Bell Cow Productions: Podcasts

Bell Cow Productions
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Hosts Rob Jung and Michael David MacBride are rounding up the best voices from the Bell Cow Cattle-log and the wider literary world—publishers, authors, and more. This is where we shine a light on the people you need to hear from and the process behind their work. Get ready for short, punchy chats, exclusive author readings, and deep dives into their background and craft. We’re ringing the bell loud and clear, guiding you straight to your next good book, maybe even one written in your own backyard. Join the herd, or least give the round-up a listen: subscribe, like, follow!

  1. 2 DAYS AGO ·  BONUS

    🐮 Bell Cow StoryLab: Writing Across Genres: The Joy (and Chaos) of Being Unpigeonholeable (with four authors)

    Bell Cow StoryLab is our monthly author panel series, hosted by authors Rob Jung and Michael David MacBride. Each episode brings multiple writers into one craft-focused conversation, spotlighting how books actually get built. Scene by scene, choice by choice. In Writing Across Genres: The Joy (and Chaos) of Being Unpigeonholeable, we talk about what happens when your imagination refuses to stay in one lane. Some writers stick to a single genre forever. Others genre-hop like they are stepping stones across a creek. We dig into what pulls an author into new territory, what stays constant across wildly different kinds of stories, how to manage reader expectations without sanding off your weirdness, and how to experiment without turning your author brand into a yard sale of mixed signals. We also get into questions like: What genre surprised you when you tried it? Do your readers follow you from genre to genre? Is genre-blending freedom, or headache? Today’s panelists (bios + links) Beth M James: A romance author who writes contemporary and fantasy-leaning love stories with strong characters, emotional grit, and a sense of adventure. https://www.bethmjames.com/ Catherine Friend: A genre-fluid Minnesota writer of adult and children’s books, spanning nonfiction, fiction, and big-hearted storytelling with a sharp, playful voice. https://catherinefriend.com/ Frank Weber: A Minnesota author and forensic psychologist who channels real-world insight into crime-focused storytelling shaped by high-stakes human behavior. https://www.frankweberauthor.com/ M.A. Monnin: An Agatha Award nominated mystery author whose work blends traditional whodunits with travel, history, and a touch of romance. https://www.mamonnin.com/ Connect with the hosts Rob Jung: https://robjungwriter.com/ Michael David MacBride: https://www.michaelmacbride.com/ Everything Bell Cow: https://www.bellcowproductions.com/ #BellCow #BellCowProductions #BellCowStoryLab #StoryLab #Villains #Antagonists #WritingCraft #AmWriting #FictionWriting #MysteryWriters #CrimeFiction #ThrillerWriters #CharacterDevelopment #PageTurners

    44 min
  2. 🐮📚 Five Minnesota mystery authors. One collaborative thriller. A whole lot of ways this could have gone off the rails.

    5 DAYS AGO

    🐮📚 Five Minnesota mystery authors. One collaborative thriller. A whole lot of ways this could have gone off the rails.

    🚨 Welcome to Fresh Off the Stack, the Bell Cow Productions podcast where Rob Jung and Michael David MacBride sit down with authors to talk about brand-new books just as they arrive in the world. This series is all about new releases, the stories behind them, and the conversations that happen when a book is still fresh in readers’ hands. 🖊️ In each episode, we talk with authors about inspiration, process, research, surprises, and what readers can expect when they open the cover. Some conversations focus on craft, some on publication, and some on the real-world ideas behind the story, but every episode begins with a new book and a chance to give it a proper welcome. 🐮 This episode digs into The Kill Code Collective by five Minnesota mystery and thriller authors: Brian Lutterman, Rob Jung, John Baird Rogers, Chris Norbury, and Julie Holmes. Written by members of Midwest Mystery Works, the novel brings together five writers, multiple thriller traditions, and one collaborative story involving medical technology, unexplained cardiac device failures, and a mystery big enough to require a collective response. In this conversation, we talk about how five authors managed to write one cohesive thriller, how they handled voice, plot, research, continuity, and collaboration, and what happens when a group of novelists tries to share the steering wheel without driving into a ditch. 📚 Featured authors: Brian Lutterman is a Minnesota mystery and thriller author, a former trial lawyer and corporate attorney, and the author of Incel, Bound to Die, and the Pen Wilkinson series. https://brianlutterman.com John Baird Rogers writes thrillers shaped by his background in finance, technology, and biotech. He is the author of the Mayfield-Napolitani thriller series. https://johnbairdrogers.com Chris Norbury is the award-winning author of the Matt Lanier mystery-thriller series, including Straight River, Castle Danger, and Dangerous Straits. https://chrisnorbury.com Julie Holmes writes mystery and suspense, including Murder in Plane Sight, and brings experience as a former aircraft mechanic and technical writer to her fiction. https://julieholmesauthor.com Rob Jung is an author, publisher, producer, former newspaper writer, former lawyer, and Michael’s partner in Bell Cow Productions. His novels include The Reaper, The Sower, Cloud Warriors, and Judgment Day. https://robjungwriter.com 📖 Buy a copy anywhere books are sold, and if you're looking for a great independent bookstore to support, here's a link to buy a copy from Once Upon A Crime: https://onceuponacrimebooks.com/book/9781736610879 📍 Key book launch and signing events: May 18, 2026 at 7:00 PM Official Launch Party at Minnesota Mystery Night Lucky’s 13 Pub, Mendota, MN May 21, 2026 at 10:10 AM Book Club Radio Show KRWC-AM 1360, Buffalo, MN May 21, 2026 from 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM Signing at Book Nook Delano, MN May 23, 2026 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM Signing at Once Upon a Crime Minneapolis, MN May 30, 2026 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM Sweet Read Books Austin, MN July 12, 2026 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM Twin Cities Sisters in Crime Wine and Crime Book Fair Next Chapter Winery, New Prague, MN 🐮 Learn more about Bell Cow Productions at: https://www.bellcowproductions.com #FreshOffTheStack #BellCowProductions #BookTube #AuthorInterview #BookPodcast #BrianLutterman #RobJung #JohnBairdRogers #ChrisNorbury #JulieHolmes #TheKillCodeCollective #MysteryBooks #ThrillerBooks #NewBookRelease #ReadersOfYouTube #BellCow

