|
 |
|
 Avi’s advice for people who want to write: “I believe reading is the key to writing. The more you read, the better your writing can be.” Avi’s many award-winning books for young readers include the Newbery Medal-winning Crispin: Cross of Lead, the Newbery Honor Books Nothing But the Truth and The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, as well as the Tales from Dimwood Forest, including Poppy, winner of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award, Poppy and Rye, Ragweed, and Ereth’s Birthday. His many other books include tales of mystery, fantasy and historical fiction for young readers of all ages.
(www.avi-writer.com) |
| Mike Befeler turned his attention to fiction writing after a career in high technology marketing. His debut novel, Retirement Homes are Murder, appeared January, 2007. His short story “Never Trust a Poison Dart Frog” was published in the mystery anthology Who Died in Here? and submitted for Edgar Award consideration. He holds a Master’s degree from UCLA and a Bachelor’s degree from Stanford. He lives in Boulder, Colorado, with his wife, Wendy. (www.mikebefeler.com) |
 Nancy Bentley is the author of a number of books and series including Don’t be a Copy Cat, Nick Anderson, NI Nature Investigation Series, and Writing Mysteries, Movies, Monsters, and More. She has spent most of her life as a student, teacher, librarian, media specialist and coordinator of information and technology. She believes, “to be curious is to grow, and that’s what life and writing and books are all about.” (www.nancybentley.com) |
| Linda Berry’s published credits include short fiction for children and adults, poetry, preschool curriculum, a newspaper entertainment column, plays and five novels in her Trudy Roundtree Mystery series. She has presented writing workshops for Black Canyon Writers Conference, Colorado Authors’ League, Colorado Gold (Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers), Denver Woman’s Press Club and South Coast Writers Conference (Gold Beach, Oregon), as well as elementary, middle and high schools. She’s a member of the Denver Woman’s Press Club, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and Sisters in Crime. Berry has helped judge fiction contests for Colorado Center for the Book, Colorado Gold and the Denver Woman’s Press Club. (www.ogeechee.avigne.org) |
| Constance E. Boyle was born in Jersey City and lives in Arvada. She completed an MFA in Creative Writing at Goddard College in 1994. Her poems and short stories have been published in journals including So to Speak (George Mason University) and Mutant Mule Review from Finishing Line Press. Her chapbook, Double Exposure, placed first in the 2005 Plan B Press poetry competition. Boyle has had poetry readings in Philadelphia, Colorado Springs and Denver. She is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. |
| Margaret Brettschneider (a.k.a. M.J. Brett) taught Literature, English and History for all ages from fifth grade through adults for over 30 years. Twenty-one of those years were in Germany, teaching the children of military and diplomatic families, with seven years stationed on the East/ West Communist Border during the Cold War. She served on a European think tank for International Relations and traveled extensively. Much of this experience and history found its way into her books. She has published three historical novels (actually, true stories camouflaged as fiction to protect the innocent and the guilty): Mutti’s War (which won the Paul Gillette Award for best historical fiction, and is currently in the literature curriculum at the Air Force Academy), Shadows on an Iron Curtain and Between Duty and Devotion. Brettschneider’s fourth novel was slated for release in July 2008. (www.mjbrett.com) |
| James Ciletti is the owner of Hooked on Books in Colorado Springs. He was the 2003 Poet of the Year and has completed a number of collections of poetry including At the Crack of Dawn (Impavide Publications, 2002) and Sunfire: A Book of Poems (Odessey Books, 2007). He can also be found in a number of literary journals such as Plainsongs, Midwest Poetry Review, Pilgrimage, Voices in Italian America, Literal Latte, and Heartlodge. (www.poemhunter.com/james-ciletti/) |
Margaret Coel is the author of 13 mystery novels set among the Arapahos on Wyoming’s Wind River Reservation. The Girl with the Braided Hair was published in September 2007. A stand-alone novel, Blood Memory, was slated for release in September 2008. The novels have been on the bestseller lists
