Clueless Gent's Texas-Centric, Bookish Podcast Michael O'Connor

Show Notes



About this Episode



With over two dozen romance books to her credit, Amanda Cabot certainly knows what's needed to write a romance novel that sells. Clueless Gent talks to Amanda about her novels, her process, and even solicits some advice for any potential romance novelists. We also get the first-hand scoop about her new book, Dreams Rekindled!







About our Guest - Amanda Cabot







Amanda Cabot is the bestselling author of Out of the Embers, as well as the Cimarron Creek Trilogy and the Texas Crossroads, Texas Dreams, and Westward Winds series. Her books have been finalists for the ACFW Carol Awards, the HOLT Medallion, and the Booksellers’ Best. She lives in Wyoming. Learn more at www.amandacabot.com.







Connect with Amanda Cabot



◊ Website ◊ Facebook ◊ Twitter ◊

◊ Blog ◊ Goodreads ◊ BookBub ◊



Some of Amanda Cabot's Books



Mesquite Springs Series













→NEW BOOK←

Amazon











Amazon





Cimarron Creek Trilogy







Amazon











Amazon











Amazon







(For the complete list of the books in each of Amanda Cabot's series,

please see her page at Book Series in Order.)



Copies of Amanda's books may also be ordered by visiting

www.bakerpublishinggroup.com or wherever books are sold.







Additional Episode Information and Links



Related Posts







◊ Dreams Rekindled - Lone Star Book Blog Tour (Lone Star Literary Life)

◊ Out of Embers - A Clueless Gent Book Promotion

Show Notes



About this Episode



In this episode, Clueless Gent talks to one of his favorite authors in the entire bookish world: Jeff Hampton.  In his two Aransas books, Jeff had a wonderful way of developing his characters, which he discusses in the podcast.  Further, these two books were inspired by several actual events in Jeff's life.  To find out what they are, and how they led to two wonderful books, this episode is one you definitely don't want to miss!







About our Guest - Jeff Hampton







During a 30-year career in journalism and communications, Jeff Hampton has covered and written about topics ranging from business and finance to history and faith. His bylines have appeared in publications ranging from The Dallas Morning News to The New York Times.



The son and grandson of elementary school teachers and administrators, Hampton had his first piece of fiction published in a school district anthology when he was in the second grade in Richardson, Texas. After graduating from J.J. Pearce High School, he attended Baylor University where he majored in Journalism and was editor of the Baylor Lariat campus newspaper. He began his professional career at the Waco Tribune-Herald and has written for newspapers, magazines, businesses, non-profit organizations and government agencies.



Hampton's first novel, Grandpa Jack, was published in 2013. The story about an ordinary citizen who becomes a third-party presidential candidate has gained strong reviews on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. The book also has raised questions about his interest in politics, but he is quick to explain that Grandpa Jack is about the political process and not ideology, and his true passion will always be writing.



Hampton had two more books published in 2014: The Snowman Uprising on Hickory Lane, a children's tale about what happens when you bully the wrong person; and Jonah Prophet, an allegory on the Old Testament Book of Jonah set in the modern business world. In 2015 he published When the Light Returned to Main Street, a collection of short stories with Christmas and holiday themes. A second edition with additional stories was published in 2019.



In 2017, Hampton published Aransas Morning, a story of community and redemption set in the Gulf Coast town of Port Aransas, Texas. He followed in 2018 with a sequel, Aransas Evening.



Coming in March 2021 is Together: Thoughts and Stories About Living in Community, a collection of essays on the nature and meaning of "community" in all its many forms.



As a freelance writer, Hampton writes about architectural and design topics as well as trends in higher education for regional and institutional publications.



He currently lives and works in Garland, Texas, with his wife LeAnn.







Connect with Jeff Hampton



◊ Website ◊ Facebook ◊ Twitter ◊ Email ◊

◊ Instagram ◊ Goodreads ◊ Amazon Author Page ◊



Jeff Hampton's Books













→NEW BOOK←

Amazon





















Amazon











Amazon











Amazon





















Amazon











Amazon











Amazon











Additional Episode Information and Links



Related Posts



◊ Aransas Morning - A Clueless Gent Review

◊ Aransas Evening - A Clueless Gent Review

Show Notes



About this Episode



In this episode, Clueless Gent talks to Texas author Chris Manno.  Chris has quite the list of credentials.  He's a retired airline captain, a lifelong cartoonist, a college professor, as well as a highly successful published author.  Chris provides our listeners with a plethora of writing information and advice, centering around his concept of habitable writing—living prose.  This is the concept Chris teaches to his university students.  He also discusses his books, which include both fiction and nonfiction.  Please join us.







