Author Directory
Meet the talented voices of Central Colorado Writers. Browse their personal websites, explore their works, and find your next favorite read.
J.L. Askew
Mystery Thriller
J. L. Askew is an award-winning author and a lifelong bibliophile. With a psychology degree from the University of Memphis, he had careers in social work and the medical industry.
After writing the non-fiction “War in the Mountains” on the Civil War, Askew wrote “Alaska Deadly”, a mystery thriller. The sequel, “Alaska Bloodlust”, was released in September 2025.
Single and with no pets, Askew enjoys all aspects of writing, especially attending book venues and connecting with readers. He is currently working on the next “Alaska” book.
Dan Bishop
science fiction
Dan Bishop brings his background in science (organic chemistry) and computers to the fore in his science fiction trilogy, The Saturn Accords. Saturn Conundrum (2022) and Saturn Rendezvous (2023) are both self-published through IngramSpark. He plans to have the third volume, Stargate Alpha, in print by summer of 2024. His membership in the writers group dates back to 1996. Visit his website at www.authordbishop.com. Email at authordbishop@gmail.com.
Judy "Judilee" Butler
Mystery Series
Judy "Judilee" Butler is an indie-author making history a mystery with her and her co-author's newly released Phoebe Korneal Mystery Series. Book 1 in the series, The Last Hurrah, is a witty, light mystery guaranteed to make you smile and it is a Finalist in the mystery category in the CAL awards, 2021. Additionally, this fun read won a Bronze Award in the CIPA EVVY Awards, category of Mystery/Crime/Detective, 2021. We are surprised, happy, and excited with Book 1...now on to Book 2, The Last Slide, A Phoebe Korneal Mystery. Find all her books on Amazon!
ADVENTURE & ROMANCE
Award winning Author Gin Coleman is a story-telling tumbleweed who currently writes from the wilds of Mississippi. It was said that the night she was born, her family reported a green light at the window and a crop circle in the backyard. After fifty years of working to make ends meet, Gin now spends most of her time writing, practicing Literary Citizenship, and trying not to burn dinner. Her stories are filled with life lessons and showcase her connection with nature. Learn more about Gin at www.gincoleman.com
Linda (L.V.) Ditchkus
Science fiction & Short stories
Linda (L.V.) Ditchkus has been writing her entire life and no longer considers herself a debut author after her Sasquatch Series won First Place in Science Fiction at the Colorado Authors League Book Awards. Her short story also appeared in Bizarre Bazaar, an anthology from Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. Beyond writing, Linda leads adventure travel trips for the Colorado Mountain Club and has visited more than 100 countries. Learn more about her work at www.lvditchkus.com.
Jean "GaGa" Gabardi
Mystery SEries
Jean "GaGa" Gabardi is an indie-author making history a mystery with her and her co-author's newly released Phoebe Korneal Mystery Series. Book 1 in the series, The Last Hurrah, is a witty, light mystery guaranteed to make you smile. It's a Finalist, Mystery category, CAL Awards, 2021. Additionally, this fun read won a Bronze Award in the CIPA EVVY Awards, category of Mystery/Crime/Detective. We are surprised and excited...now on to Book 2, The Last Slide, A Phoebe Korneal Mystery. Find all her books on Amazon!
Kathy Hendricks
Spirituality, Family, Leadership
Kathy Hendricks is author of several books on spirituality. Her book Grace in the Wound offers insight into the challenges and blessings of grief over a long period of time. Her latest book, Opening the Heart, was a finalist for both the Colorado Authors League and the Association of Catholic Publishers awards. She is currently a facilitator and course writer for Boston College’s Crossroads program and an editorial consultant for Twenty-Third Publications. Kathy lives in Poncha Springs where she dotes on two adorable grandchildren.
Kirstin Homer
Kristin Homer writes about what happens when paranormal forces clash with everyday life. Her series Cursed in Suburbia follows April Vonn as she navigates the disturbing demands of an inherited curse while juggling work and family, and grappling with her changing identity. A Taste for Fear is Book 1 in the series and is her first novel. When not writing about mothers turning into creatures that go bump in the night, she's creating art from discarded objects or hiking in the mountains of Colorado, where she lives with her husband and dog. Follow Kristin on Instagram @kristinhomer497.