of the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News. Coel has also written four non-fiction books, including Chief Left Hand, a history of the Arapahos, which won the Best Non-Fiction Book Award from the National Association of Press Women. She is a fourthgeneration Coloradan who grew up in Denver and currently resides in Boulder. (www.margaretcoel.com) |
| Ronald Cree was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, and attended the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, where he studied television production and mass media communications. Today, Ronald works as a Communication Specialist for the McKesson Corporation. He is an active member of both the Mystery Writers of America and the Pike Peak Writers Organization. His book, Desert Blood 10pm/9c, draws from his relationship with his adopted son, his close relationship with several Hollywood actors and his understanding of Latinos in the entertainment industry. (www.ronaldcree.com) |
 Kathryn Eastburn, a journalist and freelance writer, is the founding editor of the Colorado Springs Independent. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including the Denver Post, Texas Highways and the Santa Fe Reporter. She is the author of Simon Says: A True Story of Boys, Guns, and Murder as well as A Sacred Feast: Reflections on Sacred Harp Singing and Dinner on the Ground (At Table). She divides her time between Colorado and Texas. (www.kathryneastburn.com) |
| A San Francisco native, Maria Faulconer loves cable cars and foggy days. She received a BA in English from Stanford University and a Master’s in Guidance and Counseling from the UCCS. She’s published in newspapers, magazines and anthologies for children and adults. Her children’s book, Arianna and the Strawberry Tea, was promoted on the Live! with Regis Show and was selected as a shelf-talker for Barnes and Noble. Her next picture book will be released by Dutton Children’s Books in the Spring of 2011. When she’s not writing for Colorado Springs Style Magazine, Faulconer loves prowling bookstores and coffee houses and roaming the world—from the moors of Yorkshire to the crooked streets of San Francisco. (www.mariafaulconer.com) |
| According to Kenneth Guentert, “As a ‘writer,’ you need to be an introvert, comfortable sitting at your computer and communing with the creative power in your own head. As an ‘author,’ you need to be an extrovert, meeting and greeting and cultivating your audience.” Guentert is the author of several books that help the introvert and the extrovert in all of us. He is the owner of the publishing company The Publishing Pro, LLC. |
 Carol Hightshoe was an avid reader at a young age, her strong desire to write came from her love of (her husband calls it her obsession with) Star Trek. It was this early love of Star Trek that led her to the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres. She has been published in various anthologies and magazines, including Creature Fantastic, Illuminated Manuscripts, PanGaia Magazine, Stories of Strength, The Stygian Soul, Baen’s Universe, Tales of the Talisman and Beyond Centauri. She is also a contributing author to Dragon Moon Press’s Complete Guide to Writing Science Fiction. In addition to her own writing, Hightshoe is the editor and publisher of online e-zines The Lorelei Signal and Sorcerous Signals, and is the senior acquisitions editor for Flying Pen Press. (www.carolhightshoe.com) |
| Lynda Hilburn writes paranormal fiction. More specifically, she writes vampire books. After a childhood filled with invisible friends, sightings of dead relatives and a fascination with the occult, turning to the paranormal was a no-brainer. In her other reality, she makes her living as a licensed psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, professional psychic/tarot reader, university instructor and workshop presenter. Her first novel, The Vampire Shrink, which introduced us to Denver psychologist Kismet Knight and a hidden vampire underworld, was released by Medallion Press, October 2007. The second book in the series, Dark Harvest, will be available in October 2008. Several more books are planned. (www.lyndahilburnauthor.com) |
 Christy Howard is a local author/photographer/publisher/teacher and the writer of the Moffat the Rabbit travel series of books. Through her books, children benefit from the power of picture books as geography teaching tools as she explores the region around Colorado Springs and other locales, teaching children about the diversity of the United States. To date, there are five Moffat’s Travels books set locally, as well as in Santa Fe and in San Francisco. Moffat has his own travel blog that is interactive with readers.
