Interview with Dr. Harriet Bailey of Cobble Hill Farm

Lithograph after W.J. Allen. Original public domain image from Wellcome Collection

 

I’m delighted to have veterinarian Dr. Harriet Bailey, the main character and resident sleuth of the new Cobble Hill Farm Mysteries, here with us today. 

Harriet, that’s a cute “self-portrait” you’ve supplied, but how about telling our readers what you really look like? 

I’m pretty average looking, with brown eyes and long dark hair that I usually wear in a pony tail while working. I’m in my early thirties, petite, but strong, although my size still causes clients to doubt my capacity to do the heaviest tasks in a large animal practice. 

The way I hear it, you soon prove yourself to be more than up to the job. 

Yes, so far, I’ve been able to tackle most jobs with Polly’s or Will’s or the client’s assistance when needed.

Speaking of Pastor Fitzwilliam “Will” Knight, you seem to spend a lot of time with him. Is romance in the air? 

Do I? 😳 He’s been a good friend. But I wouldn’t want you to get any ideas about us. He’s a self-proclaimed bachelor.

How did you come to inherit your grandfather’s veterinary practice? 

That was an unexpected surprise. I assumed Cobble Hill Farm and everything connected with my grandfather’s estate would be divided between his two children–my Aunt Jinny who lives in the dower cottage and my dad. But my mom and dad love their life in New England. So, I guess my dad told my grandad to leave his share to me. It helps that I’m an only child. And I’m already a qualified vet–a career inspired by my grandfather from the time I was small.

But for you to leave your practice in the US and relocate to the UK must have been a huge adjustment? 

It was. But leaving was easier than it would’ve been a year or more earlier, when I’d been blissfully planning a wedding with a fellow vet at the practice. After Dustin broke off our engagement, continuing to work at the same practice was beyond uncomfortable.  Of course, it is taking the Yorkshire farmers a while to get used to their first female large animal vet. But as they like to say here in the UK, most folks have been brilliant about making me feel welcome. 

It must help that your grandfather’s practice was already well respected? 

Absolutely. In fact, I’m the third generation of Baileys to practice here. My great-grandfather opened the practice the year before the outbreak of the Second World War. The place has seen a lot of change since then, I can tell you. But I occasionally still use some of my great-grandfather’s original equipment, too. 

Your grandfather was also a talented painter, opening his own art gallery here on the farm to display his work. Do you plan to follow in his artistic footsteps as well? 

<Blows out a breath> I’m not sure that particular gift was passed on to me. And at the moment, the veterinary practice consumes most of my time. But…it’s something I might try my hand at one day. You never know unless you try, right? 

What was the most difficult adjustment for you since arriving in the UK? 

Hmm, there’s a few dishes, such as black pudding for which I still haven’t managed to acquire a taste. And understanding what some of the oldest clients are saying can still be a challenge, with the way they drop their ‘t’s and ‘h’s at the beginning of words and use many words I can’t for the life of me decipher.

But probably the biggest initial hurdle was learning to drive my grandfather’s beast of an old Land Rover on these hilly, narrow country roads. Never mind that I had to get used to roundabouts and driving on the left side of the road. I’d never driven manual and learning to do that on some of the incredibly steep grades we encounter in the moorlands is no easy feat. Add to that how close the stone walls enclosing the pastures are to the road in spots, well… I admit I’ve come close to clipping the side mirrors more than once whilst trying to pull over enough to pass a car coming from the other direction.

Notice how I slipped in the word “whilst” for “while”? 😀 I love the sound of that word. 

Driving is easy peasy when the roads are flat and empty like this, but…

it can get a little dicey when you encounter buildings that are practically on the road and you can’t see what’s coming around the corner. 

Then when I actually encounter oncoming traffic!!! I was catching a lift in a friend’s Renault when I snapped this pic through the windshield and the car’s warning siren was beeping hysterically because our “wing mirror” was scraping through the hedgerow camouflaging the stone wall behind it. I was glad not to be driving that day!

Check out Additional Bonus Features 

If you enjoyed this interview, you can find more bonus features for Into Thin Air on my bonus features page

Learn more about Into Thin Air Here: 

Into Thin Air

And Kindle Unlimited subscribers can currently read it for free! 

Into Thin Air by Sandra Orchard now on KU

Have you grabbed a copy of Into Thin Air, yet?

