Hill Country Authors Podcast

Tom Fox
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Books
  • Updated Biweekly

Welcome to the Hill Country Authors podcast. In addition to being the most beautiful and unique part of Texas, Hill Country has some of the top authors from this state. This podcast will feature the authors from and stories about the Texas Hill Country.

  1. 6d ago

    Loren Steffy on Reconstructing Immigration

    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, write in, and write about the Texas Hill Country. Host Tom Fox welcomes author Loren Steffy to discuss his new book, Reconstructing Immigration: How to Rebuild America’s Economic Advantage. Loren Steffy is an award-winning journalist and longtime business reporter who has spent years examining immigration through an economic lens. He argues that immigration reform should be treated as a practical tool to meet labor needs and strengthen U.S. growth, not just a social or enforcement issue. Steffy believes immigrants are essential to the American economy because they fill critical jobs in industries like construction, housing, agriculture, and healthcare, while also contributing disproportionately to innovation and new business creation. In his view, the United States has “left money on the table” by failing to build a flexible, data-driven immigration system that attracts and integrates immigrants to support long-term prosperity. Key highlights: Leaving Money on the Table Through Immigration Immigrants Filling Essential Jobs Across the Labor Market Immigration Myths, Labor Shortages, and Economic Self-Interest Houston Crew Detention Worsens Housing Backlog Calibrating immigration to labor-market needs Resources: Loren Steffy on LinkedIn Stoney Creek Publishing Website Reconstructing Immigration: click here Podcast Cover Art Nancy Huffman Fine Art Tom Fox Instagram Facebook YouTube Twitter LinkedIn

    Loren Steffy on Reconstructing Immigration

  2. Sep 24

    Jeff Kerr on Building a Texas Hill Country Crime Fiction Series

    Welcome to a new season of the award-winning Hill Country Authors Podcast. In this podcast, Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with authors who live in and write in and about the Texas Hill Country. Host Tom Fox welcomes author Jeff Kerr to discuss his Texas Hill Country crime fiction series and the release of his new book, Deadly Relic. Kerr recounts starting as a nonfiction writer after researching Austin history, publishing Austin, Texas: Then and Now (2004) and Seat of Empire: The Embattled Birth of Austin, Texas, then shifting to fiction to avoid constant library work and writing full-time after retiring as a pediatric neurologist in 2022. He explains that he chose a small-town, rural Hill Country setting he knows well and placed his fictional town of Pinon farther west for a harsher landscape. Deadly Relic centers on the theft of a museum rifle tied to the Alamo and requires research into relic provenance, custody, and black-market sales, with a Phil Collins reference. Kerr describes protagonist Deputy Adam Cash, his writing routine and outlining style, and the series’ challenges and teases the next book, Buried Reckoning. Key highlights: Retirement and Writing Full Time Meet Adam Cash Building a Long-Running Series Writing Routine and Process Advice for Aspiring Writers Resources: Follow Jeff Kerr on: Deadly Relic on Amazon Jeff Kerr Website Instagram Facebook Bluesky X (formerly Twitter) Podcast Cover Art Nancy Huffman Fine Art Tom Fox Instagram Facebook YouTube Twitter LinkedIn

    Jeff Kerr on Building a Texas Hill Country Crime Fiction Series

  3. Sep 17

    Dispatches from Berlin: Carol J. Williams on the Fall of the Berlin Wall and Lessons from Eastern Europe

    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 back journalist and author Carol J. Williams to discuss her historical fiction trilogy, which continues with Dispatches from Berlin, which releases on October 27th. Carol J. Williams discusses how Soviet economic decline and leaders like Andropov set the stage for Gorbachev’s glasnost and perestroika, the effects of the arms race and summits with Reagan, and how Chernobyl undermined trust in openness. She describes the Soviet Union’s dependence on Eastern Bloc satellites for security and goods, and journalism's critical role in documenting rapid change. Carol J. Williams recounts the accidental dynamics of November 9, 1989, that opened the Berlin Wall, Helmut Kohl’s reunification strategy, and contrasts Germany’s success with Yugoslavia’s nationalist-driven wars, previewing a third, Sarajevo-based book. She shares where to find book details and preorder links. Key highlights: Gorbachev Reforms Begin Shortages and Chernobyl Blow Reforms Spread Eastward From Yeltsin to Putin Berlin Wall Opens By Accident Reunification Kohl Strategy Resources: Carol J. Williams on Stoney Creek Publishing: https://stoneycreekpublishing.com/authors/carol-j-williams/ Dispatches from Berlin: https://stoneycreekpublishing.com/books/dispatches-from-berlin/

    Dispatches from Berlin: Carol J. Williams on the Fall of the Berlin Wall and Lessons from Eastern Europe

  4. Sep 3

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

    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

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

  5. Aug 27

    Local Authors Only: Strategies for Community Retailing with J. E. Warr

    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

    Local Authors Only: Strategies for Community Retailing with J. E. Warr

  6. Aug 20

    Cybersecurity, Crypto, and Russian Disinformation in Paul McGrath’s Sci‑Fi “A Hard Left”

    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

    Cybersecurity, Crypto, and Russian Disinformation in Paul McGrath’s Sci‑Fi “A Hard Left”

  7. Aug 6

    Heath Hamrick on Texas Coaching, Small-Town Community, and Writing “Play Like He Would”

    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

    Heath Hamrick on Texas Coaching, Small-Town Community, and Writing “Play Like He Would”

  8. Jul 23

    Austin Sunrise: Phil Oakley on Postwar Texas, Houston’s Rise, and a Trilogy Shaped by History

    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

    Austin Sunrise: Phil Oakley on Postwar Texas, Houston’s Rise, and a Trilogy Shaped by History
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Welcome to the Hill Country Authors podcast. In addition to being the most beautiful and unique part of Texas, Hill Country has some of the top authors from this state. This podcast will feature the authors from and stories about the Texas Hill Country.

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