PageOneLit.com: Where did you grow up and was reading and writing a
part of your life? Who were your earliest influences and why?
Earl Hicks: I grew up in
Huntington, WV. Since I grew up in a rural area long before computers
or cable TV, reading was our primary source of entertainment. As a
child, my love of books was first developed through the exciting,
mysterious stories of the Boxcar Children. As I grew older, I enjoyed
reading autobiographies of people accomplishing great things in the
world beyond the hills of WV.
My love of writing began in high school with a group of friends that
shared dreams of becoming journalists and novelists. We had an English
teacher, Ardoth Rutherford, who’s passion was opening young eyes to the
world outside of WV through travel and literature. In Ms. Rutherford’s
class, my favorite authors were Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ernest Hemingway,
and Mark Twain.
PageOneLit.com: Your new book is Ready Freddie - Getting Ready for
Fires. Where did the idea and motivation for this children's book on
emergency safety and readiness book come from?
Earl Hicks: I have two boys, 4 and 5, and I read to them every night.
We read from our large collection of children’s books and get more from
the library every week. They enjoy picture books that teach lessons on
a variety of topics, so I began looking for picture books dealing with
emergencies. I spoke with our librarian and learned there wasn’t a
popular book series that taught how to be prepared for emergencies.
These are obviously very important lessons that all kids should know.
Children do receive this information at schools but always in the form
of factual brochures or pamphlets created by local authorities. So, I
came up with the idea of teaching kids these lessons through beautifully
illustrated picture books and fun characters. The lessons were the easy
part, the challenge was creating stories children wanted to read and
developing characters kids would love. I hope I have accomplished both.
PageOneLit.com: Ready Freddie - Getting Ready for Fires is beautifully
illustrated - Who did the illustrations?
Earl Hicks: Pablo Niz, of the sf360 company in Sante Fe, Argentina.
sf360 also did the layouts and Spanish translations. “Ready Freddie”
would not have been possible, and definitely not as successful, without
the wonderful efforts of the team at sf360.
PageOneLit.com: You work in the field of security and emergency
preparedness -- How can parents teach/talk/discuss with their
children about emergency safety? What are some important points parents
should discuss?
Earl Hicks: When it comes to children, especially younger children,
parents don’t need to “discuss” as much as show their kids and practice
what to do. Younger children will memorize from repeated actions more
than from discussions. With any developed skill, practice makes perfect
and we must practice like we perform. If we do not practice how to act
during emergencies, chances are we will not perform very well when faced
with an actual emergency event.
We all take part in emergency evacuation drills at work and school but
never think to do these same exercises at home. The leading cause of
major injuries and deaths are accidents that occur in the home, so it
only makes sense to prepare for these incidents at home and with our
children. “Ready Freddie” is an important part in these preparations.
The most important point for everyone is to be prepared before an
emergency through training and proper tools. This advance action will
allow everyone, including children, to react quickly and safely during
an emergency and not spend valuable time figuring out what to do. With
kids, that means showing them “hands on” and walking them through the
steps taken during an incident. Every child should know basic safety
practices, including but not limited to:
· how to dial 9-1-1,
· where are the flashlights and spare batteries,
· where are the fire extinguishers and how to use them,
· where is the ready kit and what does it contain,
· where is the radio and what do they listen for,
· where do they go in the house during an earthquake, flood,
tornado, etc., and
· what friends/relatives/neighbors do they call or go to if
they need help.
PageOneLit.com: I understand Ready Freddie - Getting Ready for Fires is
available in English and Spanish versions?
Earl Hicks: Yes, it was very important to me to provide these lessons
to the Latino and Hispanic communities. For me it was part personal and
part professional. I am Cuban and my boys are from Guatemala, so, I
wanted to offer something helpful to the Latino community. Latinos are
the largest growing minority in America, so that makes us an important
market for publishers to reach. Children and families should not be
excluded from the valuable lessons and fun stories in “Ready Freddie”
simply because of a language barrier.
PageOneLit.com: What's next?
Earl Hicks: I have written nine
additional books in this Ready Freddie series that are awaiting
publication. I self-published “Ready Freddie – Getting Ready for Fires”
with BookSurge Publishing but want to release the rest of the series
through a conventional publisher.
My primary efforts now are
marketing my book to increase sales and gain the interest of a literary
agent and publishing company. To accomplish that, I am building an
online platform that includes the website www.readyfreddie.net, a blog,
newsletter, online and print interviews, an e-mail mailing list, and
“Ready Freddie” apparel at www.cafepress.com/readyfreddie. I also have
started providing speaking engagements at schools and hope to continue
these appearances.
Also, “Ready Freddy – Getting Ready
for Fires” was recently awarded as a Book-and-Authors.net 2007 Book of
the Year, Children’s Informative Category. I have entered several
additional book contests, including the 2008 Nautilus Book Awards and
Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards. Awards are nice but my goal
is to have “Ready Freddie” break the stigma of being a self-published
book and recognized as a well written book with beautiful, professional
illustrations.
PageOneLit.com: What was the last book you read?
Earl Hicks: Funny, I wish I had a
brilliant, literary answer for this question but the truth is the book
on my nightstand right now is “Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers,
Editors, and Literary Agents”. I have read it cover to cover three
times, so far.
PageOneLit.com: Do you have any
hobbies? What are they? How do they enhance your writing?
Earl Hicks: Having boys 4 and 5
years old and commuting 47 miles to work doesn’t leave much time for
hobbies. Other than trying to be the best dad and husband I can and
spending every spare moment with my family, my hobbies are reading and
exercising. I spend 1 ½ hours on a commuter bus to and from work.
These bus rides have provided time and a quiet “office” to write all of
my books and short stories, read books, and conduct research for my
writing.
I run and lift weights every day during my lunch hour. Staying in shape
provides me the extra energy I need to stay up after my boys go to bed
so I can read, write, and work on my “Ready Freddie” online platform
activities. I have completed two marathons and continue to enjoy
competing in local races in the Baltimore and D.C. areas.
the past 16 years has been an
employee of the federal government in the field of security
and emergency preparedness. He resides in Maryland with his
wife Lisa, their two sons Eric and Michael, and their dog
Gracie. Their beloved Boxer, Georgi, spent 12 wonderful
years with the Hicks family and is memorialized in the Ready
Freddie book series. Ready Freddie: Getting Ready for
Fires was a 2007 Books-and-Authors.net Best Book of the
Year.