Patricia Hickman’s funny and tender perceptions take us deep into the inner life of families and the secrets they keep.

4 Stars! Award-winning author Hickman weaves a wonderful tale of women who have triumphed over adversity in this sensitive, caring, heartfelt story. It’s a story readers will remember long after they have finished the book.” ~ ROMANTIC TIMES

In this benevolent picaresque of sisterhood and unexpected paths, a southern woman, Gaylen, whose marriage is unraveling, is shocked to find a trail of family secrets hidden within her aunt’s odd collection of framed and painted dresses. Burdened with the additional chore of looking after her grown sister Delia who seems to delight in attracting trouble–and the wrong kind of men–Gaylen embarks on a road trip that throws the sisters into a journey that leads to painful understanding and delightful revelations.

Genre:  Southern Literary Fiction

Popular with Book Clubs

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” Hickman gamely unpacks the lies families tell each other, the cost of family secrets to ourselves and others, the bonds between sisters and the walls between husbands and wives. Her sparkling talent is evident in this engrossing story.” –Publishers Weekly

“Painted Dresses is both wise and witty, full of living, breathing people, rather than cardboard characters. I’m sure I went to high school with Gaylen, dated Braden, partied with Delia, and ran away from Freddy—that’s how convincingly they leaped off the page. Amusing at one turn, sobering the next, Painted Dresses captures life in all of its messy glory. A wonderful novel from a uniquely gifted storyteller.”     –Liz Curtis Higgs, author of Grace in Thine Eyes

“Gaylen is the responsible sister; Delia the impulsive younger. With only parentage in common, a vague but troubling memory, the two find themselves thrown together, chasing clues to their childhood anger while staying two steps ahead of a hired killer. Patricia Hickman writes from the heart. I could not put it down.”    –Lawana Blackwell, author of The Gresham Chronicles.

“With engaging characters–quircky, flawed, but endearing–a vivid sense of place, and wonderfully droll, tell-it-like-it-is narrator in Gaylen Boatwright, Painted Dresses is the ideal book to lose yourself in on a rainy–or any–day.”                                             –Naeem Murr, author of The Boy, The Genius of the Sea, and The Perfect Man

Release Date August 10, 2010

4 Star Romantic Times Rating for THE PIRATE QUEEN!!
Hickman’s latest is quietly affecting. The well-drawn characters sneak into the reader’s heart and the Southern setting places the reader in the midst of the story. Take time to savor the richly detailed plot.~ ROMANTIC TIMES

The envy of all her friends, wife and mother Saphora Warren is the model of southern gentility and accomplishment. She lives in a beautiful Lake Norman home, and has raised three capable adult children. But she’s also married to a successful, yet philandering plastic surgeon. It is for that reason that, after hosting a garden party for Southern Living magazine, Saphora packs her bags to escape the trappings of the picturesque-but-vacant life. Her planned destination is a neglected family bungalow on the Outer Banks.

Saphora’s departure, though, is interrupted by her husband Bender’s early arrival home and his words that change her life forever: I’m dying.

Against her desires, Saphora agrees to take care of Bender, who instructs her to take him to fight his illness in their coastal home in Oriental—the same house to which she had planned her get-away. When her idyllic escape is overrun by her grown children, grandchildren, townspeople, relatives, and a precocious neighbor child, Saphora’s escape to paradise is anything but the life she had imagined.

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“Patricia Hickman’s THE PIRATE QUEEN took me by surprise. At the start, I thought I was reading a Southern-style Danielle Steel. Then I found I was settling into a one-of-a-kind family drama. Tender, compelling, outstanding. A keeper to pass on to your friends–your best friends!”  ~Lyn Cote author of Her Abundant Joy 6-1-10

Patricia Hickman’s THE PIRATE QUEEN explores the question that haunts us all: ‘am I enough?’ Saphora Warren has all the trappings of the good life, yet is trapped in her own good graces. The words are poetic, the story is sublime: you will root for this good woman to claim the treasure we all seek: a life full of lo ve. The PQ will steal your heart as well.~ Leslie Lehr, author of Wife Goes On

“In The Pirate Queen, Patricia Hickman weaves together a rich story of forgiveness and grace. Her characters stole my heart, and I struggled and then cheered alongside them as their lives were refined and then transformed. The Pirate Queen will steal your heart. Highly recommended!” ~Melanie Dobson, author of Love Finds You in Homestead, Iowa and Refuge on Crescent Hill

Hailed by her peers as a new and lyrical voice of the South, award-winning author Patricia Hickman writes wise, tender stories that hold a special place in the reader’s heart. Now, in the first volume of The Millwood Hollow Series, she serenades us with a gritty, unforgettable saga of joy and hope set in Arkansas during the Great Depression, when starving souls and bodies made desperate folks Fallen Angels.

