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Attention Book Illustrators and Cover Designers!

Colorado Authors League has long been about the business of storytelling, and now we’re opening our membership to include those who tell stories through art!


Book Illustrators and Cover designers, we invite you to apply for membership and take advantage of the rich benefits that CAL provides its members from friendship to promotion

to a chance to win your very own CAL award for Illustration or Cover Design!


We want to promote your work, click HERE to see just one of the ways.

Read CAL's Statement on AI

UPCOMING EVENTS


Nov. 1 CAL Awards Open For Submissions


Nov 22-24 Denver Christmas Show


Dec. 7, 14 Georgetown Christmas Market


Dec. 1, 2-5 Holiday Party


Dec. 31 Early Bird Pricing Ends for CAL Awards Submissions


Jan. 31, 2025 CAL Awards Closes for Submissions


April 26-27, 2025 Book Bash in CO Springs



Retail Opportunities Calendar




Colorado Conference Calendar


April 18-21, 2024 Readers Take Denver



April 19-20, 2024 American Christian Fiction Writers Conference


April 24-26, 2024 Pikes Peak Writers


July 19-20, 2024 Writing Heights Conference


Aug 23-24, 2024 Castle Rock Writers Conference


Sept 19-22, 2024 Trinidad Creative District Get Lit! Literary Festival


Sept 27-29, 2024 Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers


Oct 5, 2024 Illumify Writers Conference


Oct 10-12, 2024 Women Writing the West Conference


Oct 18-19, 2024 Steamboat Creates Writers Conference

CAL Authors as Speakers


Dec 5, Jody Pritzl will be speaking at the Molly Brown House Museum in Denver from 6-7 pm. Are your heirloom Christmas ornaments from Europe or America? How can you tell? Join Jody Pritzl, author of three Christmas books, as she weaves through the craftsmanship of German families in the 1890s to the factories in Pennsylvania and New Jersey during the 1950s and 60s. Jody will show examples of European ornaments and vintage mid-century Shiny Brites and George

Frankes. Best of all, you’ll learn tips for dating and identifying your own precious beauties from her

books available on Amazon.

Introducing the CAL Speakers' Bureau


Are you searching for a speaker for your special event or book club? Look no further! Click HERE to find a Colorado author to fit your needs.

In the Spotlight: Helen Starbuck

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When I’m asked to talk or write about myself, like most writers, there’s always a touch of the imposter syndrome lurking. Why in the world would people want to know? But here goes.


I’m an avid reader. I think you have to be to write well. Reading has always been an escape and a pleasure for me since middle school, when social ineptness made books a welcome diversion from real life. Books still provide that. I read mostly fiction of all sorts and the occasional nonfiction.


I’m an indie author, and I write a mystery series--book five will debut late fall 2024--and standalone romantic suspense. I’m a Colorado native, and all my books are set in Colorado. My former career as an OR nurse triggered the idea for my first book in the series, The Mad Hatter’s Son, and there’s always a medical aspect to the series. Less so in the standalone books. Several of my books have won awards, and I had the honor of seeing my newest book The Killer Without A Face become a finalist in the Colorado Author’s League contest.


My biggest failure as a writer is being baffled by commas. I put them in, my editor/proofreader takes them out. I don’t use them, they add them. Just when I think I have it figured out, I don’t. It’s a work in progress.


I began writing in high school for personal pleasure with no other goal than spinning stories that amused me. Later in life, I had the vague idea that one day I might write a story that I could publish. My story ideas come to me either as a character or a scene that leads me to ask further questions. Who is the character? Why are they in the scene? What is happening or what will happen to them?

In The Killer Without A Face, the scene that popped up was the main character, Dani Calderwood, stranded on an isolated mountain road in an old truck that had broken down. She was frustrated and scared, and I wanted to know why. As you can probably tell, I write by the seat of my pants. I can’t outline. The times I’ve tried, the story ends up in an entirely different spot and the outline turns out to be useless. I’m impressed by those who can. I think it probably prevents a lot of revising!


I’m not sure what makes a person write and put their books out in the public domain, with all the risk and vulnerability that entails. But for me, I thought my books were worth publishing and sharing with others, and I hoped to entertain readers. So far it’s been a good run, and I have a core of devoted fans. I’m very grateful for that and for all the fellow writers I’ve met and made friends with through CAL and other professional organizations and social media. It’s been invaluable and a pleasure.

The CAL Awards

The CAL Awards will reopen for a new submission year on Nov. 1, 2024


The CAL Awards isn't just about books. We also have categories for published Poetry, Essays, Short Stories, Articles, Illustration, Plays, Screen Plays, and Cover Design!


Find out more HERE


Finalists will be announced in June.


CAL Awards Celebration will be held in July.

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Margi Evans was the 2024 CAL Lifetime Achievement Award Winner


Margi at the CAL Awards


Watch past CAL Celebration videos


79th Annual CAL Awards, presented by Jodi & Kevin Bowersox


80th Annual CAL Awardss, presented by Jody Pritzl


81st Annual CAL Awards, presented by Jodi Bowersox, Laurie Marr Wasmund, and Claire Fishback



82nd Annual CAL Awards, presented by Jodi Bowersox, Laurie Marr Wasmund, and Kathryn Winograd


83rd Annual CAL Awards, presented by Jodi Bowersox, Laurie Marr Wasmund, and Judy White

Congratulations to CAL Members Named As Finalists

in the CIPA Evvy Awards!


