Science Fiction

Colter, Liz

Colter, Liz
Pseudonym
L.D. Colter, L. Deni Colter
Current Location
Colorado
Biography

Liz has followed her heart through a wide variety of careers, including farming with a team of draft horses and working as a field paramedic, Outward Bound instructor, athletic trainer, and roller-skating waitress, among other curious choices. She also knows more about concrete than you might suspect. Her novels written under the name L. D. Colter explore contemporary and dark fantasy, and ones written as L. Deni Colter venture into epic fantasy realms. Following a long interlude in Southern and Northern California, she returned some years ago to her home state of Colorado, where she spends her time with her husband, dogs, horses, and writing (according to her husband, not always in that order of priority).

Awards/Honors
A Borrowed Hell - Winner of the 2018 Colorado Book Award for Science Fiction/Fantasy
Published Works Book Jackets
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
Publishing through a large press, small press or indie - Writing technique - Short story writing and submissions

Orton, D.L.

Orton, D.L.
Current Location
Front Range of the Rockies
Occupation(s)
Time Machine Mechanic
Biography

AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR D. L. ORTON lives in the Rocky Mountains where she and her husband are raising three boys, a golden retriever, two Siberian cats, and an extremely long-lived Triops. In her spare time, she's building a time machine so that someone can go back and do the laundry.

Awards/Honors
Publishers Weekly "Booklife Prize in Fiction" Quarter-Finalist (CIT 2016 and DT 2017)
Next Generation Indie Book Awards, E-book Fiction Finalist (CIT 2017)
Colorado Book Award Finalist, Science Fiction (2017)
Book Excellence Awards Winner, Science Fiction (2016)
Readers' Favorite Book Award Winner, Audiobook (2016)
SWIRL Awards Finalist, Science Fiction (2016)
Indie Excellence Book Award Winner, Cross-Genre Fiction (2016)
USA Best Book Award Finalist, Cross-Genre Fiction (2016)
International Book Award Finalist, Cross-Genre Fiction (2016)
Colorado Gold Finalist, Science Fiction (2015)
Novel Beginnings Award Winner, Science Fiction (2015)
Education/Training
Ms. Orton is a graduate of Stanford University's Writers Workshop and a past editor of <em>Top of the Western Staircase</em>, a literary publication of CU, Boulder. The author has a number of short stories published in online literary magazines, including Literotica, Melusine, Cosmoetica, The Ranfurly Review, and Catalyst Press.
Published Works Book Jackets
Organizations
Independent Book Publishers Association
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
Writing a book series - Indie publishing - How to find an editor, publisher, and audience

Cook, Doug

Cook, Doug
Birth City
Dayton
Birth State
OH
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
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)
Published Works Book Jackets
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.

Bissett, Carina

Author Carina Bissett
Birth City
Lincoln
Birth State
NE
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
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 TalesArterial BloomGorgon: Stories of EmergenceWeird Dream SocietyHath 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
Finalist, 2019 Writers of the Future (1st quarter)
For “An Authentic Experience”: Finalist, ANTHOLOGY, 2020 Colorado Book Awards
For “C8 : A Tessellation of Faces, Wings, and other Obscure Things ”: Nominated for 2018 Best of the Net Award
For “Fairy Tale Prohibition”: Nominated for 2021 Best of the Net Award
For “Gaze with Undimmed Eyes and the World Drops Dead”: Winner, Fiction: ANTHOLOGY, The 2020 Best Book Awards
For “Radiant”: Nominated for 2021 Best of the Net Award
For “Rotten”: Finalist, Superior Achievement in an Anthology, 2020 Stoker Awards
For Shadow Atlas: Dark Landscapes of the Americas: Winner, ANTHOLOGY, 2021 Colorado Book Awards
For Shadow Atlas: Dark Landscapes of the Americas: Finalist, ANTHOLOGY, 2021 International Book Awards
Honorable Mention, 2017 Writers of the Future (2nd quarter)
Honorable Mention, 2017 Writers of the Future (4th quarter)
Honorable Mention, 2020 NESFA Short Story Contest
Horror Writers Association, 2016 HWA Scholarship
2021 Silver Hammer Award
Silver Honorable Mention, 2018 Writers of the Future (4th quarter)
“The Sweet Sleep of Roses or, After the Fall”: Nominated for the 2018 Pushcart Prize
For “Swimming with the Shark Boys”: Honorable mention in 2016 Best Horror of the Year, Vol. 9
For “Wild Girl”: Nominated for 2014 Sundress Publications Best of the Net Award and the Pushcart Prize
For “The Yellow Press of an Ancient Power”: Nominated for 2015 Sundress Best of the Net
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)
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

Wilson, Neil

Birth City
Tampa
Birth State
FL
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
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.

