Sweet Success! Becky Clark

Compiled by Kathie Scrimgeour

Becky Clark’s novel, Banana Bamboozle (-ISBN — 978-1-4944-9471-1, paperback, kindle 286 pages), was released on National Goof-Off Day (March 22, 2014), by Becky Clark (self published) and is available on Amazon.

Drunk on Banana Bamboozles, Cassidy Dunne sees a girl she’s convinced is her niece. Problem is her niece has been dead for fourteen years.

Becky has been a member of PPW for more than a dozen years. She has published fiction for kids and nonfiction for adults, but BANANA BAMBOOZLE is her first foray into adult fiction. She is wiggly with delight at the early response. You can find her at her website, www.BeckyClarkBooks.com or via email:   Becky@BeckyClarkBooks.com.

We love to hear of fellow Pikes Peak Writers' Sweet Successes, including story acceptances, winning contests, getting published and book signings. Please email Kathie Scrimgeour at ppwsweetsuccess@gmail.com if you've got a Sweet Success you'd like to share.

Sweet Success! Julie Kazimer

Compiled by Kathie Scrimgeour

Julie Kazimer’s romantic suspense novel, The Assassin's Heart (ISBN-10: 1603819754, ISBN-13: 978-1603819756, 211 pages, ebook and trade paperback), was released March 1, 2014 by Camel Press (imprint of Coffeetown Press). This novel is available at Amazon.

When CIA assassin Hannah Winslow mistakenly kills the wrong man, she vows never to take another life. Unfortunately Hannah’s superiors believe the killing was intentional. Now Hannah is the target. She disappears completely into a new, screamingly dull life, assuming a fake identity, shacking up with an overweight cat, and starting a new career as an ad executive. Hannah’s past finally catches up with her at a company retreat in Hawaii, where her former partner Benjamin Miller has tracked her down. Is it a coincidence that assassination attempts on her life are now as common as rum, suntan lotion, and tiny umbrella drinks? What is the real reason for Ben’s presence? Will he be her savior or her assassin?

J.A. Kazimer is a writer living in Denver, CO. Books include The Junkie Tales, The Body Dwellers, CURSES! A F***ed-Up Fairy Tale, Holy Socks & Dirtier Demons, Dope Sick: A Love Story, SHANK, and Froggy Style: A F***ed Up Fairy Tale, and The Assassin's Heart. Forthcoming books include a new mystery fairy tale series from Kensington Books. She spent a few years spilling drinks on people as a bartender and then wasted another few years stalking people while working as a private investigator in the Denver area. Learn more at www.jakazimer.com or at her blog More Than a Little F***ed Up. 

We love to hear of fellow Pikes Peak Writers' Sweet Successes, including story acceptances, winning contests, getting published and book signings. Please email Kathie Scrimgeour at ppwsweetsuccess@gmail.com if you've got a Sweet Success you'd like to share.

Sweet Success! K. Michelle Lindstrom

Compiled by Kathie Scrimgeour

K. Michelle Lindstrom’s self-published memoir, Finding Rodolfo, (ISBN: 1495222985, Kindle, 337 pages), was released on December 29, 2013 and is available on Amazon.

Kristi was an ambitious lawyer for a top American firm. Until, after a medical complication and near her deathbed she decided there had to be more to life than a loveless existence practicing law. Enrolling in the prestigious Cordon Bleu school in Paris, she soon would find just how much more to life there could be. Her journey of self discovery leads to a world filled with the pleasures of food, wine, and love, the types of which could only be found in the city of lights.

We love to hear of fellow Pikes Peak Writers' Sweet Successes, including story acceptances, winning contests, getting published and book signings. Please email Kathie Scrimgeour at ppwsweetsuccess@gmail.com if you've got a Sweet Success you'd like to share.

Sweet Success! Lynda Hilburn

Compiled by Kathie Scrimgeour

Lynda Hilburn’s paranormal novel, Crimson Psyche, Kismet Knight, Vampire Psychologist book #3 [British edition] (-ISBN: 978-0857387257, 464 pages, Paperback and e-book) was released in the U.K. January 2, 2014, by Quercus Books/Jo Fletcher Books UK. The book is presently available only in the U.K. and will be available in the U.S. soon.

