Jeanette Huffman: Between the Lines

Welcome to Episode 21 of Between The Lines!

In this episode, host Jeanette Huffman and co-host Rich Kopacz sit down with Matt Ochoa, the talented young voice actor behind Asher in Rich Kopacz's original audio drama The Lost Tribe.

At just 17 years old, Matt shares how he became involved in voice acting through The Veldt radio drama program, what it's like bringing characters to life using only his voice, and how he's balancing his creative pursuits while preparing for his senior year of high school in Maryland.

The conversation also explores:

🎙️ Becoming the voice of Asher in The Lost Tribe

🎭 Performing in The Veldt

🎧 The challenges and joys of voice acting

🏴‍☠️ Matt's best pirate voice

🎮 Video games, Nerf battles with friends, and favorite movies

🎹 Music, hobbies, and future plans

❤️ The importance of family support, with Matt's sister joining the conversation

Whether you're an aspiring voice actor, a fan of audio dramas, or simply enjoy hearing the stories behind creative people, this episode offers an engaging and entertaining look into Matt's journey.

Hosted by:

Jeanette Huffman

Co-Hosted by:

Rich Kopacz

Guest:

Matt Ochoa

Recorded: June 27, 2026

Intro & Outro Music

"From Here On In" by Everet Almond

Courtesy of the YouTube Audio Library

Music Credits

While Jeanette Huffman is off traveling the world, Rich Kopacz steps into the host's chair and welcomes one of his oldest friends, musician, composer, voice actor, gamer, and fellow nerd Ken Forsee.

Their friendship began decades ago in a college dormitory and has continued through music, storytelling, gaming, audio dramas, creative collaborations, and countless conversations about the things they love.

In this nostalgic and entertaining episode, Rich and Ken explore:

🎮 Classic video games and retro gaming culture

🗡️ The Legend of Zelda

🥊 Street Fighter II

🎲 Dungeons & Dragons

🃏 Magic: The Gathering

🎹 Video game music and composition

🎭 Voice acting and character performance

🎼 Original music creation

📚 Fantasy, science fiction, and nerd culture

👾 Gaming memories from the Nintendo and Super Nintendo era

🎵 The story behind a video game music concert they performed years before video game concerts became mainstream

The episode also features a fun musical trivia challenge as Ken identifies themes and soundtracks from beloved games, movies, and television shows, including Street Fighter II, Deltarune, Star Trek, Buckaroo Banzai, The Avengers, Cuphead, and more.

Ken Forsee has contributed original music and voice acting to numerous projects with Rich over the years, including The Lost Tribe and many of the audio scenes featured on Between The Lines.

Whether you grew up with Nintendo, arcade games, tabletop RPGs, fantasy novels, comic books, or simply enjoy conversations about creativity and lifelong friendships, this episode offers a heartfelt and entertaining trip through decades of gaming and storytelling culture.

Hosted by:
Rich Kopacz

Special Guest:
Ken Forsee

Jeanette Huffman is currently traveling and will return for future episodes.

🎵 Music Credits

"Powerup!" – Jeremy Blake

Courtesy of the YouTube Audio Library.

Used under the YouTube Audio Library license.

Listen, follow, and subscribe for more conversations with authors, musicians, artists, voice actors, creators, and storytellers.

#RetroGaming #Zelda #StreetFighter #DnD #MagicTheGathering #VideoGameMusic #VoiceActing #GamingPodcast #NerdCulture #GeekCulture #BetweenTheLinesPodcast

Step into the mysterious Bazaar of Mari Ruppock...

In this dramatic scene from The Lost Tribe, Asher enters one of the most dangerous places he has ever encountered. Every face hides a secret, every deal comes with a price, and survival depends on knowing who can—and cannot—be trusted.

Featuring Matt Ochoa as Asher, this scene offers a glimpse into Rich Kopacz's immersive audio drama, where unforgettable characters, ancient landscapes, and impossible choices collide.

🎭 Featuring

• Matt Ochoa as Asher

✍️ Written by
Rich Kopacz

🎙️ Presented on Between The Lines

If you enjoy cinematic storytelling, fantasy adventures, biblical fiction, and immersive audio dramas, you'll love The Lost Tribe.

Like this scene?

Follow Between The Lines for more exclusive audio scenes, interviews, and behind-the-scenes conversations with the writers, actors, and creators bringing these stories to life.

