エピソード

  • Johnnie Bernhard Returns: The Witch of Sonora, Moral Injury, and Dark Spirituality on the Texas Border

    Johnnie Bernhard Returns: The Witch of Sonora, Moral Injury, and Dark Spirituality on the Texas Border
    2026/09/03
    Welcome to a new season of the award-winning Hill Country Authors Podcast, sponsored by Stoney Creek Publishing. In this podcast, Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with authors who live in and write about the Texas Hill Country. Tom Fox interviews returning guest Johnnie Bernhard about her novel The Witch of Sonora, a standalone sequel to Hannah & Ariela, set amid fentanyl trafficking along the Texas–Mexico border, ritualistic murders, spirituality, and a haunting link to the Mark Kilroy case. Bernhard explains she wrote the sequel to bring back the popular character Hannah, created partly from her reflections on ageism and women becoming “invisible,” and to reprise the overworked Rock Springs sheriff. She introduces a new hero, Nocona, a Mexican American and Comanche Marine shaped by Afghanistan and “moral injury,” which she contrasts with PTSD. Bernhard discusses using magical realism and the dark religion Mayombe as both antagonist manipulation and a counterpoint to Hannah’s faith as a fearless spiritual guide. She also shares her non-outlined writing process, journalism influence, upcoming Texas-area tour stops, and a possible future project inspired by The Alamo and The Menger Hotel. Key highlights: Why Hannah Returns Mark Kilroy Inspiration Afghanistan Moral Injury Moral Injury vs. PTSD Dark Spirituality Magic Realism Hero Journey Hannah as Muse Blending True Crime Fiction Writing Process and Craft Next Ideas Menger Hotel Book Tour Dates Resources: Johnnie Bernhard Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Stoney Creek Publishing The Witch of Sonora Podcast Cover Art Nancy Huffman Fine Art Tom Fox Instagram Facebook YouTube Twitter LinkedIn
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    33 分
  • Local Authors Only: Strategies for Community Retailing with J. E. Warr

    Local Authors Only: Strategies for Community Retailing with J. E. Warr
    2026/08/27
    Welcome to a new season of the award-winning Hill Country Authors Podcast, sponsored by Stoney Creek Publishing. In this podcast, Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with authors who live in and write about the Texas Hill Country. Today, Tom welcomes Author and President of Local Authors Only, J. E. Warr. Warr talks about helping writers overcome publishing gatekeepers and the “non-writing” work of selling books and describes his own obstacles (agents, editing costs, limited marketing) and argues publishers mainly distribute rather than market. Local Authors Only places local-author books in high-traffic, non-interruption settings—kiosks in grocery stores and locations like Lowe’s, plus coffee shops, waiting rooms, and author signings—to drive impulse discovery and community loyalty, while using QR codes that link buyers to Amazon or other seller pages without taking royalties. He encourages writers to start “bird by bird,” avoid premature self-criticism, use AI tools to correct mechanics ethically, and leverage audiobooks as a growing channel, including voice-cloning options and direct-to-consumer sales that capture audience data. He outlines membership pricing and provides contact details and web/social links. Key highlights: Why Local Authors Only Exists Selling Books Without Gatekeepers From Draft to Published Audiobooks Are the Future Membership and Author Support Resources: J.E. Warr on LinkedIn Local Authors Only Podcast Cover Art Nancy Huffman Fine Art Tom Fox Instagram Facebook YouTube Twitter LinkedIn
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    30 分
  • Cybersecurity, Crypto, and Russian Disinformation in Paul McGrath’s Sci‑Fi “A Hard Left”

    Cybersecurity, Crypto, and Russian Disinformation in Paul McGrath’s Sci‑Fi “A Hard Left”
    2026/08/20
    Welcome to a new season of the award-winning Hill Country Authors Podcast, sponsored by Stoney Creek Publishing. In this podcast, Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with authors who live in and write about the Texas Hill Country. In this episode, Tom welcomes back author Paul McGrath to discuss his latest novel, A Hard Left, releasing in September. It's the third in his series about extraterrestrials Anton and Ellie, who live undercover as teachers in Hernando, Mississippi, while dodging Earth authorities and trying to redeem themselves with their Xylodonian bosses. McGrath explains how the book satirically blends real-world issues—cybersecurity threats inspired by the real Pegasus spyware, cryptocurrency wallets and hidden funds, and Russian trollfarm disinformation—alongside a powerful billionaire “puppet master” with near-unlimited resources, making these the most sophisticated adversaries Anton and Ellie have faced. The conversation also covers McGrath’s series-writing process, his use of humor, puns, surprises, new characters to balance dark themes, and recurring themes of empathy and humanity, plus where to buy the book (Amazon, Stony Creek, and Texas A&M University Press). Key highlights: • Anton and Ellie Return • Cybersecurity Meets Fiction • Understanding Cryptocurrency • Russian Disinformation Threats • Billionaire Puppet Master • Writing a Book Series • Puns and Plot Twists • Creating New Characters • Where to Find the Book Resources: Paul McGrath on Stoney Creek Publishing A Hard Left on Texas A&M University Press Social Media Instagram X Threads Podcast Cover Art Nancy Huffman Fine Art Tom Fox Instagram Facebook YouTube Twitter LinkedIn
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    26 分
  • Heath Hamrick on Texas Coaching, Small-Town Community, and Writing “Play Like He Would”

