Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers: Recent Episodes
Mark Stevens
Interviews with fiction writers, teachers, and members of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers (RMFW).
Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization dedicated to supporting, encouraging, and educating writers seeking publication in commercial fiction.
Paul Martz is an award-winning science fiction author, technology blogger, and former punk rock drummer. At age six, he saw 2001: A Space Odyssey on the big screen, which lead him to a collection of Arthur C. Clarke’s short stories and a lifelong insatiable appetite for mind-bending science fiction. His short stories can be found at Amazing Stories, Uncharted Magazine, Creepy Podcast, and many others.
Paul is totally blind, but losing his eyesight hasn’t slowed him down. He co-edited last year’s RMFW anthology, Without Brakes, Fingers Crossed. And he competes in Rubik’s Cube speedsolving competitions. His new non-fiction book, Solve It! The Only Speedsolving Guide for Blind Cubers, has just been released.
Paul lives in Erie, Colorado, where he sips lattes while the snow sublimates.
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Host Mark Stevens
www.writermarkstevens.com
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Andrea Catalano is a historical novelist who holds a master of philosophy in historical studies degree from University of Cambridge, UK. Originally from the Boston area, she currently lives in Texas with her husband, children, two fluffy cats, and many, many books. Andrea's debut novel, The First Witch of Boston, comes out in September after years and years of honing her craft.
Find her online at www.andreacatalanoauthor.com.
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Host Mark Stevens
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Gabriella Batel is a vibrant young Catholic woman with an adrenaline craving and a passion for God, family, acting, movies, fanart, YA, and good food. Of course, she's also a writer and archivist of dark fantasy and thrills, including the highly praised Don’t YA thriller series, the upcoming dark fantasy mystery Ending, and the prize-winning post-apocalyptic fantasy story “Antivenom.”
Batel is the founder of Bonepiercer Media, where she was the fiery audio narrator of Mary Rose Kreger’s award-winning story “Fiona’s Choice”; and she is a mentor at LegendFiction, where she uses her degree in English Writing, Rhetoric, and Technology and experience in the trenches of indie publishing to help new indie authors make their stories shine and sing.
https://www.gabriellabatel.com/
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Host Mark Stevens
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https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8&si=yl_seG5S4soyk216
Mariko Tatsumoto is an award-winning author of Adult, Middle Grade, Young Adult novels that explore Japanese history, culture, and adventure. Her books have earned eight literary honors, including the Freeman Book Awards, the Paterson Prize for Books for Young People, and Colorado Gold Award. Born in Japan and raised in the U.S. from the age of eight, she became the first Asian woman attorney admitted to the Colorado Bar. In addition to fiction, she coaches aspiring writers the craft of writing through her writing handbook. On the podcast, we talk about the narrative impact of a character’s death in fiction.
More at:
marikotatsumoto.com
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Host Mark Stevens
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Bowen Gillings writes to keep fiction fun. Known for his thrillers and fantasy fiction laced with snark, wit, and characters you could share a beer with, Bowen’s quirky, offbeat style “boggles the genre mind.” He loves giving back to fellow writers through media engagement and by leading workshops on the craft, business, and lifestyle of writing. He holds a Master of Education, five martial arts black belt certifications, and is an Army veteran. Travel enthusiast, lover of the outdoors, and habitual volunteer, Bowen’s secret joys include quiet moments by the fireplace and cooking big meals for family and friends. On the podcast this time we chat about one of the writing workshops that Bowen frequently offers - how to write a fight scene.
Find out more at storiesbybowen.com
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Host Mark Stevens
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Melissa George is a proud member of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and resides in the peaceful mountain town of Estes Park. She has an MPH and enjoys exploring aspects of disaster management, which she incorporates into her dystopian writing.
When Melissa isn't writing, she loves to spend her time running, biking, and kickboxing. She's a proud graduate of the University of Missouri Track and Field program, where she currently holds the school record for the 3,000m steeplechase. Following collegiate athletics, she pursued running on the professional level with the Roots Running Project for two years. Outside of sports, she loves to spend her time with her husband and their three tortoiseshell cats: Katniss, Primrose, and Navi.
More: Melissageorgebooks.com
Instagram: @melissageorgebooks
TikTok is @melissageorgebooks
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/share/18geycAbGs/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Substack:
https://substack.com/@melissageorgebooks?r=2zlguc&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=profile
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Host Mark Stevens
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Leah Naess is a retired technical writer and instructional designer who published Redemption: A Jo Walker Mystery for her friend and writing critique group member, the deceased Karen Starkins. Leah has written and produced two short films, written two novels, drafted two feature-length films, and, with friends, researched and drafted a non-fiction historical account of the Denver Artists Guild.
More
https://karenstarkins.com/
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Host Mark Stevens
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Jenny Dandy is a graduate of Smith College and of Lighthouse Writers Workshop Book Project. Though she has lived and worked from Beijing to Baltimore, from Northampton to Atlanta, it was New York that held onto a piece of her heart. She now lives and writes in the Rocky Mountains where she would never lift a wallet or scam her dinner guests. On the podcats, Jenny talks about her debut novel, The Brownstone on E. 83rd.
More: www.jennydandy.com
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Host Mark Stevens www.writermarkstevens.com
Watch these interviews on YouTube (and subscribe)! https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8&si=yl_seG5S4soyk216
Bryan Canter is an author, independent publishing consultant, and retired Army officer with overseas tours in Iraq, Korea, and Okinawa. Bryan helps authors navigate the complex world of independent publishing as a book and audiobook publishing consultant for My Word Publishing out of Denver. Additionally, he is an Amazon Ads specialist with the Successful Writer Marketplace. As an international speaker and educator, Bryan has addressed large groups and conducted training seminars in venues across the USA, Nicaragua, India, Scotland, the Middle East, and Japan. Bryan lives full-time in a motorhome with his wife, Dawn, visiting historic sites and enjoying the amazing natural beauty of the United States. This time on the podcast, Bryan takes offers a reality check for first-time authors.
https://www.mywordpublishing.com
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Host Mark Stevens:
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Watch these interviews on YouTube (and subscribe)! https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8&si=yl_seG5S4soyk216
Kate Jonuska is an author, freelance writer and yoga teacher based in Boulder, CO. Her short fiction was nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and her first novel, Transference, was a finalist for the BookLife Prize. She's also the author of The Dictionary of Fiction Critique, now in its second edition. Kate is a longtime organizer of yoga sessions at RMFW’s Colorado Gold conference and this time on the podcast we talk about a yoga and writing retreat opportunity she is heading up that will take place later this summer. In France.
NOTE: Early bird prices available ONLY through March 1 for Kate’s July retreat.
https://curatedyogaretreats.wetravel.com/trips/where-body-meets-creative-soul-with-kate-jonuska-curated-yoga-retreats-84333548
More about Kate:
http://katejonuska.com.
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Host Mark Stevens
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https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8&si=yl_seG5S4soyk216
Lisa C. Taylor is the author of the novel, The Shape of What Remains, three poetry collections, most recently Interrogation of Morning (2022) and two short story collections, most recently Impossibly Small Spaces (2018). Her honors include the Hugo House New Fiction Award and Pushcart nominations in fiction and poetry and Best-of-the Net nominations in both categories. Her poetry collaboration with Irish writer Geraldine Mills, The Other Side of Longing received the Elizabeth Shanley Gerson Honor at University of Connecticut. Lisa holds an MFA in Creative Writing and she is the co-director of the Mesa Verde Writers Conference and Literary Festival. She is also a board member for Four Corners Writers and the Mancos Creative District. Lisa has received writing residencies from Vermont Studio Center, Willowtail Springs, and Tyrone Guthrie Centre in Ireland. She teaches writing online and offers workshops around the country.
More:
https://www.lisactaylor.com/
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Host Mark Stevens
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Bill Liggett writes fiction that blends behavioral and earth sciences in the recent cli-fi (climate fiction) literary genre. His goal is to paint a hopeful future based on solutions to global warming. He holds a BS in geology and an MA in education, both from Stanford University, and a PhD in applied social psychology from New York University. Among the many positions he has held over the years, he taught in high school and college, conducted behavioral science studies for IBM, and consulted with health care and educational organizations. Wherever he lives, he loves being outdoors. Home for him has included the West Coast, East Coast, Alaska, and now Colorado, the state of his childhood. He and his wife, Cathy, live in Niwot, Colorado.
For more information, visit his website: www.williamliggett.com
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Host Mark Stevens
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Josh Clark is a writer, graphic designer, and bookseller. He is a writer of genre fiction for adults and young adults. His short fiction has been published Pikes Peak Writers, Black Hare Press, The Lunatics Project Podcast, and many others. Since 2018, Josh has worked at two of Colorado’s premier bookstores as a bookseller, backlist buyer, and head of the shipping and receiving department. Josh has served in key roles for various writing organizations over the years, such as
Speaker’s Coordinator for Pueblo West Writers, Query Coordinator for Pikes Peak Writers, and as a judge for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Gold Rush Contest. He has presented workshops
for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and Pueblo West Writers.
Prior to working in the indie bookstore world, Josh worked full time as a graphic designer at the Professional Bull Riders, a local newspaper, an automotive advertising agency, and as a freelancer. His life is filled with words professionally and recreationally, so if he’s not writing or reading you’re likely to find him at author events, science fiction conventions, writing conferences, or out in nature brainstorming his next novel.
Follow Josh:
Bluesky: joshofclark.bsky.social
Instagram: josh_of_clark
X:@joshofclark
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Host Mark Stevens
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Scott Graham is the National Outdoor Book Award-winning author of the National Park Mystery Series, published by Torrey House Press. A special 10th Anniversary Edition of book one in the series, Grand Canyon Sacrifice, featuring a foreword by Anne Hillerman, will be released March 25, 2025. Death Valley Duel, book nine in the series, was released in June 2024.
Scott’s critically acclaimed mysteries feature archaeologist Chuck Bender and his family as they encounter villainous intrigue in America’s iconic western national parks, illuminating environmental and social justice issues specific to the parks along the way. Upon its debut, William Kent Krueger praised Grand Canyon Sacrifice as “engrossing…a topnotch read,” and Nina de Gramont called Death Valley Duel “a taut, smart, and propulsive thriller.”
Scott is an avid outdoors person and advocate for public lands who lives with his wife, an emergency physician, in Durango, Colorado. In addition to his mysteries, Scott is the author of five nonfiction books. He has worked as a newspaper reporter, magazine editor, radio disk jockey, city councilor, and coal-shoveling fireman on the steam-powered Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.
More:
scottfranklingraham.com.
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Celina Thompson is basically a vampire. She is a disabled author with multiple invisible illnesses which cause sunlight to be painful, require blood transfusions, and even make garlic off limits. This serves as her inspiration. Before discovering her conditions, she worked in technical theatre and continues to have a deep appreciation for the arts. She loves immersing herself in telling a powerful story and transporting people to another world. Celina is a member of the Horror Writers Association & Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers (RMFW). Currently she is the chair for the RMFW Colorado Gold Writers Conference and on the podcast we get a sneak peek at some of the improvements and key announcements about what’s being planned for the conference this coming September.
More about Celina:
bit.ly/m/AuthorCT
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Host Mark Stevens
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Kathryn Eastburn the editor and publisher of five-month-old Rocky Mountain Reader. She is an award-winning Colorado journalist. She co-founded the Colorado Springs Independent in the early 1990s and is the published author of two books of nonfiction. She has taught journalism at The Colorado College and creative nonfiction writing at Lighthouse Writers Workshop. Eastburn holds a BA in English from the University of Hawaii and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction Writing from Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky. When she’s not writing or editing, she can be found in the garden getting dirt between her toes.
More:
rockymountainreader.org
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Nancy Houser-Bluhm now hails from Michigan after living in the Colorado foothills for 26 years with her husband, various pets, and many, many trees. When she retired from a full-time career as a Speech Pathologist, report writing was replaced with creative projects-novels, short stories, and inspired poems. Nancy shifted reader’s thinking about the earth’s soil with her debut novel, Whispers for Terra. Her second novel, The Nickel Loop released in July 2024. Nancy enjoys being carried away by a good story while given cause to ponder some aspect of our existence.
More:
www.nancyhouserbluhm.com
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This time on a quick bonus episode of the Rocky Mountain Writer podcast, a chat with Sue Hinkin of Rocky Mountain Mystery Writers of America about the 2nd Annual Rocky Mountain Virtual Con, a FREE conference for all writers being held on Saturday, Feb. 8 via Zoom.
Sue Hinkin is the author of the award-winning thriller series, The Vega & Middleton Novels, featuring the investigative team of Los Angeles TV news journalist Bea Jackson and best friend, photographer Lucy Vega. BestThrillers.com called Lucy and Bea one of the top female detectives of 2023. A former Cinematography Fellow at the American Film Institute, Hinkin was a TV news photographer like her character, Lucy. Now living in Colorado, she was voted Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Writer of the Year.
Complete details about 2nd Annual Rocky Mountain Virtual Con - and to register, for free - are at rmmwa.org
Schedule for Virtual Con:
SCHEDULE: 10-10:55 AM CRAFT: The Power of Now The former President of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, Mark Stevens is the son of two librarians. Raised in Lincoln, Massachusetts, he has worked as a reporter, as a national television news producer and in public relations. Stevens is the author of acclaimed The Fireballer (Lake Union, 2023). He is also the author of the award-winning The Allison Coil Mystery Series including Antler Dust, Buried by the Roan, Trapline, Lake of Fire, and The Melancholy Howl. He has had short stories published by Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Mystery Tribune, and in Denver Noir (Akashic Books, 2022). Denver Noir went on to win the Colorado Book Award for Best Anthology in 2023. In 2016 and again in 2023, Stevens was named Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ Writer of the Year. He hosts a regular podcast for that organization. Stevens also publishes reviews for the New York Journal of Books, Four Corners Free Press, and on his review website. He lives in Mancos, Colorado. Learn more at www.writermarkstevens.com
11-11:55 AM Book Marketing Strategies: What Publishers and Authors Say What Works NowBestThrillers.com founder Bella Wright and Staff How are publishers, writers and publicists marketing their books right now? What are the most valuable formats, services and channels? To find out, we reached out to hundreds of authors, publishers and publicists involved in creating and promoting mystery and thriller books. There are quite a few surprises in our BestThrillers.com Book Marketing Survey. You’ll earn about what we found. See more at www.BestThrillers.com
LUNCH BREAK
1-1:55PM CRIMINAL MISCHIEF: THE LATEST IN FORENSIC SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DP Lyle, MD, is the Amazon #1 Bestselling; Macavity and Benjamin Franklin Silver Award winning; and Edgar (2), Shamus, Agatha, Anthony, Scribe, Silver Falchion, USA Today Best Book Award (2), and Foreward INDIES Book of the Year nominated author of 25 books, both non-fiction and fiction, including the SAMANTHA CODY, DUB WALKER, JAKE LONGLY, and CAIN/HARPER thriller series, and the ROYAL PAINS media tie-in novels. His forensic science books (FORENSICS FOR DUMMIES, HOWDUNNIT:FORENSICS) and his very popular Q& A Series (MURDER AND MAYHEM, FORENSICS AND FICTION, MORE FORENSICS AND FICTION) are published worldwide. See more at www.dplylemd.com
2-2:55PM Writers LIFE: Anne Hillerman New York Times best-selling author Anne Hillerman’s debut novel, Spider Woman’s Daughter, received the Western Writers Spur Award as best first novel.\That book and the six novels that followed were all New York Times best sellers. Her ninth mystery, Lost Birds was launched April 23, 2024 and the tenth book in the series is due for release in 2025. Her mysteries continue the Navajo detective stories her father Tony Hillerman made popular. Anne has also been involved in script development for the AMC TV show, Dark Winds, featuring Joe Leaphorn, Jim Chee and Bernadette Manuelito. When she’s not working, Anne likes to read, cook, ski and travel. She lives in Santa Fe and Tucson with frequent trips to the Navajo Nation. Learn more at www.annehillerman.com
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Host Mark Stevens
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Rachel Delaney Craft is a travel writer by day and storyteller by night. Her work has appeared in publications such as Cricket, Uncharted, and Cast of Wonders, and she co-edited the anthology Wild: Uncivilized Tales from Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. Her most recent novel won the Colorado Gold Rush Literary Award and was shortlisted for the Searchlight Writing for Children Award and Voyage YA First Chapter Contest. She lives and writes in Colorado with her husband, two dogs, and a succulent collection that is slowly taking over her house. Learn more about her at racheldelaneycraft.com, or connect with her on X and Bluesky @RDCwrites.
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Host Mark Stevens
www.writermarkstevens.com
Watch these interviews on YouTube (and subscribe)!
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8&si=yl_seG5S4soyk216
Bryan Canter is an author, independent publishing consultant, and retired Army officer with overseas tours in Iraq, Korea, and Okinawa.
Bryan helps authors navigate the complex world of independent publishing as a book and audiobook publishing consultant for My Word Publishing out of Denver. Additionally, he is an Amazon Ads specialist with the Successful Writer Marketplace. As an international speaker and educator, Bryan has addressed large groups and conducted training seminars in venues across the USA, Nicaragua, India, Scotland, the Middle East, and Japan. Bryan lives full-time in a motorhome with his wife, Dawn, visiting historic sites and enjoying the amazing natural beauty of the United States. This time on the podcast, Bryan takes on a deep dive for authors on the best way to run advertising campaigns on Amazon
https://www.mywordpublishing.com/
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Host Mark Stevens
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This time on the podcast, I’m joined by my two co-editors on a brand new anthology called Four Corners Voices - Stories, Poetry, Essays. The collection is a production of the new nonprofit Four Corners Writers, an organization based in Cortez. The volume includes 24 poems, 13 essays, and 12 short stories that were selected following a submission process in the Summer of 2024. Chuck Greaves edited the short stories, Lisa C. Taylor edited the poetry, and I had the chance to edit the essays. Chuck and Lisa each introduce themselves on the podcast, but please visit chuckgreaves.com and lisactaylor.com. The anthology is available wherever books are sold, but also feel free to visit fourcornerswriters.com and click on the anthology tab.
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Host Mark Stevens
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Living just west of the Continental Divide, in the traditional homeland of Shoshone and Bannock peoples, sid sibo has won the Neltje Blanchan Memorial Writing Award, and has work selected for the Best Small Fictions 2022 anthology, along with excerpts highlighted in the craft book Reader Centered Writing. Bison Books published a debut novel, The Scent of Distant Family, in 2024. Published stories can be found in the charity anthology Maine Character Energy, honoring victims of the 2023 mass shooting in Maine, as well as Fourth River (Tributaries), The Hopper, Orca, The Literary Hatchet, Cutthroat, Cardinal Sins and Brilliant Flash Fiction, among others. Positive news about people and planet can be found on the Acoustic Burro blog at sidsibo.com.
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Ann Lowry, Ph.D. is an author and expert in human interaction. Her debut novel, The Blue Trunk, was inspired by the discovery of a family heirloom—a travel trunk from Norway. Ann’s writing dives deep into the complexities of relationships, conflict, and the human condition. Reviewers have noted that she provides sharp social commentary in her writing. She has made significant contributions to academic journals, authored insightful opinion pieces, and crafted content for various platforms, including Writer’s Digest, Women’s Writers/Women’s Fiction, and Girl Talk HQ. She’s also appeared on several podcasts and has been interviewed on television and radio discussing genealogy research and the treatment of mentally ill patients in the early 1900’s.
When not writing, Ann enjoys a range of activities, from swimming and golfing to baking cookies and bread. She treasures moments with her therapy dog, Loki, and cherishes time with her family. She is always eager to explore new adventures in life and storytelling. Ann lives in Timnath, Colorado.
More:
www.annlowry.com
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Host Mark Stevens
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Elizabeth Devecchi spent her formative years in Rhode Island, setting out after high school to travel and gather degrees. She writes in a variety of genres and styles, but lately has focused on horror. Her debut horror novel, A Whisper in the Dark, was released by Wicked House Publishing in October, 2024.
Other recent releases include: “Oh, Brother,” found in Volume II of Black Spot Books’s annual women in horror poetry showcase, Under Her Eye (November 2023); a recipe accompanied by a flash fiction story in Nightmare Fueled Inc’s anthology Cooks of Horror (August 2024); and horror poem “In the Belly of the Mills,” which appears in the anthology Monsters in the Mills, launched at NecromoniCon in Providence, RI (August 2024).
Upcoming releases include: “A Corporate Family,” a tech-gone-wrong horror short which will appear in Rabid Otter Horror’s anthology Error Code this November; short horror story “Open House,” to appear in a Running Wild Press anthology in 2025; and debut thriller/suspense novel, A Twist of the Lens, to be published by Wicked House Publishing in 2025.
Elizabeth is a member of the Horror Writer’s Association, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Castle Rock Writers, and the Italian American Writers Association. She currently resides in Parker, Colorado with her husband, children, and an ever-changing menagerie of pets and “guest creatures.”
For more info: elizabethdevecchi.com
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Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Host Mark Stevens
www.writermarkstevens.com
Jason always wanted to be a writer, he just didn’t know it. He grew up in Southern California and taught high school social studies after college until he got married and moved to Denver in 2004. He continued in education and earned an MA in History, until he realized his heart was in fiction. Since 2012 Jason has had over a dozen short stories and essays published, ran an online magazine, and became a regular panelist at local conventions. He blogs regularly on his own website and newsletter. The Whimsycon Anthology was published March 2nd, 2018, giving Jason his first editorial credit. His debut novel, The Gallowglass, was published in July of 2019 Jason’s latest novel, The Righteous and The Damned, is being published this month.
More:
https://jasonhenryevans.com
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Host Mark Stevens
www.writermarkstevens.com
Watch these interviews on YouTube (and subscribe)!
