Attitudes at Altitude March

Welcome to the March edition of Attitudes at Altitude, the voice of the Colorado Authors’ Hall of Fame. Planning is moving forward for the next awarding for Aspiring Authors Scholarships. It’s fun to see the applications come in.

I’m looking forward to visiting with cookbook pioneer Carol Fenster on March 13th. She was rejected by the traditional publishing scene—they just didn’t see the market for a specialty type of cookbook… one that focuses on gluten-free recipes and meals. How big was Carol’s market that the mainstream publishers had blinders on? BIG! One in one hundred are impacted by gluten issues.

Carol created her own imprint and published it. It was Amazon that called her on the phone because of a consumer request to add it for public availability, ordering six copies of Wheat-free Recipes and Menus. Her latest book, Gluten-Free Cooking for Two was named one of ten Best Gluten-Free Cooking Books by Healthline.com and won a Silver Medal in the 2017 Living Now Book Awards. I’ve included her last blog for your reading pleasure of a true pioneer in her field.

Dive into a celebration of the outstanding authors inducted into the Colorado Authors’ Hall of Fame. Check out the 2023 latest Inductees along with the photo gallery of the event HERE.

In each edition, you will get updated news on happenings, such as the upcoming call for submissions to nonpublished writers desiring to become authors. We call it the Aspiring Author Scholarship. And of course, encouragement to let others know about the Hall … the first in the United States that only honors published authors exclusively.

⦁ You will be introduced to individual Inductees each month and encouraged to add their books. This month, Ann Zwinger (2019 Inductee) and Mary Kelly (2023 Inductee) are featured.

⦁ You will be the first to hear about Events that are planned. The parameters to be considered for the Aspiring Author Scholarships are posted on the Halls website and applications can be submitted until the end of this month. This is not for "academia" … this is for supporting time off to write; to polish a manuscript; for learning the craft; and for getting help. Scholarship recipients (there will be several) will be revealed on September 16th at a celebration luncheon event.

And now, it’s that time again. Submissions are open via the Hall’s website for the 2024 scholarships to be awarded. Visit the site, and click on the Scholarships tab for the details. Don’t miss it. AND TELL OTHERS!

Don’t miss out on the one-on-one Author Talk Happy Hour with author and 2021 inductee Carol Fenster on Wednesday, March 13th at 5 p.m. MT. On April 10th, Kathleen Gear will be in the Hot Seat. Always surprise revelations. Always a delight and fun. And you will get a replay if you can’t make the live session.

The website is going through a bit of a "makeover"—finishing touches will arrive in April. This year, we will publish our newsletter every other month.

In gratitude for you and your support of the Hall,

Commander / Dr. Mary Kelly

Commander/Doctor Mary Kelly (US Navy (retired), and Hall of Fame Speaker. Her experiences in leadership have led to 19 books, including the award-winning bestselling Master Your World, 15 Ways to Grow Your Business in any Economy, Money Smart; 360 Degrees of Leadership, Stop the Barking, and In Case of Emergency Break Glass.

While her dad can't understand why she's not on the New York Times best-seller list, she has managed to rock the Amazon best-seller list on more than one occasion. Her writing prowess even earned her the prestigious Benjamin Franklin Gold Award.

Mary spent 25 years of active duty in the Navy. She was a military professor at the Naval Academy and a civilian professor at the Air Force Academy. She learned lessons in leadership in the First and Second Gulf Wars and during 911 and has trained more than 40,000 military and civilian personnel.

Mary's move from the Navy was triggered by a severe case of John Denver song overload and an excessive number of Coors Light commercials. As an internationally renowned author and speaker in the fields of leadership, productivity, communication, and business to improve profit growth, Mary has worked with hundreds of organizations and companies across the globe.

When she's not captivating audiences with her speaking prowess or crafting brilliant books, you can find Mary on the couch with her dogs, riding horses or ATVs, or liberating wine from a bottle.

So, whether she's commanding attention from a stage, conquering literary challenges, or being happy at happy hour, Mary says she is "an average gal trying to do an above average job" navigating life with style, grace, and humor.

Her website is: www.ProductiveLeaders.com

Book of notes: Master Your World, In Case of Emergency Break Glass and 15 Ways to Grow Your Business in Any Economy

Ann Haymond Zwinger

was a Legacy Inductee in 2019. She moved from one landscape to another, gaining a commanding knowledge not only of plants, insects, and birds, but of geology, hydrology, and culture as well. She saw in patterns but also had a remarkable gift for observing detail. On a sloshing backpack trip with me up Aravaipa Canyon in southern Arizona, Ann identified plants and insects faster than I could, getting them down to genus or species, all without having been in the landscape before. When I commented how flabbergasted I was by her capacity for taxonomic discernment, she simply replied that she had an artist’s training to look in detail at shapes of wings, antennae, corollas, and fruits, and etch them into her memory. Although she trained informally with some of the best botanists and entomologists in the West, her degrees were in art and art history. I’ve never met anyone who has used artistic training to better advantage in being a naturalist.

