"AUTHOR"

New Author of Children's Book Celebrates Family and Flag

I am the seventh of nine children born to Irish Catholic, first-generation Americans. My parents are Ann and William Hickey Sr. of Newbury, Massachusetts. I am their first daughter, their lucky #7 child. I have seven brothers and one sister.

How my parents ever had the patience for all of us…..never mind feeding, clothing and paying for all of us….merely on a mailman's salary….I'll never know. But my admiration for my parents grows continuously.

My parents' philosophies have always been very different. My Mother tried to raise us by the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". Mom tried to raise us all to be kind, polite, respectful and intelligent. She wasn't always successful though, because my father's own Golden Rule was, "Give it to them, before they give it to you". My father had a very sarcastic wit. And he was apt to yell and curse like a storm-trooper first, and ask questions later. But he was just as quick with a smile and a kind word. He really was a character! Needless to say, all nine of us are a product of some variation, of both of their philosophies.

I studied hard and did very well in school. I attended the old Woodbridge school in Newbury, Massachusetts for grades one and two. Then it was over to Newbury Elementary, otherwise known as the "round school", for grades three through six. Finally I attended Triton Regional High School in Byfield, Massachusetts for grades seven through twelve and graduated in the top of my class in 1979.

I grew up as a tomboy playing tackle football, street hockey, basketball and baseball with my older brothers. So it was only natural that I would be good at organized sports when I got into high school. I was selected to play on Varsity right from my freshman year at Triton. I played three sports a year, fieldhockey, basketball and softball, and was often chosen as Team Captain.

One of the few times I remember acting like a "girl" when I was a kid, was when I was about eight or nine years of age. I was chosen to be "Queen of Plum Island" on the Plum Island Mother's Club float for the Newburyport Yankee Homecoming Parade. I wore a full-length pink gown, long white gloves and of course, a tiara….which I still have. We won the first place trophy for our float whose theme was, "Winding the May Pole". Other than that, it was back to rough and tumble sports and playing Army with noisy, toy machine guns.

At the young age of seventeen, as a senior in high school, I was accepted to both West Point and to the United States Coast Guard Academy. It was only the fourth year that woman were even being allowed into the Military Academies in this country. I chose the Coast Guard because of my love for the sea, and spent two years at their Academy in New London, Connecticut. I truly enjoyed the people that I met there; and I will always have a special place in my heart for them. Sailing each summer onboard Academy's tall ship "Eagle" really was something to remember as well. But after completing two full years at the Academy, I had decided that the military was simply not for me. My time in the service had taught me to have the utmost respect for those who do serve this great country of ours, especially for those who choose the military as a career.

After leaving the Academy, I finished my degree at Merrimack College in Andover, Massachusetts. I worked a full-time job at the Phone Company in Boston during the day, and I went to school at night, majoring in Mathematics.

I met and married my husband Jerry while working at the Phone Company; and we have shared twenty-two wonderful years together.

After spending many years advancing and learning at the Phone Company, the private head-hunters "came a calling" for the specific computer software knowledge that I had obtained by then. The financial offers made to me, were too good to pass up. So I retired from the Phone Company, after nearly 17 years with them. I enjoyed the following ten years of my life as an independent, computer consultant before publishing my first book. These days, I consider myself semi-retired, taking assignments closer to home as they suit me.

My husband and I own a lovely home in southern New Hampshire. We had it built a year after we were married; and have lived there ever since. But we were both born and raised in Massachusetts. And as lovely as it is in East Hampstead, New Hampshire, I truly miss living near the water. It was wonderful growing up on Plum Island as a kid. And it will always hold a special place in my heart, no matter where I live.

My mother, God love her, still lives out on Plum Island. My father, I'm very sorry to say, passed away back on July 19, 2004. He is truly missed. I love and respect both of my parents immensely.

I have taken pen in hand and jotted down my stories for quite a while now. It all began when I became an independent, computer consultant. The commute on my very first assignment was excruciatingly long. For me to get from our home in East Hampstead, New Hampshire to Quincy, Massachusetts took over two and a half hours each way. The largest part of that commute was by train.

I was struck with the idea of writing down some true, but comical, stories about my parents, to pass the time on one of those train rides. Each day, during my ride to and from work, I would jot down a story or two about Mom and Dad. I put the stories all together into a manuscript and presented it to them as a gift. It was something I wanted to do to show them how much I loved them. That manuscript has never been published, but when it was circulated amongst family and friends, I can't tell you the overwhelming encouragement I got to "continue writing". Ever since then, when a story strikes me, I jot it down.

So when my older brother Marty was serving over in the Middle East, and the story of his two kids selling Popsicles came to me out of the blue….I knew I had to write it down and email it off to him. I was sure that it would bring a smile to his face, and bring back fond memories for him, especially while he was so very far away from home.