    Heath Hamrick on Texas Coaching, Small-Town Community, and Writing “Play Like He Would”
    2026/08/06
    Welcome to a new season of the award-winning Hill Country Authors Podcast, sponsored by Stoney Creek Publishing. In this podcast, Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with authors who live in and write about the Texas Hill Country. Tom Fox interviews Texas educator and longtime coach Heath Hamrick about his books, including Worse Than You Think and Play Like He Would. Hamrick describes growing up in a multigenerational Texas coaching family and moving across the state and explains how Play Like He Would was shaped by witnessing his father coach and by a small-town tragedy in which a player, Jason Yancey, died on the field from an undetected enlarged heart. He contrasts his emotions then and now as a father, discusses coaches as surrogate fathers or big brothers who lead through care rather than yelling, and reflects on educators who change lives by sparking interest and truly seeing students. He argues real-life “how we move forward” stories matter more than Hollywood endings, defines legacy as lasting impact on students, and praises Stoney Creek Publishing’s support while describing revisiting decades-old drafts with a new perspective. Key highlights: Life as a Texas Educator Tragedy on the Field Discipline Without Yelling Coaching for Leaders Teachers Who Matter Real Life, Not Hollywood Legacy of Teaching & Writing After 20 Years Resources: Order Play Like He Would on: TamuPress Amazon Stoney Creek Publishing Follow Heath Hamrick on: Facebook Instagram Stoney Creek Publishing Profile Podcast Cover Art Nancy Huffman Fine Art Tom Fox Instagram Facebook YouTube Twitter LinkedIn
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    30 分
  • Austin Sunrise: Phil Oakley on Postwar Texas, Houston’s Rise, and a Trilogy Shaped by History

    Austin Sunrise: Phil Oakley on Postwar Texas, Houston’s Rise, and a Trilogy Shaped by History
    2026/07/23
    Tom Fox interviews author Phil Oakley about Austin Sunrise, the third book in his trilogy, set from the end of World War II through major American turning points, including the Kennedy assassination. Oakley discusses how the story evolved as the characters—brothers Brooks (based on his uncle) and Ray (based on his father)—grew, influenced in part by editor Loren Steffy. He explains how WWII-era social, political, and technological shifts (GI Bill, government expansion, early desegregation) shaped Texas, highlighting Brooks’ vantage point through his Austin restaurant near the Capitol and UT’s Balcones Research Center. The conversation contrasts small-town, politically intimate Austin with fast-changing, money-driven Houston, including Houston’s distinctive 1960s race relations and global energy-worker influence. Oakley also details the release of the book in hardback, ebook, and audiobook (narrated by James Huff) and praises Stoney Creek Publishing’s role in refining the series. Key highlights: Austin Sunrise Overview Brooks and Ray Origins Postwar Change and Tech Austin and the Longhorn Houston Boomtown Spirit Race Relations and Leadership Themes of Reinvention Resources: Phil Oakley on Stoney Creek Publishing Austin Sunrise Podcast Cover Art Nancy Huffman Fine Art Tom Fox Instagram Facebook YouTube Twitter LinkedIn
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    30 分
  • Arthur “Tim” Garson, Jr. on ‘Five Thousand Years of Controversies’: Teaching World History Through Family Dinner Debates

