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A Look Behind the Books, Christian inspirational Fiction, Horse Healing, New Book Launch

A Farewell to Harpers’ Reunion

Hilary Walker

RIDING OUT THE RACE

Writing this third novel of the Laura Harper Trilogy has been a bitter-sweet experience, as it is also the final book of the Riding Out series. These three trilogies began in 2016 with Jack Harper’s journey back to the Catholic faith in “Riding Out the Devil,” and a lot has happened to him since then!

The Reason Behind the Series

A lot has also happened to my son, who was the inspiration behind Jack Harper.

He was fighting a superhuman battle against ulcerative colitis, and creating a hero with the same issues was a means of honoring his determination not to give up the daily struggle to become healthier and live a more normal life.

And now, six years after the publication of “Riding Out the Devil,” he has just returned to the States from three weeks of driving around Britain with his dog.  While over there, he continued working remotely, scaled Mount Snowdon in Wales, camping overnight in the rain halfway up; he climbed Helvellyn in the Lake District and walked with his dog along Hadrian’s Wall, which was built across the north of England in AD 122 to ‘separate the Romans from the barbarians.’ That is a small selection of his activities!

All this was possible because he met a wonderful lady, who practices holistic medicine and suggested he take specific enzymes to break down his food. As a result, his diet is much more varied. Previously, he could only eat turkey. Period. But now, he no longer has to run to the bathroom multiple times a day, or worry about being caught short. He is much healthier and, for all intents and purposes, lives a normal life.

He has come a long way since those awful days when he was first diagnosed. It makes me smile to see him so happy and I never cease to thank God for helping my son beat his disease.

And because of him, I’ve now written nine books in the Riding Out series!

Cruz Bay Provides Useful Horse Incidents

First Incident

While I was working on the first draft of “Riding Out the Race,” a great deal was going on in my horse’s life and there was no shortage of material for my fictitious equines.

The first major disaster was one night in November of 2021, when the temperatures dropped twenty degrees – from the 70s to the 50s. Cruz already had his thick winter coat, but he is twenty-two years old, and I didn’t know that an older horse can contract infectious colitis when the thermometer plummets that far, that fast.

He had non-stop diarrhea, was listless and in terrible pain, uninterested in eating, and going downhill fast. He nearly died, and I’m eternally grateful to my vet, Dr. Dessie Carter, for saving his life.  It was a full week before we could be sure he would pull through, but thanks be to God, he did.

When one of the horses contracts it in the novel, you’ll discover all the details pertaining to the symptoms and treatment.  But I sincerely hope no horse owners among you ever have to deal with this life-threatening condition.

Second Incident

The horse Loco, who comes to Jack’s farm with a check ligament injury, is modeled on Cruz, who tore a hole in his check ligament (twice) two years ago, thus already supplying plenty of real-life details to include in the book.

But I couldn’t foresee that Cruz would injure his deep digital flexor tendon when I was half-way through the novel. Not only that, but while on stall rest, he managed to re-re-injure his check ligament! Those of you who subscribe to my newsletter (at https://HilaryWalkerBooks.com) will be familiar with my bay’s long journey to – hopefully – a complete recovery and return to full work.

Rehabilitation

He has gone to a wonderful mother and daughter team, Lauren and Danielle Gruber at Primarily Hooves. They live in the Smoky Mountains, up in Tennessee, six hours from my South Carolina home.

The heels of his front hooves were crushed, pulling on, and straining his tendons and ligaments and making them prone to injury. No one had ever before explained to me that shoeing could result in this for a horse, nor what it would mean for Cruz down the road. I guess I’m lucky he lasted nineteen years in shoes before disaster struck.

Lauren and Danielle have taken off his shoes. With correct trimming, they are retraining him to go barefoot, encouraging his heels to grow back properly and develop a natural cushion for his weight. The process will take the best part of twelve months. But by this time next year, who knows: maybe we’ll be out competing again? It’s in God’s hands.

Lauren and Danielle are also turning a friend’s horse from a totally lame navicular case into a sound and rideable horse again. He is the same age as Cruz and they know each other from their years in South Carolina. They were thrilled to be reunited and are turned out in the same paddock. The two of them make a cute picture when they lie down next to each other, especially with the mountains in the background!

