Episodes

  • #190 Guest JJ Harrigan

    #190 Guest JJ Harrigan
    Jun 26 2026
    THESE HISTORICAL THRILLERS WILL MAKE YOUR PULSE RACE! GUEST JJ HARRIGAN Hosts Jim and Bobbi Jean Bell Watch the YouTube Video Our guest, JJ HARRIGAN, is the award-winning author of the GOODBYE SERIES of historical thrillers, inspired by his background as a soldier, U.S. Foreign Service Officer, and professor of political science. Although we’ll chat about all three titles, Goodbye Cuba, and Goodbye Bobby, we’ll focus on his latest release, Goodbye Demons. Described as the story of a man and a woman struggling to overcome demons beyond their control, it is a visceral, emotionally charged exploration of resilience in the face of adversity. Harrigan also shares unique writing tips and author insights. Join us! Hosts - Jim and Bobbi Jean Bell Opening and Closing Music - Hot Texas courtesy of Alex Dormont and the Hot Texas Swing Band Sponsored by Blue Cottage Agency Clicks By Madison and OutWest Shop Shop ALL Rendezvous With A Writer book titles HERE Aired June 25, 2026
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    53 mins
  • #189 Guests Tom Swearingen and Randy Palmer

    #189 Guests Tom Swearingen and Randy Palmer
    Jun 19 2026

    HEART OF THE SONG GUEST HOST TOM SWEARINGEN GUEST RANDY PALMER

    Watch The YouTube Video

    Guest Host Tom Swearingen welcomes his Special Guest Randy Palmer to the show. A Folk/Americana singer-songwriter Randy Palmer blends the artistry of a painter with the soul of a poet. Born on the High Plains of West Texas, Palmer grew up with the DIY spirit of his family’s painting business and channels that desire for beauty into heartfelt songs that reflect life’s core truths. A 2025 Western Writers of America Spur Award winner, Randy also helped pen the International Western Music Association 2025 Song of the Year, “Blessed By The West,” alongside Sarah Pierce and Merel Bregante. As a solo songwriter and performer, his chart-topping “Dance Ponies Dance” continues to introduce new listeners to his voice and vision. Join Tom and Randy as they discuss the poet and songwriter connection and the heart of the songwriting process. Enjoy several of Randy’s songs! Unless otherwise noted, all music written and performed by Randy Palmer. "Cowboy" co-written with Tom Swearingen "Dance Ponies Dance" "Welcome To My Home" "My Name Is Juan" "It's A Crazy Thing" "Deeper Water" Guest Host - Tom Swearingen Hosts - Jim and Bobbi Jean Bell Opening and Closing Music - Hot Texas courtesy of Alex Dormont and the Hot Texas Swing Band Sponsored by Blue Cottage Agency Clicks By Madison and OutWest Shop Shop ALL Rendezvous With A Writer book titles HERE Aired June 18, 2026
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    50 mins
  • #188 Robert J. Sawyer

    #188 Robert J. Sawyer
    Jun 12 2026
    AN ASTROID IS ABOUT TO SLAM INTO EARTH! Hosts Jim and Bobbi Jean Bell Watch the YouTube Video Join our guest Robert J. Sawyer for an entertaining conversation! Winner of both The Hugo Award and The Nebula Awards for Best Science-Fiction Novel of the Year, Sawyer is a member of the Order of Canada and the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. We chat with Rob about his recently released sequel to The Downloaded. Called a “provocative and compelling follow-up” The Downloaded 2: Ghosts In The Machine, is speculative fiction at its finest. Meet this engaging and entertaining storyteller! Here’s what others say: Underneath the sci-fi and the technology, this is a story about love and loss and second chances, about people trying to reconnect, no matter how fantastic it may seem across, time and space. -- Academy Award-winner Brandan Fraser At every opportunity, Sawyer forces his readers to think while holding their attention with ingenious premises and superlative craftsmanship. -- Booklist Playlist: King Harvest - Dancin' In The Moonlight Tom Lehrer - We Will All Go Together When We Go Vera Lynn - We'll Meet Again Hosts - Jim and Bobbi Jean Bell Opening and Closing Music - Hot Texas courtesy of Alex Dormont and the Hot Texas Swing Band Sponsored by Blue Cottage Agency Clicks By Madison and OutWest Shop Shop ALL Rendezvous With A Writer book titles HERE Aired June 11, 2026
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    52 mins
  • #187 Guests Kirk Ellis and Henry C. Parke

