Author Tim Stutler has released his second novel, Hillari’s Head (275 pp, paperback $14.95, eBook $3.99). Alternately touching, humorous and heart wrenching, Hillari’s Head is about family, intimacy, resilience and, ultimately, acceptance.
Author Hazel White (Jade Taylor) says of Hillari’s Head: “I read only one page before falling in love with the author’s sense of humor. He will keep you laughing at his wit, until you run across the real angst his characters suffer. I have rarely seen such well-developed people with real reasons for the flaws in their character.”
Hillari’s Head tells the story of Kristina Orris, a paralegal who has come to San Diego seeking a normal life. She is burdened by the memory of Hillari, a sister with an oversized head and disfigured face. Home-schooled by a single father, Kristina grew up with a vexing speech impediment and rarely left the house. But after her dad died, she couldn’t stay. Kristina dreamed of being a lawyer. Pursuing such a goal might prove painful for any cloistered, mumbling orphan; but it would be impossible yoked to Hillari. At 18, Kristina abandoned her home, her past – and Hillari.
In San Diego Kristina meets attorney Gideon Ducker, “the single homeliest man she had ever laid eyes on.” But she instantly bonds with the warm, self-effacing lawyer. The two are thrown into the most tumultuous and fascinating case of their lives. Only one thing prevents Kristina from becoming the confident, fulfilled woman she longs to be: the swelling burden of guilt and shame over her past. But is it too late to redeem herself?
Hillari’s Head answers that question and more. Scout Paige of All We Have is Stories says: “The writing was superb. I’m always surprised when a male author creates such a realistic female character that I connect with. The story line was so original. I’m going to read this book again; it was touching and will stay with me.”
Tim Stutler is a San Diego writer, humor blogger, and lawyer. He studied at UC Berkeley’s Boalt Hall, Harvard Law School, and CSU Fullerton. For more information about Hillari’s Head or Stutler’s other works, go to http://timstutler.com/. Hillari’s Head is available at Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.
