About the Author

Robert Hilliard has written on sports, history, and the outdoors for over three decades. Rob started as a reporter for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and has since written articles for outlets such as Upland Almanac, Pennsylvania Wildlife, and Pittsburgh History Magazine. He has the distinction of having feature articles in the Baseball, Basketball, and Pro Football Halls of Fame.

In 2000, Rob was asked to contribute to his first book project, a history anthology entitled Rivers of Destiny. In 2012 his first individual book, A Season on the Allegheny, was published. It quickly hit the Top 10 in two Amazon categories and has garnered national attention since its publication.

Rob recently published his first novel, entitled In Freedom's Shadow. The historical thriller is based on the true story of slave John Scobell, who escaped the Confederacy during the Civil War, only to return to the South as an undercover Union spy. 

In its first week on shelves, In Freedom's Shadow was a #1 bestseller in multiple Amazon categories. It also won a 2024 International Firebird Book Award for African American Fiction, a 2024 Readers' Favorite Bronze Medal for Southern Fiction, and  a Spring 2024 PenCraft Award as a Best Book for Historical Fiction. 

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