Thrillers/Suspense

Hickey, Barry James

Birth City
Chicago
Birth State
IL
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Occupation(s)
Novelist
Biography

My family moved here from Chicago in 1976. I write novels about ordinary people experiencing life-changing events. I write in all genres of fiction, often influenced by my own extraordinary adventures and infinite imagination. I grew up on the Southside of Chicago in a large, struggling family, working full-time while attending four colleges. I studied Cultural Anthropology, English, Journalism and Theater, eventually earning a B.A. degree in Diversified Studies from the University of Colorado - UCCS in 1982. I later enjoyed a modestly successful career in Hollywood as an actor, writer, and producer in independent films interspersed with stints working for motion picture studio executives. My close friends call me "Hollywood." A cancer survivor, I also write screenplays and original music.

Education/Training
Bachelor of Arts, English, Communications, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Published Works Book Jackets
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Book cover for Chasing God's River by Barry James Hickey
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Book cover for Finding Paul Bunyan by Barry James Hickey
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Book cover for The Five Pearls by Barry James Hickey
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Book cover for The Glass Fence by Barry James Hickey
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Book cover for The Mermaid Latitudes by Barry James Hickey
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Book cover for The Pendragon Prophecy by Barry James Hickey
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Book cover for Waking Purgatory by Barry James Hickey
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Book cover for The Water Lawyer by Barry James Hickey
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
How to develop a story, write it, and publish it.

Bowersox, Jodi

Author Jodi Bowersox
Pseudonym
J. B. Stockings
Birth City
Franklin
Birth State
NE
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Occupation(s)
Author, artist, seamstress
Biography

Jodi Bowersox has never liked being put in a box. Over the course of her life, she has been an actress, seamstress, designer, business owner, homeschool teacher, kid's choir director, and artist, so it's only natural that her writing would take on an eclectic flare as well.

Her romance novels span genres from faith fiction to suspense to time travel to sci fi with small town and big city settings. Several have won awards from the Colorado Book Awards, the Colorado Authors League, and the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. She has also been named a finalist in the American Fiction Awards and the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Awards.

In addition to novels, she has children's picture books to her credit under the name J.B. Stockings that include her new series of books for birth to three that she calls Sing-a-Story books.

As an award-winning watercolor artist, Jodi specializes in pet portraits and has illustrated a couple of her children’s books herself. A Tale of Two Kitties and Cats feature some of her favorite pets. You can read more about Jodi’s writing and other creative endeavors, as well as read samples of her books, at jodibowersox.com.

Jodi lives in the heart of Colorado Springs with her husband and too many cats where they never get tired of looking at the mountain views.

Education/Training
B.A. in Theater from Sterling College, Sterling KS
Published Works Book Jackets
Organizations
Member of the Colorado Authors League
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
* The Writing Process
* The Editing Process

Daniels, Avery

Daniels, Avery
Pseudonym
C.G. Abbot
Birth City
Colorado Springs
Birth State
CO
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
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
Published Works Book Jackets
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Iced
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Nailed
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Spiked
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Arrowed
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First Bite
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The Society
Organizations
Sisters in Crime - Women Fiction Writers of America
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
Writing murder mysteries

Boroch, Peter

Author Peter Boroch
Birth City
Ft. Stewart
Birth State
GA
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Occupation(s)
Primary Technical/Editor Writing
Biography

Peter E. Boroch is a former Marine, husband, and proud father. He is the author of the science fiction/military series Gothic Opera and the hard-boiled/mystery book The Man in the Leather Jacket: Predator Games. Peter studied art at Calhoun College and writing at American Military University. Peter is always eager to speak with fans and interact with fellow authors. In his free time, Peter enjoys spending time with his family, reading comics, drawing, writing, killing aliens on his Xbox, and working on the next great American novel!

Education/Training
Bachelor of Arts in English, emphasis on Creative Writing, American Military University, 2016
Organizations
Phi Theta Kappa - Sigma Delta Kappa - Golden Key International Honor Society
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
Author is available to speak on a wide variety of subjects.

Nelson, Steven LeRoy

Nelson, Steven LeRoy
Birth Year (-Died Year)
1953
Birth City
McPherson
Birth State
KS
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Occupation(s)
Writer
Biography

Steven LeRoy Nelson is an award-winning humorist whose short fiction has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, The Leviathan, Fire And Ice, and other publications. He has published six novels in the Axel Hatchett series set in the Colorado Springs area.

Awards/Honors
Colorado College Award in Literature
Adelaide Bender Raville Fiction Award, Department of First Stories in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine
Education/Training
Bachelor of Arts degree, Colorado College, Colorado Springs
Organizations
Mystery Writers of America
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
Mystery writing - The Old West - Weaponry of the Old West

Lawrence, Shannon

Author Shannon Lawrence
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Biography

I'm a writer, reader, blogger, podcaster, hiker, amateur photographer, wife, mom, fan of frights and flights of fantasy, and more.

