Attitudes at Altitude May

Hello, welcome to The May Attitudes at Altitude 2025, the voice of the Colorado Authors’ Hall of Fame.

It’s been a busy month for those of us connected to the Hall—all the nominations are in the judges’ eyes and hands now. The candidates are exciting—some I know of, have read, and many are unknown to me. The judges do not read their books. The "power" of the Nominating Form submitted by the public nominator is what carries the weight here—awards, honors, impact of the writing, breadth of the portfolio of work.

I am not a judge … I am the liaison for the Board to the eight judges. I do make sure that each of the nominees has a Colorado connection, glance over the forms, and then all go into a master folder that was turned over to the judges last month. Each judge gets a full copy of every nomination submitted and then has six weeks to read and start their ranking based on our criteria. There will be a final meeting of all the judges and decisions made at the end of this month that will go to the Board for approval. Announcements of the Inductees will be made in June.

One form turned in two years ago mentioned the great chocolate chip cookies the nominee made, which caught my eye as I did my glanced over. An irrelevant add. I personally knew of the quality of the nominee and called the nominator and told her to resubmit based on the writing and impact, not cookies. It was done, and a totally new form came in. The cookie-making nominee was inducted … you know her as Mary Kelly, who gave a fabulous Author Talk in February.

The Induction will be held on Saturday, September 6, 2025. Add the date to your calendar. It’s a fun evening—dress up time—plan a table for your book-loving friends. Get your tickets now … why not build a table of eight with friends?

The May Author Talk will be insightful and fun with Tom Noel, inducted in 2023 and known to many as Dr. Colorado. Add Wednesday, May 14th at 4 pm MT. This is an hour earlier than the regular time.

Our Aspiring Authors have participated in the monthly programs that Mara Purl has coordinated. Last month, Mara led the CORE of writing, and the previous month, Hall of Famer Kevin J. Anderson led them through writing and even deep-dived into creating a crowdfunding program—the one he is doing. It is interesting how he has embraced the indie side of publishing—taking all the books New York rejected before he "hit the big time" and now created his own imprint with the oldies, raising oodles of money from his superfans to support his indie publishing empire. Remember, Kevin had over 700 rejections from publishers before New York said yes.

The AuthorU.org community participated in four Barnes & Noble Book Fairs, raising an amount of money for future Aspiring Author scholarships. Two in March: BN Colorado Blvd. and the new Superior store, and two in April: Denver Village West-Lakewood and Southlands. The goal with all of the Barnes & Noble events is to refill the chest for the next Aspiring Authors Scholarships that will be given in 2026.

In gratitude for you and your support of the Hall,

Who Is Dr. Tom Noel?

Tom Noel has been a landmark public figure in Colorado for decades. Garnering the title of Dr. Colorado, the Denver Public Library Western History Department has featured a new exhibit, "Dr. Colorado’s Colorado" in the 5th Floor Gates Room. The exhibit runs through July 2025. Tickets are free.

His book, Buildings of Colorado (Oxford University Press), won a top prize from the Colorado chapter of the American Institute of Architects. His Colorado: A Historical Atlas (Univ. of Oklahoma Press) won the High Plains, Angie DeBow, and Colorado Book prizes for best Colorado history. Tom's website is: www.Dr-Colorado.com.

Professor Emeritus of History and Director of Public History, Preservation & Colorado Studies at the University of Colorado Denver.
Is the author or co-author of over 60 books and
Appears regularly as "Dr. Colorado" on Channel 9’s "Colorado & Company."
Has led walking tours in Denver saloons, neighborhoods, cemeteries, parks, waterways, haunted houses, bars & brothels, churches, historic districts, Colorado ghost towns, mining towns, railroads, Town tours of Antonito, Arvada, Breckenridge, Central City, Cripple Creek, Denver, Durango, Georgetown, Golden, Leadville, Littleton, Ouray, Silver Plume, Silverton and Trinidad.
Received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Colorado Authors League.
Was designated as the State Historian of Colorado in 2018
Was the Grand Marshall for St. Patrick’s Day Parade because of writings and teachings on Irish Coloradans in 2015.
Won the Colorado Book Award.
He was inducted into the Colorado Authors Hall of Fame in 2023.

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 Tom your questions.

Author Happy Talk is live on the second Wednesday of each month and features one of the Colorado Authors Hall of Fame Inductees.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email. On Wednesday morning, you will get a reminder and the Zoom link.

Tom and I look forward to our hour with you.

Sandra Dallas

New York Times best-selling author Sandra Dallas, the author of 18 adult novels, five middle-grade novels, and 10 nonfiction books, was dubbed "a quintessential American Voice" by Jane Smiley in Vogue Magazine. Sandra’s novels, with their themes of loyalty, friendship, and human dignity, have been translated into a dozen foreign languages and have been optioned for films.