When Kismet Knight became the Vampire Psychologist, she didn't bank on discovering that vampires are, in fact, real - let alone falling for an 800-year-old master vampire.

But that's now the least of her worries. A hunter is out there, and he has plans for Kismet. When a strange, cold darkness brushes the back of her thoughts, it awakens Lust, a dangerous part of her psyche she cannot control.

Kismet had better hope that her friends will find the answers, because this is enough to make anyone lose her mind...

Paranormal author Lynda Hilburn writes the Kismet Knight, Vampire Psychologist series as well as other supernatural tales featuring vampires, witches, ghosts, psychics and wizards. In her other life, she is a licensed psychotherapist, hypnotherapist and professional intuitive. You can find Lynda at her websites: www.lyndahilburnauthor.com and www.paranormalityuniverse.blogspot.com.

We love to hear of fellow Pikes Peak Writers' Sweet Successes, including story acceptances, winning contests, getting published and book signings. Please email Kathie Scrimgeour at ppwsweetsuccess@gmail.com if you've got a Sweet Success you'd like to share.

Sweet Success! Beth Groundwater

Prepared by DeAnna Knippling


Beth Groundwater's mystery novel, Fatal Descent (ISBN 978-0738734828, all formats, 300 pages), was released in trade paperback and ebook formats on June 8, 2013, by Midnight Ink. The book is available anywhere books are sold. The author's website is at bethgroundwater.com.

Mandy Tanner and her fiancé Rob are leading an offseason rafting-climbing trip in Utah’s remote Canyonlands. Experienced guides, Mandy and Rob know they have to keep their cool after one of their group, Alex Anderson, appears to have become bear bait. Walled off from the outside world   with eleven shell-shocked clients and miles of Colorado River whitewater ahead, Mandy’s nerves threaten to unravel when she learns that Alex’s death was not the work of a homicidal grizzly. Whether it was a crime of passion or the random act of a psychopath, Mandy fears that if they don’t root out the river rat among them, another camper will be running the rapids in a body bag.

Bestselling author Beth Groundwater writes the Claire Hanover gift basket designer series (A REAL BASKET CASE, a Best First Novel Agatha Award finalist, and TO HELL IN A HANDBASKET) and the Rocky Mountain Outdoor Adventures series starring whitewater river ranger Mandy Tanner (DEADLY CURRENTS, an Amazon #3 overall bestseller, and WICKED EDDIES, finalist for The Rocky Award). The third books in both series will appear in 2013. Beth enjoys Colorado's many outdoor activities, including skiing and whitewater rafting, and loves talking to book clubs.

Sweet Success! F.P. Dorchak

Prepared by DeAnna Knippling


F.P. Dorchak released his supernatural murder mystery novel, The Uninvited (ebook with softcover forthcoming, about 96K words) on May 15, 2013. The ebook is available at Smashwords and Amazon, with additional retailers forthcoming. The author's website is here, and his blog is here.

Kacey Miller is on the run. Stumbling upon a heinous crime scene one sleepless night, she is drawn into an investigation where both the suspects and investigators are tormented by bizarre, supernatural experiences. She must decipher her own visions and nightmares, which forces her to confront long-denied, deep-seated, and secretive guilts—as well as her own connection with the murderers.

F.P. (Frank) Dorchak writes gritty, realistic paranormal fiction that delves into the realms of the supernatural, the unexplained, and the metaphysical to explore who we are and why we exist. Frank is published in the U.S., Canada, and the Czech Republic with short stories, non-fiction articles, and two novels, Sleepwalkers and The Uninvited. His short story, “Tail Gunner,” is in The You Belong Collection – Writings and Illustrations by Longmont Area Residents regional anthology. He lives in Colorado with his wife, cat, and over-active imagination.

Help an Author Out — Leave a Review, Please!

Five stars or no stars?

By Stacy S. Jensen

One of my goals after Pikes Peak Writers Conference is to write more. Not my own work really, but short snippets that are published almost instantly.

My declaration: I will write more book reviews.

Why? I know they make a difference, especially for indie authors. Several faculty and conference attendees emphasized this during the conference. I heard them.

If I get a referral for a book — by blog or by an online friend — I read the reviews. I decide my purchases with review, so I should participate in this process more. So, why have I not written more reviews recently?