More Horse Happenings

Jack’s incident with Loco in “Riding Out the Race” is based on a previous horse of mine, who did exactly the same thing to me, with the same outcome. I am not making it up! But you’ll need to read the book to find out what he did. 😊

Despite suffering a dislocated shoulder, my friend Dana was determined to keep riding. She figured out a way to mount and dismount one-handed, a technique which one of my characters uses.

The accident in the barn happened to a friend of mine when I lived in Germany. It has served as a warning to me ever since to be careful always to shut the stable door – whether I’m inside or outside the stall!

Another horse in the novel, Nimble, has issues identical to those of a friend’s new horse, and the way he was cured in the book exactly follows my friend’s protocol.

I also include an animal communicator. Some readers may be skeptical about their value, but I have used them with great success on Cruz Bay. They give me valuable insights that I couldn’t otherwise discover, and I often think I should try to become one: it would save much aggravation on the part of my horse, and a great deal of mystification on mine!

The End

I have grown very fond of the Riding Out characters, and it will be hard to say goodbye to them.

Father Michael is a special favorite of mine: he is a truly humble man whose only concern is to get the souls in his care to Heaven. His gentleness and wonderful sense of humor have endeared him to me over the series and he is my idea of the perfect Catholic priest. I shall miss his repartee with Jack: those scenes were such fun to write!

But by the close of this book, all the characters are in a good place. Father Michael is learning to take things a little easier, although he’ll never stop working to save souls. Jack’s priorities are shifting more towards his human family, while Laura now ‘gets’ the horse thing. Joe will soon be off to college and have a break from baby duties. Newly born Catherine has a loving family to take care of her, and I envy her growing up with all those horses!

As Agneta says, “Alles soll recht kommen.”  If you want to know what that means, you’ll need to grab yourself a copy of “Riding Out the Race”!

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Catholic, Christian fiction, Christian inspirational Fiction, New Book Launch, New Podcast

A Truthful Man: A Modern Catholic Novel

Hilary Walker

The New White Martyrdom: Cancellation of Good Catholic Priests

The clash between traditional Catholic teaching and its compromised modern equivalent reaches a climax in this novel by a multiple bestselling Amazon author.

My new novel “A Truthful Man” simply had to be written.

It had to be written because hundreds of good and holy Catholic priests are having their priestly faculties removed, their accommodation taken way and their pay reduced or stopped altogether.

What is their crime?  Proclaiming the Truth of Jesus Christ, and having the courage to speak out against the current culture in defence of God’s Truth.

These men dare to be Catholic and their superiors don’t like it: they find authentic Catholicism ‘offensive’ and fear the laity will, too. Such prelates have forgotten that the people of His day found Christ offensive. The truth hurts, but must be declared in order to save souls. As the Bride of Christ, our Church is supposed to be in this world, but not of this world. We’re supposed to be counter-cultural, proclaiming the unchanged and unchanging Truth, that Rock for us to cling to, however crazy the world around us becomes.

On the other hand, progressive priests who show no reverence for the Real Presence or any belief in Catholic doctrine, are given the green light by their superiors to pursue their ungodly and wholly un-Catholic agenda.

What Is Being Done?

Does anyone care about these holy and abandoned priests, whose vocations are in ruins?

In my related podcast What Is Truth?  I talk about ‘a group of committed Catholics, lay people and clergy’ who have joined forces ‘after one too many instances of persecution of betrayal.’ The mission of this group, The Coalition for Canceled Priests is to spiritually and materially support ‘faithful priests who seek to return to active ministry after being unjustly canceled by their bishops.’

In penning this novel, I hope to do my part in bringing awareness to the plight of these priests and to the organization that is helping them.

What’s the Book About?

“A Truthful Man” follows Father James, a traditional Catholic priest who is happily settled in the tiny parish of King’s Brambling on the coast of southern England. He loves preaching the truth and his parishioners love him.

An old university friend, Mark Boulder is also pleased with life as the founder of a highly successful investment company. His brother-in-law is the influential bishop, who ensures that a good proportion of church donations flow into the coffers of Mark’s new charity for senior citizens.