A journalism graduate of the University of Denver, Sandra began her writing career as a reporter with Business Week. A staff member for twenty-five years, she became its first female bureau chief. Sandra covered the Rocky Mountain region, writing about everything from penny-stock scandals to hard-rock mining, western energy development to contemporary polygamy. Many of her experiences have been incorporated into her novels.

While a reporter, she began writing the first of her nonfiction books. They include The Quilt That Walked to Golden and Sacred Paint, a biography of artist Ned Jacob. She has reviewed books for the Denver Post since 1961. Tough Luck, her latest book, was released last month.

Books of note:
Tough Luck
Where Coyotes Howl
Little Souls

W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O’Neal Gear

Kathleen O’Neal Gear is an award-winning archaeologist and New York Times W. Michael Gear, bestselling author of over 60 books and more than 200 non-fiction publications. In 2015, the United States Congress honored her with a "Certificate of Special
Congressional Recognition." In 2021, she received the Owen Wister Award for lifetime

Contributions to western literature, and in 2023, she received the Frank Waters Award
for "exemplary literary achievement." She has been inducted into four halls of fame,
including the Colorado Authors Hall of Fame in 2023.

Michael Gear is a prolific author whose works span historical, prehistorical, science fiction, and modern thrillers, all exploring aspects of anthropological theory. His writing has earned significant recognition. Three of his works, PEOPLE OF THE LAKES, THE MORNING RIVER, and THIS SCORCHED EARTH, were nominated for the Pulitzer Prize
and National Book Awards. Among numerous other awards, he is the recipient of the Owen Wister Award and was inducted into the Western Writers Hall of Fame and the Colorado Authors' Hall of Fame in 2021.

Movie options are in their midst. They have just sold the Option/Purchase rights for Athena Unleashed, Genesis Athena, and Athena’s Wrath to Phiphen Productions.

Books of Note:
The Scorched Earth
Buffalo Justice
People of the Raven

The 2025 Induction Gala will feature a Hall Silent Auction, and this is the time to start the gathering process. Are you connected with an organization, a company, a user of services, a frequent eater at a restaurant, ETC., that would be open to support the Hall with service donation, a product, or a gift certificate?

For the last Gala, I gathered restaurant certificates and personally donated a Dinner for Eight on my deck with me as the cook and host—it went for over $500 … this year, I’ll do the same and add in a copy of my new cookbook, Cooking with Judith, for each of the guests. Hmmm, this year I’ll offer two: one where someone gets the entire table and brings their friends … and another Dinner on My Deck, where individual seats will be available—meet new friends!

And I always offer a How to Get Published and Succeed as an Author basket of my publishing and writing books and workshops, which went for $700 in 2023.

Several of the items from the previous Gala were the Baskets of Books that Board member Mara Purl coordinated—all themed and much fun … mystery, romance, thriller, children.

How about joining in and supporting the Hall’s Event? Board member Hillary Afshary will chair the Auction and Sponsor headliner … why not become a featured part of it? Let us know … Hilary can be reached at HilaryAfshary@yahoo.com – add Gala Auction to your subject line.

A lifelong student of life, Hilary is continuously working towards a PhD in helping others by sharing all that she learns. She has spent her life elevating her knowledge of humanity, from developing models for motivating individuals to studying the interpersonal relationships among young women to seeking the keys to a happy life.

Community Relations is an area in which Hilary Afshary shines. From managing them for corporations and states, she has coordinated volunteer programs, developed outreach strategies, and integrated them into events, both on a local level and statewide. She has done community relations consulting for a variety of public affairs offices in Arizona, Texas, and the Philippines.

Hilary was the Marketing & Communications Manager, Global Public Affairs for
Intel Corporation and responsible for the global transition of Intel’s community brand collaterals to Intel’s new brand. She planned and executed Intel’s Worldwide Corporate Affairs Summits.

In 2025, she added author to her long list of accomplishments, publishing Dorm to Doorstep. Her website is HilaryAfshary.com.

Attitudes at Altitude promises to our readers …

We celebrate the outstanding authors inducted into the Colorado Authors’ Hall of Fame in 2019. They are the first in the United States to only honor published authors and look at the impact and breadth of their work.

The next full Induction will be on September 6, 2025 for the Aspiring Authors Awards luncheon. Put the date on your calendar. The venue will be the DoubleTree Hilton Denver Tech Center in Greenwood Village.

• Each month, past Inductees are featured with their background 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 Hall Events that are planned. Meet a favorite author ... or a new one—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.