Podunovich, Maggie

Podunovich, Maggie
Birth City
Minneapolis
Birth State
MN
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Email (Public)
Occupation(s)
Former flight attendant - Self employed New Tech Medical
Biography

We have been in Colorado Springs since 2005, moving here from Castle Rock. I have lived in Colorado since 1967. I flew for the original Frontier Airlines for seventeen years when a back injury and subsequent surgery would not allow me to return to my flying duties. I still miss it. My husband Bob and I started New Tech Medical in 1982. We are independent manufacturers Reps in medical sales. At one time we covered nine western states but now Bob is semi-retired and covers Colorado Springs and surrounding areas. I am currently working hard at selling my book. In the late 1980s I found out that my aunt had saved a series of letters written to her by my father. They dated from 1945 to 1953 when he died. I was only six years old when he passed away so reading his letters gave me the opportunity of knowing just who this amazing man was. I was greatly encouraged by my sister to write a book based on these letters. It took me over 20 years to finish it and I think that the ending is just as it was meant to be. The title is I've Been Only a Shadow." One of his letters says, "I've been only a shadow in the lives of so many people." The book was published in late 2015. I have been traveling to the cities where most of the story happened and am now concentrating on Colorado. I'm doing a spot on the radio June 27th and am currently contacting TV stations about doing a short piece. I am passionate about his story. Had he lived, he would have told the story himself. I am very proud to be the one to share it. Thank you.

Education/Training
University of Utah - Arapahoe Community College - Judge Memorial Catholic High School, Salt Lake City, Utah
Published Works
I've Been Only A Shadow (CreateSpace, 2015)
Published Works Book Jackets
Image
Alt text missing.
Organizations
Castle Rock Writers Group - Pikes Peak Writers - Pikes Peak Writers Conferences
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
Orphanages, child abuse, surviving extremely difficult situations and the ability to keep a good Irish (or whatever) sense of humor. The importance of family. How one woman raised four children by herself in
the 1940s. The power of believing in yourself and giving yourself permission to do great things. And, of course, flying... it's the best job on earth!

Gomez King, Royce

Birth City
Colorado Springs
Birth State
CO
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Email (Public)
Occupation(s)
Author - speaker - consultant
Biography

Royce Gomez King has been a serial entrepreneur for more than 25 years and is an SBDC Certified Coach, Certified Direct Response Copywriter, and frequent trainer on online marketing strategies. Her education in Nonprofit Management and working with executives extends internationally through speaking and consulting. Her columns and business advice have been published in the Small Business Expert Forum, Huffington Post, Carol Roth, Charity Magazine, and more. 

With the release of Unwrapping Your Worth in Christ: Relishing Moments With God, Royce is serving missionaries around the world and is committed to helping others develop a relationship with Jesus. In addition, Royce has served in volunteer ministry for nearly 30 years. She’s held leadership roles within the church, including youth group leader, Bible study leader, retreat speaker, and others. Her heart for at-risk populations has always spurred her to serve and mentor women and young girls.

Today Royce and her husband reside in Colorado, and have two grown children and a precious granddaughter. She enjoys hiking, traveling, good food, and reading.

Organizations
Toastmasters
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
* Empowering women
* Adversity
* Communication
* Healthy boundaries
* Social enterprise
* Travel hacking

Bivens, Steven

Author Steven Bivens
Birth Year (-Died Year)
1956
Birth City
Decatur
Birth State
IL
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Occupation(s)
Self-employed
Biography

At the age of 12 my family and I visited my brother while he was stationed at Ft. Carson. It was the first time that I ever saw mountains and in my young mind I told myself that one day I would live by these mountains. It is now over 45 years later and I am. But I encountered lifetime of experiences before fulfilling my childhood dream. I am from the Midwest, a flatlander. I have been a probation officer, an explosive detection trainer, a trainer for an inmate telephone company, a research analyst, and an instructor at a college here in Colorado Springs. I have travelled the world, dined at the 125 year old mansion of the former Chicago Bears' owner George Halas, and waded in the Bohol Sea. I have experienced a number of tragedies - I survived a haunting divorce, endured a 35 year ordeal which started with my father getting shot and killed when I was 22 years old, and there are many others. But I have always fought back - with the help of my magnetic Colorado mountains I have come full circle - and now, I am living once more.

