Laura Hickman
Laura Curtis Hickman | |
|---|---|
 Laura Hickman | |
| Born | Laura Curtis December 7, 1956 Long Beach, California |
| Occupation | Novelist, game designer |
| Nationality | American |
| Period | 1984–present |
| Genre | Fantasy fiction |
| Spouse | Tracy Hickman (1977–present) |
| Children | 4 |
| Website | |
| www | |
Laura Curtis Hickman (born December 7, 1956 in Long Beach, California) is an American fantasy author, best known for her works in game design and fantasy novels cowritten with her husband, Tracy Hickman.
Early life
Laura Curtis was born in Long Beach, California to Clarence and Jenny Curtis. She grew up in Southern California until her parents moved to Provo, Utah just prior to her entering Junior High School. There while she was in 7th grade, she met Tracy Hickman in the lunch room of Farrer Junior High School. They dated off-and-on through their years at Provo High School until Tracy left to serve a church mission in Indonesia in 1975. Like her husband Tracy, Laura is a Latter-day Saint.[1]
Tracy served two years of service as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[2] Hickman and Curtis were married in 1977.[2] They were married three months after his return on June 17, 1977.
Career
Tracy and Laura Hickman wrote the original versions of the modules Rahasia and Pharaoh together, and privately published them.[3] The Hickmans published Pharaoh through DayStar West Media in 1980.[4]: 15 Tracy went into business, but his associate left the Hickmans with $30,000 in bad checks to cover.[3] Driven into bankruptcy, Tracy sent Rahasia and Pharaoh to TSR, "literally so that I could buy shoes for my children".[3] TSR wanted the modules, but hired Tracy as well: “They said it would be easier to publish my adventures if I was part of the company. So, we made the move from Utah to Wisconsin.”[3] The Hickmans also designed I6: Ravenloft (1983) for TSR.[4]: 15
The Hickmans co-created Dragonlance and Laura was the inspiration for Laurana Kanan.[3] They also wrote the adventure Out in the Black (2006) for the Serenity Role Playing Game for Margaret Weis Productions.[4]: 353
The Hickmans have been publishing game designs together for over twenty-five years, including the popular and innovative Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Ravenloft module in 1983.[2] They published their first joint novel, Mystic Warrior, in 2004.[5] Tracy and Laura have been producing their DragonHearth podcast since December 2005.[citation needed]
In 2010, Tracy and Laura Hickman launched a direct-to-internet serialized fantasy series, "Dragon's Bard"[6] which introduced the concept of "novel as souvenir" where subscribers could download periodical ebook chapters as the book was written and then receive a copy of the physical book upon the completion of the subscription.
Works
Fiction
- Bronze Canticles
- Tales of the Dragon's Bard Book 1: Eventide
- Knights of the Red Band
- Riddle of the Griffon—as Susan Lawson
- Love and War, contributor
- Unwept: Book One of The Nightbirds (2014)
Non-fiction
- Baking Outside the Box
Games
References
- ^ Mormon Literature Database entry for Laura Hickman
- ^ a b c Varney, Allen (August 1998). "ProFiles: Tracy Hickman". Dragon (#250). Renton, Washington: Wizards of the Coast: 120.
- ^ a b c d e Weis, Margaret (April 1987). "TSR Profiles". Dragon (#120). Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: TSR, Inc.: 91.
{{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b c Shannon Appelcline (2011). Designers & Dragons. Mongoose Publishing. ISBN 978-1-907702-58-7.
- ^ Hickman, Tracy (2007). "Battle Cry". In Lowder, James (ed.). Hobby Games: The 100 Best. Green Ronin Publishing. pp. 21–23. ISBN 978-1-932442-96-0.
- ^ "Dragons Bard". Dragon's Bard Website. 2010. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014.
http://sojournertales.com/ Sojourner Tales, Kickstarter page
External links
- Baking Outside the Box Website
- Amazon author page
- Laura Hickman at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Tracy and Laura Hickman papers, MSS 8180 at L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Brigham Young University
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
- 1956 births
- 20th-century American novelists
- 20th-century American women writers
- 21st-century American novelists
- 21st-century American women writers
- American women novelists
- Dungeons & Dragons game designers
- Latter Day Saints from California
- Latter Day Saints from Utah
- Living people
- Novelists from Utah
- Provo High School alumni
- Women science fiction and fantasy writers
- Writers from Long Beach, California
- Writers from Provo, Utah