In a case of mistaken identity in the town of Nazareth, Jeb Nubey and the Welby siblings are suddenly thrust into the limelight when the townspeople believe them to be the long-awaited Reverend Gracie and his three children. While the citizens of Nazareth surround them with security and a quick meal ticket, Angel, the oldest Welby, must work fast to help shape Jeb into a Bible-spouting preacher – an impossible task, since Jeb is illiterate. What ensues is a delightful blend of mayhem and deceit as the fallen angels of Nazareth rise to the occasion with a twisted sense of justice and a fleeting measure of luck.

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“I was instantly charmed!  No writer can transport a reader to the South quite like Patricia Hickman.  Touching, funny, and filled with love, Fallen Angels will be one of the best books you’ll read all year!”                                                                                                          –Robin Lee Hatcher, Bestselling author of Firstborn

“Hickman’s grasp of southern style is impeccable. . . Fans will look forward to the next installment in this entertaining series.”                                                                                                                                       –Library Journal

“Hickman knows how to spin an endearing yarn.  This sweet story should delight readers who enjoy a gentle, well-written read.”                                                                                                                             –Publisher’s Weekly

The Second Novel in the Millwood Hollow Series

For Reverend Jeb Nubey, returning to Nazareth has meant the smell of freshly baked bread in the mornings and the reverie of church picnics by the lake. But Nazareth’s peaceful landscape is threatened when an ambitious banker starts buying up large plots of land and buildings in order to control the commerce and politics of the quaint town.  Adding fuel to the fire is Winona, the banker’s attractive daughter, who’s been making pointedly generous donations to the Reverend’s humble Church in the Dell. Throw in a botched poultry deal and a stolen church bell, and all at once Reverend Jeb is up to his eyeballs in trouble.

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“Patricia Hickman writes with a spare, lyrical beauty perfect for the tale of the Great Depression. NAZARETH’S SONG is 1930s America!”
–DeAnna Julie Dodson, author of In Honor Bound

“Hickman, a writer with a flair for exacting and lyrical, but never cumbersome, description, delivers fresh-picked words again and again. I love the way she writes! You will too.”
–Lisa Samson, Author of The Living End

“I fell in love with Patricia Hickman’s writings after Katrina’s Wings. Her characters are believable, especially Jeb, who battles his own insecurities while tending three castaway children and trying to win the affections of the schoolteacher in the town of Nazareth, Arkansas. I can’t wait for the next in the series.”
- Amazon.com Reviewer

The Third Novel in the Popular Millwood Hollow Series

Despite the hard times that still grip the town, Jeb Nubey, now a dependable minister and accidental parent to three orphans, happily settles into the quiet routines of Nazareth, Arkansas. Even the pretty schoolteacher, Fern, who once seemed so cold to him, finally returns his attentions.

Then one fateful night, a small package is delivered to Nubey’s doorstep: an infant girl. And the baby is black. Unable to find a relative for the baby anywhere, Jeb feels obligated to care for her. This simple act of charity, however, awakens the troubled undercurrent of racism in this South of the Great Depression. The townsfolk of Nazareth find themselves divided – what are they to make of rocks thrown through windows, graffiti on the church’s wall, the child’s new black nanny, and a craven attack in an apple orchard? And who will win the battle for the heart of this one small town?

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What Others Are Saying About Whisper Town . . .

“Out of the Depression-era mystique of the Ozarks comes a parable for our time. Thank you, Patricia Hickman, for daring us to get on our knees–to not just pray, but to wash feet.”
–Neta Jackson, best-selling author of the Yada-Yada Prayer Group series.

“Hickman’s grasp of southern style is impeccable. . . Fans will look forward to the next installment in this entertaining series.”
–Library Journal

The fourth and final novel in this popular series!

Jeb Nubey and Fern Coulter have finally set a wedding date, but plans are derailed when Jeb answers the call to lead a wealthy community church. The church happens to be in Oklahoma, which raises ghosts from Fern’s past–a past she prefers remained buried. Tempers ignite and Fern is troubled by the secrets that threaten to grow into scandal the longer Jeb remains in her hometown. To make matters worse, in the midst of their struggles, Jeb and Fern must also deal with the disappearance of Jeb’s oldest charge, Angel. A dangerous young man named Nash has played on the girl’s vulnerabilities and lured her away with the promise of filling the emptiness she feels. Additionally, his gangster ties cast Angel in a perilous light.
As the final episode in the Millwood Hollow Series unfolds, the Coulters find themselves in a swirl of impending disaster and redemptive love, trying the faith and devotion of a patchwork family. As Jeb and Fern prepare to take their vows, will they learn that broken circles can be restored, and can they find beauty in life’s flaws?

