General Fiction

Bowen, Barbara

Author Barbara Bowen
Pseudonym
B. J. Bowen
Birth City
Galveston
Birth State
TX
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Occupation(s)
Retired - Author
Biography

For 19 years, I played in the Colorado Springs Symphony. My current cozy mystery series is based on those experiences.

Awards/Honors
For "Letting Go with Grace": Finalist and Honorable Mention 2018 Eddie Awards
Education/Training
Bachelor's Degree in Music, Boston University, 1976
Published Works Book Jackets
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Ballistics at the Ballet
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Fireworks on the Fourth
Organizations
Sisters in Crime
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
Music - Rookie Publishing

Hayden, Laura

Pseudonym
Elle Vaughn
Birth City
Birmingham
Birth State
AL
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Occupation(s)
Author and bookseller
Biography

Brought to the Springs twice thanks to the Air Force, Laura and her family returned for a third time for keeps. Originally from Alabama, she's the author of fourteen novels, and eight short stories/novellas. She also writes as "Elle Vaughn" in collaboration with Yvonne Jocks and Evelyn Vaughn. In addition, she's the owner of Author, Author! and supplies authors with their own books at deep discounts. 

Awards/Honors
Golden Heart Winner, 1993
Education/Training
BS in Industrial Engineering, University of Alabama
Organizations
* Past President and Founder of Pikes Peak Writers
* Ten-time director of the Pikes Peak Writers Conference
* Member, Mystery Writers of America
* Member, Novelists Inc.
* Member and faculty, Superstars Writing Seminars
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
* Creativity: Thinking Outside of the Box
* The Subliminal Writer: Using music to influence your writing
* Reverse Engineering your Suspense/Mystery Plot

Thomas, L. Marie

Thomas, L. Marie
Birth City
Littleton
Birth State
CO
Current Location
Elizabeth, CO
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 Book Jackets
Organizations
Member of American Christian Fiction Writers
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
Book club talks/signings - Writing

Haines, E. L.

Author E. L. Haines
Birth City
Dallas
Birth State
TX
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Occupation(s)
Writer
Biography

Ethan reads all the time and writes so that you can read. He travels the world, ignoring the usual boundaries of space and time, collecting stories, which he loves to tell almost as much as Sparrow himself does.

He has visited more than 25 countries in person, and perhaps more than a hundred in books. He has also time-traveled to more than 40 different years in history. We won’t tell you exactly which ones.

Speaker Availability
No

Miner, Kathy

Miner, Kathy
Birth City
Flint
Birth State
MI
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Occupation(s)
Caregiver - Writer
Biography

Kathy Miner lives in Colorado Springs with her family and her critters. When she isn’t writing or “momming,” she enjoys reading everything from current scientific research to Harry Potter. She also loves hiking in all kinds of weather, especially when she can bully one of her sweet pups into coming along, and she will try her hand at any kind of hand-craft there is. You can learn more about her and her novels on Facebook at Kathy Miner Books, visit her website at www.authorkathyminer.com, or email her at kathyminerwriter@gmail.com.

Awards/Honors
My first book, What Survives of Us, won the National Indie Excellence Award and is a B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree
Education/Training
I have a B.A. in English with an emphasis in both practical and creative writing.
Published Works Book Jackets
Organizations
Independent Book Publishers Association and Colorado Independent Publishers Association
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
Before I became a caregiver for my adult disabled son, I was a high school English teacher, so I'm able and willing to present on all levels of writing craft, from the basics of story development and the importance of mechanics and grammar, up to more advanced topics like realistic dialogue development and building believable characters. I can also present on the ins and outs of indie publishing, as it pertains to my journey. I would love to do this - I miss the classroom VERY much! :)

Kingston, A.R.

Author A.R. Kingston
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Occupation(s)
Author
Biography

A.R. Kingston grew up in a small town in Massachusetts. She holds a degree in psychology and has spent several years working in the mental health field before turning to writing.
When she’s not reading or working on her own books, you can find her playing video games, enjoying archery and photography, or volunteering at her local pig rescue.
She currently lives in Colorado Springs with her two teenage boys, her dogs, and pet pigs.

Published Works Book Jackets
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Book cover for Toska by A.R. Kingston
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
Please contact author via author website for a list of speaker topics.

Chansky, Robert

Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Occupation(s)
Software engineer - Navy modeling and simulation
Biography

Robert has lived in Colorado Springs for ten years.

Local Authors Genres
Published Works Book Jackets
Organizations
Cervantes Society
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
Chinese culture - Cervantes & Don Quixote - Computer Simulation

Mathis, Susan G.

Mathis, Susan G.
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
Finalist in the Indie Excellence Award
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

DeHerrera, Holly

DeHerrera, Holly
Birth City
Mountainhome
Birth State
ID
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Occupation(s)
Writer - Author - Teacher
Biography

Holly is a military-brat-who-never-lived-anyplace-for-very-long turned local after marrying her born-and-raised-in-Colorado-Springs husband. Together they are raising, home schooling and trying to keep alive five kids. Culture shock was Holly’s childhood, moving from Taiwan to Norway to England to Turkey to Germany and back to Turkey again, establishing in her a love for travel and for different people and for outdoor cafes and castles sitting in the middle of the sea. Holly is a writer, her stories sprouting directly out of her life experiences, giving voice to a young Old Order Mennonite girl solving mysteries in the middle of Indiana farmland and a young woman returning to Turkey to find closure from her past. Holly currently writes life stories for Good Catch Publishing and has one novel out, The Orphan Maker's Sin, with several books coming out this year through Blackside Publishing.

Awards/Honors
2018 - Author of the Year, Good Catch Publishing
Education/Training
Bachelor of Arts degree, English Education
Local Authors Genres
Published Works Book Jackets
Organizations
Pikes Peak Writers
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
Creative writing topics (description, setting, turning points, characterization, voice), multi-genre, especially for tweens/teens - Creating stories from real life, drawing inspiration from your ordinary

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.