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
Far from Uncertain: OneWoman’s Life of Crime and Other Righteous Deeds
Social Media
Podcast Cover Art
Tom Fox
