Hailing from a legacy of four family lines in East Idaho, the newly published author of “The Meadowlark,” Brett Walker, was born and raised in Rigby.

The Walker family — known in Rigby as the owners of Walker’s Cafe on the corner of State and Main streets — settled in East Idaho back in 1885. Walker — himself born at the Rigby Maternity Hospital and delivered by Dr. Clifford Rigby — grew up in and around Walker’s Cafe.

“I have a lot of magical memories there,” Walker said. “It was when the highway went past Rigby, but before that the traffic all went past the restaurant. That’s how Rigby is alive in my mind.”

Even though he moved from Rigby to Orem, Utah, at the age of 13 in 1975, his hometown never left his heart — or even his mind, for that matter.

“If you ask my wife,” Walker said, referring to his wife, Kristin, “I’ve always wanted to write a novel, specifically about Idaho. My ‘Rigby story’ is what we called it.”

He began to dabble in writing in high school, he said, but became more consistent in college. Most of his writing at that point was based in non-fiction, publishing personal essays at Brigham Young University.

Walker also wrote as a part of his job while he did marketing for several New York Times bestselling self-help and personal improvement titles.

For decades, though, he was always wanting to write his “Rigby story.” In fact, he said he wanted to write a story centered around a small-town cafe — his own way of re-opening his father’s cafe.

Instead, he wrote a book sprinkled with various familiar Rigby sights and sounds. Walker stated he incorporated a drug store with a soda fountain, a movie theater, a fire station alarm that blares in the afternoons, a water tower, a summer rodeo and parade and a cafe known for its scones and honey butter. This town, he said, is the Rigby that it was, as he remembers it from his days as a 13-year-old kid.

To this day, Walker said, he still has people approach him and ask about Walker’s Cafe and are always remembering the scones and honey butter that were served there.

“I get people all the time, here in Utah, who come up and tell me stories about their parents getting engaged at Walker’s and things like that,” he said.

It was during a recent visit — in 2018 after the death of his father, Clyde — that Walker’s interest in the valley’s irrigation was piqued. In fact, before writing his dual-timeline novel, he spent a year researching the history of the local canals and the Great Feeder, which was built in 1894 and 1895.

This research played a huge role in his writing process, as it encouraged him to ensure his story remained in continuity.

“I had spreadsheets to keep track of timelines,” he said of the extent he went to maintain that continuity.

At one point in his writing career, Walker’s son challenged him: Whoever could reach 50,000 words first was the winner. During that challenge, he came near completing an entire fantasy story. That was when he made an important observation: When writing fantasy stories, everything is under your own control. You make the rules. However, to write real-world fiction, it has to pass a test of legitimacy.

The process of writing his stories, he said, is much more methodical than fantasy.

“It’s more intriguing than making it all up. It’s the wonderful little things that happen,” he said.

Walker is currently conducting his research for another historical fiction novel he has in the works. He sees himself continuing to work on novels in the future and enjoying the process of developing a fictional narrative based on real events.

Walker has worked in marketing and business strategy across his career, having worked for well-known companies such as Ancestry.com and Intel. He and his wife currently reside in Provo, Utah.

Copies of “The Meadowlark” are available on Amazon.com, and the audiobook is available through Audible or Apple iTunes.