Gwyn Hyman Rubio (born August 7, 1949) is an American author, best known for her novel '' Icy Sparks''.

Early life

Gwyn Ellen Hyman was born in

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Situated near the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is southeast of Atlanta and near the ...

and raised in Cordele to parents Gwendolyn Holt Hyman and

Mac Hyman Mac Hyman (born Mackenzie Hooks Hyman; August 25, 1923July 17, 1963), was an American fiction writer who is known for his best-selling novel ''No Time for Sergeants'', which was adapted into a popular Broadway play and a motion picture. Early ...

, author of ''

No Time for Sergeants ''No Time for Sergeants'' is a 1954 best-selling novel by Mac Hyman, which was adapted into a teleplay on '' The United States Steel Hour'', a popular Broadway play and 1958 motion picture, as well as a 1964 television series. The book chronic ...

.'' She graduated from

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

in 1971 with a degree in English. She then joined the

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an Independent agency of the U.S. government, independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to communities in partner countries around the world. It was established in Marc ...

, where she met her husband Angel and spent several years working as a teacher in

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

. After returning to the U.S. and settling in

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

she became interested in writing, ultimately receiving a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from

Warren Wilson College Warren Wilson College (WWC) is a private liberal arts college in Swannanoa, North Carolina. It is known for its curriculum that combines academics, work, and service as every student must complete a required course of study, work an on-campus j ...

in 1986. She currently resides in

Versailles, Kentucky Versailles is a home rule-class city in Woodford County, Kentucky, United States. It lies by road west of Lexington and is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. Versailles has a population of 10,534 according to 2024 ce ...

Career

She wrote for a decade before her first novel ''Icy Sparks'' was published in 1998. Drawing from Rubio's own childhood struggle with

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of Non-communicable disease, non-communicable Neurological disorder, neurological disorders characterized by a tendency for recurrent, unprovoked Seizure, seizures. A seizure is a sudden burst of abnormal electrical activit ...

, the book follows a girl in rural 1950s

as she develops the symptoms of

Tourette syndrome Tourette syndrome (TS), or simply Tourette's, is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that begins in childhood or adolescence. It is characterized by multiple movement (motor) tics and at least one vocal (phonic) tic. Common tics are blinkin ...

. ''Icy Sparks'' received favorable reviews from critics, but sales were modest until it was selected for

Oprah's Book Club Oprah's Book Club was a book discussion club segment of the American talk show '' The Oprah Winfrey Show'', highlighting books chosen by host Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey started the book club in 1996, selecting a new book, usually a novel, for view ...

in 2001. Her 2005 novel, '' The Woodsman's Daughter'', takes place in 1800s

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

and tells the story of Dalia Miller, the oldest daughter of a

turpentine Turpentine (which is also called spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, terebenthine, terebenthene, terebinthine and, colloquially, turps) is a fluid obtainable by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines. Principall ...

farmer whose past affects his entire family. Rubio also wrote a third novel which was never published. Rubio's latest novel, published in October 2014, ''Love and Ordinary Creatures,'' follows a cockatoo named Caruso as he tries to win over the affections of his owner in 1990s

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

Publications

* ''Sharing Power'' * ''Icy Sparks'' (1998) * ''The Woodsman's Daughter'' (2005) * ''Love and Ordinary Creatures'' (2014)

Awards and honors

* Cecil Hackney literary award (for "Little Saint") * Kentucky Arts Council grant * Kentucky Foundation for Women grant * "The Next Wave of Great Literary Voices" in the Discover Great New Writers program (for ''Icy Sparks'') *Book Sense Pick (for ''The Woodsman's Daughter'')

References

External links

*
Barnes & Noble biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rubio, Gwyn Hyman 1949 births Living people American women novelists Florida State University alumni Novelists from Georgia (U.S. state) Novelists from Kentucky 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers American expatriates in Costa Rica 21st-century American novelists Warren Wilson College alumni