🎙️ Between The Lines Podcast – Episode 19
E. Travers, Sing Crazy, Sheridan Nash & Music City Murder

Join hosts Jeanette Huffman and Rich Kopacz for an unforgettable conversation with E. Travers—author, singer-songwriter, musician, traveler, humanitarian, and creator of the Sheridan Nash Mystery Series.

In this wide-ranging episode, E. Travers shares the remarkable experiences that have shaped her life and her writing. From performing music and songwriting to serving with the American Red Cross supporting Army and Air Force personnel overseas, her journey has taken her from Nashville stages to Germany and beyond.

We discuss the inspiration behind her novel Sing Crazy, the creation of Sheridan Nash, Nashville's music scene, mystery writing, self-publishing, and the real-life events that continue to influence her work.

Listeners will also hear stories about:

🔍 Growing up with a father who worked under J. Edgar Hoover

🌍 Living and working overseas

🎵 The realities of life as a professional musician

📚 Building a mystery series from the ground up

🕵️ True crime experiences that may someday become a future book

🎤 Creativity, storytelling, and the writing life

As a special bonus, this episode concludes with Music City Murder, an original audio drama created by Rich Kopacz, inspired by the world of Sing Crazy and the Sheridan Nash Mystery Series. This suspense-filled production brings Sheridan Nash's world to life through immersive storytelling, mystery, and danger lurking beneath Nashville's music scene.

📚 Featured Author:
E. Travers

📖 Featured Book:
Sing Crazy

🎭 Bonus Audio Drama:
Music City Murder
Created by Rich Kopacz

🎙️ Hosts:
Jeanette Huffman & Rich Kopacz

If you enjoy mystery novels, crime fiction, thrillers, author interviews, songwriting, storytelling, and original audio dramas, this episode is for you.

Thank you for listening to Between The Lines. Please follow, rate, and share the podcast to help us continue highlighting authors, artists, musicians, and storytellers from around the world.

An Original Audio Drama by Rich Kopacz

Inspired by the world of E. Travers' Sheridan Nash Mystery Series and her novel Sing Crazy, Music City Murder takes listeners into the darker corners of Nashville's music scene where danger, deception, and murder lurk behind the spotlight.

When a suspicious death and a string of unsettling events begin to unfold, Sheridan Nash finds herself drawn into a mystery that reaches far beyond Music Row. As clues emerge and tensions rise, she must decide who to trust—and whether discovering the truth is worth the risk.

Created by Rich Kopacz, this original audio scene expands upon the characters and atmosphere of Sing Crazy, bringing mystery fiction to life through immersive storytelling and performance.

📚 Inspired by:
Sing Crazy
by E. Travers

🎭 Audio Drama Created By:
Rich Kopacz

🎙️ Featured On:
Between The Lines Podcast

Hosted by:
Jeanette Huffman & Rich Kopacz

If you enjoy mystery novels, crime fiction, suspense thrillers, detective stories, and audio dramas, you'll enjoy this original Sheridan Nash adventure.

📖 Learn more about E. Travers and the Sheridan Nash Mystery Series.

🎧 Listen to more episodes of Between The Lines on Spotify and wherever podcasts are available.

BETWEEN THE LINES – EPISODE 18

🐉 Jennifer Taylor | Training Trials, Dragons, Cryptids & The Journey Behind the Story

In this episode of Between The Lines, host Jeanette Huffman and co-host Rich Kopacz sit down with fantasy author Jennifer Taylor to discuss her novel Training Trials, the first installment in the Panagon Rising series.

While dragons may be what initially capture readers' attention, Jennifer explains that Training Trials is ultimately a story about character, identity, perseverance, and the journey of its protagonist, Lockheart. Throughout the conversation, Jennifer shares the inspirations behind her worldbuilding, her lifelong fascination with dragons and legendary creatures, and the personal experiences that shaped her writing.

Jennifer also discusses:

🐉 Why dragons became such an important part of her storytelling

👣 Her fascination with cryptids, including Bigfoot, Mothman, and other legendary creatures

💻 The heartbreaking loss of her first novel after a family computer was wiped before she could finish it

✍️ How a single scene inspired an entire series

🎖️ Growing up in a military family and how military culture influenced her writing

📚 The future of the Paragon Rising series, including the upcoming sequel The Queen's Secret

In addition to the interview, co-host Rich Kopacz presents The Enigma Recruit, an original audio drama inspired by Training Trials. This immersive audio adaptation brings elements of Jennifer's world to life through voice acting, sound design, and dramatic storytelling.

