Podcasts
The Great Virus, endless civil war and a collapse of the global order called the Breakdown. She’s forced by circumstances to ally with a nomadic photographer. His gentle decency moves her to the core, but her mission leads her away from the man she’s falling in love with and toward a confrontation with the people who hold her sister. To defeat them, she’ll need the help of the powerful Nations, a league of indigenous tribes. But there’s a problem. The Nations consider Deirdre a deadly enemy. They've even given her a nickname that signifies their grudging respect for this ferocious adversary: Crazy Hawk. “America at times feels like it is at a breaking point, or at least at a moment where it is divided and tested,” notes Stewart. “I address those fears and passions when drawing the world in this book. The future is not yet determined, but for some, it can seem a dark, violent place.”
In this post-apocalyptic, dystopian thriller, Crazy Hawk, set 100 years into the future, author R.J. Stewart makes an explosive debut as a novelist. He is not new to writing, however. His 22-year Hollywood writing career, punctuated by his work for the ground-breaking television show, Xena: Princess Warrior, includes collaborating with multi-generational talent such as Kevin Costner, James Garner, Charlie Sheen and Pierce Brosnan. “After two decades writing in Hollywood, I took two decades off,” says Stewart. “But even as the world has changed over time, the qualities and virtues that inspire us, particularly resiliency, have not changed and I think my novel reflects that spirit.
This week, Ira spoke with R.J. Stewart, author of Crazy Hawk, a dystopian, post-apocalyptic thriller about a resilient and fierce woman named Deirdre. In this post-apocalyptic episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” R.J. talks about starting as a writer in Hollywood (but working first as a Teamster driver); writing for “Remington Steele”; how he became head writer of “Xena,Warrior Princess”; working with “Leading Man” types and appreciating star power; why he wasn’t star struck at first; why you can always say no to a movie, but there’s a limit to how many times you can say no to television; why he chose to write a book as opposed to a film or TV script; how he came up with the idea for the book; expecting a reaction from “woke” Hollywood for writing about a female lead; how long it took him to develop the lead character; how he was influenced by the death of his daughter; his unique writing schedule; why he likes to revise his work; and what he wants people to take away from reading his book.
R.J. Stewart - Crazy Hawk: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller. This is episode 696 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. R.J. Stewart, the author of the post-apocalyptic thriller, Crazy Hawk, is best known for developing, writing and producing Xena: Warrior Princess (starring Lucy Lawless), once the highest-rated television show in syndication. He started out as a teamster for nine years and a fledgling stage actor, until he got his first break, writing for the NBC romance detective drama starring Pierce Brosnan, Remington Steele. It would parlay into a 22-year Hollywood career that includes writing credits for movies The Rundown, starring Duane “The Rock” Johnson, Major League 2, starring Charlie Sheen, and television’s Cleopatra 2525. He also worked on projects with Kevin Costner, Rebecca De Mornay and James Garner.
Crazy Hawk is about a resilient and fierce woman, Deirdre, seeking to save her kidnapped sister while seeking revenge amidst a global landscape in ruin. Deirdre lives for one purpose: to get her sister back. If she needs to kill the kidnappers, no problem. She’s good at that. Riding her one-eyed Soul Horse, Danny, she relentlessly pursues the kidnappers through an America wrecked by the Great Virus, endless civil war and a collapse of the global order called the Breakdown. She’s forced by circumstances to ally with a nomadic photographer. His gentle decency moves her to the core, but her mission leads her away from the man she’s falling in love with and toward a confrontation with the people who hold her sister.
https://www.spreaker.com/episode/after-two-decades-in-hollywood-author-rj-stewart-is-in-your-imagination-with-crazy-hawk--60567884
R.J. Stewart spent more than 20 years as a writer and producer in Hollywood. He got his first break writing for the NBC romantic-detective drama, Remington Steele that starred Pierce Brosnan and Stephanie Zimbalist. He’s best known for developing, writing and producing Xena: Warrior Princess (starring Lucy Lawless), once the highest-rated television show in syndication. Among his other Hollywood credits are movies like The Rundown, starring Duane “The Rock” Johnson, Major League 2, starring Charlie Sheen, and the TV series Cleopatra 2525. He’s also worked on projects with Kevin Costner, Rebecca De Mornay and James Garner. Recently, R.J. published the terrific post-apocalyptic thriller, Crazy Hawk, which I’ve read and can tell you is a fantastically action-packed dystopian western set in an inhospitable American future. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Crazy Hawk, and highly recommend it to you.
RJ Stewart is an author and television writer who has worked in Hollywood for 22 years, working on Xena: Warrior Princess. He has been lauded by stars like Lucy Lawless for his writing Xena as a flawed person who struggled, but always made the right choices. RJ has also collaborated with Kevin Costner, James Garner, Charlie Sheen and Pierce Brosnan. He is promoting his new book, Crazy Hawk, set 100 years into the future.
Rich discusses the news of the day, including the manhunt for the killer of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson and President Elect Trump's defense of his cabinet pick to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth. Next, a conversation with R.J. Stewart, Hollywood writer and author of "Crazy Hawk: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller." Plus, a new study links mental health and leaded gasoline. We get thoughts on that and a spiritual approach on coping with depression from Dave Haberer, pastor and author of "How Did I Get Into This Pit?"
I recently went one-on-one with R.J. Stewart. R.J. is known for developing and writing the popular television show Xena: Warrior Princess. R.J. has written for a wide range of movies and television shows over the course of more than two decades, including The Rundown, Major League II, and Remington Steele. R.J. is the author of the new novel Crazy Hawk.