Bariso Press is a publishing imprint established by Preston Lewis and Harriet Kocher Lewis in 2021 to publish nonfiction and fiction works for readers of all ages. The nonfiction books cover little known aspects of Old West and Texas history. The fictional works focus on the American West of the 19th century.
Author and historian Preston Lewis has published more than 50 fiction and nonfiction works with national and regional publishers. The versatile author’s books include traditional westerns, historical novels, comic westerns, young adult books, and historical accounts. In 2021 he was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters for his literary accomplishments.
His writing honors include two Spur Awards from Western Writers of America and three Elmer Kelton Awards from the West Texas Historical Association. He has received ten Will Rogers Medallion Awards for western humor, short stories, traditional westerns and nonfiction articles. In 2024 he earned an inaugural Literary Global Independent Author Award in the Western Nonfiction category for Cat Tales of the Old West as well as two finalist designations in the IAA’s Memoir and Humor categories.
Lewis is a past president of Western Writers of America and the West Texas Historical Association, which named him a fellow in 2016. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University and a master’s degree from Ohio State University, both in journalism. He holds a second master’s degree in history from Angelo State University.
Harriet Kocher Lewis is the award-winning editor and publisher of Bariso Press. Titles she has edited have been honored with Will Rogers Medallion Awards, Spur Finalist designations and Independent Author Awards. She is co-author with her husband of three books in the "Magic Machine Series" published by Bariso Press: Devotionals from a Soulless Machine; Jokes from a Humorless Machine; and Recipes from a Tasteless Machine.
A native Pennsylvanian, she graduated from State College High School. She has a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University in biology and physical therapy and a master’s degree from Texas Tech in kinesiology. She spent 26 years as a physical therapist in hospitals, outpatient clinics, nursing homes and home health. Lewis concluded her physical therapy career as the inaugural clinical coordinator for the physical therapy program at Angelo State University, where she wrote and edited numerous scientific papers as well as a chapter in a clinical education textbook.
She and Preston have been a team for more than 50 years after they met and married at Baylor University. They have a son and daughter plus four granddaughters and a grandson. Each summer Harriet organizes and hosts a summer camp for their five grandchildren. Preston and Harriet live in San Angelo, Texas.