    Arthur “Tim” Garson, Jr. on ‘Five Thousand Years of Controversies’: Teaching World History Through Family Dinner Debates
    2026/06/25
    Welcome to a new season of the award-winning Hill Country Authors Podcast, sponsored by Stoney Creek Publishing. In this podcast, Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with authors who live in and write about the Texas Hill Country. Host Tom Fox welcomes Arthur “Tim” Garson, Jr., on the Hill Country Authors podcast about his book, Five Thousand Years of Controversies: A Family’s Journey Through World History. Garson’s book is a 50-chapter, fact-heavy world history told through fictionalized dinner conversations in which a mother teaches two children, and each chapter ends with an argument between the father and uncle over a historical controversy. Garson, a pediatric cardiologist and former University of Virginia provost, was inspired by a university discussion about AI and what educated people should know, realized he lacked knowledge of world history, and spent about five years researching, including reading roughly 500 books. He wrote the book for high school students, parents, and non-history readers, with independent chapters and hopes for classroom debates and curriculum use. Key highlights: Why Write World History Medicine to Storytelling Dinner Table Chapter Format Family Roots and Inspiration Research and Writing Process Resources: Tim Garson on Stoney Creek Publishing Five Thousand Years of Controversies Podcast Cover Art Nancy Huffman Fine Art Tom Fox Instagram Facebook YouTube Twitter LinkedIn
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    51 分
  • Dispatches from Moscow: Carol J. Williams on Reporting the Soviet Collapse and Turning History into a Fiction Trilogy

    Dispatches from Moscow: Carol J. Williams on Reporting the Soviet Collapse and Turning History into a Fiction Trilogy
    2026/05/28
    Welcome to a new season of the award-winning Hill Country Authors Podcast, sponsored by Stoney Creek Publishing. In this podcast, Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with authors who live in and write about the Texas Hill Country. Host Tom Fox welcomes journalist and author Carol Williams to discuss her career as a foreign correspondent and her historical fiction trilogy beginning with Dispatches from Moscow. Carol recounts reporting for the Associated Press in the 1980s as Gorbachev pursued reforms and arms control, describing a “missed opportunity” for deeper U.S.-Soviet collaboration amid debates over Reagan’s Star Wars and the INF agreement, and noting Margaret Thatcher’s early support for engaging Gorbachev. She covers subsequent assignments in West Germany before the Berlin Wall fell, the Eastern European revolutions, and the Yugoslav wars, later returning to Moscow for the LA Times. Carol explains why she chose fiction over memoir, her “pantser” writing style, and how real reporting experiences inform plot. She outlines the trilogy’s phases: Moscow reforms, Berlin’s fall (Dispatches from Berlin: Walls and Secrets), and the Balkan wars (Dispatches from Sarajevo). Key highlights: Career as Foreign Correspondent Why Write Dispatches Reporting Gorbachev Era Moscow From History to Fiction Writing Process and Style Trilogy Structure Berlin Wall Resources: Carol Williams on Stoney Creek Publishing Dispatches from Moscow Podcast Cover Art Nancy Huffman Fine Art Tom Fox Instagram Facebook YouTube Twitter LinkedIn
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    51 分
  • Outcry Witness: Survivor Disclosure, Bystander Responsibility, and Systemic Gaps in Justice with JoDee Neil

    Outcry Witness: Survivor Disclosure, Bystander Responsibility, and Systemic Gaps in Justice with JoDee Neil
    2026/05/14
    Welcome to a new season of award-winning Hill Country Authors Podcast, sponsored by Stoney Creek Publishing. In this podcast, Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with authors who live in and write up the Texas Hill Country. Host Tom Fox welcomes Texas lawyer and author JoDee Neil about her practice representing survivors, including in employment conflicts and cases involving children, and her book Outcry Witness. Neil explains the legal meaning of “outcry witness” is the first adult a child tells about abuse. Neil distinguishes it from workplace bystanders who may be called to testify. She describes writing the book after documenting her own sexual assault experiences, where she was supported by Stony Creek Publishing, and connects survivor “freeze” to trauma research showing healing often begins when survivors disclose to a safe witness. Neil cites CDC data from late 2025, on the prevalence of sexual violence and discusses how Me Too, the Epstein files, and other high-profile cases can increase awareness and help survivors identify safe outcry witnesses. She outlines guidance for parents and notes persistent bias against “disposable children,” trafficking risks, and court-system capacity failures that undermine timely justice. Key Highlights · Why She Wrote Outcry Witness · Survivor Freeze and Silence · Bystanders and Outcry Witness · Choosing a Safe Outcry Witness · Talking to Kids and Parents · Where to Find Jody and Closing Resources JoDee Neil on Stoney Creek Publishing Outcry Witness Podcast Cover Art Nancy Huffman Fine Art Tom Fox Instagram Facebook YouTube Twitter LinkedIn
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    28 分