The oldest of three children, Brenda was born in 1945 in White County, Tennessee, to a World War II veteran and his "Rosie the Riveter" wife. She grew up in a series of small towns in the Southeastern United States. The Illuminator, a story of love, art, and religion, is dedicated to Brenda's parents, Barney and Arlene Rickman. Brenda still resides in Nashville with her husband of 31 years to whom her second novel is dedicated. The Mercy Seller was published by St. Martin's Press in hardcover in March of 2007. The paperback edition was released from St. Martin's Griffin, April, 2008. Brenda is hard at work on her third novel, which will be published by St. Martin's in late 2009.