That was her highest calling—the humble vocation which these days has almost become just an avocation: being a naturalist. While biology departments were retiring their classes in natural history to make room for quantitative genetics or theoretic ecology, Ann was exciting millions with her books, art exhibits, and readings that paid homage to what we loved to call "humankind’s real oldest profession—the birds and the bees."

She published nineteen books, hundreds of field journals, thousands of drawings, and tens of thousands of miles of river rafting, bush flying, and backcountry hiking to create her portfolio of work.

Book of notes: Beyond the Aspen Groves (first edition), Land Above the Trees, The Mysterious Lands.

USE this code for the live Zoom meeting on March 13 at 5 P.M. MT:
https://bit.ly/AuthorTalkHappyHour

Pass code is Hall

Who Is Carol Fenster?

✔ Her 14 books have received reader and reviewer acclaim.

✔ Her books approached the gluten-free diet as a medical treatment, rather than a "fad" or "trend" or "weight-loss" program.

✔ She’s the author of 13 gluten-free cookbooks for people with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity and the pioneer in creating cookbooks for the millions who need it.

✔ She taught gluten-free cooking classes at the famed Rancho La Puerta Spa and Resort in Mexico.

✔ She has been a spokesperson for the United Sorghum Checkoff.

✔ She has been a guest speaker at the American Dietetic Association, Canadian Dietetic Association, International Association of Culinary Professionals, Whole Grains Council, Disney, National Product Expo, and FoodEX in Tokyo.

✔  She is the former associate food editor at Living Without.

✔  She is regarded as a "pioneer" in the field of gluten-free cookbooks

✔   She was inducted into the Colorado Authors Hall of Fame in 2021.

It's a great author stop and awe time with the Inductees of the Colorado Authors Hall of Fame. All sessions will be recorded, and registrants will receive the replay ... and they are FREE.

Listen in. Join in the conversation. Have fun. Ask Carol your questions.

My lifestyle has changed. I traded my spacious house of 30 years for an apartment in a retirement community where meals are provided. I don’t have to cook unless I want to.

My last cookbook was Gluten-Free Cooking for Two, published in 2017 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. I don’t plan any future cookbooks because I feel like I’ve said everything I want to say. So, it’s time to "hang up my apron".…."turn off the oven"….."unplug the mixer"..…or whatever retiring cookbook authors say.

So, my induction into the Colorado Authors’ Hall of Fame seems like an appropriate way to end my career. This may be my last blog post. It’s time to move on. Be well and be happy!

Do you know an aspiring writer … an author-to-be? One that has not been published … yet?

Submissions for the 2024 Aspiring Authors Scholarships are open until March 31, 2024. It’s time to shout it out and encourage aspiring authors to submit for it. Now is a good time to start.

The Colorado Authors’ Hall of Fame Scholarship is open to applicants who:

are beyond age 20
are legal Colorado residents
are an unpublished author in your name or a pen name (no previous publications in "traditional," "independent," or "self" venues)
have a desire to become a successful author in the field of publishing
include a brief statement on what you would do with any monies received
include a sampling of their already written work of at least 20 pages
include an essay of "why I want to write and become an author"
include an essay of "what I plan to do with my scholarship funds"
will attend the awards luncheon in September 16, 2024
will participate in a minimum of 75% of the mentorship workshop programs
half of the scholarship will be delivered at the luncheon and the balance will be delivered when 50% of the workshops are completed

Part of the application process will include writing an essay of up to 1,000 words on the topic: "Why I Want to Write and Become an Author," along with how they intend to use the money. Essays will be evaluated for excellence of writing, creativity, and yes, grammar by a panel of judges consisting of bookstore owners, librarians, and published authors.

The winners will be invited to attend the Colorado Authors’ Hall Aspiring Authors Scholarship luncheon at the Doubletree Hilton, Denver Tech Center, on September 16, 2024, to accept their scholarship.

Here’s where to apply: https://bit.ly/AuthorScholarship

JOIN MARGARET along with Father John O'Malley and Vicky Holden, characters in the New York Times bestselling Wind River novels for A Book Discussion Retreat, June 23-June 26, 2024.

St. Stephen's Mission (St. Francis Mission in the novels) Wind River Reservation in Wyoming

Join Margaret (along with her characters Father John O'Malley and Vicky Holden) for a three-day immersion in the life and culture of the Arapaho and Shoshone.

