Hardin pens latest in book series
Almost two years after publishing his first novel, Russellville businessman Phil Hardin now has a complete trilogy available for readers to enjoy.
“Pacific Journey,” the third book in “The Witch5s of Dillard Hollow” series written by Hardin, is now available for purchase through the company Publish America, LLP.
“Pacific Journey” picks up where the second book, “Dark Forces,” leaves off, Hardin said.
The story follows the five Hue sisters, who are descendants of a Native American woman named Karunda with supernatural powers, and shows their journey as they try to find their way back to the mainland from the Hawaiian Islands.
The first book in the series, “Karunda’s Children,” took place in the 1930s and early 1940s – right up until the time of World War II – and the second book primarily takes place during the war with the third book picking up shortly after.
According to Hardin, all the books in “The Witch5s of Dillard Hollow” series are loosely based on local people and places, which he said makes the stories more interesting for those who live in the area.
“The Witch5s of Dillard Hollow” series is mostly a sci-fi mystery, but as with every good book, there are other elements, such as humor and romance, that make it a book everyone can enjoy.
Hardin also said the books were family friendly since he felt the desire to publish something that kids all the way up to senior adults would be able to read.
Hardin said the series has been one of the top sellers for his publishing company, Publish America, and the company was more than willing to complete the trilogy with this third installment.
“I’ve gotten some good feedback on these books,” Hardin said. “People seem to enjoy them and that makes me happy because that was the whole point.
“I don’t write for money or notoriety – I write because I enjoy it and I want other people to enjoy it, too.”
Hardin said when his first novel was published that when he started writing the story of Karunda’s five great-granddaughters, he never intended for it to be published. It was actually just a project he started working on at the prompting of his wife, Donna.
After the encouragement from his wife, Hardin said that he was able to complete “Karunda’s Children” over a six-month time period and the books have just kept coming.
“I’ve enjoyed this series, but this will be the last book with these characters,” he said. “I think it might be time for me to work on something different, so we’ll just see what comes along next.”
People interested in purchasing Hardin’s book will need to search for a book written by p.Gale, the pen name Hardin has chosen to use for his written works.
“Most people decide to use a pen name because it gives the anonymity that most authors want to hold onto,” he said, “and I thought it was a good idea.”
“The Witch5s of Dillard Hollow: Pacific Journey” is currently available through www.publishamerica.com or copies can be purchased at the downtown Chevron in Russellville, where Hardin is the owner.
In the next several weeks, the book will also be available in both regular and eBook forms at amazon.com, booksamillion.com and barnesandnoble.com.