Mark is hailed as an upstanding citizen. But his life of lies starts to crumble around him and he lashes out against the infuriatingly upright Father James, with the help of the bishop.

Father James discovers what fate awaits a priest who insists on telling the truth, whatever the cost. The bishop’s retaliation is swift and severe and the pastor is kicked out of his rectory.

Now on the wrong side of the law as well as his whole community, Mark is soon aware that the only person who can aid him is the very priest whose vocation he has destroyed.

But even if he can humble himself to ask Father James for forgiveness, why should the betrayed priest help him?

The Takeaway

It is my hope that the reader will find the book entertaining, while learning something of what is going on in the Catholic Church today and what the laity can do about it. As Archbishop Fulton Sheen says, it’s up to us, the people, to “see that your priests act like priests, your bishops act like bishops.”

May this novel inspire you to help our holy canceled priests. We need them back in the pulpits!

A Truthful Man is available at the following stores:

Amazon.co Amazon.co.uk Barnes & Noble Kobo iBooks Thalia Vivlio

A new podcast, Audio story, country dog, Dog story, Golden Retreiver, Golden Retriever

Latest Podcast: Unfairly Ewesed

Hilary Walker

Hillie the Golden Retriever disappeared from our horse farm in England one night, with Blue, the Great Dane (from ‘A Dog Named Blue’). Blue came back. Hillie didn’t, and there followed a sequence of very unforeseen events!

You can listen to the podcast here:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1215239/episodes/7703455

I hope you have fun listening!

A new podcast, Audio story, Dog story, Great Dane, short story

New Podcast: A Dog Named Blue

Hilary Walker

When we lived in England, in the Cotswolds, we had a wonderful Great Dane. He created such beautiful memories that I had to write a story about him.

You can listen to the podcast here:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1215239/episodes/6042349

Enjoy!

P.S. I had to record the final sentence six times before I could say it without crying!

Check Ligament Injury, Horse Healing, Horse Injury

Time Out: A Day in the Life of an Injured Horse’s Owner

Hilary Walker

On Monday, 20th July, I asked my gelding, Cruz Bay to trot, after fifteen minutes warming him up in walk.

He immediately took two horrible missteps and I jumped off him. The front left shoe had twisted underneath his hoof, and the clinch (the flat metal edge that’s supposed to prevent slippage) was sticking into his sole. He’d only been shod four days ago!

There was no way he could take another stride like that. With great effort I managed to pull off the shoe, thinking, “This is going to be bad. He’s for sure pulled a tendon.”

For the next week I bound up his foot, while waiting for the farrier’s next visit. Cruz was turned out as usual with his chestnut BFF, Chance and when no swelling showed during that time, I congratulated myself on having dodged a bullet.

Two weeks after the incident, although Cruz wasn’t lame, the leg swelled halfway up from the fetlock joint so it wasn’t accumulated fluid: it was inflammation of the soft tissue.

On palpitating the leg, the vet thought he felt a pulled tendon. When the ultrasound showed otherwise, he told me I’d lucked out: Cruz’s check ligament was torn, and this injury was much better than the alternatives of suspensory or tendon damage.

However, it required eight weeks’ stall rest, a situation that I’d always dreaded for this horse. As my vet in Maryland recognized, “Cruz is not a candidate for stall rest.”

Coping with Stall Rest

I explained this to the vet, who nevertheless insisted on it. To help my horse handle his imprisonment, he was given two more calming supplements in addition to his regular one. This was an emergency: my enormously fit horse was never going to chill out in his stall 24/7 for two months!

One advantage he did have over the two other horses that were diagnosed with tendon injuries at the same time. He could be hand-grazed for 45 minutes twice a day.

At first, he seemed so relaxed in his stall that I figured he didn’t need to get out. Then I thought ahead to when I’d have to hand-walk him. If I didn’t accustom him to the limited exercise from eating grass now, with me on the other end of his lead rope, I was going to have a demon on my hands when I did finally take him out of his stall.

On day four, I bit the bullet and led him out, with my heart beating wildly and feeling very sick, as I waited for the fireworks to begin.

But they didn’t. He was so glad to escape from the confines of his (very spacious) stall that he dropped his head down to eat immediately his feet touched the green stuff.

