Tracy Hickman

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Tracy Raye Hickman

Tracy Hickman at Dragon Con 2006.
Born (1955-11-26) November 26, 1955
Salt Lake City, Utah
Occupation Novelist, game designer
Nationality United States
Period 1984–
Genres Fantasy fiction
Spouse(s) Laura Curtis (1977–)

www.trhickman.com

Tracy Raye Hickman (born November 26, 1955)[1] is a best-selling fantasy author, best known for his work as a game designer on Dragonlance with co-author Margaret Weis, while working for TSR.

Early life

Tracy Hickman was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah.[1] He graduated from Provo High School in 1974, where his major interests were drama, music and Air Force JROTC.[2] In 1975, Hickman began two years of service as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[3] Initially posted in Hawaii for six months while awaiting visa approval, after which he moved to Indonesia.[4] There, he served as a missionary in Surabaya, Djakarta and the mountain city of Bandung, before leaving in 1977.[2]

Within four months of his return to the United States he married his high school sweetheart, Laura Curtis.[1][2][3] Laura was the inspiration for Lauranlanthalasa (Laurana) Kanan.[1]

Hickman eventually attended Brigham Young University.[1]

Career

Hickman had many jobs before joining TSR in 1982, including working as a supermarket stockboy, a movie projectionist, a theater manager, a glass worker, a television assistant director and a drill press operator in a genealogy center.[2]

Together, Tracy and Laura wrote the original versions of the modules Rahasia and Pharaoh, publishing them privately.[1] In 1981, Tracy entered into a business arrangement to produce an arcade immersion game,[2] but the associate disappeared, leaving the Hickmans with $30,000 in bad checks to cover.[1] Destitute and desperate, Tracy approached TSR with the modules Rahasia and Pharaoh, "literally so that I could buy shoes for my children".[1] TSR bought the modules, but wanted to hire Tracy as well. Tracy recalls, "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. It was a terrifying experience. We had no money. My parents begged us not to venture into such foreign territory to pursue such a bizarre career. My father wrote that there was a secure job as a fry cook in Flagstaff (where my parents were living), and he pleaded with me to come take it."[1]

Hickman came to TSR in 1982, and soon thereafter management announced the intention to develop a series of dragons based role-playing adventures. Hickman's proposal, code-named Project Overlord, was the Dragonlance Chronicles, which led to his association with Margaret Weis. This was the first project TSR had undertaken that would include adult novels as well as games, calendars and other spin-off products. The original Dragonlance team was formed under Hickman's leadership.[1][5] "Project Overlord" began as a novel and three modules, and beginning in 1985 grew into the first Dragonlance trilogy (by Weis and Hickman) and 15 companion modules.[3] By 1987, the successful Dragonlance project had sold two million books and a half million adventure modules.[1]

Hickman left TSR in 1987, having collaborated on over 30 novels with Weis.[3] Together they also wrote the Darksword trilogy, the Death Gate Cycle and the Sovereign Stone trilogy.[6] In 1996, Hickman was the solo author of Requiem of Stars and The Immortals.[3] Of The Immortals, a near-future cautionary tale about AIDS concentration camps in Utah, Hickman said: "I was absolutely driven to write that book. I was able to say many things that I felt strongly about and still do. It is perhaps my finest work."[3]

For the Starshield Project, Hickman and Weis produced the Del Rey Books published novels Sentinels (later retitled Mantle of Kendis-Dai) and Nightsword, and Hickman wrote a story for Dragon #250 called "Dedrak's Quest". Commenting on this setting he said, "Starshield is a universe where a society of dragons can confront blaster-armed spacemen or wizards wielding magic staves with computer targeting", and that the Starshield Project "grew out of my desire to share the creation process with all our fans. Many of the ideas, worlds, and creations submitted by our citizens find their way into our novels. Everyone whose material is used gets credit and a chance to participate in profits from online sales of their adventures."[3] According to Hickman, Starshield's ultimate purpose, and his biggest dream, was to finance a permanent colony on Mars by the year 2010: "Whether we make it to Mars may not be as important as that we honestly, courageously tried."[3] Readers were able to freely download both the first novel in the series, and the Starshield roleplaying game from Hickman's website.[3]

Tracy Hickman (left) and Margaret Weis at Gen Con Indy 2008.