About our Guest - Chris Manno







Rather than a guest bio, Chris Manno provided me with his résumé.  I think it speaks volumes about Chris and his accomplishments, so that is what's being posted here.



Virginia Military Institute graduate BA English

Commissioned USAF officer and pilot 1978-1985

American Airlines pilot 1985-2020 (flew 727, 737, MD80, F-100, and DC-10)

American Airlines captain 1991-2020

TCU post-graduate student and teacher while flying full schedule; earned PhD in Rhetoric and Literature at TCU

Adjunct professor of English at TCU, 2003-present 

East Jesus published 2016 (NTBF Finalist, Best Fiction 2017)

Voodoo Rush published 2017 (NTBF Award: Best Fiction 2018)

Blood and Remembrance published 2018 (NTBF Finalist, Best Fiction 2019)

Sanctuary Moon published 2019 (NTBF Finalist, Best Fiction 2020)

An Airline Pilot’s Life published 2020 (NTBF Award: Best Non-fiction 2020; Amazon #1 New Release)

Retired from American Airlines 2020

Currently teaching three TCU writing classes. 

NTBF = N. Texas Book Festival











Connect with Chris Manno



◊ Website ◊ Facebook ◊ Twitter ◊

◊ Goodreads ◊ Amazon Author Page ◊



Chris Manno's Books









Amazon







Amazon















Amazon







Amazon









Additional Episode Information and Links





Here is a link to the Facebook page with Chris Manno's cartoon work.

During the episode, Chris discusses some of the merits of All Things Left Wild, by James Wade. Here is the link to that book:







Related Posts



◊ Blood and Remembrance - A Clueless Gent Review

◊ An Airline Pilot's Life - A Clueless Gent Review

◊ Aircrew Confidential - A Clueless Gent Review

In this episode, Clueless Gent talks to author Dan V. Jackson about his newest book, Rainbow Bridge. (We must use Dan's middle initial so as not to confuse him with author Dan Jackson.) Dan talks extensively about how to write dog characters, as well as why this story is different than most books that discuss the afterlife of our pets. With blatant candor, he tells us what prompted him to write this kind of story in the first place. Further, Dan tells us what's next in this new series.



For Dan's full bio, links and additional information, please visit the show notes on our website, www.cluelessgent.com.

Show Notes



About this Episode



In this episode, the Clueless Gent talks to Texas author Ben H. English, a real Texan’s Texan! Ben writes about what he loves, and that is the Big Bend area of Texas. He’s written both fiction and non-fiction about the area, and at the time of recording, Ben is in the process of recording the audio book for his latest novel, Destiny’s Way. In addition to telling us a little about himself and a lot about the Big Bend, Ben gives some practical advice for anyone who wants to write about their favorite place on earth.







Photos of the Big Bend



(All photos are provided courtesy of Ben H. English. Many more are available on Ben's Facebook page.)







About our Guest - Ben H. English







Ben H. English is an eighth-generation Texan who was born in Uvalde in the late 1950s. As a child, he spent most of his years in the Big Bend Country along the Rio Grande. He attended schools in Presidio, Marfa, and later, a one room school house in Terlingua. During this time, his family had several ranching and business interests in the area, including the historic Lajitas Trading Post, which was run by his grandparents.



His family moved to Fort Stockton, Texas, where he graduated from high school in May of 1976. He joined the United States Marine Corps on a delay enlistment program and turned eighteen years old while still in boot camp. Having volunteered for ground infantry, Ben was sent to Infantry Training School at Camp Pendleton, California.



While there, he was selected as a Marine Security Guard and sent to Marine Barracks, Naval Ammunition Depot, Hawthorne, Nevada. When the barracks closed in October 1977, Ben received orders for Okinawa to join Second Battalion, Fourth Marine Regiment.



After displaying certain field skills and marksmanship abilities, he attended the Third Marine Division Scout-Sniper School at Camp Hansen, Okinawa. Following the completion of this course, then Corporal English was assigned as a jungle and mountain warfare instructor at Northern Training Area in Okinawa until returning stateside in November 1978.



