Attitudes at Altitude JANUARY

Welcome to the first 2024 edition of Attitudes at Altitude, the voice of the Colorado Authors’ Hall of Fame. Four years ago, we celebrated our first Induction of 22 amazing Colorado connected authors to the Hall. What a night. Last year saw 12 new inductees. Plus, we honored Barnes & Noble with our Community Achievement Award Best Bookseller for Colorado Authors. The Hall now numbers 50 Inductees.

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. https://coloradoauthorshalloffame.org/inductions.html

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, WC Jameson (2019 Inductee) and Patricia Limerick (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 on the website, and applications can be submitted. This is not for "academia" … this is for supporting time off to write, to polish a manuscript, for learning the craft, for getting help. Scholarship recipients (there will be several) will be revealed on September 16th at the celebration luncheon event.

I’m thrilled with the rollout of the Aspiring Author Scholarships opportunity. Back in 1981, when I published my first book, having something like this behind me as financial support and encouragement would have been wonderful—a wind under the author’s wings. We’ve graduated the first class of five recipients. The quality of the Mentor program for the winners has been excellent, led by Hall Board member Mara Purl. Two of the 2022 winners are already published, and a third is in the final stages of editing. Exciting!

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.

This month’s featured authors are 2019 inductee WC Jameson and 2023 inductee Patricia Nelson Limerick.

Don’t miss out on the one-on-one Author Talk Happy Hour with author and 2021 inductee Flint Whitlock on Wednesday, January 10th at 5:00 P.M. MT. Always surprise revelations. Always a delight and fun. And you will get a replay if you can’t make the live session.

This year, we will publish our newsletter every other month.

In gratitude for you and your support of the Hall,

Patricia Nelson Limerick

has dedicated her career to bridging the gap between academics and the general public and to demonstrating the benefits of applying historical perspective to contemporary dilemmas and conflicts in the West. She was the Colorado State Historian and was appointed to the National Endowment for the Humanities advisory board, the National Council on the Humanities.

She is the founder of the Center of the American West. Under her guidance, the Center published a number of ground-breaking studies. Over a dozen books have been published.

Her award-winning book, The Legacy of Conquest, literally opened and reimagined the interpretation of American history. Academics began viewing the settlement of the American West through a new and diverse lens. She has published over seventy-five academic articles and essays that educate the reader on current issues affecting the West.

Limerick is a Professor of History of the American West at the University of Colorado and the Director of the Applied History Initiative. She has received a number of awards and honors recognizing the impact of her scholarship and her commitment to teaching, including the MacArthur Fellowship and the Hazel Barnes Prize, the University of Colorado’s highest award for teaching and research. She has served as president of several professional organizations, advised documentary and film projects, and done two tours as a Pulitzer Nonfiction jurist, as well as chairing the 2011 Pulitzer jury in History. She regularly engages the public on the op-ed pages of local and national newspapers.

Books of note: The Legacy of Conquest: The Unbroken Past of the American West, A Ditch in Time: The City, the West and Water, Something in the Soil: Field-Testing the New Western History.

W C Jameson

is the award-winning author of more than 100 books, 1500 published articles and essays, 400 songs, and dozens of poems. Jameson, who wrote several of his books while residing in Woodland Park, is the bestselling treasure author in America, and his prominence as a professional fortune hunter has led to stints as a consultant for the Unsolved Mysteries television show, the Travel Channel and a number of other television projects. He served as an advisor for the film National Treasure starring Nicolas Cage and appears in an interview on the DVD. His book, Treasure Hunter: A Memoir of Caches, Curses, and Deadly Confrontations, was named Best Book of the Year (2011) by Indie Reader. Several of Jameson's books have been optioned for film, and his work has appeared in ten anthologies.

Also an accomplished songwriter and musician, Jameson has recorded eight critically acclaimed CDs of original music. In 1999, he was named Songwriter of the Year by the Texas Folk Music Guild. He has contributed to the soundtracks for four feature films, two PBS documentaries, and one commercial short documentary. His music has been heard on NPR, and he wrote and performed in the musical Whatever Happened to the Outlaw, Jesse James? Two songs written by Jameson have been included in America's Top 100 Western Songs list, and music videos featuring three of his songs have been produced. An actor, Jameson, has also appeared in five films.

Books of note: Unsolved Mysteries of Texas, Lost and Buried Treasures of the Civil War, Treasure Hunter: A Memoir of Caches, Curses, and Confrontations.

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 1, 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 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

USE this code for the live Zoom meeting:

https://bit.ly/WEDAuthorTalk

Pass code is Hall

Who Is Flint Whitlock?

✔ He’s a featured expert in the Netflix series The Greatest Events of WWII in Colour - Liberation of Buchenwald

✔ He’s been featured multiple times on the History Channel.

✔ He pulls your imagination in and writes fiction and nonfiction—you are there!

✔ He was the featured historian in the documentary, The Last Ridge.

✔ He dives into the rich military history of Colorado—the good, bad, and sometimes very ugly, weaving it and intrigue into her storylines.

✔ His books, The Rock of Anzio and The Depths of Courage have been the Military Book Club’s MAIN SELECTION.

✔  The Tulsa, Oklahoma City-County Library System and the Tulsa Council for Holocaust Education selected his book, Given Up for Dead, as their community reading choice.

✔  He received the Gold Medal for Literary Fiction from the Military Writers Society of America for his book Internal Conflicts.

✔   He’s been a Finalist multiple times for the prestigious Colorado Book Award for several of his books.

✔ He’s published 16 books, all to reader and reviewer acclaim.

✔ He 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.

On March 13th, Bestselling Author and Hall Inductee Carol Fenster will be featured.

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

2019 Colorado Authors’ Hall of Fame Inductee Jill Tietjen took center stage on her journey to becoming an author ... oh, the places she has been ... what she has discovered about her writing and storytelling ... and what’s next.

It’s an hour ... goes fast ... and will be the perfect inspiration and insight to move YOU and your writing forward. Fun, insightful, truthful ... you will like it. Here’s the replay to meet and learn from Jill.

Video here: https://vimeo.com/885645017?share=copy

Julie is a registered patent and intellectual property attorney who brings over twenty-five years of experience to the table. Julie focuses her practice on US and international patents, US and international trademarks, copyrights, intellectual property portfolio strategy and management, transactions and licenses, and technology transfer. Julie provides balanced general, transactional, and intellectual property legal advice based on her significant experience and proven track record related to patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, and the structuring and negotiation of licenses and other agreements. Her website is BernardIPLaw.com

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 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.