Hill Country Authors Podcast

Dispatches from Moscow: Carol J. Williams on Reporting the Soviet Collapse and Turning History into a Fiction Trilogy

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 [https://stoneycreekpublishing.com/authors/carol-j-williams/] Dispatches from Moscow [https://stoneycreekpublishing.com/books/dispatches-from-moscow/] Podcast Cover Art Nancy Huffman Fine Art [https://www.nancyhuffman.com/] Tom Fox Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/voiceofcompliance] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/compliancepodcastnetwork] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-IWb69P1srF_uZOmGtBfQ] Twitter [https://www.twitter.com/tfoxlaw] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasfox13/]

Outcry Witness: Survivor Disclosure, Bystander Responsibility, and Systemic Gaps in Justice with JoDee Neil

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 [https://stoneycreekpublishing.com/authors/jodee-neil/] Outcry Witness [https://stoneycreekpublishing.com/books/outcry-witness/]    Podcast Cover Art Nancy Huffman Fine Art [https://www.nancyhuffman.com/]   Tom Fox Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/voiceofcompliance] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/compliancepodcastnetwork] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-IWb69P1srF_uZOmGtBfQ] Twitter [https://www.twitter.com/tfoxlaw] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasfox13/]

Reinvention at 84: Margie Seaman on Writing

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 [https://stoneycreekpublishing.com/authors/margie-seaman/] Someday is Our Horizon [https://stoneycreekpublishing.com/books/someday-is-our-horizon/] Someday Belongs To Us [https://stoneycreekpublishing.com/books/someday-belongs-to-us/] Social Media Margie Seaman Website [https://www.margieseaman.com/] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/people/Margie-Seaman-Author/61556075230056/] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/margie-seaman-43093944/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/authormargies/] Amazon [https://www.amazon.com/stores/Margie-Seaman/author/B0B4F9WVR1?ref=ap_rdr&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=345eb39f-e013-485e-8871-83ac8e5f8311] Podcast Cover Art Nancy Huffman Fine Art [https://www.nancyhuffman.com/] Tom Fox Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/voiceofcompliance] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/compliancepodcastnetwork] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-IWb69P1srF_uZOmGtBfQ] Twitter [https://www.twitter.com/tfoxlaw] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasfox13/]

Teddy Jones on Borger’s Boomtown Corruption and the Origins of Far from Uncertain

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 Teddy Jones to talk about her new book,  Far from Uncertain: One Woman’s Life of Crime and Other Righteous Deeds. Teddy’s book is inspired by a woman found near death in a ditch in Jones’s prior book, A Family of Good Women. She explains Borger’s 1926 oil boom, which led to lawlessness (gambling, illegal liquor, prostitution), entrenched corruption, and the governor’s declaration of martial law after the district attorney was killed, with Texas Rangers and the military restoring order; Borger then faced the Dust Bowl and the Depression. Teddy describes using a dual timeline to connect historical events to contemporary relevance without being heavy-handed, developing complex characters through observation informed by her nursing background, and weaving research (including local theses and books) into the narrative. She previews her next novel, Rise to the Occasion, set in the fictional town of Jackson Pond, Texas, and shares her website and social media accounts. Key highlights: * Origin of Frankie * Borger Boomtown Chaos * Martial Law and Aftermath * Dual Timeline Structure * Building Real Characters Resources: Teddy Jones on Stoney Creek Publishing [https://stoneycreekpublishing.com/authors/teddy-jones/] Far from Uncertain: One Woman’s Life of Crime and Other Righteous Deeds [https://stoneycreekpublishing.com/books/far-from-uncertain/] Stoney Creek Publishing [https://stoneycreekpublishing.com/] Social Media Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/teddyjoneswrites] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/bookstj/] Podcast Cover Art Nancy Huffman Fine Art [https://www.nancyhuffman.com/] Tom Fox Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/voiceofcompliance] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/compliancepodcastnetwork] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-IWb69P1srF_uZOmGtBfQ] Twitter [https://www.twitter.com/tfoxlaw] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasfox13/]

Dark Texas: A Worst-Case Look at the Texas Power Grid - Through Fiction

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, host Tom Fox interviews fellow UT grad Charles J. Petrie about his novel Dark Texas, inspired by his frustration with articles claiming the Texas power grid failure during the ‘Snowpocolips’ “could have been worse.” Petrie, a PhD in computer science with research experience, explains he dug into grid resilience and found deeper risks, including reliance on gas-fired generation even though gas pipeline pressure depends on electricity via compressors, and the vulnerability of black start capability: he says 82% of Texas black start generators were inoperable during the event, with some unable to run without electricity or stored fuel oil, and others not maintained in a competitive market. Petrie chose fiction because a technical treatment became too complex and a novel could make people care; he describes characters taking over the writing, cites influences and craft lessons from various authors, shares he’s drafted a sequel prompted by a dark epilogue, and recounts publishing with Stoney Creek Publishing after 50 agent rejections. Key highlights: * Why Write Dark Texas * Texas Grid Risks Explained * Black Start Breakdown * Turning Research Into Fiction * Characters Take Over * Authors and Writing Lessons * Finding a Publisher Resources: Dark Texas on Stoney Creek Publishing [https://stoneycreekpublishing.com/books/dark-texas/] Connect with Charles on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/charles.petrie/] Learn more about ⁠Stoney Creek Publishing [https://stoneycreekpublishing.com/] Podcast Cover Art Nancy Huffman Fine Art [https://www.nancyhuffman.com/] Tom Fox Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/voiceofcompliance] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/compliancepodcastnetwork] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-IWb69P1srF_uZOmGtBfQ] Twitter [https://www.twitter.com/tfoxlaw] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasfox13/]