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8&si=yl_seG5S4soyk216
Over a 30-year Air Force career, author Cam Torrens delivered combat supplies and personnel across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He piloted the first mobility aircraft into Iraq during the Iraq War, served as the United States Air Attaché at the US Embassy in Beijing, China, and spent four years as the Professor of Aerospace Studies at Virginia Tech. Cam is proud graduate of the Class of 1984 at Montesano High School.
A father of six, Cam and his spouse live in Buena Vista, Colorado where he serves as the Vice President of the Central Colorado Writers, volunteers with the Chaffee County Search & Rescue team, and chairs the board for the Buena Vista Public Library.
He’s admittedly weird—he likes to count things, like consecutive days running, books read, hiking miles, tennis/pickleball/ping pong matches, jacuzzi use, and so on. Cam will release a prequel to his Tyler Zahn Series, Damaged, in February 2025.
More:
https://camtorrens.com/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Host Mark Stevens
www.writermarkstevens.com
Watch these interviews on YouTube (and subscribe)!
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8&si=yl_seG5S4soyk216
Kevin Wolf is an award-winning Mystery and Western author. His books include Trailridge (2024), The Homeplace, winner of the 2015 Tony Hillerman Prize and the 2016 Strand Critics Award finalist for Best Debut Mystery. His short story "Belthanger" received the 2021 Spur Award for Best Short Fiction and his novel, The Bootheel was a 2024 Peacemaker Award finalist.
The legends and landscape of the West are evident in everything he writes. His newest novel, Trailridge, is set against the grandeur of Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park and the 1982 Lawn Lake Flood. Those who have chosen the national park for their once-in-a-lifetime destination will recognize the mountains, valleys, rivers, and the twists and turns of Trailridge as this story races to its climax.
More: https://kevinwolfstoryteller.com/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis: https://mobygratis.com
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs: https://danosongs.com
Host Mark Stevens www.writermarkstevens.com
Watch these interviews on YouTube (and subscribe)!
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8&si=yl_seG5S4soyk216
Aimie K. Runyan writes to celebrate history’s unsung heroines. She has been honored as a Historical Novel Society Editors’ Choice selection, as a three-time finalist for the Colorado Book Awards, and as a nominee for the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer of the Year. Aimie is active as an educator and speaker in the writing community and beyond. Aimie lives in Colorado with her amazing husband, two (usually) adorable children, two (always) adorable kitties, and a dragon. Aimie’s latest novel, Mademoiselle Eiffel, was released last month.
More: https://aimiekrunyan.com/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Watch these interviews on YouTube (and subscribe)!
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8&si=yl_seG5S4soyk216
Host Mark Stevens
www.writermarkstevens.com
Cynthia Swanson is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the psychological suspense novels The Bookseller, The Glass Forest, and Anyone But Her. Cynthia is also the editor of the Colorado Book Award winning anthology Denver Noir. She lives with her family in Denver. Find Cynthia online at www.cynthiaswansonauthor.com and follow her on Facebook (Cynthia Swanson, Author), Instagram (cynswanauthor), and Threads (cynswanauthor).
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Host Mark Stevens
www.writermarkstevens.com
Maria Kelson has two collections of poetry (as Maria Melendez) with University of Arizona Press, which were finalists for the PEN Center USA Literary Award and the Colorado Book Award. Not the Killing Kind is her debut novel. It received the inaugural Eleanor Taylor Bland Award for Crime Fiction Writers of Color from Sisters in Crime.
A former Santa Fe Arts Institute and Hedgebrook resident, she has given readings and workshops at campuses and literary festivals around the U.S. and served as an American Voices arts envoy in Bogotá, Colombia. Born in Arizona, raised in northern California, she has lived in one southeastern, three midwestern, and five western states.
On the podcast, Maria talks about all the steps in preparing to launch her debut novel, due out on Sept. 10.
Connect at mariakelson.com.
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
David R. Slayton (He/Him) grew up in Guthrie, Oklahoma, where finding fantasy novels was pretty challenging and finding fantasy novels with diverse characters was downright impossible. Now he lives in Denver and writes the books he always wanted to read. His debut, White Trash Warlock, was a finalist for the Colorado Book Award. In 2015, David founded Trick or Read, an initiative to give out books along with candy to children on Halloween as well as uplift lesser-known authors or those from marginalized backgrounds. His latest release is Dark Moon, Shallow Sea, an epic fantasy, won the 2024 Colorado Book Award. His latest book, due out in October and the start of another new series, is called Rogue Community College.
Find him online at www.DavidRSlayton.com.
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Host Mark Stevens
www.writermarkstevens.com
Watch these interviews on YouTube (and subscribe)!
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8&si=yl_seG5S4soyk216
Should you spend big money to attend the big national conferences? Travis Tougaw recently attended his first, ThrillerFest in New York City, and he votes yes.
Earlier this year, Travis published his debut novel Foxholes followed by Captives — and his third novel, Last Call, comes out later this fall. Travis is a writer and editor. He has degrees in English from Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas, and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. An Air Force Veteran, Travis has worked in a variety of roles, including English teacher, employee educator, and health care administrator. He lives in Denver with his wife and children.
More:
https://travistougaw.com/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Host Mark Stevens
www.writermarkstevens.com
Watch these interviews on YouTube (and subscribe)!
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8&si=yl_seG5S4soyk216
Intro by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Jill Lynn is a two-time ACFW - that’s American Christian Fiction Writers - Carol Award winning author of inspirational romance for Harlequin Love Inspired and a co-author of the Selah Award winning nonfiction book of the year Just Show Up. She lives near the Colorado Rocky Mountains with her husband and two teenage children. Jill’s latest book, just out, is The Summer of Keeping Secrets.
More at https://www.jill-lynn.com/
Host Mark Stevens
www.writermarkstevens.com
Watch these interviews on YouTube (and subscribe)!
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8&si=yl_seG5S4soyk216
Intro by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
This time on the podcast we talk with writer Kirk Rafferty about his experiences in the querying trenches as he looks to find an agent for his novel, The Cosmonaut and The Fisherman.
Kirk Rafferty is a native Coloradan who has lived in many places worldwide but has always managed to return home. Kirk writes historical fiction and fantasy and is still looking for his first breakout novel. A former US Navy Cryptologist, Kirk loves reading and writing about Cold War-era intrigue, technology, and a wide variety of nerdy topics from dragons to starships. Kirk is a husband to a wonderful wife and father to four fantastic children. Validation from strangers on the internet is crucial to his mental health. You can connect with Kirk at http://kirkrafferty.com.
Host Mark Stevens
www.writermarkstevens.com
Watch these interviews on YouTube (and subscribe)!
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8&si=yl_seG5S4soyk216
Intro by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
This year at Colorado Gold in September, you can sign up for a special mentor session with one of nine mentors who will take time to work with you one-on-one and discuss any topic about writing and publishing under the sun. Well, there were originally nine mentors, but one mentor’s schedule is already full. The appointments cost only $40. You can schedule the mentor session as you register, but if you’ve already done so you can contact conference@rmfw.org and set it up. These are 30-minute “Ask Me Anything” appointments.
So, this time on the podcast - four of those mentors. Peggy Waide, Susan Brooks, Nick Thacker, and Kendra Griffin.
Peggy Waide is an Amazon Best selling author of Regency romances and romantic suspense. A RMFW member since 1995, she has served as Vice-President, PAL Rep and she’s run the Colorado Gold Conference twice. Peggy has worked with two excellent editors, had both a great and not-so-great agent, and participates in a long-time multi-genre critique group of eight authors that are traditionally and self-published. Peggy loves teaching craft and helping authors find their path. Since she's seen the industry change dramatically over the years, she has a wealth of knowledge to help authors with their writing career. kendragriffin.com
Susan Brooks is Editor-in-Chief at Literary Wanderlust, a small traditional publisher in Denver. She has many years of editorial experience and a master’s degree in publishing from George Washington University. She was on the board of directors for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and played many roles from 2009 to 2019. She has a passion for helping authors create great books. More at https://www.literarywanderlust.com/.
Nick Thacker is USA Today Bestselling Author, with over 40 thrillers published. Nick owns and operates Conundrum Publishing, Book Career In A Year, and runs the write/repeat workshops and writing intensives. In addition, Nick has built businesses for authors: Author.Email, the only email marketing platform for authors, and RadioWrite.com, the 24/7 writing inspiration radio platform. Nick is also currently the VP of Author Success with Draft2Digital, focusing on getting authors to the next level. More at https://www.nickthacker.com/
Kendra Griffin is an indie author, teacher, and developmental editor who has never met a good dog or a good underdog she didn’t fall in love with. She is addicted to writing (and reading) about quirky misfits, social inequality, and diverse ensemble casts. She recently published two novels in her dystopian young adult series: The Pox Ward and Apocalypse Thoughts. Kendra does developmental editing for Status Quill, and you can learn more about her at kendragriffin.com.
Host Mark Stevens
www.writermarkstevens.com
Watch these interviews on YouTube (and subscribe)!
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8&si=yl_seG5S4soyk216
Intro by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
This time on the podcast, a chat with Kate Jonuska and Connie Conolly-Bauldree, the co-chairs of the Colorado Gold conference coming right up at the end of September. To be precise, Sept. 27 through Sept. 28. As this year proves yet again, this a conference for writers that is always finding new approaches, new means of accessing the material. From the “one-day” pass to hybrid access to mentoring sessions and agent pitch appointments, this year’s Colorado Gold is guaranteed to be a winner.
Full of dark humor and deep characters, Kate Jonuska’s short fiction was nominated for a 2015 Pushcart Prize (“Desire Designed,” BROAD Magazine), and her first novel, Transference, was a Denver Post Staff Pick. She’s also the author of the Dictionary of Fiction Critique, edits and publishes anthologies, and serves as Conference Chair on the Board of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. Find out more at www.katejonuska.com.
Connie Connolly-Bauldree is a versatile author who delves into both fiction and non-fiction, employing a range of pen names and exploring various genres. She boasts a portfolio of self-published works and has previously been published by 5 Prince Publishing under the pseudonym Emersyn Kane. Beyond her literary pursuits, Connie is the Founder and Owner of Author by Design, known for the Builder Series and the Writer’s Block Box. She also plays an integral role in the RMFW community as the Conference Co-Chair. In addition to her professional endeavors, Connie finds fulfillment as a stay-at-home mom. More: baulconnpublishing.com
Host Mark Stevens
www.writermarkstevens.com
Watch these interviews on YouTube (and subscribe)!
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8&si=yl_seG5S4soyk216
Intro by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
This time on the podcast, a check-in with the two writers who will be offering social media check-ups at the Colorado Gold conference (Sept. 27 - 29) in Denver.
Bestselling author Mariah Ankenman lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains with her two rambunctious children and loving spouse who is her own personal spell checker when her dyslexia gets the best of her. Mariah loves to lose herself in a world of words. Her favorite thing about writing is when she can make someone’s day a little brighter with one of her books. To learn more about Mariah and her books, visit her website http://mariahankenman.com/.
Z.S. Diamanti is the award-winning author of the Stone & Sky series, an epic fantasy adventure and the result of his love for fun and fantastical stories. His short works have been published in magazines, literary journals, newspapers, and books. He went to college for a very long time and has far too many pieces of paper on his wall. He is a USAF veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and worked in ministry for over 10 years before pursuing creative endeavors full-time. Visit zsdiamanti.com
Connect on social media @zsdiamanti
To sign up for a social media check-up at Colorado Gold, register for the conference at www.rmfw.org and review your options for add-on opportunities.
Host Mark Stevens
www.writermarkstevens.com
Watch these interviews on YouTube (and subscribe)!
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8&si=yl_seG5S4soyk216
Intro by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
October K Santerelli is a fantasy author from Denver, Colorado. His works include City of Day, book one in the Nightfall series, and The Book of the Witch's Son. He works as a sensitivity editor for LGBTQ+ and disability content. Beyond his writing, October spends his time as an advocate for disabled, neurodivergent, and queer persons with the Colorado government. For more information, please visit octoberksanterelli.com.
Host Mark Stevens
www.writermarkstevens.com
Watch these interviews on YouTube (and subscribe)!
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8&si=yl_seG5S4soyk216
Intro by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Bethany Turner is a seasoned author who works with a major publishing house, but she’s made the decision to look for an agent now — and not finding the process all that easy.
On this episode of the Rocky Mountain Writer podcast, she explains her decision and also talks about her brand new book, just out this week, Cole and Laila Are Just Friends - A Love Story.
Bethany has been writing since the second grade, when she won her first writing award for explaining why, if she could have lunch with any person throughout history, she would choose John Stamos. She stands by this decision. Bethany writes pop culture–infused rom-coms for a new generation of readers who crave fiction that tackles the thorny issues of life with humor and insight. She lives in Southwest Colorado with her husband, whom she met in the nineties in a chat room called Disco Inferno. As sketchy as it sounds, it worked out pretty well in this case, and they are now the proud parents of two grown sons. Connect with her across social media @seebethanywrite, where she clings to the eternal dream that John Stamos will someday send her a friend request.
More:
https://seebethanywrite.com/
Host Mark Stevens
www.writermarkstevens.com
Watch these interviews on YouTube (and subscribe)!
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8&si=yl_seG5S4soyk216
Intro by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Scott Graham is the author of the National Park Mystery Series, featuring archaeologist Chuck Bender, paramedic Janelle Ortega, and their daughters Carmelita and Rosie. The series is published by Torrey House Press. Release date for Death Valley Duel, book nine in the series, is June 2024.
In addition to his mysteries, Scott is the author of five nonfiction books, including Extreme Kids, winner of the National Outdoor Book Award.
Scott is an avid outdoors person and advocate for public lands who lives with his wife, an emergency physician, in Durango, Colorado. He has worked as a newspaper reporter, magazine editor, radio disk jockey, city councilor, and coal-shoveling fireman on the steam-powered Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. On the podcast, we talk about his latest entry in the National Park Mystery Series and we discuss what writers need to plan out a series that will run for a long time.
More about Scott:
https://scottfranklingraham.com/
Host Mark Stevens
www.writermarkstevens.com
Intro by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Angie Hodapp is the Director of Literary Development at Nelson Literary Agency. She holds a BA in English and secondary education from the University of Northern Colorado and an MA in English and communication development from Colorado State University. A graduate of the Publishing Institute at the University of Denver, she has worked in professional writing, editing, and education for more than twenty years. A frequent presenter at writing conferences and events, and the author of Query Craft and Do You Need a Literary Agent, she loves helping writers improve their craft and learn about the ever-changing world of publishing. On Saturday, June 22 Angie is leading a day-long RMFW education event called “MFA in One Day” at the Hyatt-Regency Aurora Denver. Complete details at rmfw.org - look under events.
https://nelsonagency.com/
Host Mark Stevens
www.writermarkstevens.com
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Angela Sylvaine is a self-proclaimed cheerful goth who writes speculative fiction and poetry. Her debut novel, Frost Bite, a ‘90s sci-fi horror comedy, is available now, and her debut short story collection, The Dead Spot: Stories of Lost Girls is forthcoming. Her short fiction and poetry have appeared in or on over fifty anthologies, magazines, and podcasts, including Southwest Review, Apex, and The NoSleep Podcast. She lives in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains with her sweetheart and three creepy cats. You can find her online angelasylvaine.com.
Thanks to Kirk Rafferty for the new podcast graphic!
Host Mark Stevens
www.writermarkstevens.com
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Tom Farrell has worked as a golf course starter, a chemist and clerked at City Hall in Chicago while attending law school. He is the author of The Wager Series, a mystery-thriller series set in the world of sports betting, horse racing and poker. The series includes Wager Tough, WagerEasy, and Wager Smart. Wager Tough was selected by Kirkus Reviews as one of the Best Indie Books of 2021 and one of the Best Indie Mystery Thrillers of 2021. Wager Smart was an Editor’s Pick by Kirkus Reviews and was chosen as a Finalist by Indies Today for their book award. Each book in the series received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews. Tom has served as Vice President of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and was a 2021 finalist for RMFW’s Independent Writer of the Year. This year, he is one of three finalists for the 2024 Writer of the Year award.
Now retired from practicing law when he’s not handicapping, he can be found at the local RMFW critique group meeting or on the golf course.
On the podcast, Tom also talks about a Master Class he is teaching at Colorado Gold in September about audiobook production.
Visit Tom at www.tomfarrellbooks.com
Host Mark Stevens
www.writermarkstevens.com
Previous podcast with 2024 Writer of the Year Finalist Z.S. Diamanti:
https://youtu.be/gWCtLb_vBvI?si=Qd_bvJdxQn4Dzs4Q
Previous podcast with 2024 Writer of the Year Finalist Tasha Christensen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7LP90anSfk&t=4s
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Z.S. Diamanti is the award-winning author of the Stone & Sky series, an epic fantasy adventure and the result of his love for fun and fantastical stories. His short works have been published in magazines, literary journals, newspapers, and books. He went to college for a very long time and has far too many pieces of paper on his wall. He is a USAF veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and worked in ministry for over 10 years before pursuing creative endeavors full-time. He and his wife reside in Colorado with their four children where they enjoy hikes, camping, and tabletop games.
You can get a free series of his stories at zsdiamanti.com
Connect on social media @zsdiamanti
Host Mark Stevens
www.writermarkstevens.com
Previous podcast with 2024 Writer of the Year Finalist Tasha Christensen:
https://five.libsyn.com/show/episodes/view/30899063
YouTube version of Tasha Christensen interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7LP90anSfk&t=4s
A future podcast will feature an interview with the third 2024 Writer of the Year finalist, Tom Farrell.
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
Tasha Christensen believes the best love stories are found in the geekiest places. When not composing tuba closet make-out scenes, she enjoys playing volleyball, getting way too competitive about board games, and exploring the gorgeous Rocky Mountains. Tasha lives with her husband, daughters, and an overly affectionate dog named after her favorite Stranger Things character. Tasha’s Itaska High book series chronicles the romantic shenanigans of a high school marching band in Minnesota.
On the podcast, Tasha talks about recently being named a finalist as the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ Writer of the Year and about a short story she will publish as part of the upcoming RMFW short story anthology, WITHOUT BRAKES, FINGERS CROSSED. Oh, and Tasha drops some personal news that is a bit of a headline all on its own.
By the way, upcoming podcasts will include interviews with the other two Writer of the Year finalists, Tom Farrell and Zac Diamanit.
More about Tasha:
www.tashachristensen.com
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Ryanne Glenn began writing as a way to battle depression and continued because she believed she had a story to share. An avid reader herself, Ryanne wanted the chance to add to the bookshelves of young adults everywhere. She is currently signed with Atthis Arts LLC to publish her first young adult fantasy trilogy.
Ryanne Glenn is a member of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers in Denver, CO, where she works as an image analyst for a bioscience company. She has a degree in Chemical and Biological Engineering with a minor in Biomedical Engineering. She loves to golf, though after playing for twelve years, her handicap should be much lower than it is. Between writing and work, she often visits her hometown of Fruita, Colorado, to spend time with her family and dogs, Coco, Pebbles, and Captain Carl. Ryanne’s recent writing news is her story There Will Always Be Peaches is being included in the upcoming RMFW short story anthology, Without Brakes, Fingers Crossed.
On the podcast, Ryanne talks about coming back from a long creative burnout after publishing her trilogy.
More about Ryanne Glenn:
https://ryanneglenn.com/about/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Justin Weaver, who writes as J. Warren Weaver. is the author of the award winning, international bestselling Shadow of a Spy Trilogy. He lives in small town Colorado, where he enjoys the bountiful great outdoors with his wife, daughter, and three dogs. When his infant child isn't demanding his complete and undivided attention, he writes page-turning thrillers with thought-provoking mysteries. The third volume in Justin’s trilogy, Solace for the Forgotten, comes out in April and he’s got his first short story being published in RMFW’s upcoming anthology, Without Brakes, Fingers Crossed. Also on the podcast, we chat about a book fair Justin is putting together in May in his hometown of Fruita.
More about J. Warren Weaver:
https://www.jwarrenweaver.com/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
How do you shift easily among writing a variety of genres? Aimie K. Runyan knows a few things about that, especially with the release of her debut women's fiction this month after writing a variety of historical fiction novels.
Aimie K. Runyan writes to celebrate history’s unsung heroines. She has been honored as a Historical Novel Society Editors’ Choice selection, as a three-time finalist for the Colorado Book Awards, and as a nominee for the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer of the Year. Aimie is active as an educator and speaker in the writing community and beyond. Aimie lives in Colorado with her amazing husband, two (usually) adorable children, two (always) adorable kitties, and a dragon. Aimie’s contemporary Women's Fiction debut, The Memory of Lavender and Sage, just released this month.
More about Aimie:
https://aimiekrunyan.com/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
This time on the Rocky Mountain Writer podcast, we get to know the folks behind the Writers Who Read podcast — Gary McBride, Mira Landry, and Whitney Pinion.
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Gary McBride founded the Writers Who Read novel study group back in August of 2018. After meeting at the Boulder Book Store, the group moved to the Boulder Public Library in 2019 after its adoption as part of the Boulder Writers Alliance.
Gary McBride lives just outside of Boulder with his wife Deb and their cats Wallace and Vincenzo. A fourth-generation Denverite, Gary has visited over 70 countries, worked in more than 50 of them, and lived for over a decade in Europe and Southeast Asia. Gary has written a reference guide for Writers Who Read, entitled Literary Forensics, which will be published in 2024.
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Born and raised in British Columbia, Mira Landry now resides in Colorado with her husband. She has a Creative Writing Certificate from Simon Fraser University, and works both as an associate literary agent at Corvisiero Literary Agency and as a wedding and portrait photographer.
She serves on the board of directors for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and when not writing, she can be found frolicking on the high peaks of the Rockies or knitting sweaters that likely won’t fit anyone properly.