Whether you're a fantasy reader, aspiring writer, dragon enthusiast, cryptid fan, or simply someone who enjoys hearing the stories behind the stories, this episode offers a fascinating look into the creative process and the imagination behind a compelling new fantasy series.

🎙️ Hosted by:
Jeanette Huffman

🎙️ Co-Hosted by:
Rich Kopacz

📖 Featured Author:
Jennifer Taylor

📚 Featured Novel:
Training Trials (Panagon Rising Series)

▶️ Watch the full video version of this episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/ecmLx0n5Yw0

💬 Join the conversation:

What fascinates you most about fantasy stories?

🐉 Dragons
👣 Cryptids
⚔️ Adventure
👤 Complex Characters
🔮 Mystery and Secrets

Let us know your thoughts and don't forget to follow Between The Lines for future author interviews, creative discussions, and storytelling adventures.

🎵 Music Credits:

"Beyond the Lows" — The Whole Other

"Spirit of Fire" — Jesse Gallagher

#BetweenTheLinesPodcast #JenniferTaylor #TrainingTrials #PanagonRising #FantasyBooks #DragonBooks #AuthorInterview #WritingCommunity #FantasyReaders #Storytelling #BookPodcast #Dragons #Cryptids #Bigfoot #Mothman

In Episode 17 of Between the Lines, host Jeanette Huffman travels to the personal studio of multidisciplinary artist Edwin Vasquez in Rosamond, California for the podcast’s very first on-site artist interview.

Born in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, Edwin shares his journey from growing up surrounded by poetry, music, color, and artistic culture to immigrating to the United States as a teenager during the Guatemalan Civil War.

This deeply personal conversation explores:
🎨 art and identity
📚 poetry and lived experience
🌎 immigration and adaptation
🎭 masks and symbolism
🌵 Joshua Tree Chronicles
🤖 AI as a creative tool
✨ creating without fear
🔥 why life itself is an adventure

Edwin discusses the importance of creating authentically, preserving culture through art, and leaving behind something meaningful for future generations.

This episode is a reminder that artists come in all forms — painters, poets, sculptors, photographers, musicians, storytellers, and creators of every kind.

✨ “Life is an adventure.” — Edwin Vasquez

📍 Featured Guest:
Edwin Vasquez
Rosamond, California

🌐 Website:
https://edwinvasquez.net/

📷 Instagram:
@edwinvasquez

📺 YouTube:
Edwin Vasquez 100

🎙️ Hosted by:
Jeanette Huffman

📹 Camera Work:
Uriel Hernandez

🎧 Music Credits:
“Spanish Rose” — Chris Haugen
“El Gavilan” — Quincas Moreira
Courtesy of the YouTube Audio Library

👇 Enjoying the podcast?
Follow Between the Lines on Spotify and share the episode with someone who loves art, creativity, storytelling, and authentic human conversations.

#BetweenTheLines #EdwinVasquez #Podcast #ArtistInterview #CreativeLife #Poetry #Guatemala #MultidisciplinaryArtist #Storytelling #HumanCreativity

🎙️ BETWEEN THE LINES PRESENTS

🐉 THE ENIGMA RECRUIT

An Original Audio Drama Inspired by Training Trials by Jennifer Taylor

What happens when a recruit doesn't quite fit the mold?

Inspired by Jennifer Taylor's fantasy novel Training Trials, The Enigma Recruit is an original audio drama adaptation created by Rich Kopacz and featured as part of Between The Lines Episode 18.

Set within the world of the Panagon Rising series, this immersive audio scene introduces listeners to the tension, mystery, and uncertainty that surround one recruit whose presence raises more questions than answers. Through dramatic voice acting, atmospheric sound design, and cinematic storytelling, The Enigma Recruit offers a glimpse into a world where secrets can be as dangerous as dragons.

🐉 Inspired by:
Training Trials
by Jennifer Taylor

🎙️ Audio Drama Created By:
Rich Kopacz

🎙️ Between The Lines Podcast

Hosted by:
Jeanette Huffman

Co-Hosted by:
Rich Kopacz

📚 About Training Trials

The first novel in the Panagon Rising series, Training Trials is more than a story about dragons. At its heart lies Lockheart's journey through challenges, identity, loyalty, survival, and discovery in a world where appearances can be deceiving and secrets often carry the greatest danger.