Book Cover for Into Thin Air

If you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited, now’s your chance to read Into Thin Air for FREE! I’m not sure how long it’ll be an option, but at the moment, you can still read the first and second books in the series–Digging Up Secrets and Hide and Seek–there for free too. 

Here’s the link for Canadians: https://www.amazon.ca/Into-Thin-Air-Sandra-Orchard/dp/1961251442/

Being in Canada, I can’t see whether KU is an option when I log into Amazon for other countries, but I know it is an option in the US.

Into Thin Air is my first contribution to Guideposts new Mysteries of Cobble Hill Farm series set in England’s historic Yorkshire region that I’ve been talking about for a while. I’ve been caught up with things at home, so I’m behind at posting bonus features for the book. But I hope to get those up this week.

I’ll let you know here when I’ve posted the bonus features. In the meantime, you can read the back cover copy and find links to major retailers selling the book here: https://sandraorchard.com/books/into-thin-air/

Happy reading!

 

Mysteries of Cobble Hill Farm Now on Kindle!

I have awesome news for my Canadian and other non-US-based readers, the first book in the Mysteries of Cobble Hill Farm, Digging Up Secrets by Elizabeth Penney, is currently available as a free read for Kindle Unlimited members. And available for purchase on kindle (as well as in print).

 

Once the book finishes its run on Kindle Unlimited, I imagine, it will also be available to Nook and Kobo readers, since print versions are already available at the other retail outlets. Hopefully all the upcoming books in the series (i.e. my Into Thin Air, which is the third book) will be too! 

However, if you want to hold the book in your hand…

and live in the US, purchasing directly from the publisher is a better deal. They’re having a Mother’s Day sale until May 8th. Save 20% on orders over $30 with code SAVE20. That said, when I went there a few minutes ago, a pop up window offered me an instant 15% off with no minimum purchase. 

Please note: if that you only wish to purchase the first book and not subscribe to the series, choose the second option: https://www.shopguideposts.org/cobble-hill-farms-digging-up-secrets.html

And while you’re there, if you’re looking for another book to reach that magic $30 mark, you can check out: 

Book Cover for Love's a Mystery
(click image to go directly to the book)

 

Mysteries of Cobble Hill Farm Launches

Attention fans of All Creatures Great and Small, cozy mysteries, or anything British…

Mysteries of Cobble Hill Farm is for you! 

I was honoured to be invited by Guideposts to contribute two stories to Mysteries of Cobble Hill Farm, a fifteen-book, multi-author series, set in God’s Own County–Yorkshire, UK. 

About Mysteries of Cobble Hill Farm

This exciting series from Guideposts is set in the charming, history-filled region of Yorkshire, England. Often called “God’s Own County” by the locals, you’ll fall in love with the area right along with newly transplanted Harriet Bailey. As she explores the rolling hills, marvels at the gardens that surround each cottage, and wanders through the ruins of old stone castles, she finds herself hoping she made the right decision when she moved here to take over her late grandfather’s veterinary practice. 

With lots of Extras to Enjoy 

Besides a fabulous mystery, many with historical elements, each story will also feature a yummy recipe for popular British dishes. This is where I have to retract Serena Jones’s statement in A Fool and His Monet: British cuisine. World renowned since never. 

Although in Serena’s defense, (and for those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, it’s really time you read her art crime mysteries), she was referencing Bubble and Squeak at the time. She was being facetious when she mused that rechristening leftovers with a cutesy name made them so much tastier. Especially when in Mom’s kitchen, Brussels Sprouts were inevitably involved in insidious ways.  

But I digress! 

Each book also features fun facts about people, places, or things in Britain, related to the story. 

In addition to those included in the book, I’ll soon be adding bonus features to my website for Into Thin Air, too. 

Book Cover for Into Thin Air

Into Thin Air, is my first contribution to the Mysteries of Cobble Hill Farm. Read more about it here: https://sandraorchard.com/books/into-thin-air/

Into Thin Air includes a kidnapping and an art theft (channeling Serena Jones again here 🙂 ) and lots of lovable characters of both the human and animal varieties. 😉 

Can’t wait to start reading Mysteries of Cobble Hill Farm? 

You can purchase books individually, or you can subscribe to the series and enjoy extra savings and two free gifts. You’ll find all the details at Shop Guideposts.

Shopping Tip: if you find other books you like, and spend more than $45, use coupon code FREESHIP45 to enjoy free shipping.