The Hill Country Podcast

Welcome to The Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with the people and organizations that make this the most unique areas of Texas. Join Tom as he explores the people, places and their activities of the Texas Hill Country. In this episode, I visit award-winning author Loren Steffy about his first work of fiction, The Big Empty. Some of the highlights include:

·       What led to Steffy writing a work of fiction?

·       Character development in the book. 

·       Financial, power, water and economic themes in the book.

·       How did Steffy draw out the 2 co-stars of the book?

·       How did Enron get into the book?

·       What’s next for Steffy?

Resources

 Lorne Steffy Blog

Lorne Steffy  Website

The Big Empty

Welcome to The Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with the people and organizations that make this the most unique areas of Texas. Join Tom as he explores the people, places and their activities of the Texas Hill Country. In this episode, I visit award-winning author Karen Jones, who writes in the historical fiction genre. Some of the highlights include:

·       Growing up in Bakersfield CA and how that influenced her writing?

·       What led Karen to writing and novelist as a profession? 

·       What brought Karen and your family to the Hill Country?

·       How much research do you put in to get the history right?

·       Her books,  ‘Shadow of the Hawk’, ‘Black Lightening’ and ‘Change of Fortune’? What has been 

·       Karen’s next book?

Resources

Karen Jones website

Karen Jones on LinkedIn

Welcome to The Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with the people and organizations that make this the most unique areas of Texas. Join Tom as he explores the people, places and their activities of the Texas Hill Country. In this episode, I visit Marwan Elrakabawy, (Coach Rock), head basketball coach at Schreiner University. He details a fascinating journey from being a patent lawyer to a head basketball coach in the Hill County. Some of the highlights include:

Resources

Schreiner University

Schreiner University Mountaineers homepage

Welcome to The Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with the people and organizations that make this the most unique areas of Texas. Join Tom as he explores the people, places and their activities of the Texas Hill Country. In this episode, I visit with The Cookie Store founder Julia Cardoshinsky, who talks about how her love of baking cookies helped her overcome the grief from the loss of her father to opening The Cookie Store in Kerrville. Some of the highlights include:

·       Where did Julia passion for baking cookies come from? 

·       What she learned in her 20+ year career at James Avery Jewelry? 

·       How baking cookies helped her overcome the grief of the loss of her father? 

·       What led her to open The Cookie Store? 

·       What it was like to open a business immediately before the pandemic shut down the country? 

·      Why her faith is so important to everything she does, including baking cookies? 

·      Why does everyone leave The Cookie Store with a smile on their face?

·      Why is Tom Fox ‘the brownie guy’?

Resources

Cardoshinsky Confections on Facebook

Cardoshinsky Confections website

Cardoshinsky Confections on Instagram

Welcome to The Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, recent Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with the people and organizations that make this the most unique areas of Texas. Join Tom as he explores the people, places and their activities of the Texas Hill Country. In this episode, I visit with retired business executive who talks about uranium mining in the state of Texas. Some of the highlights include:

·       What is uranium mining and how is it done in Texas? 

·       How is uranium used? 

·       How and why did the US uranium mining market drop off? 

·       How have recent international events demonstrated the need for a robust US uranium mining industry? 

·       Why is uranium mining a national security issue? 

·      How can the US government begin to change and move from reactive to proactive? What should the industry do? 

·      Why is uranium a key spoke in ESG?

Welcome to The Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, recent Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with the people and organizations that make this the most unique areas of Texas. Join Tom as he explores the people, places and their activities of the Texas Hill Country. In this episode, I visit with Kathleen Hudson, Professor of English at Schreiner University.

Some of the highlights include:

·      Her passion for teaching.

·      Writing about songwriters and their craft.

·      Schreiner University then and now.

·      Schreiner University’s Writers Conference.

·      Why Kathleen moved to The Hill Country.

·      Her love of Jimmie Rogers.

Resources

Kathleen Hudson at Schreiner University

Kathleen Hudson on Facebook

Kathleen Hudson singing Jimmie Rogers’ Waiting on a Train on YouTube

Schreiner University Writers Conference

Welcome to The Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, recent Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with the people and organizations that make this the most unique areas of Texas. Join Tom as he explores the people, places and their activities of the Texas Hill Country. In this episode, I visit with Jody Dyer, who with his wife Martina founded Courthouse Coffee Roasters. If you love coffee this is the episode for you.

Some of the highlights include:

·      Why did the Dyers found Courthouse Coffee Roasters?

·      How and why dry roasting coffee allowed his wife, to continue her enjoyment of coffee.

·      Being ESG compliant in the coffee production space.

·      Dyer gives a lesson in Coffee 101.

·      Why did Jody and Martina move to The Hill Country.

Resources

Courthouse Coffee Roasters

Welcome to The Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, recent Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with the people and organizations that make this the most unique areas of Texas. Join Tom as he explores the people, places and their activities of the Texas Hill Country. In this episode, I visit with Alan Peterson who is riding in his 13th MS 150 ride from Houston to Austin later in April. This year the MS ride is the weekend of April 30-May 1. 

Some of the highlights include:

Resources

MS 150

Alan Peterson Donation Page on Facebook

Welcome to The Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, recent Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with the people and organizations that make this the most unique areas of Texas. Join Tom as he explores the people, places and their activities of the Texas Hill Country. In this episode, I visit with Michele Van Fossen, owner of the Pop Hair Art Salon, in Kerrville. Michele and her family moved to the Hill Country 9 years ago and Michele has been very active in both the local business environment and the local theater scene. 

Some of the highlights include:

Resources

Pop Hair Art Salon

Pop Hair Art Salon on Facebook

Pop Hair Art Salon on Instagram

Welcome to The Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, recent Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with the people and organizations that make this the most unique areas of Texas. Join Tom as he explores the people, places and their activities of the Texas Hill Country. In this episode, I visit with Joanne Easley, an author from Medina. Joanne writes fiction about complicated women. In this episode, she tells us her about her journey to the Hill Country and talks about a writing life. 

Some of the highlights include:

·      Background on Joanne.

·      Why she began writing fiction.

·      The stories she tells about complicated women.

·      Why she and her husband moved to the Hill Country.

Resources

Joanne Easley on Facebook

Joanne Easley website