Bringing Life To Characters

On this edition I'll be interviewing author, Mary Yungeberg. Mary has been an avid writer all her life. After graduating from Iowa State University with a B.S. in Animal Science and almost a minor in English, she pursued several careers that included selling hybrid swine breeding stock, professional resume writing, and the airline industry. Along the way she wrote numerous freelance articles, raised two rambunctious sons and showed her National Show Horses and Arabians. In 2008, on an Alaska cruise, relaxing for the first time in decades, she made the decision to pursue the career she’d always dreamed of: writing thrillers.

My guest will be Reed Farrel Colemen. Called a hard-boiled poet by NPR’s Maureen Corrigan and the noir poet laureate in the Huffington Post, Reed Farrel Coleman is the New York Times-bestselling author of thirty-one novels—including six in Robert B. Parker’s Jesse Stone series—short stories, poetry, and essays. In addition to his acclaimed series characters, Moe Prager and Gus Murphy, he has written the stand-alone novel Gun Church and collaborated with decorated Irish crime writer Ken Bruen on the novel Tower. Reed is a four time Edgar Award nominee in three different categories: Best Novel, Best Paperback Original, and Best Short Story. He is a four-time recipient of the Shamus Award for Best PI Novel of the Year. He has also won the Audie, Macavity, Barry, and Anthony Awards.

My next guest on Bringing Life to Characters is Helen Starbuck. A Colorado native and former OR nurse, Helen Starbuck is an award-winning author of The Annie Collins Mystery Series and standalone contemporary romantic suspense. No relation to the coffee bunch, she (sadly) doesn't get free coffee. She has two crabby cats and a retired 22-year-old pampered pasture-pet horse. When she’s not writing, you can find her dressing up like a princess and ballroom dancing with her friends or reading books about strong women and interesting men who find themselves in suspense-filled situations.

This month's guest is T.O. Paine. An award-winning author of fast-paced thriller suspense novels. He is a member of International Thriller Writers and holds a master’s degree in computer information systems. When he is not writing, you can find him running and cycling through the mountains of Colorado, USA. T.O. has run fifty marathons in fifty states, ridden his road bike over 10,000 miles up 10,000-foot mountains, and completed an IRONMAN.

This week I'll have Award-winning author Kathleen Donnelly, who was a handler for Sherlock Hounds Detection Canines—a Colorado-based narcotics K-9 company. She retired from the K-9 work, but continues to enjoy crafting realism into her fictional stories from her dog-handling experience. Along with working dogs, Kathleen trained horses and loves spending time with her own mare. Her love of the mountains came from growing up in Colorado where her father worked for the U.S. Forest Service. She has a B.A. in Journalism from Colorado State University and formerly wrote for The Berthoud Weekly Surveyor where she won a Colorado Press Award. Her debut novel, Chasing Justice, won a Best Book Award from the American Book Fest, a PenCraft Award for Romantic Suspense and was a 2023 Silver Falchion finalist in the Suspense category and Readers’ Choice Award. Her second book, Hunting The Truth, was a Colorado Authors League finalist in the mystery category and a 2024 Silver Falchion finalist for the Reader’s Choice Award. She lives near the Colorado foothills with her husband and four-legged friends.

This month my guest is award-winning author MARY KELIIKOA the author of DON'T ASK, DON'T FOLLOW, a domestic thriller, the Silver Falchion Finalist and Ippy Silver Award-winning HIDDEN PIECES and Silver Falchion Finalist, Foreword Indie Finalist, and Ippy Bronze Award-winning DEADLY TIDES in the Misty Pines mystery series featuring small-town Sheriff Jax Turner. In addition, the author of the PI Kelly Pruett mystery series, which was a Shamus and CLUE Finalist and nominated for a Lefty, Agatha & Anthony for best debut. Her short stories have appeared in Woman’s World and in the anthology Peace, Love and Crime.

My guest this week is #1 Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Barbara Nickless, who promised her mother she’d be a novelist when she grew up. What could be safer than sitting at a desk all day? But a sense of adventure led her astray for a few decades. Now an award-winning author and creative writing instructor, she spends her free time snowshoeing, caving and hiking the Colorado Rockies.

My next guest will be Philip Kushner. Philip is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer, whose focus is commercial litigation, white-collar criminal defense and crisis management. He is often involved in high-profile matters with high-stakes and extensive media coverage. He also is an aspiring author looking to publish his novel, The Devil Comes to Kindland.

This week I'll be interviewing the sister writing team of Blythe Hudson and Carter Fielding.

My next guest on Bringing Life to Characters is Elizabeth Crowens. Elizabeth has worn many hats in the entertainment industry in NY and LA for over 25 years. Writing credits include short stories and articles in Black Belt, Black Gate, and Sherlock Holmes Mystery magazines, stories in Hell’s Heart and the Bram Stoker Award-nominated A New York State of Fright, and three alternate history/SFF novels, which she self-publishes under the name of Atomic Alchemist Productions. Recipient of the MWA-NY Leo B. Burstein Scholarship, NY Foundation of the Arts grant to produce a self-published, photo-illustrated anthology, a Glimmer Train Honorable Mention, an Eric Hoffer First Prize, two Grand Prize and four First Prize Chanticleer Review awards.