Join Robert on a Tour of New Orleans March 18 - 22

Join NY Times best-selling author, Robert Hicks, on a journey to New Orleans, the setting for his newest book, A Separate Country. It is based in the years after the Civil War, on John Bell Hood, arguably one of the most controversial generals of the Confederate Army—and one of its most tragic figures. Robert E. Lee promoted him to major general after the Battle of Antietam. But the Civil War would mark him forever. At Gettysburg, he lost the use of his left arm. At the Battle of Chickamauga, his right leg was amputated. Starting fresh after the war, he married Anna Marie Hennen and fathered 11 children with her, including three sets of twins. But fate had other plans. Crippled by his war wounds and defeat, ravaged by financial misfortune, Hood had one last foe to battle: Yellow Fever. A Separate Country is the heartrending story of a decent and good man who struggled with his inability to admit his failures-and the story of those who taught him to love, and to be loved, and transformed him.

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Reviews are Coming in...

WASHINGTON POST
“Robert Hicks's riveting new novel takes up Hood's life after the war.  Anyone who has ever lived in New Orleans must be prepared to be made homesick, and the bizarre cast of characters, including a dwarf, a burly priest and a boy of mixed and mysterious par entage, wouldn't seem right in any city but this one.  I read "A Separate Country" with breakneck speed for that most old-fashioned of reasons: I wanted to see what happened next. And then I eagerly read it a second time to make sure I got the complicated twists and turns. Is there a better recommendation?”

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MIAMI HERALD
“After the War, Hood scampered down to New Orleans in order to try to live as fully as possible. That's where Robert Hicks enters in his marvelous new book, which looks back on the legendary and monstrous general of the Civil War with a brand new set of eyes.  Hicks doesn't ever let us forget that this was once a man who ``cared very little for the men [he] ruined.'' Yet at the same time, this is a work which seems designed to remember Hood neither as a legend nor a monster but as a man.”

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DAYTON DAILY NEWS
The 10/9 edition of the Dayton Daily News said that A SEPARATE COUNTRY “builds momentum from the instant Hood dies. The author rolls out a cast of fascinating characters who slide in and out of the story as it is related by our three narrators. Hicks immerses us in a steaming gumbo of racism, gambling, class struggle, pride, forgotten massacres and poignant memories.”

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BATON ROUGE ADVOCATE
The 10/11 edition of the Baton Rouge Advocate said of A SEPARATE COUNTRY that “Hicks does a good job of fleshing out the historical characters and of placing them in situations that change them. His main characters are strong and engaging, and his descriptions of the settings, especially New Orleans, are vivid and accurate. This is not a book just for Civil War aficionados, it’s a book with action, adventure, romance and appealing characters who experience joy, sorrow, gain and loss. Be aware that the book starts slowly. The dedicated reader who stays with it to the end will be rewarded.”

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Book Tour Announced!

For the next several weeks I will be touring the country on a book tour to suppor A Separate Country and would love the opportunity to meet you. All the cities and dates will be listed on the Home page. I hope to see you soon!

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