Attitudes at Altitude November Hall of Fame Newsletter

Two years ago, the Hall’s Board threw a "what if" on the table … What if we create a special scholarship program in the "off" Induction years? That question seeded the Aspiring Authors Scholarships. Five recipients were awarded $2,000 plus a year-long mentoring program in 2022. There were two that were so close that we created a Finalist slot and included them in the mentoring plus a check.

It’s that time again. The Board has approved going forward with AAS, with the award date set for September 16, 2024. We go live at the end of the month … the door opens for submissions for the Aspiring Authors Scholarships. The Hall Director for the Aspiring Authors program, Mara Purl shared with the September Induction audience what the Hall had done for the aspiring authors who had won scholarships and plans for going forward.

Don’t miss the next one ... The Aspiring Author luncheon will be held next year on September 16, 2025. Submissions will open this month on the Hall’s website.

This month’s featured authors are Legacy inductee Robert Heinlein and mystery writer Charlotte Hinger.

Don’t miss out on the one-on-one Author Talk Happy Hour with author and 2019 inductee Jill Tietjen on Wednesday, November 8th at 5:00 P.M. MT. Always surprise revelations. Always a delight and fun.

This is our final newsletter for 2023. Next year, we will do them every other month. In gratitude for you and your support of the Hall.

By Judith Briles

This month, many homes are filled with people and plates of food. With the shapes and sizes of many hands that come together to prepare the feast. With an array of voices and laughter and the bustle and energy that others generate.

As hubby John progresses in the aging nonagenarian category, travel has declined, and gatherings are reduced. Daily life has become more of a challenge, and the "let’s get up, out, and go is diminished. Yet there is a bounty. And it is significant.

My bounty is filled with Gratefulness. For those who have shown up in my life. For my friends. For so many who showed up visually and virtually to help me when I needed extra hands and wheels. You became my hero and made a difference.

I’m grateful for the little things that are taken for granted. From traffic lights that work when they are supposed to. A hot shower. My brain is at work for a client. A wave from a neighbor as I stand on my upper deck with a mug of tea in the morning or as I head out of our complex on an errand. I love the streams of laughter that are sometimes generated from my daily coaching and writing calls with clients. I mean, a girl has got to have some fun … right? John has often said, "Are you sure you are working in there?" Yes, yes, we are.

My community matters. In-person and online. As yours do.

A few years ago, I had a nasty broken ankle. My daughter became my wheels. Her weekly reward after Friday's physical therapy sessions was a DQ banana shake—you got through it, Mom!

For those who support their communities and those in your immediate circle, you enable them to thrive, even when news of bleakness permeates the air. Simple things—yet meaningful and added to my day when I was housebound, moving about on a scooter for two months, and later hospitalized with embolisms. My neighbor called and said, "I’m glad you are home. I’m coming over in an hour to do your laundry." Well … how cool was that?!

Gratefulness wards off the darkness and creates a Circle of Light.

You are in it and have made a difference. A Thanksgiving is year-round for many. Count me in for bubbling over with gratitude for your support of the Hall. For being in my life.

Truly, my plate is full because of you.

John Dunning

Has revealed some of book collecting’s most shocking secrets in his bestselling series of crime novels featuring Cliff Janeway: Booked to Die, which won the prestigious Nero Wolfe award; The Bookman’s Wake, a New York Times Notable Book; and the New York Times bestsellers The Bookman’s Promise, The Sign of the Book, and The Bookwoman’s Last Fling.

He is also the author of the Edgar Award-nominated Deadline, The Holland Suggestions, and Two O’Clock, Eastern Wartime. The Independent Mystery Booksellers Association awarded him the Dilys, its annual award given to the mystery title of the year, which their member booksellers have most enjoyed selling. As the owner of the Old Algonquin Bookstore in Denver for many years, he became an expert on rare and collectible books.

Books of note: The Bookman's Promise , Booked to Die, The Bookman's Wake

Charlotte Hinger

Calling Colorado home for over a decade, Charlotte Hinger is a multi-published, award-winning author of fiction and nonfiction—long and short, historical, and contemporary—primarily, but not exclusively, focused on the Western experience with an emphasis on the African-American/Black experience in the historical West, primarily in the Great Plains region. Her most recent nonfiction book is Post-Reconstruction Politics and Racial Justice in Western Kansas. The award-winning Lottie Albright series was inspired by a childhood listening to the natural-born liars in her small community of Lone Elm, Kansas, and the mesmerizing "rest of the stories" whispered behind closed doors when she edited over 500 family submissions for county history books.

She has published several mystery short stories. Come Spring won the Western Writers of America Medicine Pipe Award. Convinced that mystery writing and historical investigation go hand in hand, her most recent historical novel is The Healer's Daughter.

Hinger’s works teach, illuminate, and entertain, becoming a beacon to readers and other writers alike. The experiences and histories of African-American/Black communities and individuals who lived, worked, and contributed their skills and talents are revealed through her non-fiction and fictional works.

Books of note: Hidden Heritage, The Healer's Daughter and Fractured Families

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

Submissions for the 2024 Aspiring Authors Scholarships will be open from November 30, 2023, to March 1, 2024.

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

are beyond the age of 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 on 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

https://bit.ly/WEDAuthorHappyHour

Who Is Jill Tietjen?

✔ She is an author, international speaker, and an electrical engineer.

✔ She is a former blogger for The Huffington Post.

✔ She has published 14 books.

✔ After more than 45 years in the electric utility industry, her professional focus is now on women’s advocacy worldwide.

✔ Her latest award-winning book is Over, Under, Around, and Through How Hall of Famers Surmount Obstacles.

✔ She is the past president of the National Women’s Hall of Fame.

✔ She was inducted into the Colorado Authors Hall of Fame in 2019.

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 Jill your questions.

Jill Wright is affectionately known as the Queen of Shine. She's a Heart-Centered Leader and the CEO of Executive Shine. Forbes Magazine and Harvard Business Review have recognized her for her ability to transform the culture of client-based services.

Jill founded Executive Shine in 1987 and now shares her 30+ years of experience by speaking and consulting to inspire leaders to unleash human potential within their organizations through the power of belief and authentic connection. She has served as the Commissioner of the Denver Women's Commission, Chair of the Community Outreach for the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame, and is a member of the International Women's Forum.

She is the best-selling author of The Shine Principles: The Power of Human Connection, and her latest book, Soul to Sole, will be published in 2024. She is a co-author of Codes of Longevity.

Attitudes at Altitude’s promises to our readers…

We celebrate the outstanding authors inducted into the Colorado Authors’ Hall of Fame. 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 16, 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.

• One of our 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.