    39 min
  3. Bell Cow Book Club Live: SL Woeppel's The Butcher and the Liar

    14 MAY

    Bell Cow Book Club Live: SL Woeppel's The Butcher and the Liar

    🐮 Welcome to the Bell Cow Book Club, a live monthly podcast from Bell Cow Productions. This one is a little different from our usual shows. No edits. No safety net. No second take. Just a real-time conversation about a book, shared with readers, writers, and anyone who loves talking about stories after the last page. Each month, Bell Cow cohosts Rob Jung and Michael MacBride will choose a book connected to the Bell Cow community, including authors from the Bell Cow Cattle-Log, guests from our podcast network, and writers featured through Minnesota Mystery Night. We can’t promise we’ll get to every deserving author, but we can promise to keep spreading the love, the attention, and the conversation around. 📚 This Month’s Book: The Butcher and the Liar by S.L. Woeppel We’re kicking off the Bell Cow Book Club with S.L. Woeppel’s The Butcher and the Liar, a psychological thriller that moves through memory, trauma, secrets, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive. If S.L. Woeppel’s name sounds familiar, it may be because she was featured at Minnesota Mystery Night in March. Now we’re taking a closer look at her book in a live, unedited conversation. Here’s how to join the herd: 🐮 Read the book ahead of time 🐮 Email us your thoughts and questions at bellcowproductions@gmail.com 🐮 Join us live and ask questions in real time 🐮 Or just listen along and enjoy the conversation 📅 Live: May 13 at 7 PM Central ⏱️ Length: About 30 minutes 📍 Future episodes: Second Wednesday of each month Learn more about Bell Cow Productions at: https://www.bellcowproductions.com #BellCowBookClub #BellCowProductions #BookTube #BookClub #LivePodcast #AuthorInterview #MinnesotaAuthors #MysteryBooks #ThrillerBooks #SLWoeppel #TheButcherAndTheLiar #ReadersOfYouTube #BellCow

    30 min

  4. 12 MAY

    🐮 Bell Cow Author Round-up: M.B. Panichi (with hosts Rob Jung & Michael MacBride)

    The weekly Bell Cow Herd Podcast, hosted by authors, Rob Jung and Michael David MacBride, rounds up the best voices from the Bell Cow Cattle-log and the wider publishing world—publishers, authors, editors and more—to shine a light on the people who compose the remarkable Midwestern literary community. With short, punchy chats, exclusive author readings, and deep dives into their background and craft, you’ll get to know, like never before, the people who embellish our lives via the written word. The podcast rings the bell loud and clear, guiding you straight to your next favorite author, maybe even one who writes in your own backyard. Join the herd. Give the round-up a listen: subscribe, like, and follow! Today we’re joined by author M.B. Panichi, whose science-fiction novel Blood and Roses blends queer romance, political intrigue, and far-future world-building. Panichi writes with a deep sense of character and emotional resonance, crafting stories that explore loyalty, identity, and what it means to fight for the people you love. Their work features richly imagined worlds and complex, flawed protagonists navigating both external battles and inner transformation. Panichi is also a longtime advocate for LGBTQ+ storytelling and a contributor to Bold Strokes Books, where they work with and champion queer authors across genres. You can learn more about M.B. Panichi at: https://mbpanichi.wordpress.com/ Their books—including Blood and Roses—are available wherever books are sold. In this episode, Panichi talks about building queer futures, writing character-driven sci-fi, and balancing high-stakes plotting with emotional depth. You can find out more about your hosts: Rob and Michael at their webpages (https://robjungwriter.com/ and https://www.michaelmacbride.com). And, of course, you can find everything about Bell Cow at the official webpage: https://www.bellcowproductions.com (🐮 -- moo!) #bellcow #bellcowproductions #interviews #authors #roundup #bellcowroundup