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Whitney Pinion fell in love with books when her parents gave her a set of mystery-adventure stories in which she and her cousins and friends were the main characters. She wrote poetry as a kid—and in college—where she studied literature and earned a BA in English. After working her way up from editorial assistant to magazine editor at a publishing company in Washington, DC, she and her husband moved to the Bay Area, where she further honed her writing and editing skills at a San Francisco PR firm. The drive to write more meaningful stories led her back to school, where she earned a Master’s in English and Creative Writing. Whitney has written a collection of short stories and is working on a novel. When she isn’t reading or writing, she’s hiking with her family in the stunning Colorado mountains, trying out new recipes (like cocktails for the next Writers Who Read podcast), and traveling. She lives with her husband and son in Boulder.
More about the Writers Who Read podcast:
https://garyalanmcbride.com/writers-who-read/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Linda (L.V.) Ditchkus has written her whole life. But until eight years ago, her writing was either technical, scholarly, or in travel magazines. In 2015, she jumped into novel writing with both feet. After drafting her first chapter, which only amounted to a few hundred words, she realized she had plenty to learn. So she found a network of writing friends—many through RMFW—who gave her writing tips and pointed her toward writing resources like how-to books and classes. She’s grateful for her fantastic writing pals. Being a judge for the 2022 Self Published Science Fiction Competition and a 2023 youth writing competition has deepened her understanding of what makes books and stories stand out. Since her Sasquatch Series won First Place in the Colorado Authors League 2021 Book Awards for Sci-Fi and her short story was included in the last RMFW’s anthology (Bizarre Bazaar), Linda plans to stop calling herself a debut author. In addition to marketing the Sasquatch Series, she’s recently released the first book in her new series about two time-traveling women from the distant future working desperately to repopulate the world with men.Terrorist factions, a nefarious artificial intelligence, and their own government fight against them. While they struggle to save the unborn babies, the laws of time and space have their own imperatives, and saving everyone they love may be beyond their reach. When Linda’s not writing, she leads adventure travel trips for the Colorado Mountain Club and travels with her husband. She’s been to more than 100 countries and hiked or climbed in many of those. Linda and her husband live selfish lives (without plants or pets) above 7,000 feet in the Colorado Rockies.
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Paul Martz has been writing science fiction short stories for five years, though his love for sci fi began decades earlier. When he was six, he saw 2001: A Space Odyssey on the big screen, which lead him to a collection of Arthur C. Clarke’s short stories--and a lifelong insatiable appetite for mind-bending sci fi.
But his hobbies and interests extend far beyond the science fiction galaxy. He has authored books on programming and holds a data encryption patent. Like all true nerds, he runs his own web server. He recently learned to read braille and can solve a tactile Rubik’s Cube. He has traveled the world to view multiple total solar eclipses. He has a life-long interest in music. He has ripped his entire vinyl collection to MP3, recorded his own original digital compositions, and played drums since childhood. Currently, he’s teaching himself to play piano. Paul has been published in Uncharted Magazine. He lives in Erie Colorado with his wife and loyal cat.
Short stories included in FINGERS CROSSED, NO BRAKES:
Where the River Ends by J. Warren Weaver
Beyond Carbon by Rachel Delaney Craft
The Tamarisk Hunter by Paolo Bacigalupi
Our Sprinkler System by Lesley L. Smith
Rightsizing by Jeff Jaskot
Attack of the Third Planet by Collin Irish
Iphus by Laurel McHargue
Visited by a Crane by Rick Ginsberg
Sticka by Natasha Watts
The Cistern by Mark Stevens
Stokes the Happy by Cepa Onion
We’ll Always Have Peaches by Ryanne Glenn
A Blip in Time by Pat Stoltey
More about Paul Martz:
https://paulmartz.com/blog/
More about Linda Ditchkus:
https://www.lvditchkus.com/
Drum sound by Holy Ghost Party:
https://freesound.org/people/HolyGhostParty/sounds/71133/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
After nearly two decades of interaction with authors, musicians, and dignitaries in the arenas of publishing, international media, large-scale events, and agricultural endeavors, Terrie founded AKA (Also Known As) Literary Management (AKALM) in 2009. As a full member of the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA), she received the Agent of the Year Award in 2021 from American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), was named a “Top 20 of 2020 Agent” by Writer’s Digest and has sold rights in over forty countries and thirty languages.
More at https://akalm.net/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Bowen Gillings writes to bring fun back to fiction. His latest novel, EXCEPTIONALS was released in 2023 while his short works have been published in anthologies and periodicals. He’s been featured on TV, radio, podcasts, and YouTube channels. His quirky, offbeat tales are lauded as "perfect," "charming,” and "fun," with writing that "boggles the genre mind." Bowen facilitates a variety of writing workshops and is an active member of Pikes Peak Writers, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, the Colorado Independent Publishers Association, and the Author’s Guild. He holds a Master of Education, five martial arts black belt certifications, and is an Army veteran. Travel enthusiast, outdoors lover, and RPG nerd, he also enjoys cooking big meals for family and friends. Find out more at storiesbybowen.com.
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Dani Coleman is a four-time finalist in RMFW's Colorado Gold novel contest. She works as a scientific computer programmer, karate instructor and parent and has many hobbies that attempt to steal time from her writing. She is also co-chair of the Workshop Selection Committee for the Colorado Gold conference and this time on the podcast we run down all the details about workshop proposals and the submission process, which closes on February 29.
To submit a workshop proposal, visit:
https://rmfw.org/conference-proposal-guidelines/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Linda Keir is the pen name of Linda Joffe Hull and Keir Graff. Their previous titles include The Swing of Things, The Three Mrs. Wrights, and Drowning with Others. Independently, they have published over a dozen novels. You can find them on X @LindaeJH and @KeirGraff. Their latest collaboration, due out on January 30 from Blackstone Publishing, is The Royal Game.
For more information:
www.LindaJoffeHull.com
www.KeirGraff.com.
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com
Kerrie Faye is a Gen X wife and mom who found her passion to write later in life. A graduate of Murray State University, she has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. Raised in Western Kentucky, where her debut novel, DEAD GIRL, takes place, the author currently resides near the Rocky Mountain Flatirons in Colorado where there is far less humidity, but not nearly enough BBQ. DEAD GIRL, will be published on February 26, 2024 by The Wild Rose Press.
More:
https://kerriefayebooks.com/
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https://danosongs.com/
Travis Tougaw is a writer and editor. He has degrees in English from Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas, and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. An Air Force Veteran, Travis has worked in a variety of roles, including English teacher, employee educator, and health care administrator. He lives in Denver with his wife and children. Foxholes, coming out January 11 (2024), is his first novel.
More:
https://travistougaw.com/
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https://danosongs.com/
Mike Torreano
Mike is a multi-award-winning author of traditional Western mysteries and historical fiction. In the fifth grade, he read his first Zane Grey novel and has been hooked on the Old West ever since.
Mike’s debut western mystery, The Reckoning, was released in 2016 by The Wild Rose Press and the sequel, The Renewal, was released in 2018. Both are set in South Park Colorado, circa 1870. He’s now finishing up the third in the South Park series, The Return.
The Goodnight-Loving cattle trail inspired his first stand-alone western, A Score To Settle, (2020) set on that New Mexico Territory trail in 1870.
Mike’s latest western mystery, White Sands Gold, (2022) is set in New Mexico Territory in 1890. It has received four literary awards.
A lifelong interest in American history led to his first historical novel, Fireflies at Dusk, released November, 2023. Fireflies is a coming-of age tale about a young man torn between his pacifist family and his urge to fight the injustice of slavery as the Civil War breaks out. Fireflies has already won one award.
Mike also speaks at clubs and organizations about the timeless values of the Old West and The Code of the West, and how those values are still relevant today.
He can be found on Amazon, Facebook, Barnes and Noble, X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Goodreads and lives in Colorado Springs with his wife, Anne.
More:
www.western-novel.com
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Jon Christian Rutigliano's credo is that individuals naturally gravitate toward the positive energy in life, and are at their best when left to their own devices. For good or bad, his work will always explore this proposition. When not writing, you can find Jon and his wife Krissy at their Colorado based ranch introducing his two rambunctious boys to mother nature. Jon’s first novel RECLAMATION debuted in 2020. On the podcast, we talk about Jon’s role coordinating agent pitch sessions at Colorado Gold and publishing on the platform Substack.
More about Jon:
www.jonchristianauthor.com
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Maria Kelson writes crime fiction, speculative stories, and poetry. She won the Eleanor Taylor Bland Award for Crime Fiction Writers of Color from Sisters in Crime for her first mystery novel, coming out from Crooked Lane Books in Fall 2024, and her short stories appear in Lightspeed, About Place Journal, and strandmag.com. Her two poetry collections with University of Arizona Press (as Maria Melendez) have been finalists for the International Latino Book Award, PEN America, and Colorado Book Award.
More: https://mariakelson.com/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Kris Abel-Helwig is a graphic designer, photographer, and author illustrator of multiple picture books and young adult novels. Fictional characters inhabit her dreams and haunt her nightmares. Their stories emerge while swimming laps, walking pups, and drinking espresso. Substitute teaching inspired her Hero series, recently re-edited and released through Culicidae Press, including the award-winning I Wish My Words Tasted Better. She is currently working on a whodunit modern crime fiction. Originally from Illinois, she and husband Mike have moved coast to coast and many states in between with a herd of animals and for visits from their three sons, two daughters-in-law, two grandkids, and friends near and far. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001 and a benign brain tumor in 2022, she advocates early detection, aggressive treatments, and thriving happily ever after.
Kris’s young adult Hero Series novels are available through Culicidae Press: https://culicidaepress.com/books-by-kris-abel-helwig/
Amazon and Ingram and her picture books are on Amazon. Visit kahcreative.com to see her photography, designs and illustrations.
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Shannon Baker is author of the Kate Fox Mystery series. Set in rural Nebraska cattle country, according to a starred review in Library Journal, "Baker’s writing evokes the beauty of the Nebraska Sandhills, and her colorful cast of secondary characters adds a depth of charm." Now a resident of Tucson, Baker spent 20 years in the Nebraska Sandhills, where cattle outnumber people by more than 50:1. Shannon is proud to have been chosen Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ 2014 and 2017 Writer of the Year.
Her stand-alone psychological thriller, The Desert Behind Me, was the winner of the 2019 New Mexico/Arizona Book Award.
Baker also writes the Nora Abbott mystery series, a fast-paced mix of Hopi Indian mysticism, environmental issues, and murder. The first in the series, Height of Deception, is set in Flagstaff, AZ, and a finalist for the New Mexico/Arizona Book Award.
A lover of the great outdoors, she can be found backpacking in the Rockies, traipsing to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, skiing mountains and plains, kayaking lakes, hiking, cycling, and diving whenever she gets the chance. Having the desert for a backyard is a daily thrill, bringing javelinas, rattlesnakes, zillions of birds, and spectacular sunsets every day.
On the podcast we talk about a a handful of book projects underway - Shannon has at least two books coming out in 2024 - and discuss the benefits of promoting books with fellow writers.
(The book title Shannon could not recall on the podcast is JUST STAY AWAY by Tony Wirt.)
More about Shannon:
https://severnriverbooks.com/collections/shannon-baker
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Kevin Wolf’s debut novel, The Homeplace was the winner of the 2015 Tony Hillerman Award. The novel was a nominee for the 2016 Strand Critics Award for Debut Mystery. His Paranormal Western series Brokeheart (2017)and A Town Called Vengeance (2018) are published by North Star Editions. The great-grandson of Colorado homesteaders, he enjoys fly fishing, old Winchesters, and 1950's Western movies. He lives in Estes Park, Colorado with his wife. Rocky Mountain National Park is his backyard.
Kevin's latest novel, The Bootheel, just launched in September after sitting in a drawer for eight years. On the podcast, we also talk about the Colarado Gold Conference this year and about a Dec. 2 holiday season event to help RMFW sell their books at Bookies bookstore in Denver.
Kevin's website:
https://www.kevinwolfstoryteller.com/
Scroll down here for details on Dec. 2 event:
https://rmfw.org/learn/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Angela Sylvaine is a self-proclaimed cheerful goth who still believes in monsters. She adores reading and is always looking for a great book recommendation. Angela writes horror, science fiction, and dark fantasy. She has published one novella, CHOPPING SPREE, and her short stories have appeared in over two dozen publications. Her debut novel, FROST BITE, releases on Tuesday, Oct. 10 from Dark Matter INK. Her debut short story collection, THE DEAD SPOT: Stories of Lost Girls, will be available from Dark Matter INK next May.
Angela grew up in North Dakota and holds degrees in psychology and philosophy from the University of North Dakota. After marrying her high school sweetheart, they moved to Colorado, and now live on the front range of the Rockies with their three creepy cats.
Angela is a member of the Horror Writers Association, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and Pikes Peak Writers.
https://angelasylvaine.com
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https://danosongs.com/
Kerry Hammond decided to give up the practice of law to commit crimes—on the page. Her work has appeared in the Malice Domestic Anthologies: Mystery Most Geographical, Mystery Most Diabolical, Mystery Most Traditional, and the upcoming Mystery Patrons Present: Mystery Most International. Her love of travel means that her stories often take place in foreign locales she has (or wants to) visit, or while her characters are enroute to their next adventure. She’s a huge fan of the subtle surprise ending and is happiest when her readers didn’t see the ending coming.
More:
https://www.kerryhammond.com/
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https://danosongs.com/
In fourth grade Callie read The Indian in the Cupboard. The idea of a boy’s toy coming alive in a magic cupboard grabbed a hold of her imagination and never let go. The addiction only increased as she read Roald Dahl, Lloyd Alexander, Madeleine L’Engle, and the Redwall series. In sixth grade her teacher took away Jane Eyre because it was distracting Callie from her work.
In all her reading, one question has always fascinated her. Why do some stories with great ideas fall flat?
For the past decade, Callie has honed her skills by studying the craft of writing and defining the elements that make a story work. She can read any story, any rocky first draft, and provide the first aid it needs to make your manuscript resonate in the minds of your readers.
Callie is also a mother of four. She is a singer and theater buff, she has spent a lot of time on the stage and behind the curtain as a music director and costumer. She loves good stories told on television and is a big fan of many. She’s also the founder of The Manuscript Dr and is presenting an RMFW Workshop on Oct. 20. It's called Capturing the Illusive Voice.
More:
https://themanuscriptdr.com/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Chase Neely is the Co-Founder and President of Leverage Brands. By trade and training, Chase is an intellectual property attorney who helps grammy award winning songwriters, producers, New York Times bestselling authors, and other creative professionals at the intersection between their business and their art. Leverage is the third company Chase founded. He started his own law firm in 2012. Then, in 2016, Chase founded Kirkwood Business Management, Inc., a tax strategy and preparation firm for creative professionals, which he sold in 2019.
More:
https://leveragebrands.co/
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https://mobygratis.com/
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https://danosongs.com/
Aimie K. Runyan writes to celebrate history’s unsung heroines. Author of seven historical novels, Aimie has been honored as a Historical Novel Society Editors’ Choice selection, as a four-time finalist for the Colorado Book Awards, and as a nominee for the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer of the Year.
Aimie is active as an educator and speaker in the writing community and beyond. Her next books, The Castle Keepers (in collaboration with J'nell Ciesielski and Rachel McMillan) and A Bakery in Paris released in 2023 from Harper Collins.
Also from Harper Collins, Aimie's contemporary Women's Fiction debut, The Memory of Lavender and Sage, will release February 13, 2024. Aimie lives in Estes Park, Colorado with her amazing husband, two (usually) adorable children, two (always) adorable kitties, and a dragon. To learn more about Aimie, please visit www.aimiekrunyan.com.
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Award-winning author Kathleen Donnelly has been a handler for Sherlock Hounds Detection Canines—a Colorado-based narcotics K-9 company—since 2005. Enjoying the work and partnership with the dogs, in 2010, Kathleen became part owner of the company. She loves crafting realism into her fictional stories from her dog-handling experience. Along with working dogs, Kathleen trained horses and enjoys spending time with her own mare. Her love of the mountains came from growing up in Colorado. Her debut novel, Chasing Justice, won a Best Book Award from the American Book Fest and was a 2023 Silver Falchion finalist in the Suspense category and Readers’ Choice Award. She lives near the Colorado foothills with her husband and four-legged coworkers. Visit Kathleen and sign up for her newsletter at www.kathleendonnelly.com, on Facebook at Facebook.com/authorkathleendonnelly, follow her on Twitter @katk9writer or find her on Instagram @authorkathleendonnelly.
Mark Stevens' website:
https://www.writermarkstevens.com/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Mandy Miller is a novelist and attorney. She is the author of the Grace Locke Mystery series. She holds a J.D. from Northwestern University, as well as a PhD in Psychology. Her legal specialty is criminal defense, in particular the representation of the mentally ill and criminally insane.
The first decade of her legal career, however, was spent on Wall Street as a mergers and acquisitions attorney where her clientele was better dressed, but often equally devious. In her spare time she indulges her reading vice and participates in ultramarathons, a sport much like novel writing in that it requires dedication and perseverance, not to mention a dash of madness.
More:
https://mandymillerbooks.com/
Mark Stevens' website:
https://www.writermarkstevens.com/
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https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Nikki Terpilowski established Holloway Literary in 2011. She represents award-nominated and best-selling authors in romance, southern fiction, mystery and suspense. Nikki is based in North Carolina.
Currently seeking: Romance (small town, historical), suspense and military/political thrillers, lifestyle non-fiction (culinary, hobbies, etc.) YA fantasy and sci-fi, southern fiction, epic historical fiction in the vein of Poldark, magical realism, western fiction.
Catch Nikki during her The Mindful Writer: Techniques for Tapping Into Your Inner Creativityworkshop at Colorado Gold (September 2023) in Denver.
More:
https://hollowayliterary.com/
Mark Stevens' website:
https://www.writermarkstevens.com/
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https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Alec Shane majored in English at Brown University, a degree he put to immediate use by moving to Los Angeles after graduation to become a professional stunt man. Realizing that he prefers books to breakaway glass, he moved to New York City in 2008 to pursue a career in publishing. Alec quickly found a home at Writers House Literary Agency, where he has been building his list since 2012.
Alec is one of the many visiting agents and editors who will attend Colorado Gold in September.
More:
www.writershouse.com
Mark Stevens' website:
https://www.writermarkstevens.com/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
RJ CLARK began his career as a child actor. His was the face of the national US Army “Stay in School” ad campaign. RJ also appeared regularly on daytime television and worked on numerous film and commercial projects before inevitably returning to his first true love, writing.
As a screenwriter, RJ's screenplays won first prize or placed in the top 5 of nearly every major national—and international—competition worth mentioning. His novella, Two for One launched the indie literary magazine “The Instagatorzine,” broken into two parts across the magazine’s first two issues.
A native New Yorker, RJ attended NYU, holds a BFA and an MFA. He has lived in all five boroughs, but now calls historic Asbury Park, NJ home with his wife and dog, an Aussillon named Venus.
While RJ no longer works in the theatre as an actor, he provides accessibility services for deaf patrons at live performances throughout the country. He is passionate about theatre being for all, and enjoys being able to introduce new shows to deaf or hard of hearing patrons.
When not writing, you’re most likely to find RJ either playing guitar along the Jersey Shore, taking photographs of cool dogs and musicians around Asbury Park, voraciously reading new books, working on new music, or traveling the world.
A few of RJ’s most favorite things include black coffee, chocolate, Stephen King, peanut butter, Pringle’s, Truman Capote, tabletop games, the Universal Studios Monsters, horror movies, and David Tennant.
STAYCATION is RJ’s debut novel.
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Andre Gonzalez is the international bestselling author of the Wealth of Time Series. He writes time-travel, thriller, and horror books after spending many years reading and studying the works of Stephen King and Dean Koontz. Keeping readers up late and their hearts pumping a bit faster than normal is his ultimate goal when cracking open one of his books. Andre is the recipient of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers 2021 Independent Writer of the Year award.
When he’s not writing, you can find Andre buried underneath a long to-do list and/or his three hyper children. He and his wife are raising their family in their hometown of Denver, CO.
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The video version of this podcast is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOn8N7q6V10&t=873s
More:
rjclarkwriter.com
M4L Publishing:
https://m4lpublishing.com/
Mark Stevens' website:
https://www.writermarkstevens.com/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Caitlin Berve is a multi-award-winning fantasy author, editor, and speaker. Through Ignited Ink Writing, she edits novels, creates video tutorials, and writes. She has an MFA in Creative Writing and Poetics and teaches writing at colleges and writing organizations/conferences. If you're looking to improve your writing or for tips on marketing and publishing your book, check out her blog Ignite Your Ink or YouTube channel Ignited Ink Writing. Caitlin's collection of modern fairy tales When Magic Callswon the CIPA EVVY Herb Tabak (best fiction) book award in 2021 and is available in paperback, audiobook, and ebook formats. When not writing or reading, Caitlin runs the Colorado trails or teaches Pop Pilates and makes color changing potions. She seeks to fill the world with the kind of writing that lingers with readers and find magic in modern times.
More:
www.caitlinberve.com
Also:
https://www.ignitedinkwriting.com/
For video versions of this podcast, subscribe:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Mark Stevens' website:
https://www.writermarkstevens.com/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Molly McGhee is from a cluster of small towns just north of Nashville, Tennessee. She writes fiction, essays, and teaches in the undergraduate creative writing department at Columbia University. Her debut novel, Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind, is forthcoming from Astra House in late 2023. Her work has appeared in publications like The Paris Review.
In addition to writing, Molly has worked in the editorial and digital departments of McSweeney’s and The Believer as well as MCD and FSG Originals and as an assistant editor at Diane Williams’ NOON. Most recently, Molly worked in the editorial department of Tor bringing luminaries such as John M. Ford back to print through The Tor Essentials Series, launching the instant New York Times Bestselling Atlas Six series, as well as assisting in the launch of Tor’s horror imprint, Nightfire.
