Bell Cow StoryLab is our monthly author panel series, hosted by authors Rob Jung and Michael David MacBride. Each episode brings multiple writers into one craft-focused conversation, spotlighting how books actually get built. Scene by scene, choice by choice.
In When History Meets Story: Ethics in Historical and Real-Life Fiction, we tackle the question writers do not get to dodge: if you are mining real history or real lives for fiction, where is the line, and who gets to draw it? We talk about accuracy versus momentum, consent and permission, composites, whose history gets told (and how), and the self-checks that help you write toward illumination instead of exploitation.
We also dig into craft and ethics questions like:
What must be accurate, and what can be bent for narrative reasons?
What do you owe the reader in transparency: an author’s note, a bibliography, disclaimers, or nothing at all?
If forced to choose, do you prioritize factual truth or emotional truth, and how do you keep that from becoming an excuse?
Today’s panelists (bios + links)
✅ Terri Karsten: Award-winning historical fiction author whose work brings the past to life with vivid detail and lived-in stakes.
https://terrikarsten.com/
✅ JJ Harrigan: Historical thriller author whose fiction draws on his background as a Cold War soldier, U.S. Foreign Service Officer, and political science professor.
https://jjharrigan.com/
✅ Gary R. Bush: Historian by training who writes fiction for adults, young adults, and children, with a long-running love of history on the page.
https://authors.tertulia.com/garyrbush-draftfgg4f1
✅ Betty Brandt Passick: Independent author whose historical crime fiction blends research, character, and moral pressure from the past.
https://bettybrandtpassick.com/
Connect with the hosts
✅ Rob Jung: https://robjungwriter.com/
✅ Michael David MacBride: https://www.michaelmacbride.com/
🐮Everything Bell Cow: https://www.bellcowproductions.com/
#BellCow #BellCowProductions #BellCowStoryLab #StoryLab #WritingCraft #HistoricalFiction #EthicsInFiction #Research #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

The weekly Bell Cow Herd Podcast, hosted by authors, Rob Jung and Michael David MacBride, rounds up the best voices from the Bell Cow Cattle-log and the wider publishing world—publishers, authors, editors and more—to shine a light on the people who compose the remarkable Midwestern literary community. With short, punchy chats, exclusive author readings, and deep dives into their background and craft, you’ll get to know, like never before, the people who embellish our lives via the written word. The podcast rings the bell loud and clear, guiding you straight to your next favorite author, maybe even one who writes in your own backyard. Join the herd. Give the round-up a listen: subscribe, like, and follow! Today we’re joined by Minnesota author Chris Norbury, whose latest, Little Mountain, Big Trouble, drops readers into a situation where the danger escalates quickly and the consequences do not stay contained. This is the kind of story that starts with a spark and turns into a wildfire.Chris writes with momentum and bite, and he knows how to build tension without losing clarity. If you like thrillers that move fast but still feel grounded in real people making hard decisions, you’re going to want this conversation. In this episode, Chris talks about dialing up stakes, shaping plot turns that feel earned, and what he wants readers to feel when the story snaps into high gear.You can learn more about Chris at: https://chrisnorbury.com/His books, including Little Mountain, Big Trouble, are available wherever books are sold.You can find out more about your hosts: Rob and Michael at their webpages (https://robjungwriter.com/ and https://www.michaelmacbride.com).And, of course, you can find everything about Bell Cow at the official webpage: https://www.bellcowproductions.com (🐮 -- moo!)#bellcow #bellcowproductions #interviews #authors #roundup #bellcowroundup

🚨 Welcome to Fresh Off the Stack, the Bell Cow Productions podcast where Rob Jung and Michael David MacBride sit down with authors to talk about brand-new books just as they arrive in the world. This series is all about new releases, the stories behind them, and the conversations that happen when a book is still fresh in readers’ hands.🖊️ In each episode, we talk with authors about inspiration, process, research, surprises, and what readers can expect when they open the cover. Some conversations focus on craft, some on publication, and some on the real-world ideas behind the story, but every episode begins with a new book and a chance to give it a proper welcome.✈️ This episode digs into Deadly Secrets in Plane Sight by Julie Holmes, released July 14, 2026. The book is the second installment in the Sierra Bauer Mystery Series, following Julie’s aviation mystery debut, Murder in Plane Sight. In this conversation, we talk with Julie about returning to Sierra Bauer’s world, writing aviation-centered mystery, building a series, and what happens when technical expertise, danger, and secrets all meet on the page.📚 About Julie Holmes:Julie Holmes writes mystery and suspense with a distinctive aviation twist. Her Sierra Bauer Mystery Series began with Murder in Plane Sight, featuring aircraft mechanic Sierra Bauer, a woman working in a male-dominated field whose life is thrown into chaos after a deadly discovery connected to the aviation world. Julie brings experience as a former aircraft mechanic, IT professional, and technical writer to her fiction, giving her mysteries a grounded, hands-on sense of detail.Learn more about Julie Holmes here:https://julieholmesauthor.comAnd find all the great events where you can see Julie in person!https://julieholmesauthor.com/upcoming-events-2/📖 Buy a copy anywhere great books are sold!🐮 Learn more about Bell Cow Productions at:https://www.bellcowproductions.com#FreshOffTheStack #BellCowProductions #BookTube #AuthorInterview #BookPodcast #JulieHolmes #DeadlySecretsInPlaneSight #SierraBauer #MysteryBooks #AviationMystery #NewBookRelease #ReadersOfYouTube #BellCow