Here’s Cruz at his previous barn, looking alert: you can see he has hardly any forelock of his own, which is why I add an extension for our grazing sessions.

The Daily Routine

Currently, this is what my day looks like.

6 a.m. Get up, shower and dress: write for an hour, go to 8:30 Mass then leave for the barn.

9:30 a.m. Arrive at the barn.

  • Unwrap the bandages around Cruz’s front legs, apply ice-wrap to the injured left leg and the BEMER to the right leg for 15 minutes. The BEMER sends electro-magnetic waves to the site of injury, increasing circulation and promoting healing. I use it on both front legs to keep things equal.
  • Switch BEMER to injured leg for 15 minutes.
This BEMER cuff is wrapped around the injury and emits a low-level electro-magnetic pulse for 5, 10 or 15 minutes
  • Groom Cruz in the mean time to make him comfortable.
  • Bandage all four legs. His back legs became ‘stocked up’ – filled with fluid from standing around, especially on hot days – and bandaging them prevents this from happening.
  • Apply fly repellent and attach forelock extension to his puny front hairs to give his eyes more protection against the bugs.
  • Put on gloves, (so I don’t get rope burn if he goes nuts), place halter on Cruz and lead him out of his stall onto a large grass area by the paddocks.
  • Hold onto the lead rope, while allowing him to meander around munching, making sure his legs don’t get tangled up in it.
  • 45 minutes later, return to stall, apply thrush remedy to all four frogs and soles.
  • Clean out his stall.
  • Kiss him on the nose, say good-bye and drive home. (It’s now 11:30 a.m.)

5:30 p.m. Drive back to the barn

6 p.m. Rinse and repeat.

This makes a total of 2 hours a day spent driving to and from the barn, and 4 hours tending directly to Cruz for a total of 6 hours.

Filling in the Time Profitably

With an hour and a half spent standing next to my horse, every day I needed to find a useful occupation that could be done at the same time. Since I have my heart in my throat every time I take Cruz out, worrying that he’ll spook, get loose and run around doing more damage to that ligament, I was naturally praying he’d stay calm.

That led to my decision to say the Rosary a few times while I’m out there, and not care who sees my white beads dangling as I juggle them and the moving horse.

I’ve also taken to reciting the Seven Sorrows of Mary, which any Catholics reading this might want to consider. It’s an opportunity to contemplate the occasions of grief she suffered as Christ’s mother, both before and during His Passion. Otherwise, it’s tempting to think that her life with Our Savior was a bed of roses sans the thorns.

If I’ve finished my prayers and the time isn’t yet up, I try to solve the daily crossword on my phone. But a horse in motion is not conducive to accurate typing in of letters!

My Blessings

As annoying as this state of affairs is, I have many blessings to count. Especially when I see some of the other horses’ injuries. One of them has foundered and has to be in her stall for 30 days straight. She has to stand with each leg in little rubber tubs of ice twice a day, to bring down the inflammation and reduce her pain level.

Blessings Enumerated:

  1. It’s only a check ligament: it could be much worse.
  2. Cruz can be hand-grazed: other horses are stuck in their stalls for the duration.
  3. He’s at a barn where his stall is twice the size of his previous one and makes his life much more bearable – with two windows looking over the polo field!
  4. I have three friends offering me their horses to ride (four equines in total) – now I just need to find the time to ride them!
  5. Cruz has been a really good boy so far – contrary to my expectations.
  6. I’ve learned how to wrap stall bandages, after several tutorials!
  7. I’m getting to know the other boarders, since I’m in the barn, not on my horse.
  8. Cruz is getting three months’ rest from being ridden.
  9. He’s enjoying the extra attention from me.
  10. I’m able to say my prayers while I let him graze.

God is good!

Until these past two years in South Carolina, Cruz always had several months off work in the winter because the weather was so bad. As one friend put it, he’s younger than his twenty years because he’s not been ridden non-stop.

Which is why I’m happy for him that he’s getting a break. When I’m allowed to get on him again, we’ll both have a fresh start.

But hopefully not too fresh!

P.S. In addition to my using the BEMER, Cruz is also getting three shock wave treatments, which are powerful boosts to his circulatory system and encourage healing.

