Caitlin Hicks

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NYC Big Book Award makes 3 international literary prizes for KENNEDY GIRL

Sunshine Coast, British Columbia — The NYC Big Book Award has recognized KENNEDY GIRL in the category of Historical Fiction as a Distinguished Favorite in their literary competition of 2024. This follows upon an earlier award for the first book in the Annie Shea series, the audiobook of A Theory of Expanded Love, which also won Distinguished Favorite with NYC Big Book Award in 2022. The competition was judged by experts of the book industry,

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October 13, 2024

Kennedy Girl wins finalist at AmericanBookFest

Loving a black man during the Turbulent Year of 1968, Annie Shea in Kennedy Girl wins finalist at AmericanBookFest 17-year old wannabe radical, Annie Shea, escapes the claustrophobia of her Catholic family when she solos in a production of the radical musical HAIR, and falls for a talented black dancer, Lucas Jones. Drawn to Robert Kennedy’s Dream for America, she becomes a KENNEDY GIRL volunteer. In the wake of his assassination in June, 1968, Annie is

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July 18, 2024
Fiction

Your powerful words: “It’s very, very good.”

One of the first people I shared my first novel with (A THEORY OF EXPANDED LOVE ) – George Payerle – said something that I will remember for the rest of my life. I had given my manuscript to him to read because I didn’t know if it was any good at all. And I was told that George would know. George was a writer – who figured in the Canadian writers landscape; he was

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June 11, 2024
Blog

The day, the May

Bragging anniversaries counted up: ten years? Twenty years? repeat Another ordinary day when someone was born and close by that annoying song everyone chants in unison with candles lighting up their smiling faces, the burning single fire perched atop seven minute frosting lit for ceremony da da da da, dear so and so, da da da daaa to you Before you can count them another chalks itself up   Now May evaporates with the stillness

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May 26, 2024
Blog

Imagine Andrew: 856 words, with the help of John Lennon

Imagine All the undone things The yearning Ambivalence The bluntness that now cannot be prevented It roars Andrew. In that mysterious limbo of intensive care, the blood sepsis, the pneumonia. The losses. Of ability to move, to stand, to raise an arm, to flick a mosquito off a leg, to turn down the television, to control the inevitable drooling. To manage his own bowels. Intubated. Breathing with ‘assistance’. Unable to speak. With eyes that see

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April 4, 2024
Blog

The child I was: would she know me now?

Lit Brunch with Writer’s Radio A live literary conversation exploring a theme in the company of writers, creatives, & readers. The inaugural event, scheduled for Saturday May 4th 2024, explores the following theme around a light brunch at the west coast gardens and studios of Writers Radio in Halfmoon Bay. Readings and animated discussion with audience participation will be recorded live for later broadcast. The child I was: would she know me now? This question

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March 3, 2024
Blog

The joy of Andrew, #13

Subject: belated birthday greetings Sent: 15/9/20 12:43 AM Received: 14/9/00 10:05 PM From: Andrew Hicks Dear, How are you? HAPPY BIRTHDAY late. I am sorry I did not communicate with you concerning the anniversary celebration of your birth. Anyway, I hope you had a most excellent and triumphant day. How many Earth years are you, exactly? Isn’t it amazing that all of us have lived as long as we have? Have a wonderful day, even

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December 18, 2023
Blog

Creating a Sell Sheet for your novel

As an author, we all need publisher support when interfacing with news outlets, literary festivals, libraries and contest/prizes. It’s just a fact that an author is taken more seriously when represented by her publisher. And Gord keeps saying, “If only this novel were in the hands of that special person, who could just recommend it to a friend . . . ” His confidence comes from the overwhelming support and excellent love I received with

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August 24, 2023
Blog

Vietnam war: front page of The Pasadena Star News

“January 7, 1968. Dear Diary, Today the Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour hit number 1 on the charts, a duck hunter accidentally shot a whooping crane already going extinct, and Bing LaBelle finally made it to the front page of the Pasadena Star News: Bing LaBelle (St. Francis Class of’66) home from Vietnam in a coffin.” – Kennedy Girl, p 1. With KENNEDY GIRL, Caitlin Hicks draws us back to 1968 in America.  Deftly painting the