(www.moffatstravels.com) |
| Christine T. Jorgensen is a member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and Mystery Writers of America. She was a licensed clinical social worker for many years, which provided her with a store of human experience for her novels. Calling for a Funeral, the latest of her humorous amateur sleuth mysteries, features Francie Starzel and her almost-adopted, nearly 10-year-old son, Mac. Francie finds precipitous motherhood more difficult than growing up straight in a family of small-time crooks or staying ahead of trouble until she is fired, broke and facing a murder charge. As in Jorgenson’s previous mysteries, the successful Stella the Stargazer series, Calling for a Funeral is set in Denver, Colorado. |
| Celinda Reynolds Kaelin is a poet, author, lecturer and historian. As a member of the World Council of Elders, she has traveled extensively with traditional spiritual Elders from over 70 First Nations, performing Earth healing ceremonies in North, Central and South America. She has participated in six Lakota sun dances and carries the Sacred Pipe. Kaelin is the author of five books, Journey Song: A Spiritual Legacy of the American Indian (Four Directions, 1998), Pikes Peak Backcountry (Caxton, 1999), Dancing with Eagles and Condors (TBP, 2009) and Ute Legends (Woodland Park, 2005). Her most recent book is American Indians in the Pikes Peak Region (Arcadia Publishing, 2008). |
| Kate Keeley’s first novel, Molly Finn and the Seven Seas Fountain, was published in 2005. The second book in this series for girls ages 10-13 was released in the fall of 2007. She is currently at work on the third novel in the Molly Finn series. When Keeley was awarded an Artist and Writers Grant by the NSF, she traveled to Antarctica in November/December 2007 as a part of her research for the fourth book, Molly Finn and the Southern Ocean. She also collaborates with Imagination Celebration and local schools to explore ways to integrate science and creative writing. Keeley lives in Colorado and enjoys hiking and biking in the Colorado Rockies. Read excerpts from her Antarctic field journal at www.katekeeley.blogspot.com. |
| Jeff Keller is a Florida native who moved to Colorado when he was 16-years-old. His first book, Ricky Climbs Pikes Peak, was published in 2006. Ricky Rock Climbs in Garden of the Gods was published in 2007. The third in hopefully a long series, Ricky Rafts the Royal Gorge, was published April 2008. He is currently working on his fourth book, Ricky Camps in Rocky Mountain National Park. He has spoken at the Manitou Springs Library Author Fest; Grant Elementary School’s Night of a Thousand Stars; the Children’s Literacy Center; the Colorado Council International Reading Association; Satellite Beach Public Library and Borders Bookstore. His day job is as a high school math teacher in Colorado Springs. He is married and has three daughters. |
 Born and raised in Springfield, Missouri, the love of creative writing was also born in Connie Martin. She wrote her first story in second grade, made her own book of poetry in fifth grade, and spent the next four decades writing stories, poem, lessons and speeches. Mother of five, step-mother to four, she found an outlet for her expression in storytelling, performing original works for storytelling festivals, libraries, schools, and churches. Once her youngest entered school, she focused ardently on her writing and published The Quest for Eloshidii, a fully illustrated children’s book. She is currently working with Cricket Magazine on The Traveler, a three-part short story, and just competed a two-part YA novel, The Crying Chandelier. |
 Roz Monette is the author of an edgy fiction series for mature young-adult readers. The first book, Alex and The Enderson Brothers, was released in July 2006 followed by its sequel Invisible Shadow, in March 2007. Monette is the poster child for Do It Yourself book publishing. She is solely responsible for all aspects of her writing career: website design, marketing plan, speaking schedule, book signings, etc. Yet she still finds time to write her novels. She is learning to master the ultimate balancing act of wife, mother, writer and day job. Monette has been a speaker at a Rocky Mountain SCBWI workshop, the Colorado Teen Literature Conference, and the RMFW Conference. No matter what the topic, participants will benefit from her dynamic speaking style and unbelievable energy level. (www.rozmonette.com) |
| Mother Mary has always been a part of Scott Olson’s life. For many years she has guided him in his personal life and supported him during difficult times. In the Spring of 2001, Mother Mary began appearing to him daily in the most extraordinary ways, communicating to him that humans in this time are literally and figuratively acting out the prophecies of the Book of Revelations of Saint John the Divine. In addition to his book about Mother Mary, Scott is also the author of Messages from the Dolphins. |
| Katherine O’Neal is the author of the Family series (Zondervan HarperCollins, 2008), the Stink Squad series (Simon and Schuster, 2003), Public Speaking, A Student Guide (Prufrock Press, 2007) and many stories and articles for magazines including Spider and Highlights for Children. She is a former fifth grade teacher, the mother of four and currently an instructor for the Institute of Children’s Literature. |
