About the Author

Randall Hicks is a nationally-recognized expert in family-formation and parenting. His books have been featured on the national news and talk programs of CBS, NBC, ABC and PBS. He is a frequent TV and radio guest, popular for his clear and quick approach to complicated issues. The print media has also cited his books, including the nation's leading newspapers like The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Chicago Sun-Times (to name only a few) . In the 1990s he was the host of Adoption Forum, a PBS mini-series about parenting in adoption.

As an attorney limiting his practice to adoption, his initial books were on that subject. In fact, his book ADOPTING IN AMERICA: How to Adopt Within One Year (with its 6th edition due in in late 2017) , has been the nation's bestselling how-to adoption book over its twenty-plus years of publication. Due to the family-centric nature of adoption, however, Randall found more and more of his "attorney" time was devoted to the personal and emotional side of familes' lives, and his education in psychology became very helpful in assisting the families with whom he was working.

Accordingly, over the last ten years, more and more of his time as been focused on writing and speaking about parenting issues and family conflict avoidance & resolution. He has served on the Board of Directors of a national child abuse prevention charity, and also spearheaded the translation and distribution of parenting brochures to impoverished nations that have few parenting resources. He has served as a mentor for young adults being released from incarceration, been a 4-H leader, a children's hospital volunteer working with special-needs children, a Sunday School teacher, and both a junior varsity and varsity high school sports coach.

His unique approach in his parenting books is to avoid the usual long-winded psychobabble, and instead deliver clear, concise and plainly told insights that can be used immediately. This is a theme in the many rave reviews his books have received from the most respected reviewers: "Educational and empowering. No-nonsense, matter-of-fact advice while using a compassionate approach." -Publishers Weekly; "Showers the anxious parent with information." -Booklist (American Library Association) ; "A brilliantly lean book . . . highly recommended." [Starred review] -Library Journal

End publisher bio. The following is reprinted from a biography written personally by the author:

I have always been a driven person, although to where I'm driving myself is open to debate. I raced through college and got my Bachelors degree when I was only 19. The bad part of that was that I graduated so young (and shy) that I didn't feel ready to get a "real" job, or even have the courage to ask a girl on a date. So . . . both to have some fun and get over my shyness, I joined an improv acting group. Tha