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What others are saying about Earthly Vows . . .

“PATRICIA HICKMAN makes dwelling in the Depression a pleasure. Her characters spring to life and her language is something to be savored. EARTHLY VOWS is a treasure reminding us that life’s simple joys are the ones worth having.”
–Kristen Billerbeck, best-selling author of What a Girl Wants

“Patricia Hickman’s Earthly Vows, the finale to her popular Millwood Hollow series, presents a deeply emotional voyage into the human hearts–the good, the wandering, and the misguided. Truth shimmers in every phrase.”                –Lyn Cote, author of the Women of Ivy Manor series

Romantic Times Readers Choice Gold Medallion Award Winner

A moving, richly told story set in a small fishing village in coastal North Carolina, Patricia Hickman’s witty yet deeply poignant novel portrays a  recently widowed heroine who must learn to let go of the past and trust an uncertain future.

March Longfellow, now a widow and single mother to a young son, a dog, and a sickly cat, also owns the small newspaper in Candle Cove, North Carolina. That seems like enough hats to wear, but when her mother passed away, she also took up her mom’s banner. Her dad is the minister over a small Presbyterian flock in the coastal town and March sees running the church’s activities as her personal life’s mission. Then onto the scene comes a young widowed minister, a usurper who her father has been secretly grooming to take over for him. Problems arise when March sets out to undermine the arrangement and run off the new minister before he has a chance to take over. All would be well if March were not falling for him and his beautiful kids.  It is the small things that hold back life’s tides.

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“From the touching opening, Sandpebbles is an emotionally charged novel that takes readers to the depths of despair and back.  I am thoroughly amazed with the author’s courage to keep writing after learning every parent’s greatest fear.  Ms. Hickman created a heartrending story of love, loss, and the bravery to face and conquer your fears.” 4 Stars!  (Readers Gold Medallion Award Winner)                                        –The Romance Readers Connection

“Hickman is a great talent. Her wisdom shines from the pages, as does her compassion. Sandpebbles is a gift to treasure.”                                           –T. Davis Bunn, Author of The Great Divide

“Patricia Hickman’s contemplative style is poignant and poetic with deep insights into the hearts of her characters. A keeper to be read again and again.”                           –Terri Blackstock, Author of Newpoint 911 Series

“As a new widow, I want to put this book into the hands of as many people as possible and say, ‘If you really want to understand the journey of grief, read this!’ “  –Stephanie Grace Whitson, Author and Christy Finalist

This book is what reading addicts call a “keeper”. Bravo!”  –Francine Rivers, NY Times best-selling author

RT Gold Medallion Reader’s Choice Award

Katrina Hurley is coming of age in a family she believes fate has dropped her into by mistake. As she and her younger sister, Eden, grow up within the confines of an emotionally fragile family, Katrina struggles to find autonomy and self-worth. A gifted young woman misunderstood by her clannish and controlling parents, she longs to fly away and discover what miracles lie beyond the bounds of her childhood home in Mockingbird Valley, Arkansas. What she discovers is nothing short of miraculous.

As Katrina’s tale unfolds, the reader is offered an intimate, sometimes painful yet oftentimes humorous glimpse into the lives of two sisters who take different paths in life, but in the end rediscover one another.

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What others have said about “Katrina’s Wings”…

“Katrina’s Wings was everything I expected and more. Hickman’s writing is very mature and smooth, wonderful images and style, great pacing. The characters are real people – all flawed, many quirky, but richly endearing – all a sign of very high quality writing. This book is what reading addicts call a “keeper”. Bravo!”
- Francine Rivers, NY Times best-selling author of Her Mother’s Hope

“Katrina’s Wings is a phenomenal work of art. If you are searching for a story with a deep and abiding music all its own, a depth seldom found in today’s literature, and a vision of hope in an imperfect world, buy this book. Katrina’s Wings is more than a delight. It is a gift.”
- T. Davis Bunn, best-selling author

“I was captivated by KATRINAS’ WINGS, an irresistible novel with unique charm and depth. This is Ms. Hickman’s absolute best!”
-Robin Lee Hatcher, best selling author