You May Know Her Singing Sisters, but This “Chick” Has Found Her Own Voice
From waking up before dawn to write historical fiction to sharing real-life family ghost encounters, novelist J.E. Weiner is paving her own creative path. We talked to her about her debut book, "The Wretched and Undone," her Southern literary inspirations, and her deep love for the Lone Star State. Image: Jim Gensheimer
J.E. Weiner comes from a long line of creative storytellers (her sisters Emily Strayer and Martie Maguire make up 2/3 of the Grammy Award-winning band The Chicks), but rather than set her words to music, she puts them on the page. The native Texan’s debut novel, The Wretched and Undone, is a work of sweeping historical fiction that was named a 2026 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award Finalist for “Best Southern Gothic” (among other recognitions). We caught up with this Stanford University executive to talk writing, “ghost magnets,” and where to find the best margarita in Dallas!
You grew up in a creative family of storytellers. How did that environment shape your world?
My childhood home swirled with stories and music. My father was the king of the tall tale — every story told and retold with a twinkle in his eye. My mother was an English teacher and a violinist who always found a moment to play. My sisters and I wrote and illustrated stories in blank books Mom made from scrap paper, and had to take music lessons and perform for any guest who wandered through the door.
We complained about those impromptu concerts — but not-so-secretly liked to perform. We spent our weekends and summers reenacting Little House on the Prairie in the backyard, solving Nancy Drew mysteries in the attic, or putting on concerts with wooden spoons for microphones. As the oldest and the bossiest, I was always Laura Ingalls, always Nancy, and, ironically, always the lead singer.
Eventually, my music teachers gave up on me, and I went off to debate camp, while my sisters started a bluegrass band, The Blue Night Express. The rest is history for them. As for me, I followed a quieter creative path. But we all still love a good story, good music, and a good show.
You’ve enjoyed a long and successful career as Senior Associate Vice President for Medical Center Development at Stanford University. What made you decide to tackle a novel?
Honestly, my debut novel and writing, in general, tackled me. People often ask how I find the time to write with a full-time job. But that’s like asking how I find the time to breathe. I just do it — mostly from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. Writing keeps me curious, emotionally honest, and more whole.
What was your inspiration behind The Wretched and Undone?
The Wretched and Undone draws on many truths and real stories from historical records, memoirs, and family oral histories — but one lit the fuse. Visiting my sister’s cattle ranch on the Medina River, she told me about a woman in white who haunted the property — floating across the yard, peering in windows, silently begging sleepy guests for help. Who was she? What happened to her? Why won’t she leave? I had to find out. Cue my decision to write this book — this was a story worth telling.
In the book credits, you mention that you and the women in your family are “ghost magnets.” What do you mean by that?
Every summer, at my grandparents’ Pennsylvania farm, my sisters and I were never quite alone in the third-floor bedroom we shared. Disembodied footsteps, taps on our toes, and strange smells were common occurrences. As adults, each of us kept having strange encounters we could not explain — some benign, some not. We started to wonder: Is it just us?
One badly shook me during a college visit back to the farm, and when I finally told my grandmother, she said, “Oh, that’s just Old Man Mummert. Tell him to leave. That’s what I do.” It turned out she had also tangled with that randy old Mummert, and since then, I’ve discovered aunts, cousins, and others have, too. So, it’s not just my sisters and me.
How do you stay true to your Southern roots in California, and what do you miss most about the South?
I call it blissful exile, but my heart remains bound to the Great State of Texas, through family, friends, and the stories I write — stories that haunt me, confound me, inspire me, and make me laugh. What I miss most is the unapologetic tall tale and straight talk. We tend to walk on a few more eggshells out on the West Coast.
What do you do to get out of your head and decompress?
I love to hike along the California coast. The crashing waves drown out the noise in my head, the cold salt spray jump-starts my creative synapses, and the rugged beauty resets my visual brain.
If you took a West Coast friend to Dallas for the first time, what would the itinerary look like?
We’d start with a cheese Danish from Stein’s Bakery, then jump down to Deep Ellum for a caffeine infusion at Merit Coffee Co. Then we’d walk off the cheese Danish, touring amazing street murals and public art installations before the day gets too hot.
Next stop: the Dallas Museum of Art and its postwar and contemporary art exhibition, and some air conditioning. From there, beers and the tail end of game day at the Barley House with friends, then Mi Cocina in Highland Park Village for the best margaritas in town. Last but not least, we’d cap off the night with live music at Poor David’s Pub.
What are three things you can’t live without?
Red wine, coffee, and funny people.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
The best writing advice came from Michael Crichton, author of Jurassic Park, among many other works: “Books aren’t written — they’re rewritten.” And in the life lane, a couple of nuggets of wisdom from my grandmother and mother have served me well: Always make your bed and do your hair every day.
What is one thing people would be surprised to learn about you?
My first career ambition was to be a forensic pathologist, thanks to late nights watching Quincy, M.E. reruns with my father. The show featured Jack Klugman as a Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-turned-crime fighter, who got the bad guy one gross — and pretty graphic — autopsy at a time. More weird than surprising, but true.
Are you planning a second novel?
I will be querying my second novel later this fall, shifting gears genre-wise but staying gritty and dark. It is a historical thriller inspired by the murder of eight men by a Confederate Army patrol on the outskirts of Bandera, Texas, in July 1863, and a ninth, a boy, released home to bear witness with his last breath.
His mother must confront her grief and the refusal of the community to hold the perpetrators accountable, revealing there are no depths to which a woman bereaved and aggrieved will descend to wreak her vengeance. Stay tuned!
LIGHTNING ROUND
What book(s) are currently on your nightstand? Just finished The Antidote by Karen Russell (gotta love a prairie witch). Currently devouring The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones. Up next: Gary Shteyngart’s Vera, or Faith (I’m going to need a good belly laugh after Jones).
What is your favorite restaurant to hit up when you are back in the Lone Star State? A healthy dose of Tex-Mex is always a must. El Chaparral in Helotes, Texas, is a family fave.
Texas Hill Country or Texas coast? Texas Hill Country. I am still not cool enough for South Padre Island.
If you could describe yourself in three words, what would they be? Curious, dogged, droll.
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Bonny Osterhage
Bonny Osterhage is a professional journalist with more than 25 years of experience in both print and digital media. An avid fitness fanatic, when she isn't exploring the next trending topic, Bonny can be found cycling, running, and leading classes at SolidCore. Find more of her work at Mind Body Green, The List, Business Insider, and more.
