A soldier's calling, a daughter's search, two journeys reveal the fragility and resilience of the human spirit
The Circle of Willis is the debut novel of H.G. Hedger, published by The Wild Rose Press. It is currently available through both Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It is also available for free through the Libby or Hoopla App if you belong to your local library.
Ray Shipworth's life plan was clear: marry his girlfriend after serving his country. From boot camp to the unforgiving front line, Ray faces challenges that shatter his worldview and threaten his identity. In this high-stakes arena, he's tested in unexpected ways.
Leo Lightfoot, daughter of Ray's cross-country coach, is an outsider yearning for more. Just as she's on the cusp of graduating and starting college, everything she believes to be true is put into question.
With shared beginnings and divergent paths, two wounded souls return to their childhood home in rural Oklahoma. The trauma of recent experiences threatens to derail them. Can their reunion allow them to heal? Or will their attempts to help each other leave them more broken than before?
Read Excerpt
From the Humvee behind him, automatic grenade launchers were spitting hot and fiery. Explosions riddled the west bank. Trees flew in the air, elephant grass ignited, and the Tigris churned as if on a high boil. Ray was down to the last of his ammunition and was now firing tracer rounds from his hell belt. He could see them zip across the waterway, joining the immense firepower that shone brighter than the sinking sun.