Molly graduated from Columbia University with an MFA in fiction. While there she taught undergraduate creative writing as a Teaching Fellow.
More about Molly:
https://www.mollymcghee.com/
For video versions of this podcast, subscribe:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Mark Stevens' website:
https://www.writermarkstevens.com/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
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Susan Mackay Smith a.k.a. Mackay Wood, a.k.a. Conan the Grammarian — she has been RMFW’s contest chair, critique chair, anthology editor for Broken Links, Mended Lives (with Jeanne C. Stein and Janet Lane), and president. For a decade, she wrote Conan the Grammarian for the Rocky Mountain Writer, the-then monthly newsletter. She won the Jasmine Award in 2009 and was honored as a Guiding Member in 2019. On the podcast, one of a series of interviews marking the 40th anniversary of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, we talk about Susan’s reflections on the long history of the Colorado Gold contest and much, much more.
For video versions of this podcast, subscribe:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Mark Stevens' website:
https://www.writermarkstevens.com/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
L. R. Jones is a pseudonym for New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones, whose dark, edgy fiction includes the highly acclaimed novels The Poet, A Perfect Lie, and the Lilah Love series. Prior to publishing, Lisa owned a multistate staffing agency recognized by the Austin Business Journal. Lisa was listed as #7 in Entrepreneur magazine’s list of growing women-owned businesses. She lives in Colorado with her husband, a cat who always has something to say, and a golden retriever who’s afraid of her own bark. On the podcast we talk about her latest novel, You Look Beautiful Tonight, and an annual event she recently launched called Readers Take Denver.
More about Readers Take Denver:
https://www.readerstakedenver.com/
For more information, visit www.lisareneejones.com.
For video versions of this podcast, subscribe:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Mark Stevens' website:
https://www.writermarkstevens.com/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Kate Jonuska is an indie author, freelance writer, and yoga teacher who is currently serving as Conference Co-Chair for Colorado Gold.
Kate’s debut novel Transference was a finalist for the 2017 BookLife Prize. And the second edition of her non-fiction book, Dictionary of Fiction Critique, published in 2020.
As a part of the critique group 30th Street Fiction, she's published three anthologies, including Broken: A 30th Street Fiction Anthology, currently available in paperback and ebook.
This time on the podcast, Kate gives us a preview of some of what to expect at the 2023 version of Colorado Gold.
More about Colorado Gold:
https://rmfw.org/conference-2023/
More about Kate:
https://katejonuska.com/
For video versions of this podcast, subscribe:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Mark Stevens' website:
https://www.writermarkstevens.com/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Linda Joffe Hull writes mystery and contemporary fiction under her own name, and with author Keir Graff as part of the writing team known as Linda Keir.
Linda has written multiple novels including The Big Bang, Eternally 21, Black Thursday, and Sweetheart Deal. Titles as Linda Keir include The Swing of Things, Drowning with Others, The Three Mrs. Wrights, and The Royal Game which will be released in January, 2024. She also ghostwrites nonfiction and has penned over a dozen memoirs, self-help, and business books.
Linda is a Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers former president, and conference chair. On the podcast, we talk about that latest project with Keir Graff and talk about her first experiences with RMFW and how her volunteer work for RMFW led to her first book deal.
More about Linda:
https://www.lindajoffehull.com/
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Stephanie Kane is a lawyer and award-winning author of seven crime novels and a true crime memoir. After graduating from law school, she was a corporate partner at a top Denver law firm before becoming a criminal defense attorney. She has lectured on money laundering and white-collar crime in Eastern Europe, and given workshops throughout the country on writing technique.
Her crime novels include Object Lessons, Automat, A Perfect Eye, Seeds of Doubt, Blind Spot, Extreme Indifference, and Quiet Time. She has earned a Colorado Book Award for Mystery and two Colorado Authors League Awards for Genre Fiction. She belongs to the Mystery Writers of America, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and the Colorado Authors League. She lives in Denver with her husband and two black cats. On the podcast, she talks about her new memoir, True Crime Redux, an account of her own involvement in a case of murder that happened in 1973. The victim was Denver-area housewife Betty Frye, the mother of Stephanie’s then fiancé.
More about Stephanie:
https://www.writerkane.com
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Wendy Portfors currently lives in Diamond Valley, Alberta, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. She had a successful 36-year career with a Canadian Bank, and she has drawn on her experience in banking as the basis for the novel she is currently writing. Her first book titled Remembering Love, Balboa Press, was released in 2016, chronicles her journey following her husband’s cancer diagnosis. She is proud to have been published in three Chicken Soup for the Soul books. In 2021 she published an anthology titled Through My Eyes: 74 True Stories of Survival, Strength and the Power of Believing which is a collection of stories compiled from across Canada. Her short stories have been published in several anthologies. Wendy’s writing is a blend of both fiction and nonfiction.
Wendy is a member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Writers’ Guild of Alberta, and several regional writing groups.
Wendy enjoys golfing, hiking, and travelling. With her husband Dave, they travel internationally while house and pet sitting. The people Wendy meets and places she has been are always intertwined in her short stories.
You can find out more about Wendy’s writing at https://wendyportfors.ca/
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Karen C. Whalen is the author of two mystery series for The Wild Rose Press: the Dinner Club Mysteries featuring Jane Marsh, an empty nester who hosts a gourmet dinner club, and the Tow Truck Mysteries starring Delaney Morran, a super feminine shoe-a-holic who drives a tow truck. Both are cozy mysteries about strong friendships and family ties set in Colorado. The first book in the Dinner Club series tied for First Place in the Suspense Novel category of the 2017 IDA Contest sponsored by Oklahoma Romance Writers of America.
More about Karen:
http://www.karencwhalen.com/
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Pamela Nowak’s historical fiction tells the stories of real women whose stories have been forgotten via a deft combination of research and character development. She’s won a Will Rogers Gold Medallion and a Laramie Award as well as being a dual Feathered Quill finalist and a finalist for the New Mexico-Arizona Book Award. Her historical romance novels have garnered critical acclaim for her ability to weave fictional relationship stories into historical settings and events and have been awarded a Colorado Book Award, multiple HOLT Medallion Awards, and a WILLA Finalist Award. Pam was also honored as the RMFW Writer of the Year. She has a B.A. in history, is a member of the Paper Lantern Writers, and works part-time as the Executive Director of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association.
More:
http://www.pamelanowak.com/wp/
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Steve Stratton started his military career at the White House Communications Agency supporting the needs of Presidents Ford and Carter, Vice Presidents Rockefeller and Mondale and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. His work took him around the world introducing him to new cultures, ways of thinking, and the various agencies tasked with projecting and protecting American interests abroad. The jump to the US Secret Service was an easy transition but after several years and an election campaign, Steve left for the commercial sector.
Steve was awarded his Green Beret in 1986. From the 80’s through 2000 he deployed with 20th Special Forces on counter-drug and training missions in the SOUTHCOM region. His civilian contractor time includes support for USCENTCOM, USSOCOM, and several intelligence agencies. Today he develops cyber security products that support the warfighter and intelligence community. When he is not working, You can find him mountain biking, trout fishing, or hunting in Colorado.
More:
www.stevenstrattonusa.com
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This time on the Rocky Mountain Writer podcast, a chat with the co-editors of the next Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers short story anthology, to be published in 2024. Those co-editors are Linda Ditchkus and Paul Maartz.
Linda (L.V.) Ditchkus has written her whole life. But until eight years ago, her writing was either technical, scholarly, or in travel magazines. In 2015, she jumped into novel writing with both feet. After drafting her first chapter, which only amounted to a few hundred words, she realized she had plenty to learn. So she found a network of writing friends—many through RMFW—who gave her writing tips and pointed her toward writing resources like how-to books and classes. She’s grateful for her fantastic writing pals. Being a judge for the 2022 Self Published Science Fiction Competition and a 2023 youth writing competition has deepened her understanding of what makes books and stories stand out.
Since her Sasquatch Series won First Place in the Colorado Authors League 2021 Book Awards for Sci-Fi and her short story was included in last year’s RMFW’s anthology (Bizarre Bazaar), Linda plans to stop calling herself a debut author. In addition to marketing the Sasquatch Series, she’s working on a new series about two time-traveling women from the distant future working desperately to repopulate the world with men. Both are determined to succeed. But various groups, including terrorist factions and their government, build barriers against their success.
When Linda’s not writing, she leads adventure travel trips for the Colorado Mountain Club and travels with her husband. She’s been to more than 100 countries and hiked or climbed in many of those. Linda and her husband live selfish lives (without plants or pets) above 7,000 feet in the Colorado Rockies.
++
Paul Martz has been writing science fiction short stories for five years, though his love for sci fi began decades earlier. When he was six, he saw 2001: A Space Odyssey on the big screen, which lead him to a collection of Arthur C. Clarke’s short stories--and a lifelong insatiable appetite for mind-bending sci fi.
But his hobbies and interests extend far beyond the science fiction galaxy. He has authored books on programming and holds a data encryption patent. Like all true nerds, he runs his own web server. He recently learned to read braille and can solve a tactile Rubik’s Cube. He has traveled the world to view multiple total solar eclipses. He has a life-long interest in music. He has ripped his entire vinyl collection to MP3, recorded his own original digital compositions, and played drums since childhood. Currently, he’s teaching himself to play piano. Paul lives in Erie Colorado with his wife and loyal cat.
More about Paul Maartz:
https://paulmartz.com/blog/
More about Linda Ditchkus:
https://www.lvditchkus.com/
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Kate Lansing lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband, daughter, and two mischievous kitties. Her love for mysteries began when she devoured From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler as a young girl, and has grown from there.
She’s an award-winning mystery novelist and writes the Colorado Wine Mystery series, the fourth book of which, Till Death Do Us Port, will be out March 7, 2023 with Berkley!
More:
https://katelansing.com/
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Chris Goff is an award-winning author of six novels based on environmental themes and two international thrillers. A longtime member of RMFW, she has served as in nearly every capacity from critique chair to President, received a Jasmine Award in 1997, received her PEN Award in 1998, was named Writer of the Year in 2002. She counts among her best friends, many of those she met upon joining RMFW.
Chris’ most recent book, RED SKY was a 2018 Colorado Book Award Finalist. Set in Ukraine and Asia, Agent Raisa Jordan must test the boundaries of diplomacy as she races to prevent the start of a new Cold War. Catherine Coulter had this to say: "Breathtaking suspense, do not miss Red Sky."
Goff's series debut, DARK WATERS, was dubbed “a sure bet for fans of international thrillers" by Booklist. DARK WATERS was a Finalist for the 2016 Colorado Book Award, 2016 Colorado Authors' League, Genre Award, and the 2016 Anthony Award for Best Crime Fiction Audiobook.
This interview is one of a series of conversations with RMFW members who were there at the beginning of the organization. This year, RMFW celebrates its first 40 years.
More:
http://www.christinegoff.com
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Donald Paul Benjamin is an American novelist who specializes in cozy mysteries and high fantasy. He also writes about Colorado history. A U.S. Army veteran, he served three years as a military journalist, including a tour in Korea. Before retiring, the Colorado native worked as an educator for five decades. He lives in Cedaredge, a small town on the Western Slope of Colorado, where he hikes and fishes in the surrounding wilderness. He and his wife, Donna Marie, operate Elevation Press, a service which helps independent authors publish their works.
More:
https://elevationpressbooks.wordpress.com/
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Luann Koester taught high school language arts, as well as college composition for over 26 years. A fellow of the National and Colorado Writing Projects, she considers herself a writer teaching writers.
Luann graduated Cum Laude from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, received a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Colorado College, and a Post Graduate Certificate of Expertise in Writing from the University of Denver. In 2003 and 2021, she was recognized by the Boettcher Foundation as a Boettcher Educator. And In 2009, MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) named her an MIT Influential Educator.
Recently retired, Luann enjoys teaching, traveling, spending time with her immediate and extended families, writing, and playing golf. In addition to her children's book, Gran Kissed the Blarney Stone, Luann is a published poet and novelist. Her latest book, just out, is a novel for young adults, Hawk’s Cry.
Luann lives on a cattle ranch near White Butte Creek in Northeastern Colorado.
More:
https://www.booksendwriting.com/
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Mike Torreano is an award-winning author with a military background and a particular interest in American history and the Old West.
His debut western mystery, The Reckoning, set in South Park, Colorado in 1868, was released in 2016 by The Wild Rose Press. The sequel, The Renewal, also set in South Park, was released in 2018, with a third western mystery, A Score To Settle, released in 2020.
White Sands Gold is his latest western mystery, and was just released by Wild Rose in September 2022. He has a coming-of-age novel due out soon, Fireflies At Dusk, which is set during the Civil War. His short story, The Trade, a tale of the Yukon Gold Rush, was his first published work in 2014.
Mike has written for magazines and newspapers for many years. An experienced editor, he’s taught English and Journalism at both the United States Air Force Academy and the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.
He’s a member of the Historical Novel Society, Pikes Peak Writers, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Western Writers of America and several other writing groups. Recently, he appeared on LA Talk Radio’s Rendezvous With A Writer.
He brings his readers back in time with him as he recreates life in mid-to-late nineteenth century America. He and his wife, Anne, live in Colorado Springs.
More:
https://miketorreano.com/
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Debra Bokur is the author of The Dark Paradise Mysteries series from Kensington. She’s traveled the world as a writer, journalist and staff editor for various national media outlets, with more than 2,000 print pieces carrying her byline to date.
Debra's work has garnered multiple awards, including a 2015 Lowell Thomas Award for Travel Journalism. For more than a decade, she served as the poetry editor at a national literary journal, and her poetry and short fiction have been widely published. Among her favorite writing credits are a series of original literary essays commissioned by the Celestial Seasonings tea company that appeared on the artfully illustrated boxes of ten separate tea flavors.
Debra continues to travel in her capacity as the Global Researcher and Writer for the Association for Safe International Road Travel, and as a monthly columnist for Global Traveler Magazine. Debra is also an experienced voice actor and voiceover artist, and is currently in production for several audio books for fellow authors.
Her latest novel is The Lava Witch.
More about Debra:
https://www.debrabokur.com/
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Jasmine Cresswell was born in Wales and educated in London, England. Recruited by the Foreign Service, she was assigned to the British Embassy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. While in Rio, she met and married Malcolm Candlish and together they immigrated to the United States where he had been offered a job with Colgate Palmolive at corporate headquarters in New York City. Malcolm's career took him to Australia, Canada and five different American states. Jasmine tagged along with their growing family. They finally settled on the West Coast of Florida where Jasmine, now widowed, is fortunate enough to live close to all four of her children, along with eight of her twelve grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
Originally intending to pursue a career in academia, this became impossible due to her frequent long-distance moves. Instead, as a lifelong lover of fiction, Jasmine decided to write a novel since a writing career could be pursued from anywhere in the world.
Her first book was published by British publisher Robert Hale in 1978. Her final suspense trilogy was published by Mira Books in 2010. In the thirty intervening years she published more than seventy novels with publishers such as Berkley, Signet, Harlequin and Mira.
During her active writing career, Jasmine always sought the companionship and expertise of other writers. An early member of Romance Writers of America, Jasmine was for two years the editor of Romance Writers Report, the monthly journal of the organization. In addition to eight wonderful years as a member of Rocky Mountain Fiction writers, Jasmine and four of her writer friends (including RMFW member Maggie Osborne) founded Novelists, Inc., a national organization for multi-published authors of popular fiction. In retirement, she volunteers as a Guardian ad Litem, enjoys water aerobics, reads voraciously and loves spending time with her family, especially the great grandchildren who are -- of course -- amazing.
As RMFW celebrates its 40th years, we are chatting with members who were around at the very beginning and this is one of those conversations.
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Dr. Dan Lutz began his education career and passion for international education as a high school teacher in the Teacher Corps in New York and the Peace Corps in Afghanistan. His career has included training new Peace Corps Volunteers in Iran, helping initiate the development of Korean Heritage Camp for families with adopted children from that country, serving on the Board of Directors for Colorado Heritage Camps, co-founding the International Studies Schools Association (ISSA), and teaching
graduate global education classes for teachers. He developed a high school international studies magnet program which he directed for twenty-one years. He expanded that program into the Denver Center for International Studies (DCIS), a DPS magnet school
for grades 6-12, where he served as principal for four years. Subsequently he designed and established three more DCIS schools for DPS and consulted with a national network of international studies schools to which the DCIS schools belonged. From his professional experience Dan writes on global competence education and reinventing
school design. His forthcoming book challenges obsolete assumptions still in play in most schools which continue to defy equity of learning access for all students. Dr. Lutz loves creating poetry and sketch pieces, short stories, and is seeking publication of his
first completed novel. It introduces a series spotlighting an identity journey of a child adopted internationally, beginning with the traumatic story preceding his adoption.
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Sharon Mignerey is an author who loves sharing what she has learned with other authors. She has been a workshop presenter at local and national conferences, including Romance Writers of America, RMFW's Colorado Gold conference and Pikes Peak Fiction Writers. She has taught numerous online classes on the art and craft of writing.
She is the author of 12 published novels, and has been a contributor to the Writer Magazine where one of her articles was chosen for the 2005 Writer’s Handbook. She is also a contributor to Many Genres, One Craft sponsored by the Writing Popular Fiction Program at Seton Hill University. Sharon taught college composition for more than five years at Lone Star Community College. She has an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hall University.
Her novels have been the recipient of numerous awards including the Golden Heart, the Reader’s Choice Award, and the Keeper Award.
More about Sharon
http://sharonmignerey.com/
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Paulla Hunter is a long-time resident of Cheyenne, Wyoming. She lives in the historic downtown area of the city with her husband, Roger Schreiner, a volunteer and past chairman at Cheyenne Frontier Days. She is a member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Sisters in Crime, and Wyoming Writers. She earned her B.A. from the University of Wyoming in English, Speech and Drama. She has a passion for history, reading, theatre, travel, and obviously writing.
Rough Ride, published in 2022, is her first published novel. It's the first in the Darcy Moreland Mystery Series and all take place in Cheyenne, WY. With shows like Yellowstone, 1883, and rising popularity of all things Western, her book fits perfectly into this popular genre and is loosely based off of Cheyenne Frontier Days.
More about Paulla:
https://www.paullahunternovels.com/
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Jason Evans always wanted to be a writer, he just didn’t know it. He grew up in Southern California and taught high school social studies after college until he got married and moved to Denver in 2004. He continued in education and earned an MA in History, until he realized his heart was in fiction. Since 2012 Jason has had over a dozen short stories and essays published, ran an online magazine, and became a regular panelist at local conventions. He blogs regularly on his own website and newsletter. The Whimsycon Anthology was published March 2nd, 2018, giving Jason his first editorial credit. His debut novel, The Gallowglass, was published in July of 2019. Since then he has published three other novels of historical fiction.
On the podcast, we talk about a new short story collection Jason is publishing in 2023 and a day-long education event he is coordination for RMFW on January 28, 2023: A Day Of Genre.
More about Jason:
https://jasonhenryevans.com/
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Ffor the first time in more than seven years of producing this podcast, the host, Mark Stevens, takes the hot seat as a guest. The excuse is The Fireballer, a novel coming out rom Lake Union on January 1, 2023. The writer firing the questions on this episode is Shannon Baker, the author of the Kate Fox Mystery Series, the Nora Abbott Mystery Series, the Michaela Sanchez Southwest Crime Thrillers, and a standalone novel, The Desert Behind Me. Shannon was twice named RMFW’s Writer of the Year—in 2014 and 2017. The conversation includes an update on Mark's work on publishing the works of the late Gary Reilly.
For video versions of these podcasts, follow:
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Mark Stevens' website:
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Shannon Baker’s website:
https://severnriverbooks.com/authors/shannon-baker/
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tenderbastard is a songwriter, playwright, screenwriter, novelist, activist, pancake enthusiast. He and his dog are public intellectuals.
The tenderbastard pledge: "I do solemnly swear to be intelligent, kind, helpful, and to have fun as often as possible,"
reflecting our commitment to inspire creative conscientiousness. tenderbastard’s latest novel, released in September, is Poof.
More:
https://www.tenderbastard.com/
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Host: Mark Stevens:
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Tamara Cribley is a self-professed formatting junkie who believes beautiful books don’t happen by chance. Having worked as a Commercial Photographer, Graphic Artist, and Art Director, Tamara’s unique skills enable her to put together classy and professional books that keep the reader focused on the story. She resides on the Palmer Divide and, in her free time, enjoys reading, photography, and exploring with her dog, Sammy Sue.
More: https://deliberatepage.com/staging/
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Award-winning journalist Gwen Florio has covered stories ranging from the shooting at Columbine High School to the glitz of the Miss America pageant and the more practical Miss Navajo contest, whose participants slaughter and cook a sheep. She’s reported from Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia, as well as Lost Springs, Wyoming (population three). Florio turned to fiction in 2013 with the publication of her first novel, Montana, which won the Pinckley Prize for Debut Crime Fiction and a High Plains Book Award. Four more novels followed in the Lola Wicks series, termed “gutsy” by the New York Times. Silent Hearts (Atria, July 2018) was a standalone novel set in Afghanistan. In the last few years she has launched two series, one featuring amateur sleuth Nora Best and one with public defender Julia Geary solving cases. Florio is a member of International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and was named Writer of the Year in 2018 by RMFW. Her latest book, due out Dec. 6, is The Least Among Us.
More:
http://gwenflorio.net/
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Karen is a hopeless foodie, award-winning novelist, produced screenwriter and writing coach. Many of her stories are inspired by her experience marrying into a Taiwanese family. Mu Shu Mac & Cheese and American Moon: A Chinese Immigrant Story are available on Amazon. She, her husband, and their two boys have traveled the world as she researches recipes for a literary cookbook. She teaches for Princess and Celebrity cruise lines and writers conferences in Colorado where she’s part of a rich author community. On the podcast, Karen talks about the many experiences she has had in working with literary agents, including one troublesome situation that did not go well.
