Echoing Silence

Twelve-year-old Hank Baker is in crisis. His hero father is dead; a bully from Snow Hill is threatening his family and friends; and an intimidating band of outsiders and angry locals is gathering near his home in Farmville, with ominous plans for Granny Rose and the peaceful community of Beech Hill. All of this sets Hank and his best friends, Daniel and Beth Ann, in a fight against a dangerous enemy in the areas surrounding the oilfields of southern Arkansas in the summer of 1925. Add to this the appearance of a large, mysterious creature and the disappearance of several people, and questions beg for answers. Brenda Hutcheson Fickey was born and raised in Camden, Arkansas, growing up in the Frenchport community, where her Arkansas Oil Days novels are set. She earned her BA in education from East Texas Baptist College and her MEd in language arts from the University of Alaska Anchorage. Her teaching specialties are English, history, and music. She has taught on public and private elementary, secondary, and university campuses in Texas, Alaska, Colorado, and Arkansas. She has also earned two diplomas from the Institute of Children's Literature in Connecticut. After more than 25 years as a writing teacher, she published her first novel in 2007. She writes specifically for middle reader boys and girls (ages 8-12) who are considered reluctant readers. Having been a reluctant reader herself, she has a passion for helping them build their reading skills to enjoy the written word. Her unique storytelling has successfully reached those in her target audience as well as avid young readers and adults alike. Her fans span a wide range of ages from all around the world.