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August 23, 2023
Blog

The fiction of KENNEDY GIRL: “Your own life is within it”

A conversation with a friend after reading KENNEDY GIRL Finished “Kennedy Girl” this morning plus the discussion topics which followed.   Much to say: writing was excellent, kept my attention throughout.  You have a gift for vivid imagery,  especially in portraying feelings.  I was going to say, “I felt like I knew Annie” but then in a way I do know her.  No, you write fiction but your own life is within it, and naturally so. 

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August 16, 2023
Blog

A vicious beating just for having a white girl in his truck with him

Kennedy Girl Review by Kay McCracken   I enjoyed reliving American history of the tumultuous 60’s through the eyes and emotions of Annie Shea in Caitlin Hicks’ new novel Kennedy Girl. Annie is the compelling protagonist in Caitlin’s first best-selling novel A Theory of Expanded Love. In this sequel novel Annie is getting ready to go off to college, although she and her Conservative Catholic father don’t see eye to eye on where she should go. Annie

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August 15, 2023
Blog

Metamorphosis in the Turbulent Year of 1968

A Review of KENNEDY GIRL by Walter Herbst Kennedy Girl is an entertaining and provocative book that takes place in the turbulent year of 1968. Having written two books on the JFK assassination myself, what made the book so compelling for me is the historical accuracy of the events that unfold as a backdrop to the main story. The main characters of the book are two teenagers, Annie Shea and Lucas Jones. Annie is white

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August 4, 2023
Blog

Of life, of death, of growing up through an inflection point in the history of America

Skeletons in the Closet, a review of Kennedy Girl by Craig Brunanski My grandson Lex is a fan of all things Halloween. His collection of animatronics ranges in size from hand puppets to giant monoliths that brush the ceiling; our rec room is nearly impassable. Today, just as I’d finished reading Caitlin Hicks’ novel, Kennedy Girl, Lex presented me with his latest addition. This one, the size of a five-year-old, was dressed in a tuxedo,

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July 31, 2023
Blog

Stunning read!

Hi Caitlin,  I have just finished Kennedy Girl.  Sitting here feeling wowed at your deeply moving story.  I read A LOT and rarely do I need to just sit and absorb the feelings of the characters and the profoundly moving story.  The tragedies of the 60’s don’t seem to have taught us much by looking around societies today. Stunning read! Awesome work and no doubt bound for success! Odessa (Bromley) June 9, 2023 ______________________________________________________ Isn’t

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July 20, 2023

First GOODREADS review: “I simply loved both books”

Kennedy Girl and A Theory of Expanded Love by Caitlin Hicks Review by Carole Harmon of Writer’s Radio Other reviewers of Caitlin Hicks’ inspired novels have often burst into superlatives. I feel much the same way. The two novels follow the transformation of Annie Shea from a gawky twelve year old, desperate to make her mark as # 6 in a Catholic family of thirteen children (fourteen by the novel’s end), into an unstoppable seventeen

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July 14, 2023
Blog

Reviews: an essential way to connect

One of the first people I shared my first novel with (A THEORY OF EXPANDED LOVE ), George Payerle, said something that I will remember for the rest of my life. I had given my manuscript to him to read because I didn’t know if it was any good at all. And I was told that George would know. George was a writer – who figured in the Canadian writers landscape; he was one of

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July 9, 2023
Blog

Our first Amazon & Goodreads reviews

Kennedy Girl and A Theory of Expanded Love by Caitlin Hicks reviewed by Carole Harmon   Other reviewers of Caitlin Hicks’ inspired novels have often burst into superlatives. I feel much the same way. The two novels follow the transformation of Annie Shea from a gawky twelve year old, desperate to make her mark as # 6 in a Catholic family of thirteen children (fourteen by the novel’s end), into an unstoppable seventeen year old

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July 8, 2023

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Mother Marcelle's Spaghetti, as discussed in my podcast, "Some kinda woman - Stories of Us"

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