More:
www.karenalbrightlin.com
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Host: Mark Stevens:
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T.O. Paine is a suspense novelist whose authentic characters triumph over extreme situations in challenging, true-to-life settings. Though his novels are contemporary, things always get out of control. Cults are real, anger is a disorder, and everyone loses when a friendly competition becomes an obsession.
T.O. holds multiple degrees in computer science and spends extreme amounts of time running and cycling through the mountains of Colorado, USA. He has run over thirty marathons, ridden over twenty 100-mile cycling events, and completed an IRONMAN. He is supported by his wife and a Boston terrier/ogre mix named Fiona.
More:
https://topaine.com/books/the-excursion/
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Host: Mark Stevens:
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Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Warren Hammond is known for his gritty, futuristic KOP series. By taking the best of classic detective noir, and reinventing it on a destitute colony world, Hammond has created these uniquely dark tales of murder, corruption and redemption. KOP Killer won the 2012 Colorado Book Award for best mystery. His last novel, Tides of Maritinia, was released in December of 2014. His first book independent of the KOP series, Tides is a spy novel set in a science fictional world.
Josh bio: Joshua Viola is a 2021 Splatterpunk Award nominee, Colorado Book Award winner, and editor of the StokerCon™ 2021 Souvenir Anthology. He is the co-author of the Denver Moon series with Warren Hammond. Their graphic novel, Denver Moon: Metamorphosis, was included on the 2018 Bram Stoker Award™ Preliminary Ballot. Viola edited the Denver Post #1 bestselling horror anthology Nightmares Unhinged, and co-edited Cyber World—named one of the best science fiction anthologies of 2016 by Barnes & Noble. His first novel, The Bane of Yoto, won the USA Best Book Awards, National Indie Excellence Awards, International Book Awards, and Independent Publishers Book Awards. His short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies, including DOA III: Extreme Horror Anthology, Doorbells at Dusk and Classic Monsters Unleashed. In 2022, he became the creative director of comics and novelizations for Random Games’ videogame franchise, Unioverse, a new series from the creators of Grand Theft Auto and Donkey Kong Country, and the writers of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Halo 4. When he isn’t writing and editing, Viola dabbles in art. In 2020, he collaborated with his husband, Aaron Lovett, on AfterShock Comics’ Miskatonic #1 Cover Alpha Comics variant. As a video game artist, he worked on Pirates of the Caribbean: Call of the Kraken, Smurfs’ Grabber and TARGET: Terror. Viola is the owner and chief editor of Hex Publishers in Denver, Colorado.
www.hexpublishers.com
www.denvermoon.net
www.unioverse.com
www.joshuaviola.com
www.warrenhammon.net
For video versions of these podcasts, follow:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Host: Mark Stevens:
https://www.writermarkstevens.com/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
David R. Slayton grew up in Guthrie, Oklahoma, where finding fantasy novels was pretty challenging and finding fantasy novels with diverse characters was downright impossible. Now he lives in Denver, Colorado and writes the books he always wanted to read.
David’s debut, White Trash Warlock, was published in October 2020 by Blackstone Publishing and was a finalist for the Colorado Book Award. Book two in the series, Trailer Park Trickster was released in October 2021. Book three, Deadbeat Druid, will be released in October 2022.
In addition to writing, David is a regular presenter and speaker on writing. He has appeared on panels at Fan Expo Denver and taught workshops at the Pikes Peak Writers Conference, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, the League of Utah Writers Quills Conference, and the Seymour Agency Winter Retreat. He also regularly speaks to library, college, and high school audiences.
If you’d like to contact David for a school visit or appearance, please email him at author@davidrslayton.com.
More about David:
https://davidrslayton.com/
For video versions of these podcasts, follow:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Host: Mark Stevens:
https://www.writermarkstevens.com/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
David R. Slayton grew up in Guthrie, Oklahoma, where finding fantasy novels was pretty challenging and finding fantasy novels with diverse characters was downright impossible. Now he lives in Denver, Colorado and writes the books he always wanted to read.
David’s debut, White Trash Warlock, was published in October 2020 by Blackstone Publishing and was a finalist for the Colorado Book Award. Book two in the series, Trailer Park Trickster was released in October 2021. Book three, Deadbeat Druid, will be released in October 2022.
In addition to writing, David is a regular presenter and speaker on writing. He has appeared on panels at Fan Expo Denver and taught workshops at the Pikes Peak Writers Conference, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, the League of Utah Writers Quills Conference, and the Seymour Agency Winter Retreat. He also regularly speaks to library, college, and high school audiences.
If you’d like to contact David for a school visit or appearance, please email him at author@davidrslayton.com.
More about David:
https://davidrslayton.com/
For video versions of these podcasts, follow:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Host: Mark Stevens:
https://www.writermarkstevens.com/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Francelia Belton’s love of short stories came from watching old Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents television shows in her youth. Her fiction has appeared in various publications, including "Dreaming of Ella" in Denver Noir by Akashic Books, and most recently, "Red Riding in the Hood" in Bizarre Bazaar by Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.
Francelia's short story, “Knife Girl,” was a finalist in the 2020-2021 ScreenCraft Cinematic Short Story Competition and a semi-finalist in the 2021 Outstanding Screenplays Shorts Competition. Her short story, "The Brotherhood of Tricks and Tricks" was a quarterfinalist in the 2022 ScreenCraft Cinematic Short Story Competition. She also published a collection titled, Crime & Passion: Three Short Stories.
Francelia s an active member of Sisters in Crime and has served as Vice President and President for the Colorado chapter. She is also a member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Mystery Writers of America, Crime Writers of Color, and Short Mystery Fiction Society.
You can read more of her stories at https://Francel.Be/Writing-Stories.
For video versions of these podcasts, follow:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Francelia Belton’s love of short stories came from watching old Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents television shows in her youth. Her fiction has appeared in various publications, including "Dreaming of Ella" in Denver Noir by Akashic Books, and most recently, "Red Riding in the Hood" in Bizarre Bazaar by Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.
Francelia's short story, “Knife Girl,” was a finalist in the 2020-2021 ScreenCraft Cinematic Short Story Competition and a semi-finalist in the 2021 Outstanding Screenplays Shorts Competition. Her short story, "The Brotherhood of Tricks and Tricks" was a quarterfinalist in the 2022 ScreenCraft Cinematic Short Story Competition. She also published a collection titled, Crime & Passion: Three Short Stories.
Francelia s an active member of Sisters in Crime and has served as Vice President and President for the Colorado chapter. She is also a member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Mystery Writers of America, Crime Writers of Color, and Short Mystery Fiction Society.
You can read more of her stories at https://Francel.Be/Writing-Stories.
For video versions of these podcasts, follow:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
This time on the Rocky Mountain Writer podcast, a chat with the co-editors of Bizarre Bazaar, the brand new short story anthology from Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers that will debut in a few short weeks.
Veronica R. Calisto is a massage therapist, an alto, a writer of speculative fiction, and a big nerd. One of those rare Colorado natives, she has a degree in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology and is a two-time American Idol reject. Veronica is best described as a walking musical who might also be a figment of her own imagination. She is the author of several books including Diary of a Mad Black Witch and the first two in the SparkleTits Chronicles series.
Amy Drayer grew up a free-range kid on a charming island in the Pacific Northwest, then migrated south to attend Scripps College in California. She later moved to Washington, D.C. where she worked in politics for far too long. Amy is a graduate of the inimitable Lighthouse Writers Workshop Book Project, an enthusiastic member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and Sisters in Crime, Managing Editor of the museum of americana literary journal, and the Editor of the 2022 Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers anthology, Bizarre Bazaar.
More about Amy:
https://www.makahislandmysteries.com/author.html
More about Veronica:
https://www.facebook.com/veronica.roland.7/
For video versions of these podcasts, follow:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Host: Mark Stevens:
https://www.writermarkstevens.com/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Son
On Saturday, July 16 the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers teamed up to host a vitual event--an interview of mystery writer James Lee Burke by fellow mystery writer (and RMMWA member) David Heska Wanbli Weiden. This is the audio from that event. To watch the interview on YouTube, visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6FSMzELysg
Ben Miller-Callihan joined Handspun Literary Agency as an agent in 2019, after working behind the scenes since the agency's founding in tech support and bookkeeping roles, following more than a decade teaching high school English.
Ben's interests include humor, YA, fantasy and speculative fiction, crossover fiction a la William Gibson and Erin Morgenstern, the macabre (for all ages), off-the-beaten-path folklore, deaf culture and community, and anything food-related.
Writers from marginalized communities are especially welcomed. Ben will be one of the featured guest agents at the RMFW’s Colorado Gold conference in September.
More about Handspun Literary Agency here.
For video versions of these podcasts, follow:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Angela Sylvaine is a self-proclaimed cheerful goth who still believes in monsters. She adores reading and is always looking for a great book recommendation. Angela writes primarily horror, science fiction, and dark fantasy. She has published one novella, Chopping Spree, and her short stories have appeared in over two dozen publications. Her debut novel, Frost BIte, will be available in October of 2023 from Dark Matter INK.
Angela grew up in North Dakota and holds degrees in psychology and philosophy from the University of North Dakota. After marrying her high school sweetheart, they moved to Colorado, and now live on the front range of the Rockies with their three creepy cats. Angela is a member of the Horror Writers Association, Pikes Peak Writers, and, of course, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.
More about Angela Sylvaine here.
For video versions of these podcasts, follow:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Amy Collins, Associate Agent with Talcott Notch Literary Services, has over 30 years’ experience matching books with readers. As a former book buyer, publisher, and sales director for one of the largest non-fiction publishers in the US, Amy has been focused on market and sales potential research for authors for over ten years. As an agent, she represents many authors who have signed deals with major publishers for non-fiction projects such as The Unseen Photos of Sesame Street, Sex and the City and America’s Forgotten Suffragists. She also works with authors who have successfully launched their non-fiction series such as the Eat Happy Series. Amy is the author of several non-fiction books ranging from self-help (It’s The Little Things,) to books on publishing and working toward becoming a successful author. She is currently traveling the country with her two dogs meeting with editors and authors and can be found on Twitter at @askamycollins.
Talcott Notch Literary Services
For video versions of these podcasts, follow:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Michael Neff is an award-winning author, Pushcart-nominated poet, widely published short fiction writer, literary agent, writer conference organizer, as well as an accomplished developmental editor. His first novel All The Dark We Will Not See was published by the distinguished academic press, Serving House Books. A few years later, an urban fantasy, Magicians Impossible, was created and co-edited by him, and later published by Macmillan Books. His science-fantasy novels, Piper Robbin and The American Oz Maker, and the prequel, World Maker, have both received multiple awards. Michael is also the founder and chief architect of Algonkian Writer Conferences including the famous and highly successful New York Pitch Conference, and has agented and developmentally edited many successful commercial novels. In his spare time, he publishes the quirky and popular literary journal Del Sol Review. Michael is one of the guest literary agents coming to Colorado Gold in September.
Algonkian Conferences:
https://algonkianconferences.com/
Novel Writing On The Edge
https://www.novelwritingonedge.com/
For video versions of these podcasts, follow:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Fleur Bradley grew up in the Netherlands where she spent her childhood riding a bike, catching tadpoles, and reading Pippi Longstocking and Roald Dahl books. Her very favorite book was The BFG by Roald Dahl. She would read under the covers well past bedtime, secretly hoping for the BFG to knock on her window. Today, she is the author of several middle grade and young adult books, including Midnight at the Barclay Hotel, which was the winner of 2021 Colorado Book Awards for Juvenile Fiction. The book was also a finalist for the Agatha Awards, Reading the West Book Awards, the Anthony Awards, and others.
Fleur's new title, launching in August 2022, is Daybreak on Raven Island.
More about Fleur:
http://www.ftbradley.com/home.html
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
LS Hawker is the author of USA TODAY bestseller and ITW Thriller Awards finalist The Drowning Game, End of the Road, and The Throwaways. Starting July 1, she is teaching an online class for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers — Writing a Thriller That Readers Can’t Put Down.
Visit LSHawker.com to read about her adventures as cocktail waitress, traveling Kmart portrait photographer, and witness to basement exorcisms.
For video versions of these podcasts, follow:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
More about Lisa Hawker:
https://lshawker.com/
A few tune suggestions from LS Hawker - songs she found from movies and television ads:
Chanel No 5 ad - "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" - The Inkspots
Volkswagen ad - "Pink Moon" - Nick Drake
My Favorite Year - "How High the Moon" - Les Paul & Mary Ford
Kissing Jessica Stein - "I Wish You Love" - Blossom Dearie
American Hustle - "Jeep's Blues" - Count Basie
American Graffiti - "Green Onions" - Booker t and the mgs
Star Trek (2009) - "Sabotage" - The Beastie Boys
Goodfellas - "Jump into the Fire" - Nilsson
Fight Club - "Where is my Mind" - Pixies
Pulp Fiction - "If Love is a Red Dress" - Maria McKee
Stranger than Fiction - "Whole Wide World" - Wreckless Eric
Jarhead - "Jesus Walks" - Kanye West
Pleasantville - "Take 5" - Dave Brubeck
The Hurricane - "The Hurricane" - Bob Dylan
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
This time on the Rocky Mountain Writer, a conversation with the three Writer of the Year Nominees.
Karla M. Jay is the award-winning author of When We Were Brave, It Happened in Silence, and The Puppet Maker's Daughter. She makes her home in Salt Lake City. Over the years she has written in several different genres, ranging from humor to noir, but currently is focused on historical fiction. When she's not writing, she's reading, gardening, playing with her dog, or traveling to new places to try to find a story that has never been told.
Pamela Nowak writes in two genres. Her historical women’s fiction tells the stories of real women whose stories have been forgotten and her historical romance novels weave fictional relationship stories into historical settings and events. A member of RMFW since 1993, Pam resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Amy Rivers is an award-winning novelist, as well as the Director of Northern Colorado Writers. She was recently named 2021 Indie Author of the Year by the Indie Author Project. Her psychological suspense novels incorporate important social issues with a focus on the complexities of human behavior. Her forthcoming novel, Stumble & Fall, is the second book in the A Legacy of Silence series. Amy was raised in New Mexico and now lives in Colorado with her husband and children.
For video versions of these podcasts, follow:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
More about Pamela Nowak:
http://www.pamelanowak.com/wp/
More about Karla M. Jay
https://www.karlajay.com/
More about Amy Rivers:
https://www.amyrivers.com/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Emily grew up loving to read and escape into stories. She began writing her own stories at the age of twelve. In college she focused on science and graduated with a degree in Environmental Biology. After college she began writing again but quickly realized she had failed to take a single writing or grammar class. Luckily, she’s a quick learner.
Emily now lives in Colorado with her wonderful husband, three amazing children, and way too many animals. She still enjoys making up stories and can’t seem to leave out the paranormal elements because they are just too much fun. Her latest novel, just out, is Droplets of Magic.
More about Emily: https://www.emilybybeebooks.com/
For video versions of these podcasts, follow:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Chuck Greaves spent 25 years as an L.A. trial lawyer before turning his talents to fiction. He’s been a finalist for most of the major awards in crime writing including the Shamus, Macavity, Lefty, and Audie, as well as the New Mexico-Arizona, Oklahoma, and Colorado Book Awards, the CAL Award for Fiction, and the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction. The Chimera Club is his seventh novel is the fourth installment in his Jack MacTaggart series of legal mysteries. It launches on Tuesday, May 17. You can visit him, and Jack, at www.chuckgreaves.com.
For video versions of these podcasts, follow:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Cynthia Swanson writes literary suspense, often using historical settings. Her debut novel, The Bookseller, was a New York Times best seller, an Indie Next selection, and the winner of the 2016 WILLA Literary Award for Historical Fiction.
Swanson’s second novel, the USA Today best seller The Glass Forest, was noted in Forbes as being one of “Five Novels with a Remarkably Strong Sense of Place.” She is the editor of the anthology Denver Noir, publishing May 3, 2022 from Akashic Books.
Cynthia lives with her family in Denver. Connect with her on Instagram (cynswanauthor), Twitter (@cynswanauthor), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/CynthiaSwanson), and at cynthiaswansonauthor.com.
More about Akashic Books:
http://www.akashicbooks.com/
For video versions of these podcasts, follow:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Aimie K. Runyan writes to celebrate history’s unsung heroines. She has been honored as a Historical Novel Society Editors’ Choice selection, as a three-time finalist for the Colorado Book Awards, and as a nominee for the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer of the Year. Aimie is active as an educator and speaker in the writing community and beyond. Her next book, A School for German Brides, is being published next week (Tuesday, April 26) from William Morrow. Aimie lives in Colorado with her amazing husband, two (usually) adorable children, and two (always) adorable kitties.
To learn more about Aimie visit https://aimiekrunyan.com/
For video versions of these podcasts, follow:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Claire L. Fishback is an author, book coach, project manager, amazing wife, dog mom, and your guide to doing more in less time, project managing your writing life, being your own best cheerleader, and ultimately discovering your path to the writing career of your dreams. Her latest book, just out, is You Can, Toucan! - Do More In Less Time.
For video versions of these podcasts, follow:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
You Can, Toucan! Website:
https://youcantoucan.com/
Free Course Information:
https://youcantoucan.com/emailcourselp/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Ralph Beckett is a science fiction author who publishes under the pen name R. C. Beckett. He was born in Los Alamos, New Mexico, home of the National Lab that invented the atomic bomb. As a teenager, a friend’s father gave him a huge collection of Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine, thus started his love of the SciFi genre.
After a career in health care, he started his medical blog, Quality Health Care Please and began to write science fiction novels and started a website consulting business.
He has self-published two books, Exit Earth and Exit Mars.
He was the editor of Second Law, a SciFi anthology, released in December 2021 by the RMFW Speculative Fiction Critique Group. And he has contributed short stories to all three of the group’s books, including First Encounters and Joy to the Worlds.
On the podcast, Ralph talks about his experience as an editor of Second Law and the unique approach to publishing that Spec Fic Writers has followed.
For video versions of these podcasts, follow:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Spec Fic Writers website:
https://specficwriters.com/
RC Beckett’s website:
https://rcbeckett.com/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
This time on the Rocky Mountain Writer, an orientation to the 2022 Colorado Gold Rush Literary Award contest, hosted by Mindy McIntyre and Sue Hinkin.
This is the audio from the webinar held Sunday, March 27. Mindy and Sue review the contest and the procedures and they also, discuss tips, and answer a few questions.
For video versions of these podcasts, follow:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Susan Spann is the award-winning, bestselling author of the Hiro Hattori Novels featuring master ninja Hiro Hattori and Portuguese Jesuit Father Mateo, as well as Climb, a nonfiction chronicle of her quest to overcome cancer, break free from fear, and climb 100 Japanese mountains in a single year.
Susan's first novel, Claws of the Cat, was a Library Journal Mystery Debut of the Month and a finalist for the Silver Falchion Award for Best First Novel.
The eighth novel in the series, just released last month, is Fires of Edo.
When not writing, Susan travels across Japan, climbing mountains and sharing photographs of her adventures on her blog and social media. She also has a YouTube channel, where she shares videos about life, nature, and culture in Japan.
Susan was the 2015 Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' Writer of the Year and is a former president of the Northern California chapter of Mystery Writers of America.
Find Susan online at her website (http://www.susanspann.com), on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/SusanSpannBooks) and on Instagram (SusanSpann.author).
For video versions of these podcasts, follow:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Margaret Mizushima is the author of the award-winning and internationally published Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries. Active within the writing community, Margaret recently served as president for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. She was elected the 2019-2020 Writer of the Year by Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and is also a member of Northern Colorado Writers, Sisters in Crime, and Women Writing the West.
Margaret lives in Colorado on a small ranch with her veterinarian husband where they raised two daughters and a multitude of animals. She can be found on Facebook/AuthorMargaretMizushima, Twitter @margmizu, Instagram at margmizu, and her website at www.MargaretMizushima.com
For video versions of these podcasts, follow:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Jon Christian-Rutigliano's credo is that individuals naturally gravitate toward the positive energy in life, and are at their best when left to their own devices. For good or bad, his work will always explore this proposition. When not writing, you can find Jon and his wife Krissy at their Colorado based ranch introducing his two rambunctious boys Dustin and Ryder to mother nature. Jon’s first novel, Reclamation, debuted in 2020.
More about Jon: www.jonchristianauthor.com
For video versions of the Rocky Mountain Writer podcasts, follow:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Kelley J. P. Lindberg writes award-winning young adult and adult fiction, and she sometimes admits to having written several best-selling how-to books in her early career.
When she isn’t writing or reading, she’s traveling as far and as often as she can. Kelley has spoken at numerous writing conferences and workshops, including the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers conference. Her fiction and essays have appeared in The Baltimore Review, The Citron Review, Chicken Soup for the Wine Lover’s Soul, and others, and in the Tellables app for the Amazon Alexa platform.
Kelley has just signed with agent Lynnette Novak, of The Seymour Agency, for her first young adult novel, True Love Never.
You can visit Kelley’s website at www.KelleyLindberg.com, where she blogs about writing craft and the writer’s life.
For video versions of these podcasts, visit The Rocky Mountain Writer on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-Z3EXJZHic&list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
A fan of all things fantastical and frightening, Shannon Lawrence writes primarily horror and fantasy. Her stories can be found in over forty anthologies and magazines, and her three solo horror short story collections and her nonfiction title, The Business of Short Stories, are available now. You can also find her as a co-host of the podcast Mysteries, Monsters, & Mayhem. When she's not writing, she's hiking through the wilds of Colorado and photographing her magnificent surroundings, where, coincidentally, there's always a place to hide a body or birth a monster.