A mental evaluation of my reading list points to one book. Several months ago, I saw an online friend’s request to read her new release and share a review.  “Certainly,” I thought as I grabbed a copy for my Kindle and began reading. The story fell flat. I didn’t like the characters. I couldn’t finish the book.

For this book, I looked up the reviews and found fellow reviewers had already shared my “problems” with the book. While the author honestly reviews books on her own blog, I didn’t write a review for her book. The main reason: I didn’t finish it.

Fortunately, I’ve found that to not be the norm of the books friends have suggested. As I write this, I have two books on my Kindle that deserve reviews. They are engaging, have unique characters, and a story that makes me read (even when I don’t have time for it).

I’ve heard many cons to writing reviews. If it’s a bad review, you may tick off an author or an agent. That’s fair. It’s important to remember that online reviews leave a digital trail of who you are, so you need to be fair, honest, and willing to live with what you say.

A personal pet peeve is a reviewer who trashes a book because the story wasn’t what he or she thought it was going to be. If you like sci-fi thrillers, don’t buy a romance book and then be angry it wasn’t a sci-fi thriller. You know you’ve seen those reviews.

So read more books and write more reviews. It will help an author out for print books, digital books and storybook apps.

What’s your philosophy on reading or writing reviews? Have you written one lately?

About the Author: Stacy S. Jensen worked as a newspaper reporter and editor for two decades. Today, she writes picture books and revises a memoir manuscript. She lives in Colorado Springs with her husband and toddler.

Blog: http://stacysjensen.blogspot.com Twitter: @StacySJensen

Sweet Success! Shannon Baker

Compiled By DeAnna Knippling



Shannon Baker's adult mystery novel, Tainted Mountain (ISBN 978-0738734224; trade paperback and ebook, 306 pages), will be released by Midnight Ink in March 2013. The book will be available at major online booksellers. The author's website is at www.shannon-baker.com.

A fast-paced mix of eco-terrorists, native spirituality, and murder. A young ski area owner in Flagstaff, AZ is determined to use man-made snow, an energy tycoon has his own reasons for promoting it, enviros and tribes may use any means to stop it. But the spirits of the mountain just might have the last say.

"Baker’s series debut brings Native American culture and big business together into a clash that can be heard across the mountains. Fans of J.A. Jance’s Joanna Brady will see similarities in Nora Abbott." --Library Journal

Shannon Baker can often be found backpacking, skiing, kayaking, cycling, or just playing lizard in the desert. From the Colorado Rockies to the Nebraska Sandhills, the peaks of Flagstaff and the deserts of Tucson, landscapes play an important role in her books. 

We love to hear of fellow Pikes Peak Writers' Sweet Successes, including story acceptances, winning contests, getting published and book signings. Please email DeAnna Knippling at dknippling [at] gmail [dot] com if you've got a Sweet Success you'd like to share.

Sweet Success! Janet Fogg

Compiled by DeAnna Knippling


Janet Fogg's non-fiction tale "The Smile of an Angel" (ebook, approximately 38,000 words) was published in the anthology The Heart of Christmas by Sparkle Press on December 5, 2012. The ebook is available at Amazon and Smashwords. The author's website is www.janetfogg.com.

Heart of Christmas celebrates this blessed time of year with lighthearted tales of friends and family, touching stories, beautiful poems, powerful quotations, and favorite yuletide songs.

Raised in Colorado, Janet Fogg enjoys climbing mountains. Summits include Janet’s award-winning historic romance Soliloquy, military history best seller Fogg in the Cockpit, co-authored by Richard and Janet Fogg, a career as CFO and Managing Principal of OZ Architecture, and two dozen of Colorado’s Fourteeners.

We love to hear of fellow Pikes Peak Writers' Sweet Successes, including story acceptances, winning contests, getting published and book signings. Please email DeAnna Knippling at dknippling [at] gmail [dot] com if you've got a Sweet Success you'd like to share.

Sweet Success! Jody Kessler

Jody A. Kessler's adult paranormal romance novel, Death Lies Between Us (paperback, ebook), will be published by Crescent Moon Press in March 2013. The book will be available from major online bookstores. The author's website is at jodyakessler.com.

