Eric Horridge is the president of the Hillside Probus Club and an author. He spoke to Sam Porter about his community and his newest novel.
What’s your connection to Brimbank?
I have lived in Taylors Lakes for over two years now, having lived in Sunbury since 2000 (with the exception of spending four and a half years in London from 2014 to 2018). My wife lived in Taylors Lakes for many years and after we married in the UK we decided to come home.
What do you like about where you live?
The area is quiet. There are a lot of young families around which makes the place vibrant. We have good neighbours which creates a sense of community. The council does a good job by sticking to what a council should do…addressing community issues, collecting the rubbish and focusing on local matters.
What would you change about where you live?
Dog walkers should pick up after their dogs; those who graffiti or litter or damage property should realise that they are damaging the area by their actions. As a consequence, a police station or better access to police resources in the area (when needed) would be useful. Improved access to a local hospital would be beneficial too. The new Melton Hospital is some years away and with the increasing population in the Northwest, it can’t come soon enough.
What do you like about being part of Hillside Probus Club?
The club is new and growing, so being part of it from the beginning has allowed me to see how our members have gone from being strangers to becoming friends. Club members are beginning to embrace the activities that are being put in place and we hope that more and more members of the community (retired and semi-retired) will join us.
What do you love about writing?
Writing allows the imagination to roam but it also gives one the opportunity to tax the brain. My books are murder mysteries and to make them work with so many characters I have to make sure that the stories make sense, that the characters are credible and all the strands of the story are brought together in the end. Sometimes that can be quite challenging. I enjoy doing the research for my books as well; every street, every restaurant, pub or building exists for real. I even make sure that every journey in the book (by car/train etc) takes the same amount of time in the book as it does in real life.
What’s your new book about?
The latest book, Death asks no questions, is centred around a kidnapping. It is set in the UK (Oxford) and it is the eighth book in the series, with the events over the years occurring in real time. My main character is an ex-DCI who is a racehorse trainer and has been for well over 15 years. He is reluctantly dragged into finding out why the individual was kidnapped and by whom. Ultimately the police get involved and it is established that there is a lot more to the kidnapping than meets the eye. The biggest scam in British Racehorse history is being organised and it is centred around the Cheltenham festival, held annually in March of each year. There are murders, deceit, lies and ultimately death. The decision for the main character ultimately is this: ‘Is winning a horse race more important than saving a life?’ The answer? Read the book. It’s available to be put on kindle or to be bought on Amazon in soft and hard copy.
