About the Author
Nicky Heymans
Nicky Heymans is an exciting new author who is passionate about telling biblical stories from a fresh perspective. Told from the perspective of both familiar and fictional bible characters, her historical novels capture what it must have been like to experience the bible's most dramatic events.
Nicky's first novels, the Wilderness series, chronicle the epic journey which the Israelites faced as they escaped captivity in Egypt and wandered the wilderness on a quest to find the land promised to them by God.
Biography
Nicky was born in England in 1967, but moved to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe, Africa) at the age of one when her father accepted a 2-year contract with the university in the capital city of Harare. Nicky’s parents fell in love with the beauty that surrounded them there and, as a result, the 2-year contract turned into a 40-year stay!
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As a child, Nicky had a vivid imagination and strong creative bend. Her spare time was mostly spent reading, and she also enjoyed dancing, singing and drama. Her parents, who had been involved in the world of theatre since their teen years, passed on their love of drama to her. Her first ever performance in a national theatre was at the age of 6, and Nicky continued to be involved in the world of theatre throughout her childhood and teen years. Although she took part in many plays, musicals, and operettas over the years, her favourite shows were ‘The Sound of Music’ and ‘The Jungle Book’!
Her love of words was expressed through the medium of song writing, something which continued well into her adult life.
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Although Rhodesia was blighted by civil war in her youth, Nicky lived a happy, simple, outdoors life in Africa. She was extremely blessed to be brought up in a Godly household by parents who loved each other, and who remained faithful to each other their whole lives. Nicky can’t remember a time when she didn’t love God. From an early age, she recalls knowing God and loving Him, and her relationship with her heavenly Father grew steadily over the years.
At the age of 19 she enrolled in a 2-year Bible School course, where she met her husband, Kingsley. They married in 1989 and settled down in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. Their first child, David, was born after a couple of years, followed by another son, Caleb, and their daughter, Talitha, over the course of time.
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Kingsley and Nicky decided to move to the United Kingdom in 2005, following her parents’ return to their birth country. They settled in West Sussex, where they lived for seventeen years. Nicky had been involved in the arena of music from an early age and her love for her heavenly Father was expressed largely through worship. She joined the worship team in her youth group at the age of 15, and led corporate worship in one context or another for over 30 years until she transitioned into the arena of the prophetic. While based in West Sussex, Nicky became part of a prophetic team that ministered and trained others in how to hear and share God’s voice.
It was during this time that Nicky started to write. Her mother was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and given six months to live. Nicky felt prompted by God to write a blog about their family’s journey with her mum’s illness. The blogs were entitled ‘Fields of Grace’, because God told Nicky that she and the family would walk through fields of grace as they journeyed with her mum. They did! It was an extraordinary season, and Nicky’s authentic blogs reflect both the pain and the joy of their experiences, right through to her mum’s death, which was peaceful and covered by God’s grace. You can read about Nicky's journey in her blog series ‘Fields of Grace’ here.
After her mother’s death, Nicky reflected on the various struggles which she and her family had encountered since moving to the United Kingdom. Fuelled by a deep desire to help others through difficult circumstances in their own lives, she decided to share some of the lessons she had learnt, and thus her first book, ‘The Journey’, was born. Nicky had always loved the biblical story of how God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt, into the wilderness, and eventually into the land of Canaan. She was fascinated by the parallels she could see between the Israelites' journey through the wilderness and her own ‘wilderness experience’, even though hers had thankfully only lasted fifteen years, not forty years like the Israelites! Their story became the inspiration which she drew from when writing ‘The Journey’.
A few months into writing ‘The Journey’, Nicky was introduced to an award-winning writing coach, Mark Stibbe. It was Mark who helped her recognise the fact that she was a storyteller, and so Nicky made the decision to shelve ‘The Journey’ and focus instead on writing a novel about the Israelites' exodus from Egypt and subsequent wanderings in the wilderness. Within months, the novel turned into a trilogy, and Nicky’s vivid imagination was let loose on the page! Her desire in writing these novels was to motivate and inspire people to read the biblical stories with fresh eyes, as well as help those who were walking through their own ‘wilderness’ experience. She has become known for provoking her readers to imagine what it must have been like to experience what Biblical characters actually went through and, in turn, connect with God in a fresh way.
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In 2022, Kingsley and Nicky moved to Wales, and her writing continued in earnest. The first book in the Wilderness trilogy, ‘Into the Wilderness’, was published through Malcolm Down Publishers in mid-2023,. Her second novel in the trilogy, ‘Then There Were Giants’, was released just six months later, in December 2023, followed by 'The Shining Men' in January 2025.
Nicky was interviewed by UCB2 (United Christian Broadcasters) on their programme, ‘This is My Story’, about her life thus far, and how The Wilderness series came into being., in August 2023 and in April 2025. ‘Into the Wilderness’ was featured in the Frankfurt Book Fair in October 2023, which attracts visitors from all around the world. ‘Into the Wilderness’ was also chosen as a Finalist in the Historical Fiction category of the Christian Indie Awards in 2023. The Wilderness trilogy is now complete. However, Nicky’s passion for storytelling is certain to continue - she already has plans for her next novel!
FAQs
When did you start writing?
I started writing in 2019, during the Covid 19 pandemic. My first book was non fiction, a collection of ‘life lessons’ aimed at helping people who are going through difficult times. I never published it, as my focus switched from non-fiction to historical fiction in 2020, which was when I started writing my first novel, ‘Into the Wilderness’.
Why do you write bible stories?
I thought about writing fiction that is based purely on imagination. However, the pull to write biblical fiction is so strong in me because the stories in the Bible are so miraculous and inspiring and yet, if we hear them or read them often enough, they can become commonplace. I want to bring these stories alive in people’s hearts and minds. It’s too easy to read the Bible from a detached, clinical point of view, and not connect with the truth of how amazing God is and how much He loves us.
What inspires you to write?
The desire to inspire people and help them live life to the full and, ultimately, connect them with their heavenly Father. I so want them to know how wonderful and kind and good He is, and for them to recognise how much He loves them.
Some silly questions...
If you were a character from 'The Lord of the Rings', what kind of character would you be?
I'd be a hobbit. Without a doubt, I would be a hobbit! I love a peaceful life. I enjoy simple pleasures, having fun and good food, and my family and friends are the most important part of my life on earth. I'm also not adverse to an adventure or two!
If you were offered an all-expenses paid holiday, and were given the choice of a trip to New York, a safari lodge in Africa, or a Mediterranean cruise, which would you choose?
Ooh, that’s a tough choice. It definitely wouldn't be the trip to New York. I’d love to visit America, but huge, busy cities are not my cup of tea. I’d have to choose either the safari lodge in Africa or the cruise because I love nature and wide open spaces. I’ve stayed at safari lodges in Africa before, and they are a touch of heaven on earth …incredible sunsets, warm evenings round the fire, and close encounters with some of the biggest and best wild animals. But I’ve never been on a cruise - it’s on my bucket list - so I think I’d have to choose that one!
If you were a dog, what breed of dog would you be?
I think I’d be a golden retriever. Faithful, fun loving and soft hearted.