    31 min
  5. 🚓 Police Ethics, Fictional Cops, and Moral Gray Areas | Bell Cow Field Notes with Joe Moravchik

    11 MAY

    🚓 Police Ethics, Fictional Cops, and Moral Gray Areas | Bell Cow Field Notes with Joe Moravchik

    🚨 What do we expect from law enforcement in real life, and why are we so fascinated by fictional officers who bend the rules? In this episode of Bell Cow Field Notes, hosts Rob Jung and Michael David MacBride are joined by retired police commander and ethics instructor Joseph Moravchik, along with authors Judy M. Kerr, Tracy Clark, Craig Johnson, and Doug Dorow, for a thoughtful conversation about police ethics, fictional law enforcement, moral ambiguity, and the complicated humanity behind the badge. 🗓️ Released during National Police Week, this discussion explores why readers are drawn to characters who operate in the gray, why perfection is such a loaded expectation for law enforcement, and how fiction can open up deeper conversations about judgment, duty, trauma, loyalty, power, and the burden of being human in systems that demand so much. 🐮 Bell Cow Field Notes brings together expert guests and a panel of authors to explore the real-world material behind great fiction. Built from the Bell Cow network of Author Round-Up, StoryLab, the Cattle-log, and the wider literary world, Field Notes is where research meets imagination, and where writers get to ask smarter questions in very good company. 🎙️ Guests featured in this episode: Joseph Moravchik Retired City of Racine police commander, former field trainer and major crimes officer, and current instructor in ethics, constitutional law, seizure law, tactics, and criminology for police and state patrol cadets. He also hosts College on the Radio. https://www.collegeontheradio.com Judy M. Kerr Author of the MC McCall mysteries featuring a U.S. Postal Inspector, and a retired investigator with 34 years in the U.S. Postal Service. https://www.judymkerr.com Tracy Clark Award-winning author of the Cass Raines Chicago Mystery series and the Detective Harriet Foster series, featuring Chicago law enforcement characters at the center of the story. https://tracyclarkbooks.com Craig Johnson New York Times bestselling author of the Walt Longmire mysteries, the novels that inspired Longmire. https://www.craigallenjohnson.com Doug Dorow Minnesota thriller writer, writing coach, and author of FBI thrillers featuring Special Agent Jack Miller and the Hostage Rescue Team. https://www.douglasdorow.com 📚 If you enjoy conversations where research, ethics, profession, and fiction all collide, subscribe, like, and follow Bell Cow Productions. 🌐 Learn more about Bell Cow Productions: https://www.bellcowproductions.com #BellCowProductions #BellCow #FieldNotes #PoliceEthics #CrimeFiction #MysteryWriters #ThrillerWriters #LawEnforcement #WritingResearch #CraigJohnson #TracyClark #JudyMKerr #DougDorow

    1hr 7min

  6. 5 MAY

    🐮 Bell Cow Author Round-up: Beth M. James (with hosts Rob Jung & Michael MacBride)

    The weekly Bell Cow Herd Podcast, hosted by authors, Rob Jung and Michael David MacBride, rounds up the best voices from the Bell Cow Cattle-log and the wider publishing world—publishers, authors, editors and more—to shine a light on the people who compose the remarkable Midwestern literary community. With short, punchy chats, exclusive author readings, and deep dives into their background and craft, you’ll get to know, like never before, the people who embellish our lives via the written word. The podcast rings the bell loud and clear, guiding you straight to your next favorite author, maybe even one who writes in your own backyard. Join the herd. Give the round-up a listen: subscribe, like, and follow! Today we’re joined by Minnesota author Beth M. James, whose newest novel The Orb Lady: Cali’s Story blends women’s fiction, paranormal elements, and emotional drama into a compelling, character-driven tale. Beth writes stories about reinvention, healing, and the unexpected paths life offers when we’re brave enough to listen. A lifelong Minnesotan and former project manager, Beth brings structure and heart to her writing—her plots are tightly woven, but always anchored in character growth. Her work often explores transformation and second chances, blending realism with touches of the mystical and mysterious. You can learn more about Beth at: https://www.bethmjames.com/ Her books—including The Orb Lady—are available wherever books are sold. In this episode, Beth talks about writing reinvention arcs, the role of intuition in storytelling, and how blending the paranormal with everyday life opens emotional doors for readers. You can find out more about your hosts: Rob and Michael at their webpages (https://robjungwriter.com/ and https://www.michaelmacbride.com). And, of course, you can find everything about Bell Cow at the official webpage: https://www.bellcowproductions.com (🐮 -- moo!) #bellcow #bellcowproductions #interviews #authors #roundup #bellcowroundup

