Mountain of Authors

Keynote Speaker: Joe Kenda

15th Annual Pikes Peak Library District's Mountain of Authors

Keynote Speaker

Lt. Joe Kenda, CSPD (Ret.)

Lt. Joe Kenda, a twenty-three-year veteran of the Colorado Springs Police Department, spent twenty-one years chasing killers as a homicide detective and commander of the major crimes unit. Kenda and his team solved 356 of his 387 homicide cases, getting a 92 percent solve rate—one of the highest in the country. After retiring from law enforcement, he starred in Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda, an American true-crime documentary series that ran for nine seasons on the Investigation Discovery network and was aired in sixty-nine countries and territories worldwide. At its peak, Homicide Hunter averaged 1.9 million viewers in the US. See Lt. Kenda on his new crime series, American Detective, available to stream now on discovery+.

His new book from Blackstone Publishing, Killer Triggers, was released March 9, 2021.

Photo credits Investigation Discovery, Stephanie Diani

Keynote Speaker: Sandhya Menon

Writing an Award-Winning Book panelists: Barbara Nickless, Liz Colter, Peg Brantley

I Wrote a Book; Now What? panelists: Angie Hodapp, Anita Mumm, Mary Walewski

Keynote Speaker: Kevin J. Anderson

Panel "Writing for Children": Christine Liu-Perkins, Julie Danneberg, Marjorie Blain-Parker, Denise Vega, Kathleen Pelley, Todd Tuell

Keynote Speaker: Mark Lee Gardner

Writing for History panelists: Courtney Miller, Nancy Oswald, Sean Eads

Publishing panel: Doris Baker, Peter Brumlik, Michael Covington

Keynote Speaker: Anne Hillerman

Mystery Panel: Nancy Atherton, Robert Greer, Manuel Ramos

Retrospective Panel: Mario Acevedo, Sandra Bond, Kristen Heitzmann

Keynote Speaker: Carrie Vaughn

Science Fiction Panel: Hilari Bell, Jason Heller, Warren Hammond

Publishing Panel: Justin Luzader, Doris Baker, Mary Walewski

Keynote Speaker: Peter Heller

Nonfiction Panel: Kenn Amdahl, Jim Davidson, Dave Hnida

I Wrote a Book, Now What?: Rachelle Gardner, Mara Purl, Dr. Patricia Ross

Keynote Speaker: Stephen Coonts

Love & War Panel: Nick Arvin, Kerstin Lieff, Kathleen Morgan

Publishing Advice from the Pros: Judith Briles (Author U), Marilyn Largent (David C. Cook), Anita Mumm (Nelson Literary Agency)

Keynote Speaker: Connie Willis

Thrills & Chills Panel: Kristen Heitzmann, Brett King, Robert Liparulo

ePublishing Panel: Mike Daniels (Four Colour Print Group), Barbara O'Neal, Sandra Bond (Bond Literary Agency)

Keynote Speaker: Jerry B. Jenkins

Paranormal Fiction Panel: Mario Acevedo, Parker Blue (Pam McCutcheon), Jeanne Stein

Publishing Panel: Doris Baker (Filter Press), Teresa Funke (Teresa Funke & Company), Nancy Mills (CIPA)

Keynote Speaker: Margaret Coel

Getting Your First Book Published Panel: Sandra Bond (Bond Literary Agency), Kirk Farber, Faith Marcovecchio (Fulcrum Publishing)

Genre Fiction: Nancy Atherton, M.J. Brett, Laura Reeve, Rod Summitt

Keynote Speaker: Beverly Lewis

Words & Pictures Panel: Todd Caudle, Michael Hague, Maria Faulconer

Publishers Panel: Doris Baker (Filter Press), Lisa Gilman (About Books, Inc.), Mick Silva (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)

Nonfiction Author Panel: Beth Barrett, Marcia Ford, Karen Scalf Linamen, John Stansfield

Fiction Author Panel: Kevin Anderson, Kacy Barnett-Gramckow, Beth Groundwater, Rebecca Moesta, Robert Spiller

Children's/Teen Author Panel: Mary Peace Finley, Donita Paul, Katherine Pebley O'Neal

Keynote Speaker: Sandra Dallas

Additional Speakers: Doris Baker (Filter Press), Nancy Bentley, Craig Brown, Gary Penley