Birth City

Dayton

Birth State

OH

Current Location

Colorado Springs, CO

Email (Public)

Author's Website

Occupation(s)

Author - Chair AAPG Astrogeology Committee - Sr. Geophysical Consultant (ret.)

Biography

Doug Cook has spent over two thousand hours underwater exploring and photographing life in the oceans. He is retired from a thirty-four year career as a petroleum geophysicist. This career allowed him to explore five of the world’s continents and live in Saudi Arabia for eighteen years. A career highlight in petroleum exploration was participating in ten years of deep-water submersible oil seep studies in the Gulf of Mexico. These seeps have associated chemosynthetic communities of life. As extremophiles, these organisms relate to Doug’s interest in astrogeology and exobiology. Doug has always had a passion for astronomy and space exploration. He now pursues this passion as an author. The beauty of the mountains and geology lured Doug to retire in Colorado. He has two daughters and lives in Colorado Springs with his wife Elizabeth.

Education/Training

BS Oceanography, University of Michigan, 1976 - MS in Carbonate Sedimentology, University of Florida, 1984 - Exploration Geophysics (Conoco, BHP Americas, Saudi Aramco)

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Published Works Book Jackets

Interviews

Organizations

Member, American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) - Chair AAPG Astrogeology Committee, Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) - Member-at-Large Colorado Springs Astronomical Society - Member of the Planetary Society, National Space Society, and Adjunct Astronomy Professor PPCC.

Speaker Availability

Yes

Speaker Topics

1) The Aquila Mission- It’s 2023. Our crew enters deep space to study asteroid Bennu and comet 125P- a step to mankind’s first voyage to Mars. A rigorously scientific yet thrilling story of man’s first journey beyond the Moon. (2018 print and eBook) - 2) Earth Impacts and the Threat from Near Earth Asteroids - 3) Research Submersible Exploration on Chemosynthetic Communities that Eat Oil and Gas, 2600 feet Down in the Gulf of Mexico - 4) Discovering Ancient Ship Wrecks in the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia.

Birth City

Lincoln

Birth State

NE

Current Location

Colorado Springs, CO

Author's Website

Occupation(s)

Educator and author

Biography

Carina Bissett is a writer, poet, and educator working primarily in the fields of dark fiction and fabulism. Her short fiction and poetry have been published in multiple journals and anthologies including Upon a Twice Time, Bitter Distillations: An Anthology of Poisonous Tales, Arterial Bloom, Gorgon: Stories of Emergence, Weird Dream Society, Hath No Fury, and the HWA Poetry Showcase Vol. V, VI, and VIII. She has also written stories set in shared worlds for RPGs at Green Ronin Publishing and Onyx Path Publishing. In addition to writing, she has edited several projects; the most recent is in the role as co-editor for Shadow Atlas: Dark Landscapes of the Americas.

As an educator, Carina has taught at Pikes Peak Community College, Glendale Community College, and Arizona State University. She also participated in the Colorado Writing Project and works with educators to develop writing instruction in college and secondary school classrooms. She currently offers workshops focused on story generation at The Storied Imaginarium. Her fiction has been nominated for the Sundress Publications Best of the Net Award and was a finalist for the Ron L. Hubbard Writers of the Future Awards. Her poetry has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and the Sundress Publications Best of the Net Award. In her editorial capacity, she’s received recognition as the Winner at the Colorado Book Awards 2022 (Anthology) and as a Finalist in the Fiction: Anthologies category of the 2022 International Book Award.

Awards/Honors

Education/Training

MFA in Creative Writing (University of Maine, 2018) - M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction (University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, 2011) - B.A. in Integrative Studies (Arizona State University, 1999) - A.A. in Humanities (Glendale Community College, 1998) - A.G.S. in General Studies (Glendale Community College, 1997)

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Organizations

Horror Writers Association - Science Fiction Poetry Association - Colorado Poets Center - Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America

Speaker Availability

Yes

Speaker Topics

* Speculative fiction
* Creative non-fiction
* Speculative poetry
* Memoir
* Other creative pursuits

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

Birth City

Tampa

Birth State

FL

Current Location

Colorado Springs, CO

Email (Public)

Author's Website

Occupation(s)

US Air Force

Biography

Serving America in the US Air Force for 20+ years; spent 12+ years overseas (Korea and Germany) but now living/stationed in Colorado Springs. Interests include books (reading/writing - of course), travel, art, Asian languages, Asian food...my kids.

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Published Works Book Jackets

Speaker Availability

No

Birth Year (-Died Year)

1956

Birth City

New York City

Birth State

NY

Current Location

Colorado Springs, CO

Email (Public)

Author's Website

Occupation(s)

Author

Biography

D.M. O’Byrne’s first job was as a waitress. Now she’s a writer of mystery novels. In between, jobs included English teacher, racehorse exerciser, jockey, accountant, golf resort assistant manager, writer, and editor. Her places of residence ranged from the Jersey Shore to a lengthy sojourn in California, and finally to the Colorado Rockies. Each profession, each location was rife with life lessons, fascinating characters, potential plot lines, and wide-ranging experiences. Sooner or later, they will all end up on the written page. O’Byrne is the author of Dangerous Turf, available on amazon.com, and the sequel, Three to One Odds, was released May 2018. She is now writing a series called the Ryn Lowell Colorado Mysteries published by Black Opal Books. The first book in the series, Death in Trout Fork, was released in October 2018. The second book, The Mountaintop Murders, will be released in May 2019 and the third book, A Killing in Vail, will be released in the fall of 2019. Visit www.blackopalbooks.com for more information. D.M. lives in Colorado Springs with her husband and their cat, Warnie. They spend much of their time riding bikes and enjoying the scenery. Warnie spends his time watching the bunnies out the window, lounging on the sofa, and trying to catch his tail.

