Books
by C. L. Heckman

Inspired by a true story of abuse

 As a little girl, Sam had no idea that her life was different than anyone else's. Her days consisted of playing in a nearby pond, banished to the forest until supper by her mother. Thankfully, she wasn't alone out in the woods... her brother, Charlie, was always there to guide and protect her from anything that may bring harm -- however, who was going to protect her from him? 

Now a teenager, the bruises from Charlie are becoming harder to hide. Camouflaging them behind hairstyles and long-sleeved shirts aren't enough anymore, and Sam can feel the burn of the teacher's eyes as they struggle to figure out what's happening behind closed doors. Torn between two realities, she's terrified of what would happen if someone found out what Charlie's angry outbursts look like, and terrified of what will happen if they don't. 

After a momentary lapse in judgment, Sam waits for her punishment from her brother. Bolting to her room and slamming the door behind her, she struggles to twist the tiny lock on the knob with sweaty hands.

Crawling backwards on her palms and feet, she slides under the bed, curled up in the darkness. The position brings fear, as she knows all-too-well what's coming. Staring at the crack in the door, she listens to the wood floor creak underneath his 200lb body while he inches closer, taunting her.

Charlie’s fist bangs on the wood breaking the silence; each pound separates it slightly more from the frame, and she’s praying that it can withstand him for just a few more moments. Closing her eyes, and waiting to feel the warmth of his hands around her throat, she comes to a haunting realization ... this might be the end.  

After the death of her abusive mother, Sam’s life was finally turning around. 

She had married her high school sweetheart, Jake, and was reveling in the birth of their son. Her abusive past was ancient history, and she knew that love would be the only emotion filling her family home. However, sometimes things aren’t always what we envision, and Sam’s expectations are definitely not matching reality.

Now a raging alcoholic, Jake isn’t keen on his new role in life and Sam is the brunt of his frustration. Waging a constant war between her head and her heart has become the new normal, and with everyone at work telling her to end her marriage, Sam is at her breaking point. How can she leave the love of her life at a time when he needs her the most?

As the health of a family member takes a turn for the worst, Sam must face some past demons. Her mother’s medical records disclose shocking information, and she and Charlie are shaken to the core by the revelations. Leaning on one another for support, they say goodbye to someone they’ve loved—and hated – for the second time in their lives, while trying to make sense of all of the secrets.

Just as Sam’s life hits its breaking point, Luke, a local divorcee, enters the bar with some friends one night, and offers a nice distraction from all the chaos. However, her decisions will have consequences – consequences that may just land her in the hospital. Once again finding herself at the other end of a police officer’s questioning, Sam isn’t so sure she can go through it all again, and leans on an unexpected friend for support.

Will Sam finally find the love and safety she deserves? Or, is she destined to repeat the cycle of abuse, forever?

“One’s destination is never a place, but rather a new way of looking at things.”
~Henry Mill

As a teenager growing up in the backwoods of Pennsylvania, Vicky is barely surviving each day, only making it through by manipulation and avoidance. Her home life is scarier than the nightmares of most of her acquaintances; but there’s no escape. With an alcoholic father, and a mother whose health is deteriorating, Vicky is forced into running the household, and caring for her younger sister, Janice, whose only goal is to make her sister’s life miserable. Adding in a new foster brother, Arthur, haunting more than just her dreams at night, she’s positive she’ll end up beating both her parents to the grave.

After a sudden death of the patriarch before she’s old enough to move out, Vicky and Janice are sent to live with a relative which might just be the biggest blessing of her life. When things are finally looking up, and all ties to her family are broken, she stumbles across her future husband and decides to leave the only life she knows in the past for the promise of something greater. But her past has different ideas, and soon enough a familiar face returns with a vengeance to remind her of where she came from.

After losing another person she loves, and getting help battling her past demons, she’s finally on the path to happiness and ready to start a family. However, sometimes dreams aren’t meant to be a reality, and Vicky isn’t sure if being a mother was part of her destiny. Her mental health is wavering, and the love of her children may not be enough to pull her out of the dark hole she’s falling into.

Will Vicky be able to survive the past and give her children the loving home she never had? Or will she create a life that mirrors her own childhood growing up, unable to break the cycle of abuse?