    29 min
  7. 🐮 Fresh Off the Stack: Joe Egan's Backwoods Crossing (A Bell Cow Podcast)

    29 APR

    🐮 Fresh Off the Stack: Joe Egan's Backwoods Crossing (A Bell Cow Podcast)

    🚨 Welcome to Fresh Off the Stack, the Bell Cow Productions podcast where Rob Jung and Michael David MacBride sit down with authors to talk about brand-new books just as they arrive in the world. This series is all about new releases, the stories behind them, and the conversations that happen when a book is still fresh in readers’ hands. 🖊️ In each episode, we talk with authors about inspiration, process, research, surprises, and what readers can expect when they open the cover. Some conversations focus on craft, some on publication, and some on the real-world ideas behind the story, but every episode begins with a new book and a chance to give it a proper welcome. 🌲 This episode digs into Backwoods Crossing by Joe Egan, released April 28, 2026. In this conversation, we talk with Joe about the novel, its origins, and what readers can expect from this new Jack Walker thriller. If you’re a fan of suspense, danger, and stories that keep moving, this one is for you. 📖 Buy a copy, and learn more about the book here: https://www.joeeganbooks.com/shop/p/backwoods-crossing 📍 Joe’s events and appearances can be found here: https://www.joeeganbooks.com/events 🐮 Learn more about Bell Cow Productions at: https://www.bellcowproductions.com #FreshOffTheStack #BellCowProductions #BookTube #AuthorInterview #BookPodcast #JoeEgan #BackwoodsCrossing #Thriller #NewBookRelease #ReadersOfYouTube #BellCow

    27 min

  8. 28 APR

    🐮 Bell Cow Author Round-up: Colleen Baldrica (with hosts Rob Jung & Michael MacBride)

    The weekly Bell Cow Herd Podcast, hosted by authors, Rob Jung and Michael David MacBride, rounds up the best voices from the Bell Cow Cattle-log and the wider publishing world—publishers, authors, editors and more—to shine a light on the people who compose the remarkable Midwestern literary community. With short, punchy chats, exclusive author readings, and deep dives into their background and craft, you’ll get to know, like never before, the people who embellish our lives via the written word. The podcast rings the bell loud and clear, guiding you straight to your next favorite author, maybe even one who writes in your own backyard. Join the herd. Give the round-up a listen: subscribe, like, and follow! Today we’re joined by author and educator Colleen Baldrica, whose enduring book Tree Spirited Woman has touched thousands of readers with its blend of spirituality, personal reflection, and gentle guidance. Part memoir, part inspiration, part parable, Colleen’s work invites readers to slow down, listen inward, and reconnect with meaning in their daily lives. A longtime Minnesota teacher and administrator, Colleen wrote Tree Spirited Woman as a way to share wisdom across generations—lessons on resilience, authenticity, and the power of living with intention. The book continues to be a favorite among book clubs, spiritual communities, and readers seeking nourishment for both heart and mind. You can learn more about Colleen at: https://colleenbaldrica.com/ Her book is available wherever books are sold. In this episode, Colleen talks about the origins of Tree Spirited Woman, the role of storytelling in healing, and the timeless power of women’s wisdom. You can find out more about your hosts: Rob and Michael at their webpages (https://robjungwriter.com/ and https://www.michaelmacbride.com). And, of course, you can find everything about Bell Cow at the official webpage: https://www.bellcowproductions.com (🐮 -- moo!) #bellcow #bellcowproductions #interviews #authors #roundup #bellcowroundup

    25 min
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About

Hosts Rob Jung and Michael David MacBride are rounding up the best voices from the Bell Cow Cattle-log and the wider literary world—publishers, authors, and more. This is where we shine a light on the people you need to hear from and the process behind their work. Get ready for short, punchy chats, exclusive author readings, and deep dives into their background and craft. We’re ringing the bell loud and clear, guiding you straight to your next good book, maybe even one written in your own backyard. Join the herd, or least give the round-up a listen: subscribe, like, follow!

Information

  • Creator
    Bell Cow Productions
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    34
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Bell Cow Productions
  • Show Website
    Bell Cow Productions: Podcasts