Although An American Flag for Their Father is fictional, a lot of it is indeed based on fact. The two main characters in the story, Meghan and Jonathan Hickey, are truly my older brother Marty's children. They are terrific kids and I am proud to use them as examples of respectful, honorable young Americans, for they truly are just that.

Jonathan has been "made" six years younger than he really was at the time, for the fictional story's sake. This was done so that both characters in the book are of elementary-school age. In reality, as of the spring of 2009, Jonathan has begun his junior year at Northeastern University in Boston. He was given a four-year, full-paid ROTC Scholarship. His first semester was completed with four A's and one B. Jonathan felt greatly honored in his senior year in high school, when he was awarded both a Presidential and Vice Presidential nomination to West Point. But he seems quite content with his choice of colleges, and will stay at Northeastern, scoring many a goal for their lacrosse team.. Meghan is about to finish the 8th grade at the Triton Middle School. She is still as precocious as ever. She excels at mathematics and fieldhockey - like her favorite aunt. She has quite a gift for art; her drawings are pretty amazing. Both kids really are red-heads just like their dad.....was! hahaha

Other truths about this story are that my father really was a WWII, tank-driving Army veteran who stormed the beach at Normandy on D-Day and who proudly served under General Patton's Command. My older brother Marty is indeed a Lieutenant Colonel in the Massachusetts Army Reserves who served for well over a year in the Middle East with the 804th Medical Brigade during the 2003, 2nd Gulf War, and who has been in the Army for over twenty years.

Marty did indeed send to Army Headquarters in Washington, D.C. to get all of my father's WWII medals which are now proudly displayed in a shadow box in my parents' home. The drawing in the book is of that particular shadow box. They are the actual medals that my father received. My father was honored with a Purple Heart (he was shot in the butt…no kidding!) and a Bronze Star with "V" for valor, as well as a number of other medals for his service during WWII. Marty was also awarded the Bronze Star for his service in 2003.

I am very proud of both my father and my brother Marty for serving our country during a time of war. I can't imagine how scary that must be. I dedicate this first book of mine, to them.

Another truth about the story is that my father really did salute the flag when he put it out every day, and again when he brought it in each night. We did grow up on Plum Island and my mother does indeed still live on 49th street….second house in on the left, surrounded by flower gardens just like in the story.

My father raised his nine children as his "troops". We were constantly saluting and playing Army as kids. I remember being so very disappointed one year when a kindly old neighbor thought she was doing me a favor by giving me a doll for Christmas. I remember looking at the frilly doll and thinking, "What the heck am I supposed to do with this?!" I smiled politely and thanked her, as I was taught to do, but all the while I longed for a noisy toy machine gun, like my brothers got!

No matter where we went on family trips, we were forever running into someone who my father knew. It always amazed us. We began calling those people, Dad's G2's - his Government Spies. Dad had many of those people quietly watching over us and reporting any misbehavior back to him. He knew where we were and what we were up to almost all of the time. It truly was an amazing feat for someone with so many kids.

So in this story, for Jonathan and Meghan to innocently run into someone who knew my father - that was not at all far fetched.

Back when I was seventeen, my parents and I drove down to West Point, New York to check out the military Academy there, to which I had been accepted. We stopped at a local Mom & Pop grocery store, not far from the Academy, and we asked directions. My father ended up knowing the guy behind the counter. The man had had a fruit stand in Lawrence, Massachusetts some thirty years earlier, and my father remembered him!

When I actually took my appointment to the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, my father ended up knowing the chaplain there. It was truly amazing! No matter where we went as kids, Dad knew someone. It was absolutely unbelievable! And it drove us nuts!

My siblings and I did indeed sell Popsicles along the beach as kids. Dad collected the money that we made, and we visited every amusement park in New England. But I've got to tell you that I HATED selling those darn Popsicles! I really did! I used to talk my brother into eating as many Popsicles as we got tips for….in the hope that we could go home sooner and start enjoying our summer vacation.

I believe this story will be well received by children, especially for those who have family members or friends in the military. It shows appreciation and respect for those men and women who serve our country.

Parents will like the story too for the good values that it teaches. It is a feel-good story, showing children how proud people are of them when they try to earn their own way, for things that they want. It reinforces the lesson of children NOT to go with strangers, no matter how nice the strangers may be. And it shows a true appreciation that people feel when a selfless act is done out of sheer kindness, all for the sake of wanting to do the right thing…not for profit or glory.

This story is very timely with the situation in the Middle East. The selfless, responsible, do-right act of the children is mirrored in the selfless, responsible do-right act of both the WWII Veterans and the children's own father, in volunteering to serve and defend America.

I am very proud of the story that I have written. It is heart-warming, and it may bring a feel-good tear to your eye. I was raised on John Wayne, James Cagney and Shirley Temple movies, as well as on "The Wonderful World of Disney" show, so my stories are bound to be about American heroes….and happy endings are an absolute must for me!

I truly hope you enjoy my very first published book. Thank you for taking the time to visit my web site.

Annmarie