More about Shannon:
www.thewarriormuse.com
For video versions of these podcasts, visit The Rocky Mountain Writer on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-Z3EXJZHic&list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Award-winning author Janet Fogg’s focus on writing began while she was working as CFO for the coolest architectural firm in Boulder. Fifteen writing awards later she resigned from the firm and soon after signed a contract for her first published novel, Soliloquy, a HOLT Medallion Award winner. Fast forward about a million words, and she’s published three more novels and three World War II military histories.
Now penning two Kindle Vella tales with a third on her event horizon, Janet and Bob West recently celebrated acquisition of Twenty Miles of Fence–Blueprint of a Cowboy, by Bison Books, an imprint of the University of Nebraska Press.
RMFW's 2018 Honored Guiding Member, Janet currently manages distribution of It's a Book, RMFW's promotional mailer to booksellers and libraries in the Rocky Mountain area.
More about Janet Fogg:
https://janetfogg.com/
For video versions of these podcasts, visit The Rocky Mountain Writer on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-Z3EXJZHic&list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
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Award-winning author Michele Packard comes from a military family and worked tirelessly as a cable tv executive before staying at home to raise her three children. She has written both fiction and non-fiction, using her experiences and sharp wit to share stories with others. When not writing, she is a frequent traveler with her husband and is the primary caretaker of the family's beloved labs. Here latest novel, just out in December, is CounterIntelligence.
More about Michele:
www.michelepackard.com
For video versions of these podcasts, visit The Rocky Mountain Writer on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-Z3EXJZHic&list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
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Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
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Nancy Houser-Bluhm has lived in the foothills west of Denver for over 20 years with her husband and miscellaneous pets. She hails from Michigan but always had a longing for the mountains after growing up watching Bonanza.
Authentic communication with herself and others has been an ultimate life quest. Nancy has had numerous prompted memoir-based articles in a local mountain newspaper. After working forty years as a Speech-Language Pathologist, both in the schools and health care, she retired from being a full-time worker bee. It was then she began a blog and ventured into the arena of writing her first novel, Whispers for Terra.
More about Nancy:
https://www.nancyhouserbluhm.com/
For video versions of these podcasts, visit The Rocky Mountain Writer on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-Z3EXJZHic&list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
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https://danosongs.com/
A life-long writer, Terri Benson's fiction is both traditionally and self-published, with nearly a hundred additional articles and short stories published – many award winning. She was the Education Chair for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers for more than seven years, is an irregular blogger (in more ways than one), member of Sisters in Crime, presents workshops at writer’s conferences, and teaches night classes at Western Colorado Community College. Terri spends her non-writing time working at a Business Incubator, camping, jeeping, and dirt biking with her junior-high-school sweetheart/husband of 40+ years and a succession of Brittany spaniels. You can find more information on her at https://www.terribensonwriter.com/
On the podcast, Terri talks about her new book coming out on April 1, The Pickup Artist. She also talks about a workshop she’s giving on January 15 (in Grand Junction) about using a “Story Bible” to keep her details organized as she writes.
More about the January 15 workshop here:
https://rmfw.org/event/what-is-a-story-bible-what-divine-purpose-does-it-serve/
For video versions of these podcasts, visit The Rocky Mountain Writer on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-Z3EXJZHic&list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
As a middle child, Melissa Payne was born to tell stories. What started with blaming her brother for breaking the car window evolved to a graduate thesis that she desperately wishes she could rewrite to blogging on motherhood and marriage. Now she likes to create stories set in wild and beautiful places with characters in flawed and imperfect relationships, whether that’s between a mother and a daughter, friends or strangers. And imagining all of it with just a hint of the ethereal, a whisper of something beyond what we can see and a sense that it’s all for a purpose.
Melissa Payne’s latest novel, just out this fall, is The Night of Many Endings.
Mre:
https://www.melissapayneauthor.com/
For video versions of these podcasts, visit The Rocky Mountain Writer on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-Z3EXJZHic&list=PLBP81nfbKnDRjs-Nar9LNe20138AiPyP8
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
https://mobygratis.com/
Outro Music by Dan-o-Songs:
https://danosongs.com/
Nicole Sullivan's love of all things books and reading led her to open BookBar in Spring of 2013. After studying Culinary Arts at the Colorado Art Institute, she knew books, food, and wine would make a great combination. She is the founder and president of BookGive, BookBar's non-profit organization, and BookBar Press, launched in 2020.
Additionally, she serves on the Board of Directors for Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers Association. She holds a BA in Anthropology from the University of Colorado and lives just a short cruiser bike ride from her store with her husband Ryan, two children, and way too many (but also not enough) pets. Nicole loves big ideas and small spaces.
More about BookBar:
https://www.bookbardenver.com/
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Kate Jonuska is an indie author, freelance writer, and yoga teacher who is currently serving as Vice President of the RMFW Board as well as Conference Co-Chair.
Her debut novel (Transference) was a finalist for the 2017 BookLife Prize. And the second edition of her non-fiction book, Dictionary of Fiction Critique, published in 2020.
As a part of the critique group 30th Street Fiction, she's published three anthologies, including Broken: A 30th Street Fiction Anthology, currently available in paperback and ebook.
More:
https://30thstreetpress.com/
More:
https://katejonuska.com/
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John M. Campbell has made a career in the aerospace industry. Now, he speculates on the worlds currently unknown to us that science and engineering may unlock. He is compelled by the promise technology offers to address many of the issues facing human survival. The prospect of extraterrestrial life in our solar system and the outer planets fascinates him. He finds intriguing the likelihood that machine intelligence will likely surpass mankind’s ability to control it in this century. Inspiration for his stories often comes from the strange realities of quantum physics and cosmology. He hopes his stories will inspire careers in science and engineering as the authors he read inspired his career.
John is an active member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers as a coordinator of the Aurora critique group. He lives with his wife in Denver, Colorado.
This year, John’s story "The Tiger and the Waif” won first place in the Writers of the Future contest for the fourth quarter of 2020. It joined the first, second, and third prize winning stories for each quarter in the annual anthology published by Galaxy Press. John joined authors from both Volume 36 and Volume 37 in Los Angeles for a week-long writers workshop given by the contest judges.
For more of his stories visit his web page at https://www.johnmcampbell.com/
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnMCampbellSciFiAuthor
Watch John M. Campbell accept his award in Hollywood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8loB_5F4cw&t=18s (John is introduced at about the 20-minute mark on the video).
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Kate Lansing lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband, daughter, and a chair-napping tabby cat named Maple. Her love for mysteries began when she devoured From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler as a young girl, and has grown from there.
An award-winning short story author, her work has appeared in the Brave New Girls Anthology and the Crossing Colfax Anthology. She writes the Colorado Wine Mystery series—the third book in the series, Mulled to Death, was released in late October and the the fourth book of which, Till Death Do Us Port, will be out fall 2022 from Berkley!
More on Kate Lansing:
https://katelansing.com/
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
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This time on the podcast, the Writer of the Year speech by Sue Hinkin and the Independent Writer of the Year speech by Andre Gonzalez — both delivered at last weekend’s Colorado Gold conference in Denver. First up is Sue Hinkin and at the beginning she references the news that PAL, the Published Authors League and IPAL, the Independent Published Authors League, will merge into one group to be known as Published Authors Alliance and to be led by the aforementioned Andre Gonzalez. Apologies for the clanking dishes and glasses but there’s not much you can do about that background noise at a banquet. And thanks to all the organizers of Colorado Gold, who put on a terrific weekend of workshops, networking, awards, keynote addresses, and much much more.
Intro Music by Moby Gratis:
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Jon Marcantoni is the Local Author Coordinator at Tattered Cover as well as the founder of LCG Media, a publishing and multimedia company. He is the author of five books, including the award-winning Kings of 7th Avenue. His work has appeared in Latino Rebels, Warscapes, Across the Margin, PANK Magazine, The New Engagement, Minor Literatures, 3 AM, Label Me Latino, and he has been featured in the Huffington Post, Washington Post, El Nuevo Dia in Puerto Rico, The LA Times, and NPR's Frontera series.
On the podcast, Jon talks about the system he has set up to accept independently published books at the Tattered Cover.
The Tattered Cover staff will be on hand to run the bookstore at Colorado Gold, coming up in Denver from Oct. 15 - 17.
More:
https://www.tatteredcover.com/local-authors
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Andre Gonzalez is the international bestselling author of the Wealth of Time Series. He writes time-travel, thriller, and horror books after spending many years reading and studying the works of Stephen King and Dean Koontz. Keeping readers up late and their hearts pumping a bit faster than normal is his ultimate goal when cracking open one of his books. Andre is the recipient of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers 2021 Independent Writer of the Year award.
When he’s not writing, you can find Andre buried underneath a long to-do list and/or his three hyper children. He and his wife are raising their family in their hometown of Denver, CO.
Stay tuned after the interview for the audio version of the first chapter from Wealth of Time.
More:
https://andregonzalez.net/
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Tasha Christensen believes the best love stories are found in the geekiest places. When not composing tuba closet make-out scenes, she enjoys writing music, getting way too competitive about board games, and exploring the gorgeous Rocky Mountains. Tasha lives with her husband, daughters, and an overly affectionate mutt named after her favorite Stranger Things character. As You Were, her debut novel, launched in August and on the podcast she talks about getting ready for NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month, coming up in November - and a workshop she’s leading on Sept. 25 to help other writers get ready for it.
More:
https://www.tashachristensen.com/
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David R. Slayton grew up in Guthrie, Oklahoma, where finding fantasy novels was pretty challenging and finding fantasy novels with diverse characters was downright impossible. Now he lives in Denver, Colorado and write the books he always wanted to read. His latest novel, due out in October, is Trailer Park Trickster.
NOTE! Stay tuned after the interview for the audio book version of chapter one from his first novel, White Trash Warlock.
More: https://davidrslayton.com/
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A conversation with RMFW president Sue Duff Loeffler about the protections being put in place for the Colorado Gold conference coming up Oct. 15 - 17 in Denver.
More about the conference:
https://rmfw.org/conference-2021/
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Kerry Anne King (who also writes as Kerry Schafer) is a Washington Post and Amazon charts bestselling author who writes compelling and transformational stories about family and personal growth. She loves to add in mystery, humor and an undercurrent of romance, and celebrates when she succeeds in making readers both laugh and cry.
Kerry Anne has been chosen as the 2020 Writer of the Year by the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Association. Her most recent novel, Everything You Are, is a finalist in the Nancy Pearl Awards hosted by the Pacific Northwest Writers Association. In addition to writing, she is enthusiastic about encouraging and supporting other writers and is the host of Tell Me Your Secrets, a videocast/podcast featuring lively, informal interviews with authors and other people involved in bringing books into the world.
When not absorbed in creative pursuits, you’ll find Kerry Anne hanging out with her real life Viking on their little piece of heaven in rural northeastern Washington.
Kerry's latest book, Other People's Things, comes out Sept. 21.
Links to books by both Kerry Anne King and Kerry Schafer:
https://allthingskerry.com/
Other People’s Things, Video Trailer and buy links:
https://allthingskerry.com/buy-other-peoples-things
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Shannon Baker is author of the Kate Fox Mystery series. Set in rural Nebraska cattle country, according to a starred review in Library Journal, "Baker’s writing evokes the beauty of the Nebraska Sandhills, and her colorful cast of secondary characters adds a depth of charm." Now a resident of Tucson, Baker spent 20 years in the Nebraska Sandhills, where cattle outnumber people by more than 50:1. Shannon is proud to have been chosen Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ 2014 and 2017 Writer of the Year.
Baker also writes the Nora Abbott mystery series, a fast-paced mix of Hopi Indian mysticism, environmental issues, and murder. The first in the series, Height of Deception, is set in Flagstaff, AZ, where she lived for several years and worked for The Grand Canyon Trust, a hotbed of environmentalists who, usually, don’t resort to murder. It was a 2013 finalist in the New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards.
A lover of the great outdoors, she can be found backpacking in the Rockies, traipsing to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, skiing mountains and plains, kayaking lakes, hiking, cycling, and diving whenever she gets the chance. Having the desert for a backyard is a daily thrill, bringing javelinas, rattlesnakes, zillions of birds, and spectacular sunsets every day.
Arizona sunsets notwithstanding, Baker is, and always will be, a Nebraska Husker. Go Big Red.
Shannon’s website: https://shannon-baker.com/
Shannon’s amazing video trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxhkI0ODZIA
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Stephanie Kane is a lawyer and award-winning author of seven crime novels. Born in Brooklyn, New York, she came to Colorado as a freshman at The University of Colorado. A second-degree black belt, she owned and ran a karate studio in Boulder. After becoming a corporate partner at a top Denver law firm, she quit to do criminal defense work. She lives in Denver with her husband and two black cats.
Stephanie’s legal thrillers starring defense lawyer Jackie Flowers have won the Colorado Book Award for Mystery and two Colorado Authors League Awards for Genre Fiction.
She belongs to Mystery Writers of America, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and the Colorado Authors League.
Stephanie has a new mystery being published in October, Object Lessons, and a true crime story being published in 2022, True Crime Redux.
Stephanie’s story about the true crime book, and her connection to the murder it’s about, is one of the most unusual stories you’ll hear. But she also transforms what she learned into lessons for fiction writers, too.
More about Stephanie:
https://www.writerkane.com/author
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Award winning author Claire L. Fishback lives in Morrison, Colorado with her loving husband and their pit bull mix. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys hiking, drawing, and adding to her bone collection, though she would rather be stretched out on the couch with a good book (or poking dead things with sticks).
Claire’s new book, The Gorging of Souls, publishes on Thursday, Aug. 19.
Link to Claire’s books on her website: www.clairelfishback.com/books
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Gail Carriger writes comedies of manners mixed with paranormal romance (and sexy urban fantasy as G. L. Carriger). Her steampunk books include the Parasol Protectorate, Custard Protocol, Supernatural Society, and Delightfully Deadly series for adults, and the Finishing School series for young adults.
Gail is published in many languages and has over a dozen NYT bestsellers. She was once an archaeologist and is overly fond of shoes, octopuses, and tea.
Gail is also a keynote speaker at the Colorado Gold. conference in October and is a teaching a master class about her writing guide, The Heroine's Journey.
More: https://gailcarriger.com/
Subscribe here to Gail's newsletter: The Chirrup!
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Kathleen Donnelly is a K-9 handler for Sherlock Hounds Detection Canines—a Colorado based private narcotics K-9 company. In 2015, she was the recipient of the Lisa Jackson scholarship to attend Killer Nashville. In 2017, her novel was a Killer Nashville Claymore Top 20 Finalist. In 2018, Kathleen placed second in the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer’s Colorado Gold Contest. Her debut romantic suspense, Chasing Justice, published by Carina Press, will be released in June of 2022. She lives in Berthoud, CO with her husband and all their four-legged friends.
Follow Kathleen on Facebook: Kathleen Donnelly Mayger and Sherlock Hounds Detection Canines, LLC
Instagram: kathleendonnelly20
Twitter: @KatK9writer
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Novelist and writing coach John DeDakis is a former editor on CNN's "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer."
DeDakis is the author of five mystery-suspense novels. His fourth novel, Bullet in the Chamber, was the winner of Reviewers Choice, Foreword INDIES, and Feathered Quill book awards.
In his most recent novel, Fake, protagonist Lark Chadwick is a White House correspondent trying to walk the line between personal feelings and dispassionate objectivity in the era of “fake news” and #MeToo. Fake earned Honorable Mention for the Reviewers Choice Award and was a Finalist for Killer Nashville’s Silver Falchion Award.
DeDakis, a former White House correspondent, is a manuscript editor, and regularly teaches novel writing online and at literary centers, writers’ conferences, and bookstores around the country and abroad.
He is also a jazz drummer.
DeDakis will be a keynote speaker at Colorado Gold in Denver (Oct. 15 to 17) and is also teaching a master class.
More at: https://johndedakis.com/
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Kerry Schafer writes fantasy and paranormal mysteries featuring fun supernatural chills, dark humor, and quirky characters. In addition to writing, she is enthusiastic about encouraging and supporting other writers as a mindset coach and speaker. When not absorbed in creative pursuits, you'll find Kerry hanging out with her real-life Viking on their little piece of heaven in rural northeastern Washington. She also writes bestselling family dramas as Kerry Anne King.
Although Kerry continues to publish traditionally through Lake Union as Kerry Anne King, she is publishing her latest Kerry Schafer novel, "Dead Before Dinner," by herself.
You can find out more at her website at www.allthingskerry.com
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Ashley Wyrick is the owner and chief editor of Status Quill, an editing firm she founded in 2015. With over seven years of experience in the traditional industry and more as a freelancer, she is passionate about culture rattling literature.
Ashley is one of the master class teachers at the Colorado Gold conference in October. She’s teaching a three-hour class called “Queries: Simple, Solid, Striking.”
More about Ashley's business here:
http://www.statusquill.com/
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Rachel Howzell Hall, one of the amazing keynote speakers coming to Colorado Gold this October, is the critically acclaimed author and Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist for And Now She's Gone. A New York Times bestselling author of The Good Sister with James Patterson, Rachel is an Anthony, International Thriller Writers and Lefty Award nominee. She's also the author of They All Fall Down, and four novels in a series featuring detective Elouise Norton: Land of Shadows, Skies of Ash, Trail of Echoes and City of Saviors.
She is a past member of the board of directors for Mystery Writers of America and has been a featured writer on NPR's acclaimed Crime in the City series and the National Endowment for the Arts weekly podcast..
Rachel has served as a mentor in Pitch Wars and the Association of Writers Programs. Rachel lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter. For more information, visit www.rachelhowzell.com
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This time on the Rocky Mountain Writer podcast, all about the 2021 edition of the Colorado Gold Writing Conference coming up in October -- October 15 through 17 to be precise.
The guests are co-chairs Mira Landry and Kate Jonuska and we cover keynote speakers, agents, a new virtual component, agent pitches, a new bookstore partnership, types of workshops that will be offered and much, much more.
Mira Landry is a writer working on literary and upmarket women’s fiction, her most recent being a non-fantasy Alice in Wonderland retelling for adults about a stifled artist and her absurd weekend of real-life characters.
When not writing, Mira works as a portrait photographer telling people’s stories through images, and enjoys any activity that involves being in the mountains, on the water, or in the kitchen.
Born and raised in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, she now lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband.
Kate Jonuska is an indie author, freelance writer and yoga teacher as well as the current Vice President of the RMFW Board.
Her debut novel (Transference) was a finalist for the 2017 BookLife Prize, and the second edition of her Dictionary of Fiction Critique published in 2020.
Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers
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Born and raised in Colorado, LR Braden makes her home in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains with her wonderful husband, precocious daughter, and psychotic cat. She is the bestselling author of The Magicsmith urban fantasy series. Her first book, "A Drop of Magic," won the 2020 Eric Hoffer Award for Sci-Fi/Fantasy, the First Horizon Award for debut authors, and the Imadjinn Award for Best Urban Fantasy. With degrees in both English literature and metalsmithing, she splits her time between writing and art.
L.R. Braden's website.
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On the podcast this time, an interview with the three nominees for 2021 Writer of the Year: L.R. Braden, Sue Hinkin, and Cindi Myers.
L.R. Braden is the bestselling author of the Magicsmith urban fantasy series. Her debut novel, A Drop of Magic, came out in July of 2019. By July 2020, she had four books and three audiobooks published in the Magicsmith series, had achieved #1 bestseller status on several Amazon lists, and been honored with multiple awards, including the RMFW Pen Award for new authors, the Eric Hoffer Book Award for Sci-fi/Fantasy, the First Horizon Award for outstanding debut authors, and the Imadjinn Award for Best Urban Fantasy Novel.
Originally from Chicago, Sue Hinkin is a former television news photographer, NBC-TV Art Department manager, as well as a college teacher and administrator. A Cinematography graduate of the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, she now lives in Littleton, Colorado where she is a new grandmother of twin girls. Hinkin writes the Beatrice Middleton & Lucy Vega thriller series. Her fourth installment, The Mermaid Broker, was published April 1st 2021 to strong reviews.
Cindi Myers became one of the most popular people in eighth grade when she and her best friend wrote a torrid historical romance and passed the manuscript around among friends.
Fame was short-lived, alas; the English teacher confiscated the manuscript and suggested they should spend more time brushing up on grammar and spelling. Since then, Cindi has written more than 100 published novels. Over 1 million copies of her books have been sold around the world, and her books have been translated into more than a dozen languages, and regularly appear on Publisher’s Weekly’s best seller lists. Cindi is a past RITA finalist, a Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Writer of the Year (2005) and winner of the Colorado Book Award for genre fiction (2013).
Cindi has been a member of RMFW since 2001, regularly presents at conference, and is grateful to have found ‘her tribe’ at RMFW.
Cindi Myers:
https://www.cindimyers.com/
Sue Hinkin:
https://www.suehinkin.com/
L.R. Braden:
https://www.lrbraden.com/
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Mario Acevedo is the author of the bestselling Felix Gomez detective-vampire series, which includes Rescue From Planet Pleasure from WordFire Press.
His debut novel, The Nymphos of Rocky Flats, was chosen by Barnes & Noble as one of the best Paranormal Fantasy Novels of the Decade and was a finalist for a Colorado Book Award.
Mario cntributed two stories for the award-winning horror anthology, Nightmares Unhinged, by Hex Publishers.
His novel, Good Money Gone, co-authored with Richard Kilborn, won a best novel International Latino Book Award in 2014. His new novel, just out, is Luther, Wyoming co-authored with Tomas Alamilla.
Mario lives and writes in Denver, Colorado
Doug Adcock has been writing for thirty years, but published his first Edward Hunter adventure in 2016.