Serving as a scout-sniper for STA Platoon, Third Battalion, Second Marines, at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; he later became Chief Scout-Sniper and Platoon Sergeant while still holding the rank of corporal. He also attended and successfully completed the Scout-Sniper School for Second Marine Division. Ben was meritoriously promoted to the rank of sergeant and chosen as a unit leader for the Infantry Training School at Camp Geiger.



In January 1980, Sergeant English was offered the opportunity to join the Fourth Counterintelligence Team at Camp Lejeune, and did so after re-enlistment. For the next three and a half years he attended various schools for counterintelligence, interrogation, counter-terrorism, and took part in several field operations. By the time he had finished his second enlistment in July 1983, he had traveled to over thirty different countries; mostly in Asia, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and West Africa.



Despite several offers to stay in the Marine Corps, English mustered out and enrolled at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas. Within three years he had graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in Government as well as recognition by Alpha Lambda Delta, Alpha Chi, and Who’s Who In American Colleges and Universities.



After college, he was accepted to the Texas Department of Public Safety Training Academy in June of 1986. He graduated in October 1986 and was stationed as a Highway Patrolman in Ozona, Texas. During those years he was tasked as a Driving Instructor, Firearms Instructor, Defensive Tactics Instructor, and had several other secondary assignments. He was a member of the regional pistol team, regional honor guard,

Show Notes



About this Episode



In this episode, Clueless Gent talks to author Marti MacGibbon.  Marti tells her story, which includes episodes of substance abuse, standup comedy and even human trafficking.  She explains why she wrote her memoirs, as well as who she is trying to reach.  Marti discusses how writing helped her get through those years of darkness.  Lastly, Marti offers some advice to any listeners who are victims or survivors.







About our Guest - Marti MacGibbon







Marti MacGibbon, CADC-II, ACRPS, CAPMS, is an inspirational speaker, standup comic, certified addiction treatment professional, and author of two nationally award- winning and critically acclaimed memoirs, Never Give in to Fear: Laughing All the Way Up from Rock Bottom and, Fierce, Funny, and Female. She is a Human Trafficking Expert Consultant at the US Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, and an Expert Consultant at the US Office for Victims of Crime. Marti is an internationally known author and an expert on trauma resolution and addiction. She holds five professional certifications in her specialized field, including the ACRPS, (Advanced Certified Relapse Prevention Specialist, and the CAPMS (Certified Addiction-Free Pain Management Specialist).



Few speakers have a personal comeback story as riveting and inspirational as Marti’s. She has recovered from and triumphed over nightmare experiences such as being trafficked to Tokyo and held prisoner by Japanese organized crime, homelessness, domestic violence, childhood sexual assault/abuse, severe PTSD and hard-core drug addiction. Marti employed simple, effective strategies to transform her life, and shares them to motivate, encourage, and energize listeners to create positive changes in every area of their lives.



In addition to speaking to businesses, medical professionals and mental health professionals on overcoming adversity, empowerment, addiction recovery, and inspiration, Marti speaks on human trafficking, domestic violence, and other violence against women, and trains service providers. She has spoken at The Museum of Tolerance, The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, at colleges and universities, and even from the center of an MMA octagon at, “Fight Traffick,” an anti-human trafficking cage-fighting event. She’s been interviewed in Investor’s Business Daily, Entrepreneur, and Glamour, on ABC-TV, CBS-TV, FOX-TV and numerous radio stations, and articles she wrote have appeared in over 150 corporate and trade magazines.



An advocate for victims and survivors, Marti has spoken at the White House, the State Department, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Office for Victims of Crime, on mental health and policy advocacy. From 2012-2017, Ms. MacGibbon served on the Indiana Attorney General’s state-wide anti-trafficking task force IPATH, Indiana Protection for Abused and Trafficked Humans. From 2013-2017, she developed curriculum for and taught a life skills class for women with trauma history in Marion County Jail. In 2014, she spoke to California State Legislature in support of new and successful legislation aimed at eradicating child sex trafficking.



Ms. MacGibbon is an engaged leader who serves on the Board of Directors at HEAL Trafficking, Inc., and is a Board Member at MENTARI Human Trafficking Survivor Empowerment Program in NY, NY, and on the Advisory Board at Justice At Last in San Francisco. Marti is a Speaker Trainer Consultant at the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Center.



Marti is founder, producer, and emcee of Laff-Aholics Standup Comedy Benefit for Recovery, an annual charity fundraiser in Indianapolis that features nationally headlining comedians. One hundred percent of the profits from the show go to transitional housing facilities in Indy that provide access to addiction treatment and m...