Saving the life of someone you love should not be the worst thing you have ever done, unless you are an Angel of Death.

Disgruntled with his position in the afterlife and conflicted by his feelings toward his new client, Nathaniel Evans forgoes the rules and saves nineteen-year-old Juliana Crowson from being hopelessly stuck in Forge Creek. This alters Juliana’s destiny and she finds herself in a series ofnear-death accidents.

In the mountains of Colorado, Nathaniel comforts Juliana as she struggles to understand her paranormal abilities while coping with her brother’s drug addiction. When an ill-tempered Native American Shaman teaches her the difference between ghosts and place memories, shedecides she wants nothing to do with the supernatural world. Too bad she doesn’t know that Nathaniel is part of it.

Will fate bring these two together, or has Nathaniel made the biggest mistake of his afterlife?

Jody A. Kessler enjoys writing paranormal novels and is a member of Pikes Peak Writers. She is a yoga instructor, Reiki Master, and a graduate of the Colorado Institute of Massage Therapy. When she took an extended leave from her massage practice to

stay at home with her newborn, she returned to her first true passion—writing. She spends most of her time being a mother, writing, and teaching yoga, but also likes going to concerts, hiking, practicing herbal medicine, and reading anything that catches her interest. Jody lives in the mountains of Colorado with her family. You can learn more about Jody on her website www.jodyakessler.com.


We love to hear of fellow Pikes Peak Writers' Sweet Successes, including story acceptances, winning contests, getting published and book signings. Please email DeAnna Knippling at dknippling [at] gmail [dot] com if you've got a Sweet Success you'd like to share.

Book Signing Today! Deb Buckingham

Deb Buckingham will be signing her crochet book, Dishcloth Diva (ISBN 978-1-937513-14-6, ebook and softcover, 62 pages, Cooperative Press) at Table Rock Llamas Fiber Arts on Tuesday, 10:00 a.m. to noon.  The book is available from online bookstores and from Table Rock Llamas. The author's website is theartfulyarn.blogspot.com.

Deb left a nursing career to pursue her creative side. The creative outlet that knitting provides, offers her the stress-free existence she craved for years. You can often find her nesting in her favorite spot, in front of her favorite design show, while knitting her next favorite project. Her artistic side has become a lifestyle, rather than a hobby. Her pattern designs are originals and ones she takes great pride in.

She's a mother, wife, grandma, sister, friend, writer, photographer, quilter, but most of all a knitter. She loves all things fiber. She loves to shop for pretty things, and considers herself a "girl" in every sense of the word... G--glitz & glam, I--inquisitive, R--romantic, L--lively. 

To know her is to love her, and as they say, she's a person you can feel comfortable communicating with. She loves to hear from her readers/customers. 

Table Rock Llamas Fiber Arts is at 6520 Shoup Rd, Colorado Springs, Co 80908. Contact them at 719-495-7747.

Let’s face it—dishcloths are a pretty utilitarian knit. But they become a delightfully simple pleasure when they have a modern design twist. In Dishcloth Diva, Deb Buckingham brings new spin to an old idea. Each pattern offers a unique take on dishcloth design using knots, lines, ribs, and textures. With 20 patterns, including a wide variety of stitches, each design is easy and fun to knit, and fits effortlessly into your bag, ready for a road trip…or the morning subway commute.

Beautiful photography shows each design up close and personal, while emphasizing stitch detail. Clear and precise step-by-step instructions guide you through each pattern, achieving stunning results at any skill level. These 20 modern, enjoyable knits are perfect both for beginners and for experienced knitters looking for a relaxing project.

Are you a member of Pikes Peak Writers?  Have a book signing or similar event to share?  Email DeAnna Knippling at dknippling [at] gmail [dot] com with your information!

Sweet Success! G.T. Harper

G.T. Harper's adult thriller novel, Bering Storms (ISBN: 978-1-891331-38-1, trade and ebook, 398 pages) will be released November 19, 2012, by Nebbadoon Press. The book will be available from the publisher and via Kindle and Nook.