He taught English, history, and drama to over 1000 students on four continents. Now retired, he splits his time between Colorado and Vermont.
Besides writing, he skis, plays trombone, sings, square dances, bakes bread, and travels extensively.
The three books in his Edward Hunter series to date are Rebellion, Massacre, and Blood Water. Stay tuned after the interview for a reading from the series.
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Rachel Dempsey has written and directed over a dozen plays for numerous acclaimed theater organizations such as Imagination Stage and ArtStream.
Her prose won first prize in The Colorado Gold Rush Literary Awards and also won the Denver Women’s Press Club Emerging Writers Contest.
She holds a BFA in Drama and English from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and a Master’s degree in Journalism from Georgetown University. She lives in Denver, where she currently writes and waits for live theater to be a thing again.
On the podcast, Rachel talks about her recent decision to wade into social media for the first time.
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This time on the podcast, a group interview with the three nominees for Independent Writer of the Year.
Andre Gonzalez is the international bestselling author of the Wealth of Time Series. He writes time-travel, thriller, and horror books after spending many years reading and studying the works of Stephen King and Dean Koontz.
Keeping readers up late and their hearts pumping a bit faster than normal is his ultimate goal.
Andre is currently serving in his third year as the IPAL Liaison for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.
When he’s not writing, you can find Andre buried underneath a long to-do list and/or his three very hyper children. He and his wife are raising their family in their hometown of Denver, CO.
Helen Starbuck is a Colorado native, former OR nurse, and award-winning author of the standalone romantic suspense novels Legacy of Secrets, Finding Alex, and the Annie Collins Mystery Series.
She loves mysteries, suspense, romance, and any book that is well written. She’s a huge fan of books with independent, strong, women characters and, as Neil Gaiman says, “…stories where women save themselves.”
Tom Farrell has worked as a golf course starter, a chemist and clerked at City Hall in Chicago while attending law school.
He has served as Vice President of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, a nonprofit corporation, and was a past finalist in the Pikes Peak Writer’s Contest in the Mystery, Suspense and Thriller category.
Now retired from practicing law, when he’s not writing he can be found on the golf course or at a local jazz club.
Tom Farrell is the author of WagerEasy, a Sports Betting Mystery Thriller, and the first book in his Wager Series.
The book is set in Chicago in November, 2018, as sports betting is on the verge of being legalized. The second book, Wager Tough, will be available soon.
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This time on the podcast, all about the 2021 edition of the Colorado Gold Rush Literary Awards.
The guests are contest co-chairs ZJ Czupor and Sue Hinkin.
ZJ Czupor writes mysteries, thrillers, and poetry. His novel excerpts have been winners or finalists in the Freddie Award for Writing Excellence, Southeastern Writers; Whodunit Mystery Writing (Mystery Fest Key West); and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. A screenplay he wrote was a finalist for the Bogart Noir Short Film Competition in Miami.
He’s the author of The Big Weird: Haikus in Times of Pandemic and Chaos, a collection about his observations of the pandemic.
His noir short story, "The Man in the Corner" was featured in Crossing Colfax, a short story anthology from Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.
ZJ is vice president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America and writes a monthly column, The Mystery Minute, which can be found at their website.
Raised in Chicagoland, Sue Hinkin is a former college administrator, television news photographer and NBC-TV art department staffer.
With a B.A. from St. Olaf College, she completed graduate work at the University of Michigan and was a Cinematography Fellow at the American Film Institute.
She lives with her family in Denver. Check out her author website. Her latest book, just out, is The Mermaid Broker.
Joy Meredith, who writes as Joy Jarrett, enjoys imagining something creepy in every situation, starting with a fourth-grade theater production when she became convinced a monster lived under the stage.
She might not let different foods touch on her plate, yet she's fearless when it comes to mixing love stories and horror in her scary good romances.
Joy is currently a school librarian, but has worked in a pet store, a safari park, and vet hospitals and holds a Zoology degree. Animals always feature in her writing.
On a good day, her two cats and two pugs make room on the couch for Joy and her family.
They live outside Denver, where Joy experiences frequent shaming that she's never gone skiing in her life.
She enjoys reading, traveling, board games, and going with her English husband to explore castles in Britain, where she finds plenty of romantic, spooky inspiration.
You can find out more on her website www.joyjarrettbooks.com.
Her debut novel, just out, is Old Cravings.
Amy Drayer grew up a free-range kid on a charming island in the Pacific Northwest, then migrated south to attend Scripps College in California.
She later moved to Washington, D.C. where she worked in politics for far too long.
Amy is a graduate of the inimitable Lighthouse Writers Workshop Book Project, an enthusiastic member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and Sisters in Crime, Managing Editor of the museum of americana literary journal, and the Editor of the 2022 Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers anthology.
More about her and her work can be found at her website.
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Mandy Miller is an attorney and holds a J.D. from Northwestern University, as well as a PhD degree in Psychology. She specializes in the representation of the mentally ill and criminally insane.
The first half of her career was spent as a mergers and acquisitions attorney on Wall Street where the clientele was better dressed than her criminal clients, but, frequently, equally devious.
In her spare time, she indulges her reading vice and participates in ultramarathons, a sport much like writing a novel in that the journey is long and requires dedication, not to mention a dash of madness.
Her debut novel is States of Grace, the first in her Grace Locke legal mystery series, will be published on April 1, 2021.
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Karla M. Jay has wanted to write books since she was seven. Originally from the east coast, she makes her home in Salt Lake City.
Over the years she has written in several different genres ranging from humor to noir, but currently is focused on historical fiction.
When she's not writing, she's reading, gardening, playing with her dog, or traveling to new places to try to find a story that has never been told.
Karla M. Jay's website.
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NOTE: Apologies for audio issues on the first recording of this conversation. This version is new and clear.
Maggie Smith lives in Wisconsin and her debut novel, Truth & Other Lies, will be published by Ten16Press in March 2022.
She’s the host of the weekly podcast Hear Us Roar (available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google) where she interviews debut women’s fiction authors about their novel and their path to publication.
Maggie's first-ever short story, "The Devil You Know," appeared in the RMFW’s 2018 anthology False Faces and she’s also a regular monthly blogger for RMFW.
A board member of the Chicago Writer’s Association, she serves as Managing Editor of their on-line literary publication The Write City Magazine.
Recently, she submitted a blog for RMFW which forms the basis of our conversation today: How to Be A Top-Notch Podcast Guest, which forms the basis of this conversation.
To get in touch with Maggie, go to www.maggiesmithwriter.com or follow her on Instagram at @maggiesmithwrites.
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Tom Farrell has worked as a golf course starter, a chemist and clerked at City Hall in Chicago while attending law school. He has served as Vice-President of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, a nonprofit corporation, and was a past finalist in the Pikes Peak Writer’s Contest in the Mystery, Suspense and Thriller category. Now retired from practicing law, when he’s not handicapping he can be found on the golf course or at a local jazz club.
Tom's debut novel, WagerEasy, was just published this month.
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It's Valentine's Day so we are talking about writing romance on the Rocky Mountain Writer podcast with Bonnie McCune and Kathleen Duhamel.
Kathleen Duhamel wrote and illustrated her first short story at the age of eight and has considered herself a storyteller ever since.
After growing up in a small Texas town, she earned a master's degree in communications from Texas Tech University before relocating to Colorado.
Her love of the written word continued throughout her varied career as a newspaper journalist and editor, public relations executive, freelance travel writer, and owner/operator of two small businesses before becoming a published author in 2015.
She is the author of the contemporary romance novels Deep Blue. Deeper, and Deep End, along with a companion novella, At Home with Andre.
Kathleen's stories feature vibrant, smart, and attractive older women--a vastly underrepresented segment of the romance market--who experience love and satisfying sex, despite the various pitfalls that accompany later-in-life relationships. Her newest release, Fed Up, features two troubled Gen-Xers who meet and fall in love at precisely the wrong time.
Kathleen has spent most of her adult life in the Denver area with her husband, an enormous standard poodle, and a big, friendly cat.
Bonnie McCune has been writing since age ten, when the Saturday Evening Post rejected a submission.
She lives in Colorado and is the author of novels, novellas and short stories. Her entire family is book-mad.
Her credits include five women’s novels, short stories, and a number of writing awards.
Bonnie’s writing explores the highs and lows of everyday people and their unique lives with humor, close attention, and appreciation.
McCune describes her writing as a new type of women’s fiction. Unafraid to debate contemporary concerns, it pulls no punches to provide a fresh look at age-old issues.
Bonnie's website.
Kathleen's website.
Email kathleenduhamel@gmail.com for a copy of the "What A Character" hand-out.
Tasha Christensen believes the best love stories are found in the geekiest places. When not composing tuba closet make-out scenes, Christensen enjoys
writing music, losing friends via Among Us, and exploring the gorgeous Rocky Mountains near her home. She lives with her husband, daughters, and
an overly affectionate mutt named after her favorite Stranger Things character. Her debut novel, As You Were, comes out August 2021.
Website.
On Instagram.
On Twitter.
Kate Lansing lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband, daughter, and a chair-napping tabby cat named Maple.
Kate's love for mysteries began when she devoured From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler as a young girl, and has grown from there.
An award-winning short story author, her work has appeared in the Brave New Girls Anthology and the Crossing Colfax Anthology. Her debut novel, Killer Chardonnay, was published last summer and the sequel, A Pairing to Die For, was released last week (Jan. 26).
Kate Lansing's website.
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Pamela Nowak has been an RMFW member since 1993. She’s served in multiple board positions and volunteer roles including president and conference chair (2009-11).
As a writer, she is passionate about the American West, those who lived there, relationships, and the interweaving of fact and fiction.
A former RMFW Writer of the Year, her western novels have won the WILLA Finalist Award, the Colorado Book Award, the HOLT Medallion, and HOLT Awards of Merit.
Pam's latest book (just out) is Never Let Go.
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Paul Martz is a new science fiction author, technology blogger, and former punk rock drummer. Before focusing on fiction and blogging, he wrote virtual reality computer programs and really boring technical books.
Originally from Michigan, Paul resides in Erie, Colorado, where he tries to avoid reliving his punk rock days. He is still trying to teach his cat to play drums.
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Anita Mumm is an independent developmental editor, ghostwriter, and publishing consultant.
Her home base is Salida, Colorado, where she co-hosts the Salida Writers Retreat.
Anita works with authors at all stages of their career, from first-time novelists to New York Times and international bestsellers.
Previously, she worked in submissions and foreign rights at Nelson Literary Agency. Read more about her work at www.anitamumm.com.
She will also lead a workshop - PITCH PERFECT: How to Make the Most of Face Time with an Agent on Saturday, Jan. 16 from 1 to 3 pm.
Contact denverprograms@rmfw.org for the zoom link (space is limited!)
This workshop will prepare participants for their meeting with an agent through practical tips for crafting an effective pitch and is designed to help writers get ready for RMFW's PITCH FEST coming on Saturday, January 30th.
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Linda Ditchkus, who writes as L.V. DITCHKUS, has a new short story in the anthology FIRST ENCOUNTERS, published recently by RMFW's speculative fiction critique group
She is also the author of The Sasquatch Series: Book I - Crimes of the Sasquatch, Book II - Mission of the Sasquatch, and Book III - Legacy of the Sasquatch.
Watch for Book IV - Passage of the Sasquatch, which will be released in 2021.
Her new series, The Chrom Y Chronicles is in development. The first book, Chrom Y Returns, will be released in 2021.
While writing these series, she's led adventure travel trips, hiked and snowshoed hundreds of miles, and volunteered for wilderness advocacy and writing organizations.
She and her husband live in a rural mountain community in central Colorado, where she gains inspiration from the five 14,000-foot peaks viewable from her window.
Linda's website.
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Wendy Howard, who writes under the name Winnie Jean Howard, leads the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' Speculative Fiction Critique Group.
She writes a mix of horror, sci fi, and comedy. Her main focus is creating fast-paced, action-packed stories with unique and outrageous characters.
Paul Martz is new to writing speculative fiction. His first two short stories appear in the RMFW Wild anthology and First Encounters, a new short story anthology produced by the Speculative Fiction Critique Group.
On the podcast, Wendy and Paul discuss some of the "lessons learned" from production of the book, particularly working with an artist for the cover image and interior artwork, too.
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As a middle child, Melissa Payne was born to tell stories. What started with blaming her brother for breaking the car window evolved to a graduate thesis that she desperately wishes she could rewrite to blogging on motherhood and marriage. Now she likes to create stories set in wild and beautiful places with characters in flawed and imperfect relationships, whether that's between a mother and a daughter, friends or strangers. And imagining all of it with just a hint of the ethereal, a whisper of something beyond what we can see and a sense that it's all for a purpose.
Her new novel, just out, is Memories in the Drift.
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Bonnie McCune has been writing since age ten, when she submitted a poem about rain rushing down the gutter to the Saturday Evening Post (it was immediately rejected).
This interest ignited a passion for writing of all types. Her interest in writing led to her career in nonprofits focusing on public and community relations and marketing. Her mania is fiction, and her pieces have won several awards.
Bonnie has published three women's novels and two novellas. She lives in Denver and has a husband, two adult children, all of whom are book mad.
Find out more at her website.
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Pitch Fest is coming.
Repeat: Pitch Fest is coming.
Saturday, Jan. 30!
A key registration date for RMFW member is coming up next week -- on Tuesday, Dec. 1.
On the podcast this time, we've got the organizers of Pitch Fest with all the critical details.
Anne Marie is the Denver Programs Chair for RMFW. She grew up in Aurora, CO. She attended the University of Colorado for a BA in English Literature, where she fell in love with folklore and myths from around the world.
She adores languages, great white sharks, and the impossible. Her work usually includes two of those three things. She edited for 3 years with a small press and currently reads slush for a local agent.
Kevin Wolf is chair of Colorado Gold conference for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. He is the author of The Homeplace, Brokeheart, and A Town Called Vengeance, among others. Kevin is the great-grandson of Colorado homesteaders.
He enjoys fly fishing, old Winchesters and 1950s Western movies.
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Majoring in Graphic Design at the University of Illinois led to Kris Abel-Helwig's career in visual communications in Chicago.
After marrying her best friend, Kris worked in cities throughout the United States as the couple moved from coast to coast courtesy of the U.S. Navy.
Fifteen moves and three active-duty military sons later, Kris settled forever in Colorado, but an opportunity prompted a sixteenth move to Iowa.
Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001, Kris has thrived and written, illustrated and independently published six children's books and two novels, Fade To Black & White and the latest, just out, I Wish My Words Tasted Better.
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James is a writer, freelance developmental editor, and teacher for writing craft workshops. His debut, The Sapling's Curse, is a gay romance Arthurian
legends graphic novel, illustrated by LB, and will publish in 2023 with HMH.
James' short fiction appears in the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers 2020 Anthology WILD. When not writing, he enjoys dabbling in foreign languages,
including Italian and Japanese. He can be found on Twitter @JPPersichetti.
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PG Lengsfelder wrote and edited his first newspaper at age 7, a time when he thought he was destined to be a fireman or a forest ranger.
But when sales of his paper reached a heady circulation of 10 (at 5 cents a copy!) he was hooked: he had readers. He's been writing ever since.
PG co-authored the best-selling nonfiction book Filthy Rich and his acclaimed first novel, the mystical Beautiful to the Bone, was published in 2016.
PG has written for numerous publications including Frontier Tales, Rocky Mountain Magazine, ArtLines magazine, and Patterns.
His stories have been heard on National Public Radio and seen on CNN, Discovery Channel and other national television.
PG lives in Colorado with his rescue dog Lakota. His second novel Our Song, Memento Mori is just out this fall.
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Gwen Florio, who lives in Montana, is the author of the award-winning Lola Wicks crime series, as
well as Silent Hearts, a standalone novel set in Afghanistan. A new crime series, being published by Severn House, launches in February 2021. In the first novel, Best Laid Plans, a woman who goes on the run with her Airstream trailer.
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Todd Leatherman, who writes as TH Leatherman, is a writer from Firestone, Colorado.
He enjoys science fiction, fantasy, wine making, and the Rocky Mountain lifestyle.
When not busy writing his next book, he can be found hiking with his wife and two sons, or walking his rescued dogs.
Todd graduated Summa Cum Laude from Regis University with a degree in Business Management and a minor in Psychology.
The latest entry in The Burning Son series was published in late September. It's the fourth installment in the series and it's called Twin Sons.
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Teresa Funke is the author of seven novels for adults and children about World War II, including Remember Wake, Dancing in Combat Boots, Doing My Part, The No-No Boys, V for Victory, Wave Me Good-bye, and War on a Sunday Morning.
Her short stories, articles, and essays have appeared in numerous magazines, newspapers, and anthologies.
Two of her essays were listed as Notable Essays by the prestigious "Best American Essays" series. She also writes a popular blog, "Bursts of Brilliance for a Creative Life."
Teresa is a sought-after speaker, presenter, and consultant. She performs a one-woman show based on Dancing in Combat Boots and works with several non-profits to promote the arts, literacy, and history education.
Her latest publication is a Spanish translation of V for Victory.
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Jason Henry Evans has been an active member in the Colorado Writing community for over five years. Recently, he volunteered to be Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' new education chair.
Jason's debut novel, the Gallowglass was released in July of 2019 to much acclaim.
He has had a dozen short stories published and has taught writing classes at various events, including the Pikes Peak Writers Conference, Denver Pop Culture Con, and the Colorado Gold.
He is married to his wife, The Fetching Mrs. Evans, and together they have two dogs and one cantankerous cat.
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This episode of the Rocky Mountain Writer podcast is the audio from the Writer of the Year and the Independent Writer of the Year panel held on August 27. This was an online event with Writer of the Year Kerry Schafer, Independent Writer of the Year Bernadette Marie, and two Independent Writer of the Year finalists - Andre Gonzalez and Laura Van Arendonk Baugh.
Writer of the Year finalists Marc Graham and Jeff Seymour were unable to attend this event.
For more information on all six writers, head to this link.
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Kerry Anne King (who also writes as Kerry Schafer) is a Washington Post and Amazon charts bestselling author who writes compelling and transformational stories about family and personal growth.
She loves to add in mystery, humor and an undercurrent of romance, and celebrates when she succeeds in making readers both laugh and cry.
Kerry Anne has been chosen as the 2020 Writer of the Year by the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Association.
Her most recent novel, Everything You Are, is a finalist in the Nancy Pearl Awards hosted by the Pacific Northwest Writers Association.
In addition to writing, she is enthusiastic about encouraging and supporting other writers and is the host of Tell Me Your Secrets, a videocast/podcast featuring lively, informal interviews with authors and other people involved in bringing books into the world.
When not absorbed in creative pursuits, you'll find Kerry Anne hanging out with her real life Viking on their little piece of heaven in rural northeastern Washington.
Her new book (due out Sept. 22) is A Borrowed Life.
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On the podcast this time, the writing team that goes by the name Linda Keir.
Linda Joffe Hull writes mystery and contemporary fiction under her own name, and with Keir Graff.
Recent Linda Keir titles Drowning with Others and The Swing of Things.
Linda Hull is a native of Saint Louis, Missouri, but lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband and family.
She is a former president of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and a past board member of Mystery Writers of America.
Keir Graff writes thrillers, mysteries, and contemporary fiction for adults, and adventure novels for younger readers.
The former executive editor of Booklist, he lives in Chicago, where he is the co-founder and co-host of the much-loved literary gathering Publishing Cocktails.
The new Linda Keir novel, due to be published on September 29, is The Three Mrs. Wrights.
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In the previous episode, we chatted with Rachel Delaney Craft and Natasha Watts, the co-editors of WILD: Uncivilized Tales, the soon-to-be released short story anthology from Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.
This time, in a companion episode to that one, five writers in all read the opening minutes of their entries in Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' latest anthology, being released on Sept. 11.
The five writers are Carina Bissett, Kendra Merritt, Stephan Hillard, James Persichetti, and Angela Sylvane.
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This week, a chat with the co-editors of WILD, the soon-to-be released short story anthology from Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.
Rachel Delaney Craft writes speculative fiction for children and teens. Her work has appeared in publications such as Cricket, Spider, Cast of
Wonders, Luna Station Quarterly, and the award-winning anthology (also from RMFW) FOUND.
She does most of her writing with her dog snoring at her feet.
Natasha Watts is an occasional contributor to the Rocky Mountain Writer podcast. Her day jobs
at Colorado Public Radio and as a mother of two keep her curious and attentive to detail, two traits that have served her well as a writer of (mostly) science fiction.
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Fleur Bradley is the author of many middle-grade books aimed at reluctant readers, including the (spooky) mystery Midnight at the Barclay Hotel.
Fleur is passionate about two things: mysteries and getting kids to read, and she regularly speaks at librarian and educator conferences on reaching reluctant readers. Originally from the Netherlands, Fleur now lives in Colorado Springs with her husband and two daughters, and entirely too many cats.
For more information on Fleur and her books, visit her website , and on Twitter @FTBradleyAuthor.
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In this year of physical distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers has joined forces with Northern Colorado Writers and Pikes Peak Writers to create the Colorado Writers Collaborative – a month long virtual conference free for everyone to attend.
This joint venture hits YouTube on Sept. 1. On this episode we've got representatives from all three organizations to explain how it's going to work: Amy Rivers, Bowen Gillings, and Kevin Wolf.
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Aimie K. Runyan writes to celebrate history's unsung heroines.
She has written five historical novels, including the internationally bestselling Daughters of the Night Sky.
Her most recent novel, Girls on the Line, was a Historical Novel Society Editor's Choice for February 2019.
She was a finalist for the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' Writer of the Year award and Colorado Book Award in 2019 and she was a finalist for the Colorado Book Award again in 2020.
Her fifth novel, Across the Winding River, released on August 1.
Aimie is active as an educator and speaker in the writing community and beyond. She lives in Colorado with her two (usually) adorable children.
