Hilltown Books

NORTHERN COMFORT

A story about the harsh realities of rural life …

Willi Miller and her young son are a charity case in a New England town that holds dear to the traditions of making maple syrup, playing old-time music, and keeping family secrets. She does her best by Cody, who was brain-damaged at birth. Their home is a cabin left by the grandfather who took them in after Junior Miller abandoned them.

Then, on a snowy day, Cody’s sled sends him into the path of a truck driven by Miles Potter, a man of means. Willi and Miles have known each other since they were kids, but until the moment her son dies, they are separated by their families’ places in town.

Cody’s death has a powerful effect on the people involved. Miles discovers he and Willi have more in common than the tragedy that brought them together. Junior tries to face his failings as a father and make amends that matter to his child’s mother. And Willi, a slight woman with a powerful resolve, must confront her past to find some measure of peace.

Get your copy here: Northern Comfort

THE SACRED DOG

Bad blood between two men, and that feud’s ultimate climax…

Frank Hooker owns The Sacred Dog, the only bar in a New England hill town, where the locals gather to drink beer, gab, and get away from their families. The only one not welcome is Al Kitchen, but Frank has his reason — he blames him for the death of his younger brother, Wes.

Al Kitchen is a hellraiser; no surprise considering the grandfather who raised him was a drunk and an abuser. Yes, Al was in the car crash that killed his best buddy, Wes, but he wasn’t at the wheel — a fact Frank won’t accept.

Frank’s life is about to change now that his ex-wife and their daughter have returned after living in Florida for three years. Verona says she misses her old life, although coming back might mean facing a dark secret that involves Frank — and Al.

All is about to come to a reckoning…

Get your copy here: The Sacred Dog

THE SWEET SPOT

Edie St. Claire is smack in the middle of what’s going on in Conwell: her in-laws’ general store, the Do-Si-Do Bar, and this small town’s biggest scandal in years.

Her father is a crusty so-and-so who runs the town dump. Her wisecracking aunt is as fiery as her dyed red hair. Both live next to Edie and her young daughter on this dead-end dirt road.

Edie is a woman on the go, pretty and direct, but she holds onto an old sadness: the death of her husband in Vietnam. She tries to ease her grief with his married brother, Walker.

But when the affair comes to a tragic end, Edie does her best to survive the blame with the help of her rough-sawn family and a badly scarred man who has arrived for his fresh start.

Get your copy here: The Sweet Spot