King crab fishing. Murder. Hidden bunker. Beautiful pilot. In the Bering Sea, work is not always the deadliest worry. Off the coast of Alaska, former Coast Guard Investigative Service Special Agent Max Sinclair is working for his uncles as a fisherman on their king crab fishing boat. Unbeknownst to them, five members of their crew are involved with the Russian mob, which is tracking the crab boat from a heavily armed fishing trawler. A Coast Guard cutter and its Dolphin helicopter, co-piloted by Max's former girlfriend, are searching for a capsized fishing boat. And one of the disloyal crewmen has an agenda of his own--which includes murder. The action plays out on the fishing boats, the Coast Guard cutter, and the helicopter as well as in an abandoned underground bunker on Kiska Island, which was occupied by the Japanese during World War II, and in the freezing waters of the Bering Sea.

Before a career as an English teacher, G.T. Harper traveled the world writing articles about his adventures for major magazines and newspapers. He also worked on a king crab fishing boat and in a county jail, drove a taxi, worked as a bike messenger, and studied jujitsu in Japan. He now shares his time between California and Colorado, busy enjoying his greatest challenge: raising two teenage sons. Bering Storms is his first novel.

We love to hear of fellow Pikes Peak Writers' Sweet Successes. Please email DeAnna Knippling at dknippling [at] gmail [dot] com if you've got a Sweet Success you'd like to share.

Sweet Success! Beth Groundwater

Beth Groundwater's new adult mystery novel, To Hell in a Handbasket (ISBN 978-073872702, trade paper and ebook, 300 pages), will be released on November 8, 2012, by Midnight Ink. The book will be available online and from many brick-and-mortar bookstores. The author's website is at bethgroundwater.com.

An icy demise snowballs in book 2 of this Agatha Award-nominated series. Gift basket designer Claire Hanover is reluctantly enjoying a spring ski vacation with her family in Breckenridge, Colorado, when a bloodcurdling scream cuts the frigid air. Claire is appalled to find the sister of her daughter’s boyfriend dead on the slopes. Others assume the girl’s death was an accident, but Claire notices another pair of ski tracks veering dangerously into the victim’s path. To protect her daughter as incriminating clues surface, Claire unravels a chilling conspiracy.

Bestselling author Beth Groundwater writes the Claire Hanover Gift Basket Designer series (A Real Basket Case, a Best First Novel Agatha Award finalist, and To Hell in a Handbasket) and the Rocky Mountain Outdoor Adventures series starring whitewater river ranger Mandy Tanner (Deadly Currents and Wicked Eddies). The third books in both series will appear in 2013. Beth enjoys Colorado's many outdoor activities, including skiing and whitewater rafting, and loves talking to book clubs. Visit her website: http://bethgroundwater.com/.

We love to hear of fellow Pikes Peak Writers' Sweet Successes. Please email DeAnna Knippling at dknippling [at] gmail [dot] com if you've got a Sweet Success you'd like to share.

Sweet Success! Carol Caverly

Carol Caverly's adult mystery novel, Frog Skin and Mutton Fat, Book #2 in the Thea Barlow Wyoming Mystery Series (ASIN: B008WDB5MO, ebook, 214 pages), was released in August 2012 by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. The book is available at Amazon.com. The author's website is at www.carolcaverly.com. The first book, All the Old Lions, is also available on Amazon, and the third book, Dead in Hog Heaven, will be available soon.

Intrepid editor Thea Barlow returns to Wyoming to vacation with her old flame and interview Kid Corcoran, last of the old-time bandits. Corcoran, recently released from prison, has returned to his boyhood home, supposedly to end his days in peace. Thea takes a cautious liking to the Kid and tries to defend him from the hostility of the towns people who are convinced he's planning to retrieve a stash of jade stolen from the area's mines and local residents. Then a body turns up in Thea's room, whirling her into a maelstrom of greed, murder and revenge.

Carol Caverly, raised in a Chicago suburb, married into a pioneer ranch family in Wyoming and spent close to thirty years there raising a family. She found the state a wild and wondrous place and grew to love the people, places, history and wild landscapes that surrounded her. She hopes that love shines through her books. She calls them light mysteries (some might term them cozies). They're fast-paced with a touch of romance, a touch of humor and something you might not know about Wyoming.

We love to hear of fellow Pikes Peak Writers' Sweet Successes. Please email DeAnna Knippling at dknippling [at] gmail [dot] com if you've got a Sweet Success you'd like to share.