Holyland - Paperback

Sonia Costello is returning to Ghost Farm after someone tried to shoot her in Africa. She has been the sympathetic darling of the press ever since her kidnapping at the hands of Darfur bandits, led by the mysterious Ali Assan. So begins the third and final novel of The Ledge series, which has followed the life and death of world famous Wisconsin author Roland Heinz and his adopted family, Molly, Melanie, and Sonia Costello. It is now fifteen years after Roland's passing and family circles begin to intersect as summer ends and the long winter begins in The Holyland of Wisconsin.

Bim Stouffer, the loveable garage sitter and his wife, Pat are eagerly awaiting their first great grandchild despite the fact that illness has come to plague their household. Pat's daughter, Carrie and her husband Mike return from Massachusetts and move in to help out. Melanie Costello and her husband, Ray return to Pipe so Mel can have her baby at the farm. Meanwhile, a Hollywood movie crew is in town producing one of Molly's novels into a film and the alluring star, Sarah Dylan poses a potential romantic problem between Sonia and her on and off again love, Irish poet Desmond O'Conner.

In these difficult times, the spirit of Roland Heinz is still a guiding force; not only as a literary inspiration, but also a source of solidarity through the dark ages of his family and friends. The Holyland of Wisconsin, as both a place of mythic beauty and metaphoric inspiration, is at the core of the story: the land that always brings its people home. The conclusion of the trilogy includes a thread of mystery and old secrets revealed as Christmas comes to Ghost Farm.

Richard Curtis Hauschild is a novelist and screenwriter, who was born and raised in Illinois and lived many years in Los Angeles working in the film industry. Holyland joins The Ledge and Jersey Flats to complete a trilogy of novels about the life and works of fictional Wisconsin author Roland Heinz. Richard also has a stand alone novel, Hot Moon published by Dog Ear Publishing. He currently resides in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.