Birth Year (-Died Year)

1964

Birth City

Portsmouth

Birth State

VA

Current Location

Fountain, CO

Email (Public)

Author's Website

Biography

Colorado has been DeeDee’s home for the past sixteen years. A Navy brat and an Army wife, she has lived in fifty houses. She loves her Fountain home the best. She and Seth, her husband of more than thirty-nine years, have two adult kids and their spouses, three grandkids, and five grand-fur babies.

DeeDee is an author, speaker, owner of Cherish Relations Retreats, columnist, and blogger. But her claim to fame is she never meets a stranger. She is The Connection Expert and uses her lifelong skills of connecting to bring people together.

Education/Training

Graduate of George C. Wallace Community College with an AA in English
Graduate of National Speakers Association, Speaker Academy, Denver Chapter
Certified Life Coach
CASA

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Published Works Book Jackets

Organizations

* National Speakers Association, Denver Chapter
* American Christian Fiction Writers
* Christian Independent Publishers and Authors
* Advanced Women Speakers and Authors
* Pikes Peak Christian Church member

Speaker Availability

Yes

Speaker Topics

* Connecting in relationships
* Creating extraordinary marriage relationships through communication, commitment, and humor
* Co-Authoring - how I did it and you can too
* Do's and Don'ts at Author Conferences and in the Writing Industry
* Military Lifestyle - how to connect and keep your marriage sacred

Birth Year (-Died Year)

1958

Birth City

Chicago

Birth State

IL

Current Location

Colorado Springs, CO

Email (Public)

Author's Website

Occupation(s)

Author, speaker, editor, book reviewer

Biography

Susan Miura is an author, editor, and speaker as well as a former Chicago-area journalist and public relations professional. She believes book characters should reflect the world in which we live, and therefore includes characters of various ethnicities, abilities, and cultures in her novels. Her award-winning young adult books are clean fiction with suspense, danger, and touches of romance and humor. Susan also writes inspirational women’s fiction and has one children’s poetry book that features several of her wildlife photos. Hobbies include nature photography, hiking, baking, and reading. Susan recently moved to Colorado Springs from a Chicago suburb and loves the sunshine, mountains, and hiking opportunities.

Awards/Honors

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Interviews

Organizations

* SCBWI
* ACFW
* Served as ACFW-Chicago Chapter Vice President for 3 years
* Served as ACFW-Chicago Chapter President for 3 years
* Taught workshops at the Write to Publish Conference and the ACFW-Chicago Conference

Speaker Availability

Yes

Speaker Topics

Please Note: All topic descriptions can be found on my website at https://www.susanmiura.com

AUTHOR VISIT: I talk about my books and provide insight on the writing & publishing process.

WRITING WORKSHOPS:
* The Art of Imagery
* Nail That Pitch: How to Talk to Agents & Editors
* Query Letters That Get Results
* Dynamic Dialogue
* The Allure of Foreign Settings
* Write What You Know (for teens)
* Nail that College Admissions Essay (for college-bound high school students)

TRAVEL PRESENTATIONS:
* Florida Keys Journey
* Chocolate USA! (a combination of travel and chocolate)
* Sensational Sicily (one of my books is set in Sicily)
* Roaming the Midwest
* Greek Island Voyage
* Intriguing Italy
* Explore the Smokies
* Savor the 60s (a year-by-year glimpse of the 1960s)

Birth City

Colorado Springs

Birth State

CO

Current Location

Calhan, CO

Email (Public)

Author's Website

Occupation(s)

Christian Author

Biography

Rebekah Tyne McKamie is a Christian Author residing in Calhan, Colorado. She has lived in Colorado her entire life, only leaving the Colorado Springs area for three years to attend Adams State College (University) in Alamosa. Rebekah has been gathering up truth and adapting it into books for over a decade. Mrs. McKamie is a Pastor’s wife and homeschool mother of three. She sings on the worship team and ministers to the youth of her community through her church, Rocky Mountain Calvary – Ellicott Campus. Above all, she is thankful to serve a loving, gracious God.