    #187 Guests Kirk Ellis and Henry C. Parke
    Jun 5 2026
    HOW VIOLENCE AND FIREARMS BECAME A PART OF AMERICAN IDENTITY Hosts Jim and Bobbi Jean Bell Watch The YouTube Video Join us for an engaging conversation with our two guests, Henry C. Parke, True West Magazine Film Editor and author of The Greatest Westerns Ever Made and The People Who Made Them and two-time Emmy Award winner Kirk Ellis. Henry takes the lead and gives us his scoop on current Western films and TV shows with this month’s Henry's Western Round-up. We take an in-depth look at Kirk Ellis’ latest release, They Kill People: Bonnie And Clyde, A Hollywood Revolution, And America's Obsession With Guns And Outlaws. This riveting and important book is the story of the outlaws whose real lives were anything but glamorous. Most of all, it is the story of how violence and a predilection for firearms became a fundamental part of American identity. Here’s what a few readers have to say: A supple and far-ranging narrative. -- Hampton Sides This is a thoughtful and frequently surprising look at a film that quite literally changed the way movies were made.-- Booklist In THEY KILL PEOPLE, Kirk Ellis leads the reader through our history of gun-fueled outlawry with entertaining enlightenment. --Bryan Cranston, producer/star of Breaking Bad Playlist: Foggy Mountain Breakdown - Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde - Merle Haggard Hosts - Jim and Bobbi Jean Bell Opening and Closing Music - Hot Texas courtesy of Alex Dormont and the Hot Texas Swing Band Sponsored by Blue Cottage Agency Clicks By Madison and OutWest Shop Shop ALL Rendezvous With A Writer book titles HERE Aired June 4, 2026
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    51 mins
  • #186 Guest Charlie Amos

    #186 Guest Charlie Amos
    May 29 2026
    A MIX OF HISTORY WITH ADVENTURE Hosts Jim and Bobbi Jean Bell Watch The YouTube Video With characters as rich as the history of Indian Territory, author CHARLIE AMOS, joins us to chat about the first two books of THE GREEN COUNTRY SERIES. We chat about the inspiration behind the series, how Charlie's work and home background inform his writing, and why dialogue is the key to his entertaining storytelling. We meet Cherokee cowboy Turan Turtle and Jewish immigrant Levi Kuratowski, better known as “Little Kansas” in book one, ON THE SCOUT. Unlikely partners, together they face extreme weather, outlaws, and forces beyond their control to deliver a prized Hereford bull to the Cherokee Nation. Both characters return in book two, Call In The Dogs, “Little Kansas” (Levi) has been granted a trading license approved by the Cherokee Nation and is determined to build a trading post on the banks of Spring Creek. His attention is diverted when he receives word an old adversary, outlaw Bill Kirby, has escaped custody and is hot on his trail. Will he be able to hold on to what he has built and face the man who thinks of nothing except for his destruction and all he holds dear? Tune in to find out more about these memorable characters and their adventures. PLAYLIST: 1. Oklahoma Hills - Performed by Gene Autry - CD The Essential Gene Autry 2. Barbara Allen - Performed by Crystal Gayle, John McEuen, The Kansas Settlers Band - CD The Music of the Wild West Soundtrack Hosts - Jim and Bobbi Jean Bell Opening and Closing Music - Hot Texas courtesy of Alex Dormont and the Hot Texas Swing Band Sponsored by Blue Cottage Agency Clicks By Madison and OutWest Shop Shop ALL Rendezvous With A Writer book titles HERE Aired May 28, 2026
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    51 mins
  • #185 Guests John and Joanne Lowell