Three of Margaret's books, all based on actual events:

THE MAN WHO FELL FROM THE SKY
(Butch Cassidy's ties to Arapahos on the Wind River Reservation)

THE SILENT SPIRIT
(when Arapahos and Shoshones went to Hollywood to be in silent movies)

NIGHT OF THE WHITE BUFFALO
(the upheavals that occur when a sacred white buffalo is born)

Stay at the mission in a guest house (where Father John often puts people up) or at the nearby Wind River Casino and Hotel and enjoy our meals at the mission's Eagle Hall.
The retreat will conclude on Wednesday evening with a performance by Darrell Lonebear's national award-winning ARAPAHO DANCERS.
Along the way, you will meet and get to know Arapahos and Shoshones in their homelands.

For information on pricing, accommodations & reservations, email or call:
barjean@hughes.net
Barbara: 307-837-2733
Father Drew: 307-575-1743

Margaret was inducted into the Colorado Authors Hal of Fame in 2019.

I first met Dr. Antonia Novello in Seneca Falls, New York in 1994. She was being inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and I was the acceptor for my nominee, Admiral Grace Murray Hopper. I was so impressed by her charisma and what she said – I actually said at the time that if she ever ran for President of the United States, I would drop everything I was doing and working on her campaign.

In 2014, I was President of the Board of Directors of the National Women’s Hall of Fame. The National Hall held a joint panel discussion with the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame in Boca Raton, Florida. Dr. Novello was on the panel and I learned more of her story and the obstacles she had overcome during her life journey.

In December 2021, I needed endorsements for my book Over, Under, Around, and Through How Hall of Famers Surmount Obstacles. I decided to go very far out on a limb and ask her for her endorsement. The email address I had for her no longer worked so I sent her a message with my request to connect with her on LinkedIn. She responded immediately. I got an
endorsement. Dr. Novello had an item on her bucket list and she thought I could help—she wanted to get her book published—and she was right, I could help.

Not only did I help her find a publisher, but as luck would have it, I ended up as her co-author!

Her story has so many interesting twists and turns. Thirty years after we first met, her book is being published, a book that I have been privileged to be associated with. It dovetails with Dr. Novello’s saying, "Preparation meets opportunity"… and my saying that you have to keep your eyes open and take advantage of the opportunities that come your way.

I am proud to tell women’s stories and delighted that we were able to work together on this important book.

Danielle Hampson created "The Authors Show®" more than 15 years ago when "podcasting" was not yet a word. The show was preceded by several other audio and video shows she produced and hosted online as well as on traditional radio. The success of "The Authors Show®" encouraged her to start the production of a "twin" show in French, which saw its debut in the summer of 2020. With such longevity in the podcasting space, she is often asked to speak to publishing industry organizations and groups of authors on the topic of utilizing audio & video as a book marketing tool.

As a multilingual Cross-Cultural Expert and International Business & Marketing Consultant educated in Europe, Danielle has traveled the world helping business executives in small and Fortune 100 companies develop & implement global marketing & distribution strategies, as well as a non-destructive testing specialist in the automotive and aerospace industries. As the founder of a business networking organization with multiple chapters across several states, she has also helped thousands of entrepreneurs & managers develop and improve their networking skills. Often referred to as the "Queen of Win-Win", it is that philosophy that has helped her gain the respect of clients across continents. She also puts her skills to good use volunteering time and resources with nonprofit organizations, and has traveled multiple times to China to help accelerate women's leadership and to teach university students business networking, interviewing, and show production skills.

Attitudes at Altitude’s promises to our readers…

We celebrate the outstanding authors inducted into the Colorado Authors’ Hall of Fame since 2019. They are the first in the United States with a connection to Colorado to have been honored as published authors, highlighting the impact and breadth of their work.

The next Induction will be on September 15, 2025. Put the date on your calendar. The venue is the DoubleTree Hilton Denver Tech Center in Greenwood Village.

• Each month, past Inductees are featured with their backgrounds and latest books.

• Past Inductees will offer their sage advice on "how they do it"–whatever "it" is.

• You will be the first to hear about planned Hall Events. Meet a favorite author ... or a new one that has delivered mega hours of reading enjoyment ... one that has made an impact on society or their field.

Support the Hall

The Colorado Authors' Hall of Fame celebrates the accomplishments of living and deceased authors who have been connected to Colorado—their words, wisdom, accomplishments, and the life-changing impact their works create. The result: their legacy lives on.

The Hall is an all-volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that honors and celebrates authors connected with Colorado by birth, residence, temporary residency for writing encouragement and support, writing about elements within Colorado, or placing storylines in or about Colorado.

Authors’ words have immense power and impact on changing others’ lives. They solve problems, bring awareness to a topic, and provide hours of pleasurable reading. It’s the power of their words.

Your financial assistance through donations and participation at events supports the bi-annual Induction Gala in odd-numbered years, the Aspiring Author Scholarships, and the general operation to bring these events to the public.

Please support the Hall for this year going forward.