Deborah Heal Releases 'Every Hill and Mountain,' the Third Novel in Her Trilogy

Every Hill and Mountain fits in several categories. It's YA Fiction adults will want to read. Sci-fi melded with Christian historical. A combination of 19th century southern Illinois history and modern technology. One Amazon reviewer describes the trilogy's premise as "unique...sort of a Back to the Future meets virtual reality, with a little dash of Seventh Heaven thrown in." (Tiffany Harkleroad, Amazon Top 500 Reviewer)

"The computer program only works in conjunction with old houses, and it didn't take me long to decide the Crenshaw mansion would be the perfect one for Every Hill and Mountain," Heal said.

Built in 1834, the infamous Crenshaw mansion, otherwise known as "The Old Slave House," is located on lonely Hickory Hill just outside of Equality, Illinois in Gallatin County. It is sometimes described as the state's most haunted house.

Not that Abby Thomas and her friends know any of that. They come to Equality to help Abby's roommate Kate find her ancestor who, according to their research, was born there. They eventually learn that Hickory Hill was a stop on the Underground Railroad. The one that ran in reverse.

John Crenshaw was part of an extensive network of "entrepreneurs" who captured, hid, and sold free blacks to slave traders. He held his captives on the third floor of his own home. And that's not all that went on up there. Abby's shocking discovery concerning Kate's ancestor is almost too much to bear.

"In spite of the grim subject, I think readers will come away with a positive message of redemption and hope," Heal said.

Heal has roots in Gallatin County. "My mother went to Hickory Hill School, just a stone's throw away from the Old Slave House, and my father grew up in the hills of Eagle Creek Township just outside Equality. We moved away when I was a baby, but I grew up hearing stories about the area. Every Hill and Mountain is fiction, but I did my research. I hope it rings true to the region and the people and that my fondness for 'down home' comes through," Heal said.

Visit the author's website to learn more about her books and the history behind them: http://www.deborahheal.com.

Every Hill and Mountain (ISBN: 978-1482609165) is distributed nationally through Baker & Taylor and available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com Paperback (5.5"×8.5", 278 pages. Retail price: $12.99)) Ebook (Retail Price: $2.99)
Genres: Christian Sci-Fi/Historical, young adult fiction

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