| Jessy Randall is the Curator of Special Collections at Colorado College. Her poems have been hung from trees, etched into birdhouses, quoted in library advertisements, made into rock songs and sold in gumball machines. She lives in Colorado Springs with her husband, two young children and sisterin-law. A Day In Boyland is her first collection. (personalwebs.coloradocollege.edu/~jrandall/) |
| Esri Rose attended the University of Missouri in Columbia, graduating magna cum laude with a BA in Radio-TV-Film. She has written and produced ads for radio and television and sold personalized letters from Santa. While working at the National Potato Promotion Board, she received letters written to Santa by a determined schizophrenic. She describes Bound to Love Her as an urban-fantasy, romantic-suspense comedy. The book’s setting and Rose’s residence are in Boulder, Colorado, where elves could walk the streets without undue attention. She lives with her husband, Angel Joe, and her cat, Musette La Plume. She also blogs on www.wetnoodleposse.blogspot.com. Bound to Love Her is her first published book. (www.elvesamongus.com) |
| Robert Spiller lives in the beautiful city of Colorado Springs with his wife Barbara. His three daughters and three grandchildren all live within shouting distance. For the last 30 years he has taught all levels of Mathematics from Elementary to University. A Calculated Demise is his second published novel and features his math teacher/sleuth Bonnie Pinkwater from The Witch of Agnesi. Bonnie uses Mathematics and her knowledge of historic female mathematicians to solve murders in the small Colorado town of East Plains. The third installment of the Bonnie Pinkwater mysteries, Irrational Numbers was due for release in September 2008. He is hard at work on a Young Adult mystery set in Philadelphia in the late Sixties. (www.rspiller.com) |
| In the last 20 months, national-bestselling author Jeanne C. Stein has had four novels and two short stories published. The novels are part of the popular Anna Strong Vampire Chronicles, of which the fourth, The Legacy, was released in September. One of her short stories, “The Witch and the Wicked”, appeared in the NYT bestseller, Many Bloody Returns, and a new short story, “Better Lucky than Good”, will appear in At the Scene of the Crime, an anthology with a forensic theme coming in November. The fifth Anna Strong Vampire Chronicle is scheduled for a Spring 2009 release. Stein is currently at work on the sixth book in the series. (www.jeannestein.com) |
| Karen Sucharski is the Pikes Peak Arts Council Performance Poet of the Year and was nominated for the Pikes Peak Poet Laureate. She has been involved with local poetry for the past two decades. She is an award-winning journalist, poet and artist. She has three chapbooks of poetry and a spoken word CD. Sucharski’s poetry is about family, personal trauma, love, personal relationships and people. |
| As a teenager, Maggie Tellado was told by friends she had a gift for making up stories and someday she would become a writer. At age 15, it wasn’t a priority for her, but she continued to write down whatever came to mind. People were her interest and she loved to make people laugh as her childhood was less than happy. While living in Florida, a hurricane took her doll shop of less than a year and her husband lost his job. Writing in quiet pain, her passion and dreams came full circle when she finished and published her first book in Colorado. Maggie Tellado is the author of Two Silly Sisters from Budapest. |
 NB VanYoos has years of experience in the military, high-tech and educational fields. He was awarded a B.S. in Computer Science and M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Colorado. After receiving his Bachelor’s degree, he spent time in Colorado Springs and Seattle creating software for Telecommunications and Software giants. He teaches high school mathematics in Colorado, where he resides with his wife, two daughters and golden retriever. He is the author of the science fiction Onyalum Series and free eBook Why Can’t I Get Anything Done? (www.nbvanyoos.com) |
| Gail Waldstein, M.D., was a pediatric pathologist for 35 years; the majority of her professional career was spent at The Children’s Hospital in Denver. During her career, she published numerous medical articles and book chapters and taught. During her training Waldstein had three children, and single-parented her children for 15 of her working years. Her poems have been finalists and appeared in Nimrod, New Letters, Negative Capability, High Plains Literary Review, Slipstream, 100 words, The MacGuffin, Pearl, Bottom Dog Press, Harpur Palate and anthologies. She has just completed a full poetry manuscript, Medicine Hymn, and her first novel, Mind Riot. She lives in Denver with Henry, her substandard poodle. |
| Madge Walls was raised in Hilo and Honolulu, Hawaii. She is a graduate of Punahou School and the University of Oregon Honors College and has three sons. She was a feature writer for the Maui News and became a licensed realtor in 1987. Her Hawaii Real Estate Exam Book: A Study Guide to the State Section of the Hawaii Real Estate Exam is in its 8th Edition. Her most recent book is titled Paying the Price. Walls currently lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she is employed by a builder of new homes. |
| |
Back to top of page |
Back to Authorfest Homepage | Registration | Sponsorship | Writing/Art Contest | Schedule | Restoration/Expansion
Wesite maintained and developmet by Paige Ink | www.paigeink.com |