Education/Training
Bachelor of Arts, Illinois State University
Published Works
An Old Cent Twist (in Early American Coppers, n.d.)
One of Your Pretty, Little, Ingenious Men (article in The Numismatist, n.d.)
Paper Bullets (article in The Numismatist, n.d.)
Population: People vs. Copper (in Early American Coppers, n.d.)
Rusty Journals (article in Classic Toy Trains, n.d.)
Thank You, Mr. Ellery (article in The Numismatist, n.d.)
Back to Mindanao (forthcoming)
Out West: US 36 Travels (forthcoming)
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
Criminal justice - Writing - Motivational - Travel - Numismatics - Job searching

Petterson, Adrienne

Petterson, Adrienne
Current Location
Fountain, CO
Email (Public)
Author's Website
Occupation(s)
Travel writer - Nature photographer - Artist
Biography

Adrienne has lived in Fountain since 2013 and is originally from South Africa. She adores nature and has been a photographer for more years than she cares to admit. Having discovered so much to photograph in her own backyard (she refers to everywhere as her "backyard"), a book of her work was the logical next step. Her Backyard Snapshots book is an eBook, with 150 full color photos! Her book is for all ages, and she is particularly keen for children to read and enjoy this book as the message inside is to stop and look. Her book is available from Amazon.com and readable on most devices, which is great, as you're not restricted to using a Kindle. Visit her website at www.pettprojects.com to see more wildlife photos, her art work and her travel stories.

Published Works
Backyard Snapshots: Volume One (2015)
The Obviousness of It All: A Guide to Common Sense (PublishAmerica, 2007)
A Marmac Guide to Las Vegas (Pelican Publishing, 2005)
Speaker Availability
Yes

Lippincott, Kenneth

Birth City
Denver
Birth State
CO
Current Location
Fountain, CO
Email (Public)
Occupation(s)
Author of romantic mysteries and thrillers - Retired education and pastor
Biography

As an educator, teacher and high school principal, I moved to Colorado in the '90s to both teach and pastor a small local church, while also working on a novel. After 48 years, I finished Freedom's Tree and self-published through West Bow Press, a division of Zondervan and Nelson Bibles. I taught at Success First, the alternative school at Doherty High School and retired from Coronado High School where I taught English and served as department head. In retirement, I've been a community activist battling against the commercialization of medical marijuana and against the proliferation of smart meters, a wireless industry tool that emits electro-magnetic radio frequency, or "dirty electricity."

Awards/Honors
1970, 1977, 1978 - Distinguished Service Award, Jaycees
1970-1971 - Mott Foundation Fellowship
1976 - Service to Youth Award, Kennedy High School Key Club
1970, 1978,\ - Listed in Outstanding Young Men of America, US Jaycees
Education/Training
- Bachelor of Science in English and Social Studies, University of Colorado, 1967
- Master of Arts, Eastern Michigan University, 1971
- Bachelor of Christian Ministry, Colorado Christian University, 1990
Local Authors Genres
Published Works
Community Leadership: How to Find It and Make It Work for You (Educational Impr…
Organizations
National Association of Secondary School Principals
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
My book, Freedom's Tree - Community Leadership: How to Find It and Make It Work for You - A humorous approach to self publishing - Creative writing - Utility smart meters and their effect on you - Marijuana Wars: My Life as a Community Activist

Likins, Heidi

Author Heidi Likins
Birth City
Minneapolis
Birth State
MN
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Email (Public)
Occupation(s)
Nurse Educator - Penrose Hospital
Biography

I have lived in Colorado Springs for over twelve years after living in the South Pacific as well as Mongolia in Central Asia - and I love it here! The mountains and nature of this region have influenced my writing and inspire me.