Fantasy
Dr. Jean Ispa
Narrative fiction
In 2018, Dr. Jean Ispa retired from a 40-year career teaching and conducting research in human development at the University of Missouri. Her publications during those years concerned family and child care issues in Russia and U.S. mainstream and immigrant subcultures. Post-retirement, she has turned to narrative nonfiction, particularly to accounts of her grandparents’, uncles’, and parents’ life stories in the Russian Empire/Soviet Union, China/Manchukuo, and the United States.
Judy Kiehart
Plays & Memoir
Judy Kiehart’s debut novel, Calico Lane, received the 2022 Best Independent Book Award (BIBA) in the LGBTQ Memoir category. Several of her plays have been performed by Stage Left Theater in Colorado, and "LEON," her most recent one-act play, has been staged in Olympia, Washington for three consecutive holiday seasons. In addition to having works published in local anthologies, Judy’s second book, Mixed Shorts, offers twenty-five eclectic pieces of contrasting styles and reveals her process of transforming short stories into staged works, complete with royalty-free scripts. Visit Judy at www.judykiehart.com and find her books on Amazon.
Wendy Oliver
ROMANCE & youth fiction
Wendy Oliver works for the forest service in the summer and writes in the winter. She enjoys travel, reading, singing, and hanging out with nature. So far, Wendy has written two romances and two middle grade adventures. She lives in Buena Vista with her husband, dog, and fabulous views of the Collegiate Peaks. Keep up with Wendy on her website
Carla Seyler
Environmental Thriller
Carla Seyler’s is the author of A Place Unmade, an environmental thriller, which has won Chanticleer International (CIBA), Literary Titan, PenCraft and Readers Favorites awards. Carla was recognized as a 2024 debut author by International Thriller Writers. She is completing her second novel, a romantic suspense based in south Louisiana. It will be the first of a three-book series. Carla, her husband and their two rescue cats divide their time between New Orleans and Buena Vista, Colorado, where she is co-editor of the Central Colorado Writers Monthly Edition. She can be reached through Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
Kathy Taylor
Kathy Taylor is a writer, musician, and retired professor of Spanish, published in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and Papiamentu across songs, poetry, short stories, a novel, essays, and translations. Her short story collection Trees and Other Witnesses explores childhood, migration, and struggle across Mexico, Nicaragua, and the US, with trees as a recurring central figure. Her novel The Birthing House, set in medieval Marburg, Germany, explores writing, memory, and belonging, and recently became an audiobook featuring her original music. Kathy lives off the grid with her husband Peter in the mountains of Colorado. www.catalinawrites.com
Songs, Poetry, Essays, Novel
Cam Torrens
suspense thriller
Cam Torrens is a retired Air Force pilot who spends his time helping out with Search & Rescue, the Buena Vista Public Library, Boy Scouts, and serving as the CCW Vice President. His debut suspense thriller, STABLE, released in July, 2023. Since then, he has published four more novels in the series, with a sixth novel contracted for a September 2026 launch. Cam publishes a monthly newsletter and blogs on his website.
Elizabeth Wilson
Elizabeth Wilson is a memoir writer, coach, podcaster, and mom living in Colorado. Prior to her evolution as a writer, she worked as a Forensic Scientist in crime laboratories across the country.
When her world was turned upside down, Elizabeth turned to writing to sort through her feelings, retrace her steps, and figure out what to do next. Career changes, sobriety, and divorce took Elizabeth down paths she never saw coming. Find out more about Elizabeth and her work at her website: elizabethcwilson.com
memoir
Elaine Wolff
Elaine Wolff is the former editor of the San Antonio Current and the founding editor of Out In SA magazine. She co-hosted the Radical Mothers’ Voice on KO.OP Austin in the late Nineties, and served as a scriptwriter and emcee for Fiesta Cornyation, which raises funds for AIDS-related charities and theater scholarships. In 2018, she impulse-purchased an old mining claim in the Rocky Mountains. She’s mom to four wonderful adult children, and splits her time between Buena Vista CO and Scottsdale AZ with her husband Michael and the Cairn Terrierists Louis and Oliver. Her debut novel, Up to Her Neck, will be published by Empress Editions in January ’27.
Mystery
Monica Young
Monica Young embarked on her newest career as author in 2019. Her life's journey has included working at Walk Disney World in Florida and the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado. Monica published her first book, Before the Time Comes in 2020. She lives with her husband in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo mountains and travels as often as possible!
NON-Fiction