    #185 Guests John and Joanne Lowell
    May 24 2026

    MAKING MUSIC TOGETHER Hosts Jim and Bobbi Jean Bell Watch The YouTube Video

    Special guests JOHN LOWELL and JOANNE GARDNER LOWELL join us to share the backstories and music from their much anticipated new album ON MY WAY HOME. Every song is a story encouraging you to hit "play" or "repeat" again and again! True to its title, each song captures a moment of an individual's life now remembered and recalled - perhaps with joy, or regret, or a longing to return to that moment..."home." There are stories inspired by history like "Stagecoach Mary," "The Print Behind The Bar," and "Richmond." And stories forged in the Western romance of fugitives and outlaws. Every song compels you to cease multi-tasking and just...listen. Close your eyes and imagine. We chat with John and Joanne about the inspiration behind the album, the songs and its production, the songwriting process, and the secrets behind a successful co-writing partnership! Nine original songs written or co-written by John with Joanne, Rick Lang, Anne Sibley, and Sarah Pierce are accompanied with songs by Dean Johnson, Ben Bullington and Alton Delmore. PLAYLIST: 1. Jubilee Cafe - Written by John Lowell & Rick Lang 2. I Want Love To Come Home Again - Written by John Lowell & Anne Sibley 3. The Print Behind The Bar - Written by John Lowell 4. Richmond - Written by John Lowell 5. Stagecoach Mary - Written by John Lowell & Sarah Pierce 6. Jerusalem's Choir - Written by John Lowell 7. Ghosts Upon My Back - Written by John Lowell & Joanne Gardner Lowell Hosts - Jim and Bobbi Jean Bell Opening and Closing Music - Hot Texas courtesy of Alex Dormont and the Hot Texas Swing Band Sponsored by Blue Cottage Agency Clicks By Madison and OutWest Shop Shop ALL Rendezvous With A Writer book titles HERE Aired May 21, 2026

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    51 mins
  • #184 Guests Nick Wale and Jeff Crawford

    #184 Guests Nick Wale and Jeff Crawford
    May 15 2026
    WESTERN ADVENTURES AMERICA250 AND MORE! Hosts Jim and Bobbi Jean Bell Watch the YouTube video! Meet these entertaining storytellers and the heroes written about under the Dusty Saddle Publishing (DSP) America250 banner! NICK WALE, DSP CEO and author JEFF CRAWFORD join us for a lively conversation about two of Crawford’s newest titles. TOM HORN: SETTING CHEYENNE BACK TO RIGHT is the exciting Book Five installment in the bestselling America250 series. Tom Horn, mule packer, coach driver, army guide and Indian tracker, scratches an itch to visit Cheyenne. He figures that a couple of restful days will do the trick, but Horn soon becomes involved in a fight for the town’s very soul. This book pushes no agenda; it merely provides a fictional adventure to entertain. It does show the resolve and determination Horn truly possessed that requires him to be included in discussions about those who shaped the West. We also take an in-depth look into another of Jeff’s new titles from his Ezra Whitehall Series, NO PRIZE ABOVE TRUTH. This riveting story opens with an eclipse of the sun, for Ezra Whitehall it was a portent of troubles to come. With the unexpected and terrible events that followed, Ezra would learn of himself that which he would not, and could not, ever forget. He would learn that in his own life, there can be "No Prize Above Truth." Once you open this book you will not be able to put it down! Music Jon Chandler - "Back To Cheyenne" - CD "Ghost Smoke" Jim Jones - "Man Of The Mountains" co-write with Bruce Huntington - CD "Headin' Home" Hosts - Jim and Bobbi Jean Bell Opening and Closing Music - Hot Texas courtesy of Alex Dormont and the Hot Texas Swing Band Sponsored by Blue Cottage Agency Clicks By Madison and OutWest Shop Shop ALL Rendezvous With A Writer book titles HERE Aired May 14, 2026
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    51 mins
  • #183 Guests Mark Archuleta and Henry C. Parke

    #183 Guests Mark Archuleta and Henry C. Parke
    May 8 2026

    HEISTS, HOLLYWOOD GLAMOUR, AND THE GENTLEMAN BANDIT Hosts Jim and Bobbi Jean Bell Watch YouTube Video Join us for an engaging conversation with our two guests, Winner of the 2026 Western Writers of America Spur Award For Best Biography MARK ARCHULETA joins HENRY C. PARKE, “True West Magazine” Film Editor and author of THE GREATEST WESTERNS EVER MADE AND THE PEOPLE WHO MADE THEM. Henry takes the lead and gives us his scoop on current Western films and TV shows with this month’s HENRY’S WESTERN ROUND-UP. Mark shares a "scoop" of his own - tune in - hear it here FIRST! We take an in-depth look at Archuleta’s wild and wooly biography of a one-of-a-kind outlaw THE REEL THRILLING EVENTS OF BANK ROBBER HENRY STARR: FROM GENTLEMAN BANDIT TO MOVIE STAR AND BACK AGAIN. In this captivating book, Mark follows the career of Cherokee outlaw Henry Starr, the most prolific bank robber of his day to silent movie stardom and back. Reviewers praise the book as “fascinating,” “well researched,” and “engaging.” We all agree! Hosts - Jim and Bobbi Jean Bell Opening and Closing Music - Hot Texas courtesy of Alex Dormont and the Hot Texas Swing Band Sponsored by Blue Cottage Agency Clicks By Madison and OutWest Shop Shop ALL Rendezvous With A Writer book titles HERE Aired May 7, 2026

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    52 mins