Published Works Book Jackets
Speaker Availability
No

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

Firebird, Bradley

Author Bradley Firebird
Pseudonym
Bradley Firebird (Bradley Thunderbird Phoenix)
Birth City
New York City
Birth State
NY
Current Location
Southern Colorado
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
2017 - APPR Writing Center Contest, dramatic reading of my short audio play, "The Holocausts of Our Lives."
2016 - APPR Writing Center Contest, dramatic reading of my short audio play "The Day the Music Lived"
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.
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

Casale, Nicholas

Nicholas Casale
Birth Year (-Died Year)
1985
Birth City
Vendenbergh Air Force Bace
Birth State
CA
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Occupation(s)
Paralegal
Biography

Nicholas S. Casale grew up in Palmer Lake, which is a small town in Colorado. Shortly thereafter, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and began working as a paralegal.

From a young age he was attracted to history, myth, religion, and spent several years searching for the religion that best matched his personal beliefs; he is now a practicing Messianic Jew and is happily married to the woman who taught him Hebrew.

He first started writing stories when he was 6 years old. He invented a simple character named "Mousey," who was a mouse and a wizard. While his stories have grown more sophisticated since then, he has always had a love for the themes of that original story; the idea that the weak may overcome the strong through cleverness and imagination.

Education/Training
Bachelor of Arts Degree in History, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
The Novels - History - Mythology - Religion

McCutcheon, Pam

Pseudonym
Parker Blue
Birth City
Fort Ord
Birth State
CA
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Occupation(s)
Industrial engineer - Writer - Editor - Speaker
Biography

Pam McCutcheon is the author of romantic comedy, paranormal romance, fantasy short stories, and how-to books for writers under her own name, and the Demon Underground YA urban fantasy series under the name Parker Blue. After many years of working for the military as enlisted, officer, and civil service successively, she left her industrial engineering and is now working full-time as a writer, editor, speaker, and as the “Parker” half of Parker Hayden Media, an assisted self-publishing business. She lives in Colorado Springs with her rescue dogs and can be found on the ’net at pammc.com or parkerblue.net.

Awards/Honors
Pikes Peak Romance Writers Author of the Year
Quicksilver - Pikes Peak Romance Writers winner of the PRISM Award for the best futuristic romance of 1996
Chasing Baby - Winner of the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Harlequin American of 1996
Education/Training
Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering
Organizations
Novelists, Inc. - Pikes Peak Writers
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
Writing the Fiction Synopsis - Brainstorming - Self-editing - Scene and Sequel - Using the Plotting Board - Decoding Dialogue - Beginning Writers Workshop - Characterization - How to Pitch Your Book - Ghostwriting

Abraham, S. J.

Birth Year (-Died Year)
1978
Birth City
El Paso
Birth State
TX
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Occupation(s)
Writer - Stay at home father
Biography

As a child raised in the Southwest United States on the border of one of the largest oil fields in the country, S. J. Abraham was a lonely nerd. With no interest in rodeo or baseball, he spent his time reading. His heroes were fictional characters and great novelists. It wasn’t long before he started scratching out his own stories. In recent years he has embraced his geekiness and has set to work turning his writing hobby into a career as a novelist. While he originally wrote for adults, he has since realized he is still fifteen at heart, so he now focuses on writing for young adults. S. J. lives in the beautiful city of Colorado Springs, where all the exciting outdoor activities are wasted on him, though the ever-changing views fire his creativity like few things can. He spends the shreds of his free time playing with his wife, children, brothers, sisters, friends, nephews, and little nieces.

Education/Training
Bachelor of Arts, Multimedia Production - Associate of Arts, English and Literature - Associate of Science, Media Production
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
Writing art and craft - Technology - Video production - Web design - Graphic design - Indie press