A Look Behind the Books, A New Sinclair Island Romance, Christian fiction, Christian romance, Equestrian fiction, Podcasts, Romance, Uplifting Fiction, Women's Contemporary Romance

Friday’s Folly: A Look Behind the New Sinclair Island Romance: Podcast Notes

Hilary Walker

To listen to the podcast, please click here

Hello, and welcome to the Faith through Horse Fiction Podcast. I’m Hilary Walker, horse owner and writer of Christian fiction, aspiring to spread God’s word in an entertaining way in my novels.

Today I’d like to share insights with you about ‘Friday’s Folly,’ the upcoming third novel in the Sinclair Island Romance series which will be officially released on July 29th .

If you’re interested in receiving an advance review copy of the book, please shoot me an email at Rubesca4@gmail.com. I’d be happy to send you one.

So, what’s the book about?

Max is desperate to get off Sinclair Island and away from his dead-end bookstore job. When he meets Camille, who loves the island, he knows he has to keep his emotional distance. Otherwise he can kiss goodbye to any hopes of starting a new life on the mainland.

Camille has rescued a racehorse, Friday’s Folly, and Max helps her retrain him. While he is immediately aware of his feelings for her, she’s much slower to realize just how strongly she feels about him.

Hanging over their relationship is the constant threat of Max leaving, and his irreverent attitude towards God.

Will Camille be able to change his mind – about both?

The Idea for the Book Came from …

An experience I had checking out an OTTB aka Off Track Thoroughbred. My horse Cruz Bay and I were going through a terrible phase. He’d reared and dumped me at a major dressage show and it seemed we were not destined to get on.

Looking for his replacement, I went to see a beautiful little Thoroughbred mare in Pennsylvania and was shocked at the conditions in the racing barn where she lived.

After I got home, I was consumed by the need to get her out of there. The way Camille comes to acquire Friday’s Folly is identical to the logic I used to persuade the bay mare’s owner to let me take her away.

(You can read the full account in the short story “How Not to Rescue a Racehorse.”)

I took her to Kimberly Godwin Clark’s farm near where I lived at the time. She is the lady who wrote the brilliant book “New Track, New Life,” that Camille uses as her guide when retraining Friday’s Folly. I knew she’d do a fantastic job with the mare, whom she renamed Class, and she didn’t disappoint. I later received a wonderful email from her new owner saying how thrilled she was with her new horse. A happy ending for the ex-racer.

In the meantime, I realized that Cruz Bay and I are meant for each other, and we’re still together as he turns twenty this year. 😊

What Part Do the Horses Play in this Book?

Horses are integral to the overall plot and provide the opportunity for the Christian heroine to broach the subject of God to the non-Christian hero.

Max’s black gelding, Winston, is the means by which he and Camille first meet. Later on, the horse is the reason for Max spending a great deal of time with her, and having lively debates about science and religion.

Camille works hard trying to overcome Max’s cynical attitude to God, and Winston inadvertently assists her arguments.

Her own horse, Friday’s Folly is a project that brings them together. But he also becomes the cause of friction between them.

Then both their geldings are suddenly in grave danger and the pair have their work cut out for them!

Soon afterwards some other horses require even more urgent help – from Max and his father, whom he wants to get away from.

You can see that the horses are vital to the novel.

Does the Book Have a Christian Message?

Max believes that science explains everything, leaving no room for God. Camille challenges his arguments against a Creator in a logical and hard-to-refute way.

I hope she encourages any non-Christian readers to check out the book she uses to back up her reasoning, and that believers find a useful source for countering the typical viewpoint of today, that science and Christianity are at odds, if not downright war, with each other.

The book I refer to is ‘Gunning for God: Why the New Atheists Are Missing the Target,’ by John C Lennox, a brilliant Oxford mathematician and committed Christian. Another book of his well worth reading on the topic is ‘Can Science Explain Everything?’

Are the Characters Based on Real People?

No. I never model them on any specific person, but I do take characteristics from different individuals and use them in my fictional world.

However, the names I use are often those of very dear friends, even though the character who carries it is nothing like them. Otherwise, I scour baby names online.

