is a tech sergeant in the Air Force. My other lives next door, and my grandkids come over to visit whenever they want.

My next novel is nearly completed, and my editor is working on it. I have also started on book 6. The characters are the same, and the themes, love, and families are the same. And I have the best editor in the world. Jefferson Gaskin is a world-class writing editor who has worked on all of my novels. My novels would only be half as good without his gifted insight. Being dyslexic, he knows what I mean to say at times.

Well, that is a good question. I just sit down and follow the story as it plays out in my mind. I can sit down and write a chapter without stopping and the chapters could be two thousand words. And being dyslexic and a slow reader, I will have the chapter read to me through my Pixel phone.

As I walk my dogs, I will have my phone hooked to the front of my shirt and listen as we walk.

As I am writing, I visualize the characters as I am writing and the plot.

As I said, I am dyslexic and a slow reader. I use Google Docs and Grammarly. I have the chapters read to me. I am sure you can find grammar errors in my answers. Jefferson would have caught them.

My grandson influences some of my characters’ actions, but for the most part, it is a combination of many people I have known over the years.

Kirkus Reviews has given all of my novels good reviews. My second novel, Richard: The Dragon’s Curse, won Audiobookreviwers.com’s 2023 award for best Space Opera. They have also given Richard: War Erupts a great review, and I want to see if it wins an award. My novels have won five stars in awards from Readers’ Favorite.

Don’t doubt yourself. It took me 69 years to publish my first novel. If you want to write, just do it. And follow your dreams.

I have two other novels in the Richard series before I take a break and switch to Historical fiction. The title of that novel is Edward: More Than a Son. I want to tell many other stories. Everyone can find all my novels and what is coming in the future on my website, michaelhickman@redfoxonhigh.com

I have been with AllAuthor for about six months, and I am a Pro Member. The site is very organized.