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Photo by Jessica Nohealapa’ahi
June 13, 2025
Author draws inspiration from Bandera County’s pioneer families for debut novel
By Jessica Nohealapa’ahi
The Bandera Prophet
The Frontier Times Museum hosted author J.E. Weiner on Thursday, during which she introduced her debut novel, The Wretched and Undone, a Southern Gothic tale that begins and ends at the Bandera museum, spanning from the Civil War to 1987.
Weiner, of California, said she drew her inspiration from the rich history of Bandera County, which she said she researched extensively in an effort to capture as much authenticity as she could.
Incorporating names she read on a marker and tombstones at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, Weiner wove the actual names of parish founders and other Bandera County families into an historical fiction threaded with the supernatural. The book’s title is derived from an 1860s Christian hymn.
It’s about immigrants fleeing oppression in their own countries during the turn of the 20th century, only to arrive in the midst of the Civil War, Weiner said, adding the story is also about the “power of faith and family,” as well as a recognition that “there are forces out there beyond our control.”
“Everyone has two paths,” Weiner said. “When something horrible happens…do you buckle and become incapacitated…or do you pick yourself up and move forward?”
The book is available at https://www.amazon.com/Wretched-Undone-J-Weiner/dp/1963452100; https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-wretched-and-undone-j-e-weiner/22069189?ean=9781963452112&next=t&affiliate=7080; and https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222234593-the-wretched-and-undone
Weiner, of California, said she drew her inspiration from the rich history of Bandera County, which she said she researched extensively in an effort to capture as much authenticity as she could.
Incorporating names she read on a marker and tombstones at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, Weiner wove the actual names of parish founders and other Bandera County families into an historical fiction threaded with the supernatural. The book’s title is derived from an 1860s Christian hymn.
It’s about immigrants fleeing oppression in their own countries during the turn of the 20th century, only to arrive in the midst of the Civil War, Weiner said, adding the story is also about the “power of faith and family,” as well as a recognition that “there are forces out there beyond our control.”
“Everyone has two paths,” Weiner said. “When something horrible happens…do you buckle and become incapacitated…or do you pick yourself up and move forward?”
The book is available at https://www.amazon.com/Wretched-Undone-J-Weiner/dp/1963452100; https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-wretched-and-undone-j-e-weiner/22069189?ean=9781963452112&next=t&affiliate=7080; and https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222234593-the-wretched-and-undone