When it comes to the horses, I often have a certain animal in mind when I create them. It’s a fun way of immortalizing the equines I’ve owned in my life, but I use fictitious names.

I tried for days to come up with a good name for Camille’s title Thoroughbred – you only have to look at my notebook to appreciate the mental effort and anguish that went into it! Then, as has happened with all the romances, the name came to me when I wasn’t searching for it and has no connection to any of my copious scribblings.

Do We Revisit Any of Previous Characters?

Sinclair Island is only 7 miles square with one riding barn, so you’ll meet all the main characters from the earlier books, including ‘Ivan’s Choice,’ as it turns out that Bryce McCloud is closely connected to Max.

Emma and Fulton, Dinny and Grant, Bryce and Pippa – they all play major roles in ‘Friday’s Folly.’

How Long Did ‘Friday’s Folly’ Take to Write?

As soon as I published ‘Dinny’s Challenge,’ I parked my rear end in its writing position and proceeded to map out the next sequel.

Most authors, I suspect, will tell you that the best way to stop worrying about the reception of your current novel is to dive straight into another one.

This third Sinclair Island Romance will be out exactly five months after ‘Dinny’s Challenge.’ I usually write faster, but had a lot of trouble with the first chapter of ‘Friday’s Folly:’ I didn’t know where to start the book and wrote it out at least three times.

I’m now working on the fourth novel in the series and am a long way through mapping out the plot.

For the curious, the heroine is an atheist this time!

What’s My Writing Process?

I have a dear author friend who can create a detailed synopsis in her head (I wish I had that talent!). The problem is, once she knows how the book ends, she’s no longer interested in writing it.

Apparently, Stephen King has some scathing words about writers who plan their novels in great detail. In which case, he’d highly disapprove of my method.

While I’m willing to go in a new direction if a main character absolutely insists on it – you’d be surprised what bullies these fictional personalities can be! – I am most definitely a ‘plotter’ rather than a ‘pantser,’ someone who flies by the seat of their trousers, as we would call them in England.

Did I Know the Ending Before I Began Plotting?

I usually have no idea exactly how the book will end when I start out on the planning journey. Obviously, it has to be a HEA, or Happily Ever After, or people will want their money back, but I only figure out what form that takes when I’ve arrived at the point where the hero and heroine have to get together or I scrap the book.

Was Anyone Else Involved in Creating the Book?

Friday’s Folly became a fun collaboration when I asked both my subscribers and my Facebook friends to help me find the name of the bookstore on Sinclair Island. It was heartwarming to receive so many wonderful ideas!

The same happened with the tagline: I got many great suggestions and I’ve noted them all for use in creating the banners for ‘Friday’s Folly.’

My Facebook pals also helped with the book’s title. I was torn between “Friday’s Folly” and “Annie’s Folly” until one person pointed out that “Annie’s Folly” made the heroine sound rather silly. Case closed.

(In case you’re wondering, the heroine’s name was originally Annie, then a friend complained that I have too many characters’ names ending in the ‘ie’ sound.)

Together with a few dedicated friends, I have a fantastic group of Launch Team members among my subscribers, who read Advance Review Copies of my books and post very generous reviews online. Their help has made each of the novels in the series an Amazon best seller.

I am also blessed to have my other subscribers, who are incredibly supportive of my writing and have contributed heavily to my success as a writer.

I hope you’ve enjoyed looking behind the scenes of ‘Friday’s Folly,’ the next Sinclair Island Romance novel.

Look out for it on 29th July! It will be available in all the major ebook outlets, including, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and iBooks.

Don’t forget to email me at Rubesca4@gmail.com if you’d like an ARC! Everyone who posts a positive review will be included in the acknowledgements of the final version.

The Jack Harper Trilogy

The Jack Harper Trilogy Is a #1 Best Seller!

Hilary Walker

Since so many of us are stuck at home ‘sheltering in place’ I decided to put the first three books of my Riding Out series into a boxed set and only charge 99 cents. I figured most people would feel that’s a good price for 474 pages of (hopefully) uplifting Christian fiction!

The story of a man who is in more need of healing than the wounded horses he rehabilitates

I let my subscribers know about it and was amazed at their positive response. The book sold a ton of copies straight away. Thank you all so much!