Education/Training

Bachelor of Arts in Music, Adams State University (2007)
Master of Arts in Composition and Rhetoric, Liberty University (2021)

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Published Works Book Jackets

Speaker Availability

No

Birth City

Camp Hill

Birth State

PA

Current Location

Colorado Springs, CO

Email (Public)

Author's Website

Occupation(s)

Author

Biography

Jodi writes inspirational romantic suspense stories that are Gospel centered and intertwined with God's love and plan of redemption. Her passion for the Word has led her to teach women how to study their Bibles for themselves. She loves living in beautiful Colorado with her wonderful husband, two awesome boys, and rescue dogs. In her spare time, you can find her playing with her latest kitchen gadget and exploring where God has graciously place her in Colorado.

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Published Works Book Jackets

Organizations

American Christian Fiction Writers - American Christian Fiction Writers Colorado Springs

Speaker Availability

No

Birth City

Littleton

Birth State

CO

Current Location

Elizabeth, CO

Author's Website

Occupation(s)

Writer

Biography

Lisa Marie Thomas grew up as the child of an undercover narcotics agent and a secretary at the DA's office. Listening to stories about lives far different than her own, she developed a love of storytelling and suspense that grew into her first novel, Good Heart. She loves God, loves her husband and children, and loves to write as a native of the beautiful state of Colorado. She is also an advocate for foster care and mentoring, connecting to the world around her at www.LMarieThomas.com.

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Published Works Book Jackets

Organizations

Member of American Christian Fiction Writers

Speaker Availability

Yes

Speaker Topics

Book club talks/signings - Writing

Author's Website

Biography

Susan G Mathis is an international award-winning, multi-published author of stories set in the beautiful Thousand Islands, her childhood stomping ground in upstate NY. Susan has been published more than twenty-five times in full-length novels, novellas, and non-fiction books. She has nine in her fiction line including, The Fabric of Hope: An Irish Family Legacy, Christmas Charity, Katelyn’s Choice, Devyn’s Dilemma, Sara’s Surprise, Reagan’s Reward, Colleen’s Confession, Peyton’s Promise, and Rachel’s Reunion. Mary’s Moment comes out May 12, 2023, and book eleven, A Summer at Thousand Island House, comes out in July. She is also a published author of two premarital books, two children's picture books, seven stories in compilation books, and hundreds of published articles. Her book awards include two Illumination Book Awards, three American Fiction Awards, two Indie Excellence Book Awards, and two Literary Titan Book Awards. Reagan’s Reward is a Selah Awards finalist.

Susan is also a published author of two premarital books, two children’s picture books, stories in a dozen compilations, and hundreds of published articles. Susan makes her home in Colorado Springs and enjoys traveling around the world but returns each summer to enjoy the Thousand Islands.

Visit www.SusanGMathis.com/fiction for more.

Awards/Honors

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Published Works Book Jackets

Organizations

Vice-president, Christian Authors Network (CAN) - Member, American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) - Member, Association of Women Speakers & Authors (AWSA) - Member, Evangelical Press Association (EPA)

Speaker Availability

Yes

Birth Year (-Died Year)

1968

Birth City

Los Angeles

Birth State

CA

Current Location

Colorado Springs, CO

Occupation(s)