My guilty pleasures include cheesy horror comedies, Garden of the Gods, true crime podcasts, anything clown related, unsolved mysteries, sarcasm, the Wild West, and chocolate. Lots of chocolate. Specifically frozen chocolate in ice cream form, but I'm not picky.

Published Works Book Jackets
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Cover image of Blue Sludge Blues & Other Abominations: A Collection of Short Stories by Shannon Lawrence
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Cover image of Bruised Souls & Other Torments: Short Stories by Shannon Lawrence
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Cover image of The Business of Short Stories: Writing, Submitting, Publishing, Marketing by Shannon Lawrence
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Cover image of Happy Ghoulidays: Holiday Horror Short Stories by Shannon Lawrence
Organizations
Horror Writers Association, Colorado Authors League, Pikes Peak Writers, and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
I do workshops on short stories, business tips for writers, the building blocks of horror, critique groups, building suspense, self-publishing, and using the senses in writing.

Nickless, Barbara

Author Barbara Nickless
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Biography

Barbara Nickless is the Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of the multi-award-winning Sydney Parnell crime novels. Her new series features forensic semiotician Dr. Evan Wilding—a man whose gift for interpreting the words and symbols left behind by killers has led him to consult on some of the world’s grisliest cases. Winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence, the Golden Quill Award, Suspense Magazine Best Debut of 2016, Amazon Editors’ Best Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense Novel, and a four-time recipient of the Colorado Authors League Writing Award, Barbara has been nominated for the Colorado Book Award five times and won three (including the anthology Denver Noir). Barbara lives in Colorado at the foot of the Rocky Mountains where she loves to hike, cave, snowshoe, and drink single malt Scotch. Her most recent travels—while conducting research for a novel—involved taking cover from rocket fire and being grilled at military checkpoints. 

Local Authors Genres
Published Works Book Jackets
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Book cover for Blood on the Tracks by Barbara Nickless
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Book cover for Dead Stop by Barbara Nickless
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Book cover for Ambush by Barbara Nickless
Speaker Availability
Yes

Wernly, Kathy and Bob

Wernly, Kathy and Bob
Pseudonym
Kathy Clark and Bob Kat (YA)
Birth Year (-Died Year)
1951
Birth City
Houston
Birth State
TX
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Occupation(s)
Author
Biography

Bob and Kathy Wernly write as a team under the penname of Kathy Clark for our adult romantic suspense novels and Bob Kat for our YA romance/mystery/time travel series (Timeshifters). We lived in Colorado since 1985 and in Colorado Springs for a year and a half. Several of our series are set in Colorado, including Denver Heroes, and an upcoming series set in Cripple Creek called Breathless. One of our YA novels (Forever Love) is a time travel ghost story set at the Stanley Hotel the year it opened in 1911. We have given workshops and speeches about writing and creativity all over the U.S. Kathy is a past vice-president of Romance Writers of America and a co-founder of Colorado Romance Writers.

Education/Training
BA degree in Mass Communications and Fine Arts, York College (Kathy) - BS and MBA in Aerospace Engineering and Business Administration (Bob)
Organizations
Romance Writers of America - Colorado Romance Writers - Mystery Writers of America
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
Characterization - Plotting - Writing a series - Writing with a partner - Writing young adult novels - Writing new adult novels - How to self publish your book - Many other writing-related topics

Bryan, John

Bryan, John
Birth Year (-Died Year)
1956
Birth City
Chickasha
Birth State
OK
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Occupation(s)
Entertainer and author
Biography

John Bryan is a writer, composer, musician, actor and illusionist. He has lived in Colorado Springs, CO since 1984 with his wife Michèle and is the proud father of two sons, Erik and Alex. He is the author of the novel Dark Brother and the short story collection entitled Side Streets and Dark Alleys.

Published Works Book Jackets
Organizations
International Brotherhood of Magicians
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
Making fiction real
Where ideas come from

McKenna, John Dwaine

Author John Dwaine McKenna
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Biography

John Dwaine McKenna is the author of four fiction novels, three of which have been awarded EVVYS for excellence in fiction by the Colorado Independent Publisher’s Association, or CIPA. He writes a weekly newspaper column called the Mysterious Book Report for the Tri-Valley Townsman in Sullivan County, New York where he was born and raised in the beautiful southern Catskill Mountains. During his career, he was a salesman, serial business owner, an investment advisor, and a compliance officer for a nationwide investment firm headquartered in Boulder, Colorado. He retired in 2000 and revisited his writing talents, which had lain dormant since his college days.

He and his wife June have lived in Southern Colorado for nearly five decades.

Awards/Honors
2014 - IPPY Award, Colorado Noir: Stories from the Dark Side
2013 - EVVY Award, The Whim-Wham Man
2012 - EVVY Award, The Neversink Chronicles: Stories
Published Works Book Jackets
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Book cover for Colorado Noir by John Dwaine McKenna
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Book cover for The Neversink Chronicles by John Dwaine McKenna
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Book cover for Unforsaken by John Dwaine McKenna
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Book cover for The Whim-Wham Man by John Dwaine McKenna
Speaker Availability
No