A dear author friend, Autumn Macarthur, let her huge fan base know about it the next day. They bought loads of copies, too and I am so appreciative!

The timing was perfect: as Autumn said, ‘it was a God thing.’ 🙂 As a result, The Jack Harper Trilogy is a #1 Best Seller on Amazon and I’m going to enjoy its exalted status however briefly it lasts. 😉 Thank you, Lord!

I want to give a shout-out to Autumn for being such a staunch supporter of my books and continually boosting my career. She is a kind and generous fellow Christian and I owe her a huge debt.

Autumn is a USA Today best selling author and you can find details of all her must-read Christian romances at https://faithhopeandheartwarming.com/. I do hope you’ll visit her site!

The Jack Harper Trilogy is available in other ebook stores, too, including:

Barnes & Noble https://bit.ly/2Vdn1SG

Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-jack-harper-trilogy

Apple https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1506599413

A New Sinclair Island Romance, Christian fiction, Christian inspirational Fiction, Contemporary Christian Fiction, Second Chance Romance, Transformational Christian Fiction, Women's Contemporary Romance

“Dinny’s Challenge” becomes a #1 Best Seller!

Hilary Walker

As a Christian author, I thank God for each gift of success.

“Dinny’s Challenge” became a #1 Best Seller for a glorious while and I knew took screen shots of its exalted status immediately!

Creating the book was an interesting exercise in humility, as you can see from my post, “Dinny’s Challenge:” A Fresh Start. It taught me not to take criticism personally, but to see it as a helpful aid to improvement.

My critiquing circle’s good judgment made the book successful, and I am eternally grateful to them.

Readers tell me my books bring back happy horse memories from their childhood, and one was even encouraged to get on a horse again, after reading about the equine adventures of my heroes and heroines!

Such feedback is enormously rewarding and encourages me to continue writing.

I’m now working on “Friday’s Folly,” Book 3 in The Sinclair Island Romance series.

P.S. If you would like to join my Launch Team and receive Advance Review Copies (ARCs) of my new books, please comment below. I’d love to welcome you aboard!

A Look Behind the Books, Uncategorized

A Look Behind the Books

Hilary Walker

 

Hi there! Here is where I’ll be sharing what prompts me to create the individuals in my books and the stories that unfold in their lives.

There will also be interviews with the characters. If you want to know more about anyone in particular or have questions you’d like me to ask them, please get in touch by filling out the short form on the About//Contact page.

I look forward to hearing from you and hope you enjoy these posts!

A Look Behind the Books, Brittle Diamonds: A Christian Mystery Novel, Catholic, Christian fiction, Church scandal, Contemporary Christian Fiction

Brittle Diamonds: the Book, the Podcast & a Look Behind the Scenes

Hilary Walker
For the chapter by chapter podcast click HERE

The idea of recording a podcast has intrigued me for some time.

Many authors record their books, and since ‘Brittle Diamonds’ is set in England, with very English characters, and I’m a very English character, I decided to go for it!

The set-up is not sophisticated: I’m uploading each chapter to my website for download by anyone who wishes to listen to it. A new chapter will be added every day.

You can find the podcast here: Brittle Diamonds Podcast

In the meantime, I’ll enjoy revisiting the residents of Brotherton and experiencing the dramatic events that unfold in that usually quiet part of the West Country.

Villagers Dodo and Bob Olding

Two characters in the book, Dodo and Bob, are very dear to me and based on a real couple who used to live down the lane from our house in Gloucestershire. Like us, they owned horses, and the woods running behind our two properties belonged to them.

My husband and I would ride through the forest and up the hill to their house, where the real Dodo and Bob would urge us to put our steeds in their stables while we had a ‘little something to drink’ together.

The real “Dodo” looking elegant as always, while enjoying a little drink

We loved sitting outside in their quintessentially English garden, looking over the fields and watching the geese and chickens wander in and out of the kitchen, chased by a lively Shi Tzu.

Bob and Dodo always poultry wandering about the property

Then my husband and I would get back on our horses and ride home, glowing with bonhomie, before it got too dark to see where we were going.

