Simi

Steinbeckian in tone, Faulkneresque in theme, Simi is a highly charged tale of jealousy, greed, hubris and honor that captures a bygone era of California history. Simi Valley, a deeply-rooted Southern California agrarian enclave, is inevitably forever altered by creeping urbanization. The story stretches across decades, from the cornfields of the Midwest to the Santa Barbara Channel Islands and the sprawling San Fernando Valley. Based on actual events, Simi is a novel that reads like a memoir-rooted in truth-artful and unpredictable.

At the heart of the novel are Adam Spencer and Katherine Walker-he the bright, sincere, future physician; she the spirited, green-eyed beauty trained to run her powerful father's real estate empire. While destined for one another, they are soulmates buffeted in a sea of uncertainty, drawn together by an undercurrent of love found, then lost, then reawakened years later through a surprising connection. While Adam and Katherine's relationship is the thread that weaves the story together, the narrative is propelled by Adam's devotion to the preservation of his land in Simi Valley for future Spencer generations and his bastard son's subsequent reluctance to undertake the related burden.

A disparate cast brings this tapestry to life-Adam's father Harold, a principled WWII survivor, Harold's mentor L.J., a reclusive, empathetic Navy chief, Adam's conflicted son and Katherine's pragmatic daughter round out the colorful cast of characters. Grounded in realism while lyrical in style, Simi explores the crucible of character forged by man's relationship to the land.

Steven J. Hicks was born in North Hollywood, California. He moved to Simi Valley in 1953 with his family at the age of six. As a teen, he worked with his father in the construction industry, and personally witnessed the metamorphosis of the quiet, agrarian locale into an urban enclave, geographically and culturally appended to the San Fernando Valley by the Ronald Reagan Freeway.In 1965, Hicks relocated to Santa Barbara, subsequently graduating from the University of California with a BA in Zoology. It was in Santa Barbara that he discovered his love of sailing, the marine environment and most especially Santa Cruz Island.