🎧 If you enjoyed this audio scene, be sure to listen to the complete interview with Jennifer Taylor where she discusses:

🐉 Why dragons inspired her story

👣 Her fascination with cryptids and legendary creatures

✍️ Her writing journey

💻 Losing her first novel when a family computer was wiped

📖 The future of the Panagon Rising series

▶️ Watch the full video interview here:
https://youtu.be/ecmLx0n5Yw0

💬 Join the discussion:

What makes a fantasy story unforgettable?

🐉 Dragons?

⚔️ Adventure?

👤 Characters?

🔮 Mystery?

🗝️ Secrets?

Let us know your thoughts and follow Between The Lines for more author interviews, original audio dramas, and storytelling adventures.

#TheEnigmaRecruit #TrainingTrials #JenniferTaylor #RichKopacz #PanagonRising #AudioDrama #FantasyAudio #AudioTheater #FantasyBooks #DragonBooks #Storytelling #FantasyReaders #BetweenTheLinesPodcast #Dragons #BookPodcast

In Episode 16 of Between the Lines, host Jeanette Huffman and co-host Rich Kopacz sit down with author and caregiver Val Barschaw for one of the most important and deeply human conversations featured on the podcast so far.

After more than 35 years as a caregiver — including supporting her husband through a heart transplant journey and decades of navigating the healthcare system — Val shares the lived experiences that inspired her book:

📘 Surviving the Hospital: Six Secrets Every Patient Should Know

This episode explores:
📝 the importance of a patient notebook
🩺 how to advocate for yourself in medical settings
💊 medication safety and hospital preparedness
🧼 hospital-acquired infections and prevention
❤️ caregiving, fear, resilience, and hope
✨ gratitude as “the secret sauce” to healing
🤝 why human connection matters in healthcare

This is more than a discussion about hospitals.

It’s a conversation about how we care for one another during life’s hardest moments.

Whether you are a patient, caregiver, healthcare worker, or someone who simply wants to be better prepared for the future, this episode contains practical advice and emotional insight that may truly help someone you love.

🎧 Featuring:
“The Bissema Process” — an original atmospheric audio scene by Rich Kopacz

📖 Find Val Barschaw’s book:
Surviving the Hospital: Six Secrets Every Patient Should Know
Available on Amazon in print and Kindle editions.

🌐 Val Barschaw:
https://hospitaltohealth.com/

📺 Watch on YouTube:
Full Podcast:
https://youtu.be/q4maTBF8cII

“The Bissema Process” Audio Scene:
https://youtu.be/FE1ieh2yXIE

📱 YouTube Shorts:
https://youtube.com/shorts/FmivV9AFZh8?feature=share

https://youtube.com/shorts/7L7_Pmlp7UQ?feature=share

🎵 TikTok:
@jhuffmanbetweenthelines

🎙️ Hosted by:
Jeanette Huffman

🎭 Co-host:
Rich Kopacz

Music Credits:
“From Here On In” — Everet Almond
“Stick The Landing” — Everet Almond
Courtesy of the YouTube Audio Library

#BetweenTheLines #ValBarschaw #CaregiverSupport #MedicalAdvocacy #Healthcare #Podcast #HealingJourney #PatientAdvocate #HospitalCare #HeartTransplant

Step beyond the podcast…

…and into something darker.

The Bissema Process is an atmospheric original audio scene written and performed by Rich Kopacz, inspired by the themes explored in Episode 16 of Between the Lines featuring author and caregiver Val Barschaw.

Blending eerie vintage medicine, plague doctor imagery, dark humor, theatrical storytelling, and psychological tension, this immersive piece acts as a surreal companion to the larger conversation surrounding hospitals, fear, healing, and human vulnerability.

What begins as a grounded discussion about caregiving and medical advocacy slowly descends into something hauntingly symbolic:

A strange world lurking just beneath the surface.

🎭 Written & Performed by:
Rich Kopacz

🎙️ From:
Between the Lines — Episode 16
Hosted by Jeanette Huffman

📘 Featuring:
Val Barschaw
Author of Surviving the Hospital: Six Secrets Every Patient Should Know

🌐 https://hospitaltohealth.com/

📺 Watch the full podcast episode:
https://youtu.be/q4maTBF8cII

#TheBissemaProcess #RichKopacz #BetweenTheLines #AudioDrama #Atmospheric #DarkComedy #VintageHorror #Podcast #AudioStorytelling