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Hill Country Authors Podcast

Hill Country Authors Podcast

By: Tom Fox
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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. Art Literary History & Criticism
Episodes
  • 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
    May 28 2026
    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 mins
  • 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
    May 14 2026
    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 mins
  • Reinvention at 84: Margie Seaman on Writing

    Reinvention at 84: Margie Seaman on Writing
    May 7 2026
    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 author Margie Seaman to discuss reinvention, resilience, and her writing career that began at age 84 after a 40-year marketing and training career at Foley’s Department Stores, starting in 1968. Margie discusses her romance novel series, including Someday Belongs to Us and Someday Is Our Horizon, a “book within a book” featuring a 72-year-old writer protagonist and an 18th-century pirate storyline, set against a Panama Canal cruise narrative, emphasizing researched historical facts and humor while keeping the content family-appropriate. She describes overcoming fear through age-based confidence, her nocturnal, movie-like writing process, and her commitment to continuous learning and technology, including AI as a tool without emotion or “soul.” She reflects on Foley’s cultural and civic impact in Houston, retail changes after mergers, and her collaboration with publisher Loren Steffy at Stoney Creek Publishing. Margie also previews a forthcoming AI-themed novel and shares where to find her work online. Key highlights: Starting to Write at 84 Reinvention and Learning with AI AI as a Tool, Not Soul Writing Process and Style Seniors and Tech Adoption Next Book AI Love Story Resources: Margie Seaman on Stoney Creek Publishing Someday is Our Horizon Someday Belongs To Us Social Media Margie Seaman Website Facebook LinkedIn Instagram Amazon Podcast Cover Art Nancy Huffman Fine Art Tom Fox Instagram Facebook YouTube Twitter LinkedIn
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    29 mins
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