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

Early life

Gwyn Ellen Hyman Rubio was born in Macon, Georgia and raised in Cordele to parents Gwendolyn Holt Hyman and

Mac Hyman Mac or MAC most commonly refers to: * Mac (computer), a family of personal computers made by Apple Inc. * Mackintosh, a raincoat made of rubberized cloth * A variant of the word macaroni, mostly used in the name of the dish mac and cheese * Ma ...

, author of ''

No Time for Sergeants ''No Time for Sergeants'' is a 1954 best-selling novel by Mac Hyman, which was later 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 chro ...

.'' She graduated from Florida State University in 1971 with a degree in English. She then joined the

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F ...

, where she met her husband Angel and spent several years working as a teacher in Costa Rica. After returning to the U.S. and settling in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

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 requisite course of study, work an on-campu ...

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 9,316 according to 2017 cen ...

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 neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrica ...

, the book follows a girl in rural 1950s

as she develops the symptoms of

Tourette syndrome Tourette syndrome or Tourette's syndrome (abbreviated as TS or 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) ...

. ''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 viewers ...

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 Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

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

turpentine Turpentine (which is also called spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, terebenthene, terebinthine and (colloquially) turps) is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines. Mainly used as a spec ...

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 state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

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 The Kentucky Arts Council, established in 1966, is the Kentucky state arts agency, and is responsible for developing and promoting support for the arts in Kentucky. Part of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, the 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