Local Authors Genres
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
Self-publishing

Anderson, John

John Anderson
Current Location
El Paso County, CO
Author's Website
Occupation(s)
Retired El Paso County sheriff - Historian and writer
Biography

John Wesley Anderson, MBA, is a published author, storyteller, and TEDx speaker. He enjoyed a 30-year law enforcement career, retiring at the rank of sergeant after 22 years with the Colorado Springs Police Department, followed by 8 years serving as the elected sheriff for El Paso County, Colorado. After being term-limited as Sheriff, John retired from public safety and was employed in homeland and corporate security for ten years in the private sector. He retired from the Lockheed Martin Corporation in 2012 to launch a consulting business allowing him the freedom to pursue his love of history, writing and the arts. In 2022 John was honored to receive the Golden Quill Award from the Friends of the Pikes Peak Library District. Although John has traveled around the world, including several adventures on a catamaran sailing the Caribbean, three corporate security assignments into a combat zone on the Horn of Africa and landing on an aircraft carrier at sea in the Pacific Ocean, he remains most fascinated by the rich history and art discovered in his own backyard in the American Southwest.

Awards/Honors
2022 Golden Quill Award (Friends of the Pikes Peak Library District)
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
John is available to give presentations on his books or short talks for book clubs (either virtually or in-person).

Knauf, Sandra

Author Sandra Knauf
Birth Year (-Died Year)
1963
Birth City
Oakland
Birth State
CA
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Phone (Public)
(719) 473-9237
Email (Public)
Author's Website
Occupation(s)
Writer and Publisher, Greenwoman Publishing, LLC
Biography

Sandra Knauf was born in California and spent most of her childhood in Missouri. She moved to Colorado when she was a teenager and has lived there ever since. She is the publisher and editor of Greenwoman Magazine, a garden writing magazine, which she started in 2010. Her work has appeared in The Denver Post, GreenPrints, Colorado Gardener, and other publications, and she has been a guest commentator on KRCC's "Western Skies" radio show. (KRCC is NPR's southern Colorado affiliate station.) Zera and the Green Man is her first novel. She lives in Colorado Springs with her family, pets, and a big garden.

Awards/Honors
2002 - First Place, Creative Nonfiction, Paul Gillette Memorial Writing Contest
2005 - Edited book A Taste for Gardening (2004), recipient of the Top National Award from the National Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc.
2008-2009 - Selected as a Denver Post "Colorado Voices" featured columnist
2011 - Grant award from Pikes Peak Community Foundation for work on Greenwoman magazine
2013 - Microgrant Award from Pikes Peak Arts Council
2015 - Microgrant Award from Pikes Peak Arts Council
2019 - North Street Book Prize Finalist, Please Don't Piss on the Petunias
Education/Training
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Bachelor of Arts, English, 1991
Published Works Book Jackets
Image
Book cover for Fifty Shades of Green edited by Cheri Colburn
Image
Book cover for Please Don't Piss on the Petunias by Sandra Knauf
Image
Book cover for Zera and the Green Man by Sandra Knauf
Organizations
* Grimy Hands Girls' Club
* Toastmasters
* League of Women Voters
* Peak Peak Art Council
* Green Cities Coalition
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
Self-Publishing

Dawid, Annie

Author Annie Dawid
Birth City
Lake Success
Birth State
NY
Current Location
Silver Cliff, CO
Email (Public)
Author's Website
Occupation(s)
Professor, Artist
Biography

Twenty years I have lived in this part of the world, including 2014-2018 in Monument, when my son went to Lewis-Palmer High School. I also have been playing tennis in Colorado Springs every year for the last 10 years.