The Evvy Awards are presented by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association.

Gold Winner

Historical Fiction


Falcon in the Dive

by Leah Angstman

Bronze Winner

Interior Layout & Design


The Crooked Forest: Cloud Crazed

by Joni Franks

Silver Winner

Young Adult


Finding Fionn

by M.J. Evans

Silver Winner

Cultural/Social Issues


Making Global Sense

by Judah Freed

Gold Winner

Thriller



Falcon in the Dive

by Leah Angstman

Bronze Winner

Cookbooks


Stop Screaming

by Benjamin M. Weilert

Gold Winner

Animals/Pets


Corky Tails: Holly Berry & Mistletoe

by Joni Franks

Bronze Winner

Literary & Contemporary Fiction


The Lion's Den

by Jerry Fabyanic

Gold Winner

Sci Fi


Time Agents: Complications

by

Jodi Bowersox

Bronze Winner

General Illustration


The Crooked Forest: Cloud Crazed

by

Joni Franks

CAL CO-op Booth Is Gearing Up!

2024 booth Evans, Woodward


CAL will again be at
the Denver Christmas Show

Nov. 22-24 at the Western Stock Show Complex, 4655 N. Humboldt


Not in the area?

 You can still get great books by CAL authors!

Check out the CAL Genre Pages for buy links and author websites.

2024 booth Anderson, Bowersox, Scheuermann, Frisbie

The BigHorn Book Nook is Back!

As part of the Georgetown Christmas Market 2024


When: Two Saturdays in December: Dec. 7 & 14


Time: Open 9 am-4pm


Where: The Community Center, Georgetown CO


Authors:

Reserve your spot now as a book vendor.

Contact Jerry Fabyanic: jerry@jerryfabyanic.com for details


Shoppers:

Get thee to Georgetown in December and buy books for all the readers on your Christmas list!


CAL Racks in Colorado Springs and Lakewood

Support these businesses that support CAL



5670 N. Academy Blvd

Colorado Springs

Third Space Rack
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Located in the

Colorado Mills Mall

14500 W. Colfax Avenue

Lakewood, CO


Perfect Gift book rack

Nowhere near our book racks?

You can still find great books by CAL authors. Check out our Genre Pages.

Autographed books make a great gift year-round. Contact authors directly to get signed copies.

CAL Authors Release New Books!

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Mountain Town Mysteries Book 2

Available on Amazon



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Count to (the power of) ten!

Available on Amazon



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An intergenerational holiday with love at its heart.

Buy yours today!



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 By chance, Herb meets Alexander Graham Bell and becomes involved with his inventions.

Buy Your Copy Here


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A rip-roaring romp through time

Buy Your Copy Here


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Beyond the perilous landscape lies a love that defies extinction. . . .

Read it here!





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A short-story collection that includes a story from Robert G. Williscroft.

Buy yours today!


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An unflinching portrait of the gritty realities of today’s rugged West. 

Buy Your Copy Here





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Misty, a most unlikely vampire, is on the trail of a killer.

Read it here!




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An epic story of one woman’s fight to make it right.

Buy Your Copy Here



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It's always a demon, right? Unless it's a curse…

Available on Amazon

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Fast action, enemy subs, spies, Antarctic exploits, and nuclear weapon tests!

Read it here!









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No one ever told Jax the cost of being a good guy could be this high.

Buy yours today!






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A tale of loyalty, betrayal, love and redemption.

Buy yours today!

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Their biggest threat lies beneath them, watching, waiting, but for what? Or whom?

Available on Amazon



And Publish Plays, Essays, Articles, and Poems!

Cassi Clark Ward-Hunt has published her first short story, "The Woman Who Planted Men" at CommuterLit.com.

Read it here!




Carol Ann Wilson's nonfiction flash essay, "Trust," was published in April 2024 and can be found in HerStry. Her essay, "House of Mirrors" was published in the Spring 2024 volume of The Awakenings Review. You can read it here.

Gregory SETH Harris' poem "After the Flood" was published by Lightwood.



Kathryn Winograd's essay, "Mist Nets: After the Uvalde Shooting," is now posted at Terrain.org. Another essay, "Floating in the Riparian," can be read at Shanti Arts!

https://www.shantiarts.co

/SPAQ/SPAQ49/files/winograd.pdf

Linda Duval's essay, "In Memoriam: Author and Adventurer Stewart Green," can be read here in Rocky Mountain Reader.

An essay by Petra Perkins, "What Oppenheimer Didn't Show," appears in Elephant Journal. Find it here: https://www.elephantjournal.com/2024/01/what-oppenheimer-didnt-show-petra-perkins/?fbclid=IwAR1zZcTl 


 


What is Bibliotherapy


  • Storytelling has been integral to the human experience for over 40,000 years.
  • Reading fiction can build empathy, enhance theory of mind, and improve social skills.
  • Research shows that bibliotherapy can help children overcome anxiety, depression, and aggression.

Read More

Recent Articles
CAL Member News

CAL Authors In Action

Helping Students

In 2020, CAL members joined together to create a book of writing prompts for students of all ages.


Paperback and Kindle versions available on Amazon


Download Options in English and Spanish






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Helping the Community


CAL authors often contribute to Little Free Libraries!


Slideshow
Little Library 2021

CAL Is A Proud Sponsor of

Colorado Sun