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.[citation needed] Says Hickman of the original module, and its 1986 sequel Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill, "I still believe the original Ravenloft modules were perhaps the best that ever had my name on them."[3] They published their first joint novel, Mystic Warrior, in 2004. Tracy and Laura have been producing their DragonHearth podcast since December 2005.

Hickman announced in 2008 he would be starting two new fantasy series: one being the six-book 'Dragonships' series with his long-time writing partner Margaret Weis and the other the three-book 'Drakis' series with his wife, Laura.

In 1999 Pyramid magazine named Tracy Hickman as one of The Millennium's Most Influential Persons "at least in the realm of adventure gaming."[7] The magazine stated that Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis are "basically responsible for the entire gaming fiction genre."[7] Hickman was inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame in 2002, recognized in part for "one game line turned literary sensation: Dragonlance."[8]

Hickman wrote the screenplay for, produced and edited the first science-fiction film shot in space, Apogee of Fear.[9]

In 2009, Hickman released XDM: X-Treme Dungeon Mastery, a guide to DMing based on his years of experience in the trade. Written with his son Curtis Hickman and illustrated by online comic artist Howard Tayler, the book calls itself the "cure for the common game."[10]

In 2010, Tracy and Laura Hickman launched a direct to internet serialized fantasy series, "Dragon's Bard"[11] which introduced the concept of "novel as souvenir" where subscribers would download periodical ebook chapters as the book was written and then receive a copy of the physical book upon the completion of the subscription. Hickman called the concept "web like the Dickens" after its merging of 19th century literature serial techniques with modern internet distribution. Eventide and the remaining two books of the series were subsequently contracted for general distribution by Shadow Mountain Publishing in 2012.

While primarily known for his work in epic fantasy, Tracy wrote a Batman novel for DC Comics titled Wayne of Gotham (June 2012).

On March 15, 2013,[12] Hickman joined Richard Garriott's team as Lead Story Designer for Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues.[13] Shroud of the Avatar[14] is the "spiritual successor" to Richard Garriott's previous work in the Fantasy Role-playing genre, Ultima, specifically Ultima Online. Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues is the first of a 5 game series of full-length, stand-alone games. Estimated availability of Episode 1, Forsaken Virtues, is October 2014, with Episodes 2 through 5 estimated for subsequent yearly releases.

Teaching

Tracy & Laura Hickman began teaching seminars and workshops on creative writing at the Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers conference at Brigham Young University. In 2010, they began offering their writing course online at their Scribe's Forge website. Their course includes both online download course materials as well as live video webinars with Tracy personally conducting the sessions.

Personal life

He married Laura Curtis in 1977, and together they have four children, Angel, Curtis, Tasha, and Jarod.[2]

On his website, Hickman states that he remains a Mormon and, since 1998, the family reside in South Jordan, Utah.[3]

Appearances

Felicia Day & Tracy Hickman at Gencon 2010
Tracy Hickman, Alan Tudyk and Laura Hickman at the Gencon OZ Convention
Tracy Hickman, Laura Hickman and Nathan Fillion at Gencon SoCal
Tracy Hickman, Ron Glass and Laura Hickman at Gencon

Bibliography

Dragonlance

  • The War of Souls:
    1. Dragons of a Fallen Sun 1 (2000) (Winner of the 2000 Origins Award for Best Game-Related Novel[15])
    2. Dragons of a Lost Star 1 (2001)
    3. Dragons of a Vanished Moon 1 (2002)

Darksword

  1. Forging the Darksword 1 (1987)
  2. Doom of the Darksword 1 (1988)
  3. Triumph of the Darksword 1 (1988)
  4. Legacy of the Darksword 1 (1997)