Education/Training

B.A. in English

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Published Works Book Jackets

Speaker Availability

Yes

Speaker Topics

Mystery writing - Cozy mysteries - Plotting the novel - Developing characters

Birth City

Detroit

Birth State

MI

Current Location

Colorado Springs, CO

Email (Public)

Author's Website

Occupation(s)

Former librarian and teacher - Cherokee Two-Spirit Shaman

Biography

I was still living as a man when I moved to in the year 2000. Having been outed as transgender, and fired at the Prep-School where I had been working, I was recruited at the National Librarians' Conference to be the Coordinator of Information and Technology at Mitchell High School, where I was again outed and fired. In 2007, after being outed and fired at CollegeAmerica, I transitioned to living full time as a woman. My storytelling-performances in The Story Project in Colorado Springs and for The Secret Society of Twisted Storytellers are viewable on YouTube. I also sing karaoke and do an occasional standup open-mike.

Awards/Honors

Education/Training

Master's Degree in Library Science - Bachelor's Degree in English, Wayne State University, Michigan

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Published Works Book Jackets

Interviews

Speaker Availability

Yes

Speaker Topics

Storytelling - Transgender - Theory of Mind - Education

Pseudonym

Bradley Firebird (Bradley Thunderbird Phoenix)

Birth City

New York City

Birth State

NY

Current Location

Southern Colorado

Author's Website

Occupation(s)

Customer service and office clerk

Biography

Born in Brooklyn, Long Island, New York, I have been a resident of southern Colorado since November 2011. I have written over 100 original stories (short stories, poems, indie screenplays, stage plays, and audiobook short stories (radio) plays & skits) of several genres: Twilight Zone-type stories, science fiction, horror, comedy, satire, and drama. I am currently working on a sci-fi novel that is a cross between Star Wars and Lord of the Rings.  I am a former homeless veteran (U.S. Army).

Awards/Honors

Education/Training

A.A. degree in General Studies, Suffolk Community College, Long Island, NY, 1977 - Army Admin School, Fort Jackson, 1980 - Cal Simmons Travel Agent School, Alexandria, VA, 1985. Attended Pikes Peak State College in Southern Colorado.

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Interviews

Organizations

Pikes Peak Community College Radio Theater Club - Pikes Peak Community College Entrepreneurs Club

Speaker Availability

Yes

Speaker Topics

Radio Theater - How to Start a Radio Theater Club - How to Write a Radio Play or Script

Birth City

Flint

Birth State

MI

Current Location

Colorado Springs, CO

Email (Public)

Author's Website

Occupation(s)

Writer

Biography

Mike Torreano has lived in Colorado Springs since 1977. A retired Colonel, USAF, he is also a retired financial advisor with Northwestern Mutual of 35 years.

Education/Training

MA, Mass Communications, University of Denver - BA, International Affairs, United States Air Force Academy

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Published Works Book Jackets

Interviews

Organizations

Western Writers of America - The Historical Novel Society - Western Fictioneers

Speaker Availability

Yes

Speaker Topics

The Old West - The Civil War

Birth City

Union City

Birth State

IN

Current Location

Colorado Springs, CO

Email (Public)

Author's Website

Occupation(s)

Author - Illustrator - Graphic Designer

Biography

Jodi Cox is an American dieselpunk author born on April 10, 1979 in Union City, Indiana. She graduated from Simon Kenton High School in 1997. Later she went on to graduate with a BFA from the College of Mount Saint Joseph, now known as the University of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, Ohio. After college, Jodi started writing for Citybeat magazine. Later she went on to become a pioneer in internet graphics and website development. After spending nearly ten years writing for everything from tax websites to poetry, Jodi began developing the world of the Nether After, unbeknownst to her that steampunk and dieselpunk was turning into a literary genre. Jodi enjoys all things speculative fiction, but has a pension for the weird and unusual. She describes herself as a comic book snob. She is often found with a stack of Japanese and American graphic novels in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. She enjoys drawing and painting, as well as writing. Her hours not spent on writing are devoted to geeking out over new computer hardware, or the latest video games. She loves ripping into electronics to see how they work, as well as cooking and developing new recipes. As a writer Jodi has been writing steampunk, dieselpunk, and fantasy of all types. She has even dipped her toe into science fiction.

Education/Training

BFA, Mt. St. Joseph University

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Published Works Book Jackets

Interviews

Organizations

Pikes Peak Writers - Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers - Tesla Writers

Speaker Availability

Yes

Speaker Topics

Dieselpunk - Steampunk - Self publishing - Book layout and design - Web comics - High fantasy world building - Fantasy & pop culture tropes and how not to use them - Minority heroes - Ghost stories for kids - Comics in the new digital age - Comics in the classroom - Pop culture fandom

Pseudonym

C.G. Abbot

Birth City

Colorado Springs

Birth State

CO

Current Location

Colorado Springs, CO

Author's Website

Biography

Avery Daniels was born and raised in Colorado Springs, graduated from college with a degree in business administration and has worked in fortune 500 companies and the Department of Defense her entire life. Her most eventful job was apartment management for 352 units. She still resides in Colorado with two brother black cats as her spirited companions. She volunteers for a local cat shelter, enjoys scrapbooking and card making, photography, and painting in watercolor and acrylic. She inherited a love for reading from her mother and grandmother and grew up talking about books at the dinner table.

Education/Training

BSBA University of Phoenix

Local Authors Genres

Published Works

Published Works Book Jackets

Organizations

Sisters in Crime - Women Fiction Writers of America

Speaker Availability

Yes

Speaker Topics

Writing murder mysteries