Featured Review

John Hood: “Although my novel has many non-human characters, I actually use them to  illustrate the inescapable realities of human nature. We are all fallen  creatures. We yield to temptation.”

John Hood: “There are many explanations for fairy belief. It’s reassuring to believe good and bad events aren’t just random.  That powerful forces are at work, magical forces to be tapped or propitiated.”

John Hood: “Ideas do have consequences. But they are contingent on factors beyond the substance and  soundness of the ideas themselves. Human beings aren’t calculating machines. We're storytellers.”

John Hood: “We need histories, novels, films, music, and art that embrace a common American creed, that celebrate its inspiring past & boundless future. We need more stories of heroic Americans.”

John Hood: “We should make greater use of fiction to teach fact. Weaving historical content into fiction with strong characters and compelling plots makes it easier for readers to recall and interpret facts.”

In this column for dozens of newspapers, author John Hood describes the book’s themes by referring his days in 4-H. The four “H”s in Mountain Folk include history, heroes, heritage, and human nature.

John Hood: “To broaden and deepen our understanding of our country’s rich history need not harm America’s founding principles or national  unity. It need not result in canceled heroes.”

Pilot Mountain, a key setting for Mountain Folk, is just a few miles from the town that inspired the Mayberry of “The Andy Griffith Show.” Its devotion to timeless moral truths continues to draw many fans.

During this 15-minute appearance, John Hood relates how he turned from history-writing to fiction-writing as a way of celebrating America’s best traditions of freedom, community, and tolerance.

This story — broadcast on Fox 8 and other TV stations — describes John Hood’s use of original videos to promote Mountain Folk characters, themes and settings, such as the Great Philadelphia Wagon Road.

On this edition of John Miller’s popular show, John Hood describes the genesis of Mountain Folk — and explains how characters from folklore and epic fantasy can convey important historical truths.

During this 15-minute interview with CJ host Mitch Kokai, John Hood cites the examples of Animal Farm, Brave New World, and The Lord of the Rings to show how fiction can depict abuses of power.

In this hourlong show, John Hood talks about researching Mountain Folk, using fiction to explore historical themes, and the monsters from European & Native American folklore featured in the book. 

Mountain Folk author John Hood joins two other novelists to discuss the use of historical fiction to explore key topics — including, in Hood’s case, the enduring lessons of the American Revolution.

In this 17-minute appearance on Tom Lamprecht’s radio show, John Hood talks about his transition from nonfiction to fiction and his use of folklore magic to depict key moments in American history.