Rose of the Prophet

  1. The Will of the Wanderer 1 (1988)
  2. Paladin of the Night 1 (1989)
  3. The Prophet of Akhran 1 (1989)

Death Gate Cycle

  1. Dragon Wing 1 (1990)
  2. Elven Star 1 (1991)
  3. Fire Sea 1 (1992)
  4. Serpent Mage 1 (1993)
  5. The Hand of Chaos 1 (1993)
  6. Into the Labyrinth 1 (1994)
  7. The Seventh Gate 1 (1995)

Songs of the Stellar Wind

  1. Requiem of the Stars (1996)

Starshield

  1. Starshield: Sentinels 1 (1996)
  2. Nightsword 1 (1998)

StarCraft

  1. StarCraft: Speed Of Darkness 7 (2002)

Sovereign Stone

  1. Well of Darkness 1 (2000)
  2. Guardians of the Lost 1 (2001)
  3. Journey into the Void 1 (2003)

Bronze Canticles

  1. Mystic Warrior 2 (2004)
  2. Mystic Quest 2 (2005)
  3. Mystic Empire 2 (2006)

Dragonships of Vindras

  1. Bones of the Dragon 1 (2009)
  2. Secret of the Dragon 1 (March 2010)
  3. Rage of the Dragon 1 (April 2012)[citation needed]
  4. Dragonships 4 (working title) 1 (TBA)
  5. Dragonships 5 (working title) 1 (TBA)
  6. Dragonships 6 (working title) 1 (TBA)

The Annals of Drakis

  1. Song of the Dragon 2 (Jul 2010)
  2. Citadels of the Lost 2 (Jul 2011)
  3. Blood of the Emperor 2 (Jul 2012)

Dragon's Bard

  1. Eventide 2 (Dec 2010 / June 2012)
  2. Blackshore 2 (May 2012 / TBD)
  3. Mordale 2 (2013)

Other novels

  1. The Immortals (1996)
  2. Starcraft: Speed of Darkness (2002)
  3. Fireborn: Embers of Atlantis (2011)
  4. Wayne of Gotham (June 2012)

1 (co-author Margaret Weis)
2 (co-author Laura Hickman)

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 Weis, Margaret (April 1987). "TSR Profiles". Dragon (Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: TSR, Inc.) (#120): 91. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Hickman, Tracy. "Hickman Official Website". Retrieved April 16, 2012. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 Varney, Allen (August 1998). "ProFiles: Tracy Hickman". Dragon (Renton, Washington: Wizards of the Coast) (#250): 120. 
  4. "Tracy Hickman". Archived from the original on February 24, 2009. 
  5. Phillips, Casey (February 19, 2010). "QandA with Larry Elmore", Chattanooga Times Free Press. Distributed through McClatchy-Tribune News Service, February 19, 2010.
  6. Varney, Allen (January 1998). "ProFiles: Margaret Weis". Dragon (Renton, Washington: Wizards of the Coast) (#243): 120. 
  7. 7.0 7.1 Haring, Scott D. (December 24, 1999). "Second Sight: The Millennium's Best "Other" Game and The Millennium's Most Influential Person". Pyramid (online). Retrieved 2008-02-15. 
  8. "Origins Award Winners (2001) and Hall of Fame Inductees". Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design. Archived from the original on February 2, 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-13. 
  9. "LTUE, Day 2.". Tachyon City (Nathan Shumate). Retrieved 2009-02-20. 
  10. http://store.schlockmercenary.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=B-XDM
  11. Dragon's Bard Website. (2010). Dragons Bard
  12. "Tracy Hickman, New York Times Best-selling author of Dragonlance and Deathgate series, joins the Shroud of the Avatar team as Lead Story Designer!". Portalarium, Inc. Retrieved 2013-03-15. 
  13. "Shroud of the Avatar Kickstarter". Portalarium, Inc. Retrieved 2013-03-15. 
  14. "Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues". Portalarium, Inc. Retrieved 2013-03-15. 
  15. "Origins Award Winners (2000)". Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design. Archived from the original on April 15, 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-13. 
  • Varney, Allen (August 1998). "Profiles: Tracy Hickman". Dragon #250 XIII (3): 120. 

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