Author

Biography

Raised by a fun-loving, atheist single mom who struggled with depression and mental illness, I spent my childhood backpacking around Europe, visiting yoga communes, eating vegan, living on a houseboat, and then an old pony express outpost in the backwoods of Montana. My teen years took a drastic turn when my mom got saved, got married, and joined an ultra-conservative Mennonite church. Faith, step-parents and unquestioning obedience is a dangerous combination when mixed with mental illness, legalism, and heavy-handed physical correction. I became a confused believer with a heart for Jesus but drowning under a sea of rules, regulations, and legalism. I became a missionary teacher and then a nurse and escaped to the mission field, the one avenue open to single women. I taught VBS on Indian reservations and led school for missionary children in Haiti and Africa. All around me was heartache and disease and glaring need. I longed to make a difference but was limited to working on the mission compound – teaching, cooking, cleaning. Work outside the walls of the compound was reserved for the men. On a furlough, I met my future husband – a new believer who wasn’t looking for a door mat in a wife, but a partner. As he grew in his faith, I reexamined mine and what Biblical womanhood looked like. Timidly at first, but then eagerly as I discovered a new relationship with Jesus Christ based on grace and not performance. I left the Mennonite church and married the love of my life twenty years ago. We have made our home in Colorado Springs at the base of the Rocky Mountains for the last eleven years. We have five beautiful teenagers, two by birth and three through adoption from Haiti. My husband is adopted and God used the time in Haiti to prepare me to understand my children’s culture and language and ease their transitions home. Two people in my family have mild Asperger’s and one has Reactive Attachment disorder, PTSD, and ODD. Our house is not a quiet, well greased machine but a chaotic, happy, crazy, nerve-racking, love-filled oasis where we all try to help each other grow and thrive. I am so thankful for my life – the good and the bad. I feel blessed to have experienced so many unique situations and to love and be loved by so many wonderful and eccentric people. It is from these experiences I draw the fiction stories I write. I like to think of them as fiction with grit – fast paced and entertaining stories that make you want to read till the very last page while at the same time tackling real life issues – Legalism, abuse, divorce, adoption, Asperger syndrome, mental illness, etc. I hope you’ll pull up a chair and stay a while. Drop me a line and share your own story. I’d love to hear it.

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Published Works Book Jackets

Organizations

American Christian Fiction Writers

Speaker Availability

Yes

Speaker Topics

* Adoption
* Transitioning from a Mennonite lifestyle to a contemporary one
* Asperger's

Current Location

Monument, CO

Author's Website

Occupation(s)

Author and speaker

Biography

Paulette is a published author/speaker who loves to encourage others to work toward their purposes and dreams. She is happily married to her husband of 43 years. She loves all animals, horseback riding, golf, walking, gardening, and attempts to raise orchids. Paulette belongs to several writers groups, a member of ACFW, CWG, lostgenre, and TWV (among others).

Education/Training

Associate Degree in Social Sciences

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Published Works Book Jackets

Organizations

ACFW - CWG - Springs Writers - Lost Genre Group

Speaker Availability

Yes

Speaker Topics

I speak on a variety of subjects, including spiritual warfare, disability, animals, and the communication between humans and animals. I often speak to writers to help encourage, uplift, and support them.

Current Location

Colorado Springs, CO

Author's Website

Occupation(s)

Author

Biography

Mary returned to Colorado Springs in 1998, before that she lived here for 3 1/2 years from fall of 1988 to spring of 1992. She also lived in Aurora for 6 months in 1985. All this coming and going was due to her husband being in the Air Force.

Awards/Honors

Education/Training

B.A. Degree in Elementary Education - Institute of Children's Literature - Multiple Writers Conferences

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Published Works Book Jackets

Organizations

American Christian Fiction Writers

Speaker Availability

Yes

Speaker Topics

Topics related to the craft of writing Christian fiction - Topics related to porcelain dolls and porcelain doll making

Birth Year (-Died Year)

1977

Birth City

Warren

Birth State

OH

Current Location

Colorado Springs, CO

Author's Website

Occupation(s)

Author

Biography

Brandy Vallance fell in love with the Victorian time period at a young age, loving the customs, manners, and especially the intricate rules of love. Since time travel is theoretically impossible, she lives in the nineteenth century vicariously through her novels.

Unaccountable amounts of black tea have fueled this ambition. Brandy's love of tea can only be paralleled by her love of Masterpiece Theater Classics, deep conversations, and a good book. Brandy is the 2013 Operation First Novel winner and the 2012 winner of the ACFW Genesis Contest for historical romance. You can connect with Brandy via her website www.brandyvallance.com, Facebook, Goodreads, Pinterest, YouTube, or Twitter @BrandyVallance. Brandy lives in Colorado Springs, CO.

Awards/Honors

Education/Training

Christian Writers Guild

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Published Works Book Jackets

Interviews

Organizations

Pikes Peak Writers - Christian Writers Guild - American Christian Fiction Writers

Speaker Availability

Yes

Speaker Topics

For writers: Unlocking Personification & Metaphor to Deepen Emotion - Query Letter 101 For readers: Tea/Victorian time period related topics