Awards/Honors
2022 Grand Prize, Cinematic Book Award, Screencraft for Paradise Undone: A Novel of Jonestown
2023 First Prize, Chipping Norton International Short Story Award (UK)
2023, Third Prize, Short Story, The Letter Award, for The Coroner's Version (Australia)
Education/Training
Bachelor of Arts, Journalism, San Francisco State University, 1982
Master of Arts, Creative Writing, San Francisco State University, 1986
Ph.D., English, University of Denver, 1989
Published Works Book Jackets
Image
Book cover for And Darkness Was Under His Feet: Stories of a Family by Annie Dawid
Image
Book cover for Lily in the Desert: Stories by Annie Dawid
Image
Book cover for Put Off My Sackcloth: Essays by Annie Dawid
Image
Book cover for York Ferry: A Novel by Annie Dawid
Image
Book cover for Paradise Undone: A Novel of Jonestown by Annie Dawid
Organizations
Associated Writing Programs, University College Creative Writing Program, University of Denver
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
Jonestown, cults, writing historical fiction

Diller, Janelle

Diller, Janelle
Birth State
KS
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Email (Public)
Biography

I’ve always had a passion for writing. Early on, I polished my writing skills by passing notes to my friends instead of paying attention in math class. The resulting time in detention gave me lots of time to write more notes. As a young child, I wouldn’t leave home without a pad and pencil just in case my novel hit me, and I had to scribble it down quickly. Sadly, I eventually lost this naiveté. However, as a result of my love of writing, I have an unusual variety of books published. The list includes books for the construction industry and grammar textbooks. (If writing about drywall or gerunds is better than not writing at all, it says something about what drives me.) Fortunately, I also write novels for adults, as well as early chapter books for young readers. This is the writing that feeds my soul. These days, I’m having a ball creating the Australian, Austria, and Mexico books for Pack-n-Go Girls travel and adventure series. The Amazon best selling series is targeted for early readers ages six to nine. In whatever spare time I have, one of my favorite things to do is to connect with my readers. Whether you’re in a classroom, book club, or other group, I’d love to visit in person—time and geography permitting—or on Skype. Contact me at janelle@packngogirls.com.

Awards/Honors
2017 IPPY Bronze Award - Never Enough Flamingos
2017 CIPA Evvy Gold - Never Enough Flamingos
2017 Kansas Notable Book - Never Enough Flamingos
2017 Literary Classics Gold - Best Series - Young Reader, Pack-n-Go Girls Adventures
2017 CIPA Evvy Silver - Children's Story Books, Pack-n-Go Girls Adventures
2017 Moonbeam Children's Book Award Silver - Best Chapter Book Series, Pack-n-Go Girls Adventures
2016 CIPA Evvy Award Winner, Pack-n-Go Girls Adventures
2014 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards - Gold Medal for Best Children's Chapter Book Series
2016 Colorado Book Award Finalist - The Virus
2016 Book Pipeline Competition Semifinalist - The Virus
2015 CIPA Evvy Silver - Literary and Contemporary Fiction, The Virus
Education/Training
Master of Arts Degree in Curriculum and Instruction, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs - Bachelor of Arts Degree in History/English, Goshen College
Published Works
Never Enough Lilacs (WorldTrek Publishing, 2018)
Never Enough Sisters (WorldTrek Publishing, 2017)
The Virus (WorldTrek Publishing, 2014)
Greetings from Australia: Pack-n-Go Girls Country Exploration Kit (WorldTrek Pu…
Greetings from Austria: Pack-n-Go Girls County Exploration Kit (WorldTrek Publi…
Greetings from Brazil: Pack-n-Go Girls Country Exploration Kit (WorldTrek Publi…
Greetings from Mexico: Pack-n-Go Girls Country Exploration Kit (WorldTrek Publi…
Greetings from Thailand: Pack-n-Go Girls Country Exploration Kit (WorldTrek Pub…
Mystery of the Rusty Key: A Pack-n-Go Girls Adventure (WorldTrek Publishing, 20…
Mystery of the Min Min Lights: A Pack-n-Go Girls Adventure (WorldTrek Publishin…
Mystery at the Christmas Market: A Pack-n-Go Girls Adventure (WorldTrek Publish…
Mystery of the Disappearing Dolphin: A Pack-n-Go Girls Adventure (WorldTrek Pub…
Mystery of the Thief in the Night: A Pack-n-Go Girls Adventure (WorldTrek Publi…
For the Love of Gold Teacher's Guide (Royal Fireworks Press, 1998)
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
Writing - Children's books - Mennonites - Personal privacy issues
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