Season 8, Episode 6 - J. E. Weiner
In Season 8, Episode 6 of History Through Fiction: The Podcast, host Colin Mustful sits down with J. E. Weiner, author of The Wretched and Undone. Dive into the southern gothic genre as Weiner discusses the sweeping history from the Civil War to WW1 that forms the backdrop of his novel. Explore the captivating and distinctive setting of the Texas Hill Country, and discover how it shapes the narrative. Join us for an insightful conversation that blends history, fiction, and the haunting beauty of the South.
About the Author
J. E. Weiner is a writer and novelist based in Northern California. Her debut novel, The Wretched and Undone, a Southern Gothic tale set in the Texas Hill Country and inspired by real people and actual events, is forthcoming from HTF Publishing in March 2025. Her previous work has appeared in the literary journals Madcap Review, Five Minutes, and HerStry, as well as the recent grit lit anthology Red-Headed Writing (Cowboy Jamboree Press, 2024). Weiner is a founding member of the Pacific Coast Writers Collective, and while living and writing in blissful exile on the West Coast, her heart remains bound to her childhood home, the Great State of Texas.
About the Novel
On the eve of the Civil War, Polish immigrants Marcin and Agnieszka Anderwald arrive in Bandera, Texas, seeking a fresh start in a new land of faith, fertile soil, and freedom. But their dreams quickly become nightmares when Marcin provokes a sinister specter hell-bent on revenge. A battle ensues for the hearts, minds, and souls of the Anderwalds and their extended family of immigrant outcasts, Arab camel wranglers, wounded warriors, and a songstress on the verge of madness. As the generations unfold, each faces its own harrowing ordeal against unrelenting evil. Will the Anderwalds break free or remain forever wretched and undone?
Heralded as "a genre-bending thrill ride through Old Texas," with "characters so well-crafted they crawl off the page," The Wretched and Undone was named a Killer Nashville Top Pick for 2024 and a Claymore Award Finalist for Best Southern Gothic.