Bob and Dodo introduced us to the Queen’s cousin and his wife, who lived one door down in a large house with an active ghost. They invited us to cocktails and subsequently to dinner, where my American husband kissed the Princess on the cheek. There was no way I was going to kiss the Prince: he would have been horrified!

Dodo was even more colorful than I have portrayed her in the book. She used to make the most outrageous comments. She and Bob could never agree on the details of any story, and you’d better have eaten before you went to their house, as she usually burnt the food.

But she was a generous and loving soul, and when she passed away from a heart attack, sitting in her chair in the garden, Bob was grief-stricken. He held it together for four years before taking his own life on the anniversary of her death.

As a Catholic, I had no peace because he’d committed suicide, a mortal sin. I worried about Bob’s soul and confided in my parish priest. He told me that God would have understood the condition of my friend’s mind and for me not to be anxious, but to pray for him. This I still do.

I miss them both. Bob got to read Brittle Diamonds before he died, and thoroughly enjoyed my portrayal of him and Dodo. I am so very glad of it.

Painswick Church, a few miles from where I used to live in Lypiatt. The grounds contain 99 yew trees. Whenever they try to plant the 100th, it dies for some mysterious reason.

Why I Wrote the Book

After more than twenty years away from the Catholic Church, I finally returned to the fold.

There are many reasons why, but the catalyst was the birth of my son, although it still took me several years after that to commit fully to my faith.

When our little family moved to the States from England, I was thrilled to discover that Catholics weren’t in the minority as they are in the United Kingdom. I suddenly belonged to a huge community!

My local parish priest was a very charismatic man, whose sermons were both entertaining and educational. We all loved him.

Then came that fatal day when he told us he was under investigation for sexual abuse of seminarians, allegedly perpetrated some thirty years before.

We were all horrified that anyone could make such an accusation against our wonderful pastor, and were confident he would be swiftly exonerated and back in the pulpit.

Sadly, this was not to be the case.

My sorrow at discovering my Catholic leader was not above reproach led me to write this book.

The novel handles several other difficult issues in addition to the priest scandal, which was raging then and sadly still is. It will be a long time before the Catholic Church recovers, but recover she will.

The sermon in Chapter 17 is poached from a real sermon preached at the time of our priest’s disgrace.

I ask you to have patience with my attempts at various British accents and do hope you enjoy this audio version of the book! 🙂

Ebook available for $0.99 at: Amazon B&N Kobo iBooks

Paperback available for $9.50 at Amazon B&N

A New Sinclair Island Romance

Dinny’s Challenge: The First Three Chapters

Hilary Walker

‘Dinny’s Challenge’ will be ready to launch at the end of February but you can take a sneak peek at the first three chapters!

Dinny’s Challenge – the first three chapters

I hope you enjoy reading them.

See you on launch day!

WHAT’S THE BOOK ABOUT?

Running into her former fiancé forces Dinny to face her cowardice towards him decades earlier.

Dinny gave Grant back his ring and married the man who was accusing him of fraud.

Now widowed, she attends a wedding on Sinclair Island and unexpectedly runs into her ex-fiancé – three decades after he moved away.

Dinny’s beloved mare is about to go blind and Grant meets with her to suggest an unorthodox solution for saving the horse’s sight. But his girlfriend becomes determined to keep the once engaged couple apart and extracts a promise from Dinny not to interfere in her relationship with him.

Dinny realizes she’s falling in love with Grant again. Problem is, he’s a crook and her deceased husband’s arch-enemy. And she’s given her word to stay away from him.

Grant never stopped loving her, and a nearly fatal incident with a horse gives him the unexpected opportunity to clear his name.

When Dinny discovers the real criminal’s identity, she is faced with the sordid truth that her marriage was based on a lie.

Can Grant forgive her for believing the wrong man? Can she forgive herself – or her late husband?

Under pressure from Grant, she admits her true feelings, she then tells him that she mustn’t give into them. Angry and disappointed, he walks out on her.

Soon afterwards, he risks his life to save his girlfriend and Dinny knows she’s truly lost him.

Her life will be unbearable without him and she has to get him back.

But how?

Here’s that link again:

Dinny’s Challenge – the first three chapters