Recommended for adult audiences. This book contains abusive situations.

 

There are only two rules to becoming part of the Hemlock crew:

~~ You have to be single.
~~ You have to be invited.

Karissa is definitely single, and now that she caught the eye of Jasper, she just might get the invite. Nothing about him is her type, except for the fact that he's drop-dead gorgeous and every sophomore girl’s dream boyfriend. Add in his killer personality, and piercing blue eyes along with his blonde hair and a skateboard hanging from his bag and she just might reconsider-- but dating him is a slippery slope that she's not sure she wants to walk.

With an invite to the first lake party of the summer, Karissa finds herself trapped in the middle of a love triangle with no way out. While following her head instead of her heart, she begins sabotaging new relationships and destroying her chances at staying in the group.


Will she end the summer on the arm of her dream guy? Or, will she have to spend her eighteenth birthday forever alone?

Haley Welling was born to win a National Championship, trotting a show horse down the rail with blue ribbons hanging from its bridle, and blankets of red roses adorning its neck. As a young girl, she spent countless hours at the feet of instructors, trainers, and barn managers, soaking up everything she could about the horse industry like a sponge, and hoping that one day it would be enough to fulfill her dream.

The summer after graduation, her fantasy finally becomes a reality when she secures the resident stable hand job at Morning Star Stables. Everything is running smoothly until Katie, the prestigious junior rider, decides that there’s no room for someone new. With Katie doing everything in her power to sabotage Haley’s career, her future at MS stables is on the line.

The show season is quickly approaching, and Haley is unsure if she has what it takes to follow her dream. Will she crumble under the pressure, or will she finally find out what it feels like to end up in the winner’s circle atop the horse of her dreams?

Book 1 A Gelding Named Thunder
Book 2 A Mare Named Whim now available on amazon
Book 3 due to be released winter 2022

Katie and Haley are back on the farm after finishing up an amazing show season with National and Reserve Championships under their belt. However, this year is turning out to be very different than they expected.

With Lightning's recent navicular diagnosis, Katie is on the lookout for a new partner, and Cody has just the horse to fill those shoes. Whim is a jaw-dropping, dappled gray, Half-Arabian mare with looks to stop anyone in their tracks, and Katie is convinced that it's love at first site. As the young mare gets settled in, everyone at the barn realizes they are getting way more than they asked for and training this hostile mare may be a little more than even lead trainer and barn owner, Grant, can handle.

Unsure of what her future holds, Katie decides to reach out for a second opinion on Lightning's diagnosis and receives some startling news. With a change of discipline, a new outfit, and a few close calls with some rear hooves, Katie is fighting for her spot in the ring while everyone else in the barn seems to be coasting by with their equine partners.

Will she make it to the show ring with the rest of the barn, or will she simply watch from the sidelines as her dreams turn to dust?

​

Summer is trickling in, and a new show season, and life, is on the horizon at MS stables. When Whim is confirmed pregnant by Dr. Weffler, the influx of hormones has transformed her from the spicy and unpredictable mare she used to be, into a beautiful English Pleasure mount. However, the memories are hard to overcome, and Katie is struggling to form a bond with her partner for the season -- but with Lightning officially retired, she has no other choice if she wants to ride on the green shavings at Nationals.

For the first time ever, Katie is nervous about her class and almost quits before Claire steps in with some solid advice that has her rethinking her whole outlook on the sport. Finally at Regionals, a health emergency almost takes the life of one of their four-legged friends and Haley is questioning all her decisions when Cody heads back to Arial Farms with no goodbye.

A new horse, in a new division, and new age bracket, is proving that Katie still has a lot to learn if she ever wants to be a professional trainer in this world that she loves. On her own rollercoaster of emotions, Haley is once again struggling with her leads, and barely makes it through the class with a clean ride. The dream of two sets of red roses may have to wait, as the girls realize that Amateur status is a whole lot harder than they imagined.

Finally at Nationals, an emergency strikes the barn and flips their world upside down, leaving one rider watching from the rail as her horse competes without her, hopefully leaving with more than just a Top Ten.

With the arrival of Whim's foal, Impulse, and the new season creeping in, Katie realizes she won't have a partner and, against Grant's wishes, makes a brash decision that will change the fate of MS stables forever.