Aimie K. Runyan's website.
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Michelle Kellogg is an avid proponent of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), and she’s been both a winning participant for 13 years and Municipal Liaison for the Denver Region for 12 years.
She currently has one book published, A Year and a Day, under the pen name of Michaela Mills.
Michelle's most common piece of writing advice is, “You cannot edit a blank page.”
Michelle lives in Castle Rock, CO with her husband, two teenagers, and five cats.
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Margaret Mizushima is the author of the award-winning and internationally published Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries.
She serves as president for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, and was elected the 2019-2020 Writer of the Year by Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.
She lives in Colorado on a small ranch with her veterinarian husband where they raised two daughters and a multitude of animals.
The sixth novel in her series is due out in early September. It's called Hanging Falls.
Margaret Mizushima's website
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David R. Slayton grew up in Guthrie, Oklahoma, where finding fantasy novels was pretty challenging and finding fantasy novels with diverse characters was downright impossible.
Now he lives in Denver, Colorado and writes the books he always wanted to read.
David's debut fantasy, White Trash Warlock, is due out this coming October from Blackstone Publishing. It's already received a starred review from Publisher's Weekly.
David R. Slayton's website
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A writer since grade school, Terri Benson first considered herself a “real” writer when she got paid for a humorous article - and hasn’t stopped since.
Now, a hundred-plus articles and a novel later, she’s more in love with creating stories than ever.
Terri's stories always have romance, mystery, and a little bit of history in some way or another.
She loves her characters, but finds they’re prone to taking off on tangents that have nothing to do with what they’re supposed to be doing.
She’s looking forward to her two new books coming out within the next year.
Terri Benson's website.
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Ryanne Glenn began writing as a way to battle depression and continued because she believed she had a story to share. An avid reader herself, Ryanne wanted the chance to add to the bookshelves of young adults everywhere.
She is currently signed with Atthis Arts LLC to publish her first young adult fantasy trilogy.
Ryanne currently attends Colorado State University pursuing a degree in Chemical and Biological Engineering with a minor in Biomedical Engineering.
She splits her time living in Fort Collins and Fruita, CO, where her family still resides. The final installment in the trilogy, Break of Darkness, is due out next month.
Ryanne Glenn's website.
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Mario Acevedo is the author of the bestselling Felix Gomez detective-vampire series, which includes Rescue From Planet Pleasure from WordFire Press.
His debut novel, The Nymphos of Rocky Flats, was chosen by Barnes & Noble as one of the best Paranormal Fantasy Novels of the Decade and was a finalist for a Colorado Book Award.
His novel, Good Money Gone, co-authored with Richard Kilborn, won a best novel 2014 International Latino Book Award.
Mario's latest short story, "Protectors of Atlantis," is included in the latest anthology, Psi Wars - Classified Tales of Psychic Phenomena, from Hex Publishers.
Mario also contributed two stories for the award-winning horror anthology, Nightmares Unhinged, by Hex Publishers and he's the co-author of the forthcoming Luther, Wyoming from Five Star.
A former Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Writer of the Year, Mario also edited the RMFW short story anthology Found, which won a Colorado Book Award in 2017.
Mario Acevedo's website.
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Janet Fogg’s focus on writing began in the 1990's while CFO for the coolest architectural firm in Colorado.
Fifteen writing awards later she resigned from OZ Architecture to follow the yellow brick road, and ten months after that signed a contract with The Wild Rose Press for her first published novel, Soliloquy, a HOLT Medallion Award of Merit winner.
Since then Janet has been honored to co-author three WWII military histories: Tales from the 359th Fighter Group, Fogg in the Cockpit, and A Manifest Spirit.
She has also collaborated on three novels: Misfortune Annie and the Locomotive Reaper, Misfortune Annie and the Voodoo Curse, and A Serenade to Die For.
In 2018 Janet was recognized by Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers as an "Honored Guiding Member."
Janet Fogg's website.
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Brenda Hardwick remembers high school when she first picked up a copy of The Lord of the Rings: she was hooked!
Brenda has been a writer since third grade, and poetry was the first outlet. Then, she started writing stories.
Fantasy was where she landed because she could create everything and place it anywhere and any-when she wanted.
Brenda lives in Colorado with her dog, and two noisy parakeets. She writes and enjoys time with her two sons, six grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
Her latest novel, just out, is The Conductor - Book Two of the Circle.
Brenda Hardwick's website.
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Marta Lee Lane is a full-time aspiring novelist living in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
At age 43, she left a 25-year career in the television industry, and moved to Hawaii, where she became a well-known food writer, founded a food tour company, and self-published a restaurant guidebook that sold more than 5,000 copies.
The Poem Painter is her first novel.
Marta Lee Lane's website.
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Scott Graham is the author of the nationally acclaimed National Park Mystery Series, featuring archaeologist Chuck Bender and Chuck’s wife, paramedic Janelle Ortega. The series is published by Torrey House Press.
The latest entry, Mesa Verde Victim, will be released in e-book form on May 15 and in printed form on August 25.
In addition to the National Park Mystery Series, Scott is the author of five nonfiction books, including Extreme Kids, winner of the National Outdoor Book Award.
Scott is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys backpacking, river rafting, skiing, and mountaineering. He lives with his wife, an emergency physician, in Durango, Colorado.
He has worked as a newspaper reporter, magazine editor, radio disk jockey, and coal-shoveling fireman on the steam-powered Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.
Scott Graham's website.
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Joshua Viola is a four-time Colorado Book Award finalist and co-author of the Denver Moon series with Warren Hammond.
His comic book collection, Denver Moon: Metamorphosis, was included on the 2018 Bram Stoker Award Preliminary Ballot for Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel.
He edited the Denver Post #1 bestselling anthology, Nightmares Unhinged, and co-edited Cyber World—named one of the best science fiction anthologies of 2016 by Barnes & Noble.
His fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies, Birdy magazine, and on Tor.com. He is owner and chief editor of Hex Publishers. Hex' latest short story anthology is Psi-Wars: Classified Cases of Psychic Phenomena, due out later this month.
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Developmental book editor Tiffany Yates Martin is privileged to help authors tell their stories as effectively, compellingly, and truthfully as possible.
In more than 25 years in the publishing industry she's worked both with major publishing houses and directly with authors (through her company FoxPrint Editorial), on books by New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestsellers and award winners as well as newer authors.
She presents objective editing and writing craft workshops for writers' groups, organizations, and conferences to help authors learn to edit their own writing and revise their stories.
She also offers editing tips and advice on creative story revision for numerous writers' sites and publications. Tiffany is giving a workshop via Zoom for RMFW on Saturday, May 30.
Her book Intuitive Editing comes out in May.
Tiffany's website.
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Angie Hodapp is the Director of Literary Development at Nelson Literary Agency.
A graduate of the Publishing Institute at the University of Denver, she holds a BA in English education and an MA in English with an emphasis in communication development.
She has worked in language education and professional writing and editing for more than twenty years and is a frequent presenter at writing conferences and literary events.
Dedicated to helping writers improve their craft and learn about the ever-changing publishing industry, Angie is the author of the Writer-in-the-Know series. The latest in the series, just out, is Query Craft.
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Olivia Wylie is a professional landscaper who specializes in the restoration of neglected gardens. When the weather keeps her indoors, she
enjoys researching and writing about plants, futures, and human connection. She lives in Colorado with a very patient husband and a rather impatient cat.
Nonir Amicitia is a queer, nerdy, social justice cleric. In addition to their work under the O.E. Tearmann name, they create art and spiritual
services to support marginalized communities at Wandering Jotun Crafts.
Aces and Eights, Book #4 in O.E. Tearmann's Aces High, Jokers Wild Series will be out next month.
O.E. Tearmann's Amazon Page
The Colorado Creatives Care Campaign
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Raised in Chicagoland, Sue Hinkin is a former college administrator, television news photographer and NBC-TV art department staffer.
With a B.A. from St. Olaf College, she completed graduate work at the University of Michigan and was a Cinematography Fellow at the American Film Institute. She lives with her family in Denver.
Her Vega and Middleton Mystery Series includes Deadly Focus, Low Country Blood, and The Burn Patient.
Sue Hinkin's website.
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For as long as she can remember, Melissa Payne has been telling stories in one form or another—from high school newspaper articles to a graduate thesis to blogging about marriage and motherhood.
But she first learned the real importance of storytelling when she worked for a residential and day treatment center for abused and neglected children.
There she wrote speeches and letters to raise funds for the children. The truth in those stories was piercing and painful and written to invoke in the reader a call to action: to give, to help, to make a difference.
Melissa’s love of writing and sharing stories in all forms has endured.
She lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains with her husband and three children, a friendly mutt, a very loud cat, and the occasional bear.
The Secrets of Lost Stones is her first novel.
Melissa Payne's website.
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ZJ Czupor is co-chair, with Sue Hinkin, of the Colorado Gold Rush Literary Awards sponsored by Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. ZJ also serves as vice president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America and writes a monthly column, “The Mystery Minute,” which appears at www.rmmwa.org.
Mindy McIntyre is a proud member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and Sisters in Crime. She also moderates the Aspen Grove critique group and, after years of judging and doing intake for Colorado Gold, she’s serving as the Judging Coordinator for the Gold Rush Literary Awards.
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Diane Byington has been a tenured college professor, yoga teacher, psychotherapist, and executive coach. Also, she raised goats for fiber and once took a job cooking hot dogs for a NASCAR event. She still enjoys spinning and weaving, but she hasn’t eaten a hot dog or watched a car race since.
Besides reading and writing, Diane loves to hike, kayak, and photograph sunsets. She and her husband divide their time between Boulder, Colorado, and Dunedin, Florida.
Diane's latest novel is If She Had Stayed.
Diane's website
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Melissa Koons is a writer, blogger, and book formatter for Write Illusion. She has won 3 awards for her writing and has multiple traditionally and independently published works. She works at the University of Colorado by day and publishes by night.
Thomas A. Fowler is the author of nerdy things. Starting out in theater and film, he shifted over to writing science fiction and found his passion. An
award-winning author, he can be found in several anthologies and has self-published others. His debut novel, The Thales, the first in the Rising
Current trilogy, was released in November of 2019. When not writing, Fowler can be found with his wife, son, and three daughters or indulging in all
things entertainment.
An important note: This interview was recorded before Melissa and Thomas decided to step back from Spine Press & Post. However, the content is still useful and relevant to authors of all stripes. Melissa can be found at writeillusionllc.com and Thomas can be found at thomasafowler.com.
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International bestselling author Wendy Terrien received her first library card at age two, and a few years later started writing her own stories.
Wendy is Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ 2017-2018 Independent Writer of the Year.
Her debut novel, The Rampart Guards, earned a Kirkus starred review and was named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of 2016.
The novel is a Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Award Finalist, a bronze medal winner from Readers’ Favorites, and is the first in her intriguing urban fantasy series.
Next in the series were two book two's (Wendy explains on the podcast) - The League of Governors and The Clan Calling.
Book three in the series, just out, is The Forge of Bonds.
Wendy Terrien's website
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Kate Lansing lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband, three-year-old daughter, and a chair-napping tabby cat named Maple.
Her love for mysteries began when she devoured From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler as a young girl, and has grown from there.
An award-winning short story author, her work has appeared in the Brave New Girls Anthology and the Crossing Colfax Anthology. She’s a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America.
Her debut novel will be released in May. It's called Killer Chardonnay.
Kate Lansing's website
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Nathan Lowell has been a full time self published author since 2012. His goal in 2020 is to write 2000 new words every day and publish as many of them as he can. With 16 novels and more on the way, he always looks for ways to help new voices find their audiences. He's been a member of RMFW for many years and currently serves on the board of Science-Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America as their chief financial officer. Nathan's latest release, just out this month, is Cape Grace.
Nathan's website.
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Kristy Ferrin - a.k.a. K. Ferrin - is the author of the stand alone young adult fantasy novel Magicless as well as the new adult fantasy series Magicfall. She is an engineer by day, a word slinger by night, and fills the cracks in between with mountain adventures with her husband and a 50 lb. hair-ball that goes by the name Emma. Kristy is an active member of the RMFW community. She has
taught workshops on everything from world building to WordPress at the Colorado Gold Writers conference as well as on the Western Slope, and has recently taken on the role of Technology Chair for the organization.
K. Ferrin's website
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Carol Berg is an award-winning and bestselling author of fifteen epic fantasy novels and half a dozen novellas and short stories.
She also writes the fantasy adventure series Chimera under the pen name Cate Glass. Her new book, just out, is A Conjuring of Assassins.
Though Carol's home has a great view of the Colorado Rockies, she has lived a large portion of her life in realms of mystery and adventure - Middle Earth, Camelot, Amber, Wonderland, Harry Dresden's Chicago, Jim Chee's New Mexico, Cheltenham race track or the colleges of Oxford, Victorian London, Cold War Berlin, the Welsh borderlands, River Heights, Marvel's version of Hell's Kitchen...you get the drift.
While studying mathematics and software engineering at Rice University and the University of Colorado respectively, Carol Berg carved out a special place for studies in English and History of Art and reading, reading, reading.
A few years into a career as a software development engineer, she took up a hobby of writing her own fiction.
Carol enjoys binge-watching movies and (well-written!) TV, as well as camping, hiking, and biking with her mechanical engineer spouse. They have three sons who juggle music and teaching, software and carpentry, rocket science and ice hockey.
Website
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Dacia M Arnold is an award-winning American novelist, mother, and ten-year Army Veteran. She is the author of dystopian science fiction. As a freelance writer, Dacia contributes monthly to the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer’s blog where she shares her relatively brief experience in the literary world. Her nonfiction as also appeared in New York Times Magazine. She lives in Denver with her husband, two human children, and two beagle children. Dacia's latest novel is Resistance.
Dacia's website
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Harper McDavid (a.k.a Mary Johnson) lives in Morrison with her husband, two dogs and big-boned cat. Her debut novel, Zapata, a romantic suspense, was published in 2019 by Soul Mate Publishing. She’s been a Colorado Gold finalist twice and is currently pantsing her way through a second novel, Proximity of Betrayal, which was a finalist for the Daphne du Maurier Award for Romantic Suspense. Mary attributes a large part of her writing success to the critique partners she met through Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.
Harper McDavid's website
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Freelance writer, novelist, editor, Travis Heermann is the author of eight novels, including The Hammer Falls, Death Wind, and The Ronin Trilogy, plus short fiction in Apex Magazine, Cemetery Dance, and others.
His freelance work includes contributions to the Firefly Roleplaying Game, Battletech, Legend of Five Rings, and EVE Online.
In addition, Travis writes novels for young adults under the pen name T. James Logan. His latest for the YA crowd is Dawn of the Deadly Fang.
Travis Heerman's website
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We have two guests on the podcast to start off 2020—the authors of the new novel Enforcer.
Kevin Ikenberry is a life-long space geek, retired Army Lieutenant Colonel, and science fiction writer. His debut novel Sleeper Protocol was heralded as “an emotionally powerful debut” by Publisher’s Weekly. He is the author of The Protocol War series and the Peacemaker novels in the best-selling Four Horsemen Universe.
Quincy J. Allen is a cross-genre author with dozens of short story credits and six novels under his belt. He continues work on his Blood War Chronicles in the ShadowGate universe and with Marc Edelheit on the Way of Legend fantasy series. Quincy will be releasing novels in 2020 in several series and expects to be busier than a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest.
Kevin Ikenberry's website
Quincy J. Allen's website
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Award-winning young adult author Lisa Brown Roberts still hasn’t recovered from the teenage trauma of accidentally tweezing off both eyebrows, or that time she crashed her car into a tree while trying impress a guy. Her mom is not at all surprised that Lisa ended up writing romantic comedies. Lisa’s novels have earned praise from Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal. She lives in Colorado with her family of humans and furry divas and loves to connect with readers on the interwebs. Her latest book is The Bookworm Crush. Kirkus Reviews raved. “Roberts,” said Kirkus, “has the teen voice down pat.”
Lisa Brown Roberts' website
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Jennifer Kincheloe is a research scientist and writer of historical mysteries. Her novels take place in 1900's Los Angeles among the police matrons of the LAPD combining mystery, history, humor, and romance.
Jennifer’s novels have been finalists in the Lefty Awards, the Macavity Awards, the Colorado Author's League Awards, the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards, and she has won the Mystery and Mayhem Award and the Colorado Gold. Jennifer grew up in Southern California, but has traveled to such places as Greenland, Nicaragua, Ethiopia, and Papua New Guinea. She’s been a a nurse's aid, a fragrance model, and she has worked on the research faculty at UCLA, where I spent 11 years conducting studies to inform health policy
Jennifer’s latest book in the Anna Blanc mystery series is The Body in Griffith Park.
Stay tuned after the interview for a sample from the audio book, just released this month.
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Dan Grant is the bestselling thriller writer of The Singularity Witness and, more recently, Thirteen Across. He loves intriguing tales that weave science, medicine, technology, or history into the fabric of the drama.
Dan is a licensed professional engineer with degrees from Northern Arizona University: a bachelor’s in electrical engineering and masters in English with an emphasis in creative writing. His engineering work has provided opportunities to work with a variety of medical and technological applications. As a storyteller, he strives to make learning about science/medicine/tech fun—playing on conspiracies—and writing thrillers is a great way to do that. Thirteen Across received Distinguished Favorite recognition from the New York City Big Book Awards. “Sizzles with revelations, double crossings, and seemingly shifting alliances,” said Kirkus Reviews and “unreservedly recommended” said Midwest Book Review. Dan lives in Colorado and is working on his next science/medical thriller The Singularity Transfer.
Dan's website
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Susan Spann is the award-winning author of the Hiro Hattori mystery novels, featuring ninja detective Hiro Hattori and Portuguese Jesuit Father Mateo. The latest in the series, BGhost of the Bamboo Road, was published this month.
Susan began reading precociously and voraciously from her preschool days in Santa Monica, California, and as a child read everything from National Geographic to Agatha Christie. In high school, she once turned a short-story assignment into a full-length fantasy novel (which, fortunately, will never see the light of day).
A yearning to experience different cultures sent Susan to Tufts University in Boston, where she immersed herself in the history and culture of China and Japan. After earning an undergraduate degree in Asian Studies, Susan diverted to law school. She returned to California to practice law, where her continuing love of books has led her to specialize in intellectual property, business and publishing contracts.
Susan’s interest in Japanese history, martial arts, and mystery inspired her to write the Shinobi Mystery series featuring Hiro Hattori, a sixteenth-century ninja who brings murderers to justice with the help of Father Mateo, a Portuguese Jesuit priest.
Susan Spann is also the author of Climb, a non-fiction account of climbing 100 summits in Japan that will be published next summer.
Susan Spann's website
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Laura VanArendonk Baugh was born at a very early age and never looked back. She overcame childhood deficiencies of having been born without teeth and unable to walk, and in time she became a behavior analyst, an internationally-recognized animal trainer, a costumer/cosplayer, a chocolate addict, and of course a writer. Now she is an award-winning author of speculative fiction, mystery, and non-fiction.
Laura's works have earned numerous accolades, including 3-star (the highest possible) ratings on Tangent‘s “Recommended Reading” list and a Realm Award, as well as a Pushcart Prize nomination and other awards.
Laura has been writing for fun and profit since elementary school, and she credits this hobby with keeping her off the streets and out of worse trouble. This month, she’s participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) yet again and that’s the main subject of this conversation.
Laura also owns Canines In Action, Inc. where she particularly enjoys working with crazy, over-the-top dogs and arousal/aggression cases. She is also a faculty member of the highly-regarded Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training & Behavior and is certified in TAGteach for human behavior. Laura speaks professionally on a variety of topics throughout the year, sessions often filling months in advance.
Laura's website
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Teresa Funke embodies the modern artist/entrepreneur. She is the owner of Teresa Funke & Company, Victory House Press, and Bursts of Brilliance. She is the award-winning author of seven novels for adults and children based on true stories from WWII, and the author of the brand new book, Bursts of Brilliance for a Creative Life—the subject of this podcast.
Teresa has 28 years of experience as an entrepreneur and community catalyst. Her innovative programs and boundary-pushing talks challenge her audiences to change their view of how life and business should be led.
Visit Teresa's You Tube channel to watch her popular writing videos or to check out her playlist, "Great Ideas Giveaway," in which Teresa shares business ideas for artists and creatives that they can take and use in their own models.
Teresa also served as co-host for the World Positive Thinkers on-line radio show and the on-screen host of the video series, The Write Series.
Teresa believes strongly in supporting local and national non-profits devoted to supporting youth, education, and the arts.
Teresa's website
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Laurence MacNaughton is back with the fourth installment in his urban fantasy series what one reviewer called “demon fueled romantic comedies.”
The latest Dru Jasper novel is called Forever and A Doomsday and it just launched this month, the latest entry in a series that began with It Happened One Doomsday and continued with A Kiss Before Doomsday, and No Sleep ‘Til Doomsday.
In Forever and a Doomsday. insidious spirits from beyond the grave try to get their clutches on the apocalypse scroll and Dru Jasper and her misfit friends are the only hope for stopping doomsday. Crystal shop owner and up-and-coming sorceress Dru Jasper is the unwilling guardian of the apocalypse scroll, an ancient instrument of destruction held in check by the last of seven wax seals. If the forces of darkness manage to break the final seal, the world will come to a fiery end. It's up to Dru to keep the scroll safe. No pressure or anything.
On the podcast, Laurence talks about the inspirations for his cast of characters, including the memorable muscle car known as Hellbringer, and talks about the process of having a plan for your novel while being open to new ideas as you begin to write.
Laurence talks about—well, avoids talking about—an unrelated secret project he recently completed—and how he managed juggling both.
But, wait there’s more – this podcast also includes Laurence reading the first few pages of Forever and a Doomsday.
Laurence's website
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