Our Writers

Durhl Caussey is a college professor and a longtime educator who is now writing for a number of regional and international publications. His award-winning columns about growing up in Texas gained a devoted following when they appeared in small town newspapers across Texas. Caussey also covers automobiles and sports for several publications.
A past president of the Press Club of Dallas and the Oak Cliff Lions Club, he and his wife are empty nesters who live in the hilly Oak Cliff section of Dallas. He is also a former board member of Texas Auto Writers Assn., currently serving on the board of Texas Outdoor Writers Assn.

Finis Cavender – a native West Texan who is a biochemist by training who morphed into an inhalation toxicologist and worked in the areas of occupational and environmental exposure. He develops emergency response planning levels and serves of the Science Review Panel for the National Library of Medicine. He is a technical writer who dabbles in writing poetry, puns, and fiction and nonfiction literature.

A native Texan, Gay N. Lewis lives in a small town west of Houston. Two videos she produced — “The Canadian Rockies,” English and Japanese translations, and “Psalms from the Mountains” — sold well in international markets. Graphic skills kept her busy as a portrait photographer, and for over 10 years, she used her imaginative insight in the interior design field. Gay also loves travel, writing, and reading. As a pastor’s wife, she writes Faith Features for various church periodicals. Teaching an adult Bible study every Sunday morning is Gay’s joy, and she is often called upon for speaking engagements. Gay is also a published author. Her current series in the Prism Book Group is about a dyslexic angel who comes to earth to help humans, but Sarah, the angel, is more like Lucy Ricardo with humorous antics and bumbles. Gay blogs and is active on Twitter and Facebook.

Jason Weingart began his career as a freelance photographer in the Hill Country in 2013. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor’s Degree in Photography. Jason is a storm chaser and co-author of “The Anatomy of Severe Weather.” His work is used by media and educational outlets around the world. He teaches photographic workshops in Texas on subjects such as weather, the night sky, bluebonnets, and urban exploration. You can learn more about Jason and his work at www.jasonrweingart.com.

Jo Ann Holt was honored as a Living Legend by the Dallas Press Club in 2016 for 30+ years as a North Texas journalist. Holt also owned and operated a boutique PR agency specializing in entertainment clients like Dallas Summer Musicals and Dallas International Guitar Festival.

Returning to her roots as a freelance journalist, Holt covers a wide variety of topics including arts, autos, culture, entertainment, and travel. She is married to retired educator Durhl Caussey. Now empty nesters, they live in Dallas, Texas and share a passion for history and travel. They love taking road trips to explore historic destinations and meet interesting people.

A sixth generation Texan, Holt is active in Daughters of the Republic of Texas, Daughters of the American Revolution, DFW Film Critics, Press Club of Dallas, Texas Auto Writers, Texas Outdoor Writers, and North American Travel Journalists.

John Spaulding moved from Illinois to Texas during the sizzling summer of 1980, marrying a fifth generation Texan. He has traveled the backroads of Texas for business and pleasure, befriending the “teachers, preachers, ranchers and recluses” of the state. He is a recognized author, photographer and interviewer for video productions. In addition to exploring and communicating what Texas has to offer, he also performs and enjoys any song that’s performed a capella. You can visit him at texastripwriter.com

Max McNabb is Managing Editor of Texas Hill Country. Max is a writer and editor from Lubbock, Texas. His family has farmed cotton on the South Plains for generations. As a journalist for Lubbock Metro Leader, Max interviewed everyone from acclaimed musicians to former presidential candidates. His articles have appeared in a variety of print and online publications, including West Texas TravelHost. Currently, he’s finishing work on a historical novel and in the market for a literary agent. His interests include Southern literature, history, and the American crime novel.

Robert Deming landed in Texas in high school, but as an Air Force brat, and later as an Air Force pilot, he lived in many places around the world.  He solidified his Texan status by graduating from Big Spring High School and Texas Tech University.  He lives in Fredericksburg, where his is a financial advisor and a novelist.  Robert is active in community affairs, an avid hiker, and frequent kayaker of Texas rivers.  He is the author of four novels, three of them mysteries starring a Texas Park Police Officer.  After 24 years in Fredericksburg, he is not yet considered a local,but definitely has the inside scoop on the town.

Sarah Schmidt-aka-the Honky Tonk Foodie, fled the corporate realm to become a freelance writer and editor. Reared in small-town South Texas to a blaring Willie Nelson record, a tortilla in one hand, and an eye on the horizon, this multi-generational Texan rears shrimp, collects Beatrix Potter pieces, and likes to see if her husband can guess the secret ingredient.

Sonia Ramirez was born and raised in Houston, Texas but she loves visiting the Hill Country and spending time with family there when she can. She holds a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Houston and has worked in all areas of media from print, television and radio. Her greatest joy is writing and had her first article published when she was 19. In her career she has had the pleasure to set up events with such folks as Broadcast Journalist and Author-John Quiñones, Actress and Philanthropist-Eva Longoria, and Congressman Joaquin Castro. She enjoys traveling with her daughter and taking photos as a hobby and hopes to continue writing stories that touch people’s hearts. Her long time goal is to become a full time writer and inspire others to believe that with God all things are possible and dreams can become the doors that open a world of amazing beauty waiting to bless us.

Spring Sault is the Senior Writer for Texas Hill Country and Editor-in-Chief of her own publication Ranch & Reserve Magazine. She has strong interests in all things country and western and coupled with her own Mohawk lineage, that makes her the perfect contradiction (cowboys…Indians…). She grew up in small-town, northern Ontario, Canada and presently hails from a First Nation territory in southern Ontario, where she has lived for approximately 25 years. Her favorite topics consist of wineries (anything wine-related, really), real country music and the artists that play it, and travel/tourism in the North American west.