Arnold Author Experiences Success with Amazon

For local author Michael Hicks, it all began in childhood with weekend visits to his grandparents’ home.

“I would stay up until all hours watching movies like The Blob, The Abominable Doctor Phibes, and Forbidden Planet,” explained Hicks, an Arnold resident. “I also spent far more time reading every sci-fi and horror book I could get my hands on. In my teens, I was so addicted to reading that my teachers had to yell at me in class to get my nose out of a book with spaceships and aliens emblazoned on the cover.” 

These days, Hicks is providing the same kind of thrills to his own readers with a series of novels titled “In Her Name,” including the books “Empire, “Confederation,” and “Final Battle.”

Though the stories were written in the 1990s, they weren’t actually available until 2008, when Hicks took advantage of the eBook revolution and published it on the Amazon Kindle.

“I received a delightful shock when people not only began buying it, but actually liked it,” recalled Hicks. “The writing itself has been an enjoyable compulsion, but hearing that readers enjoy what I write has been a true and treasured gift.”

These days his new book just hit #180 on the Amazon Kindle list last week. Titled “Season of the Harvest,” the plot follows FBI Special Agent Jack Dawson as he investigates the gruesome murder of his best friend and fellow agent who had been pursuing a group of eco-terrorists. The book is available from Amazon on Kindle or in paperback.

Hicks grew up in Scottsdale, Ariz., and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Arizona State University. After being commissioned in the Army, he moved to Maryland in the mid-1980s and spent a summer in the Soviet Union in 1983.

“I like to think I played a terribly minor role in defending the free world from the Soviet Empire,” Hicks said of the assignment.

Hicks continues to write, as he travels the country in his RV with wife Jan and his two stepsons. His drive comes from the support he receives from his family, friends, and, now, fans.

“A friend told me recently that she was at the grocery store, talking to the checkout girl, and happened on the topic of books,” said Hicks. “The girl said something like, Yeah, I'm reading a book by Michael Hicks and I'm really into him now.’ Now that's cool!”