DREAM

The Authors of Dream

Jean Alfieri – “She Told you in a Dream”

When Jean Alfieri’s eyes locked with those of a smooshy-faced little dog who sat inside a kennel at the Humane Society, it was love! He captured her heart. She captured their many adventures in short story poems starring Zuggy the Rescue Pug. An author, speaker, and advocate for the adoption of senior dogs, she and her husband currently live with their three fur kids in Colorado. They joke that although the humans pay the mortgage, it’s really the dogs’ house! Jean finds much of her writing inspiration from her “vintage puppies” and work at the Pikes Peak Humane Society.

Steven Anderson – “House of Dreams”

Steven Anderson is the author of the Reunification series of science fiction adventure-romances and other speculative tales. A passionate fan of science fiction since age six, Steve began creating his own worlds once he was old enough to pick up a crayon.  He put his creative skills to work as an aerospace IT professional for many years before writing full time. Steve lives in Colorado Springs with his wife and an aging collection of parts that’s sometimes a car. He can often be found somewhere in the Rockies exploring local history and scenic wonders.

C.E Barnes – “The Jungian Offensive”

C.E. Barnes is a transplanted Floridian, now living in the shadow of Pikes Peak. His interests include gaming with friends, pontificating to his critique group, surfing Netflix for anything worth watching, and occasionally working his day job as a technical support engineer. You can find samples of his work in the 2021 anthology, Fresh Starts: Tales from the Pikes Peak Writers and “Street Magic: An Urban Fantasy Anthology”. If you see C.E. Barnes in public, ask him about his dogs.

Lou Berger – “The Last Ember Fades”

Lou J Berger is a Denver-based author who had so much fun editing the last PPW anthology (Fresh Starts), that he decided to see how things worked from the OTHER side of the fence! He’s an active member of SFWA, and has published quite a few short stories and novelettes.

John M. Campbell – “Living the Dream (Except for One Thing)”

John M. Campbell is a winner of the Writers of the Future contest that recognizes science fiction and fantasy short stories. After a career in the aerospace industry, he has taken his interest in science and engineering and is using it to spawn ideas for science fiction stories. He hopes his stories will motivate young readers to pursue careers in science and engineering as the authors he read inspired his career.

He lives with his wife in Denver, Colorado.

For more of his stories visit his web page at www.JohnMCampbell.com

John Christenson – “Der Traumlicht”

John Christenson lives in Boulder, Colorado and writes fiction for children and adults. His short fiction has appeared in the New Mexico Review, Flash Fiction Magazine, and several anthologies. His story “A Tree Grows in the Man Cave,” published in Rise: An Anthology of Change, was nominated for the Pushcart Prize.

DJ Davis – “Dream Quota”

DJ Davis is a Colorado native with mountains in her DNA. She is obsessed with the forests, lakes, and craggy peaks. The rugged high country and rich history of the state set the scene for her stories. When she’s not writing or photographing the wildlife, she frequently disappears into the wilderness with her husband and dogs. You can find her at Mountains of Success.

Rick Duffy – “The Boundless Dream”

Rick Duffy is retired and writes from his home in a peaceful Denver suburb opposite the magnificent Rocky Mountains. His stories have appeared in Tales From the Old Black Ambulance, Adventures in Zookeeping, the Zoetic Press Literary Journal, the Providence Journal, and two RMFW anthologies. His coming-of-age novel The Sigil Masters won a FireBird award, a Wishing Shelf Award, and an IndieBrag. Connect with Rick at rickduffy.com.

Marlene Fabian-Stiles – “Computer Genie“

Marlene Fabian-Stiles enjoys writing in multiple genres and has published a science fiction novel “Moon Life” in partnership with her geneticist brother Hank as well as a first person Alzheimer’s account “Elderchild” based heavily on personal experience. She and writing partner Alice Hill will be publishing their children’s book “Tulip-o-mania” and “Sistors,” a narrative of sibling rivalry.
Marlene also publishes short stories and poetry on www.storystyles.com.

As President of the nonprofit “The I Will Projects” (theiwillprojects.com) Marlene supports innovative approaches to education including a family caregiver program developed in partnership with Hospice and an aquaponics program with the Boys and Girls Club.

Karen Fox – “Seedlings of Reality”

When not embroiled in the adventure and romance of her latest characters, Karen shares her house in the Colorado mountains with her husband and three cats. She has published ten novels, six short stories and one novella. Her second book, SOMEWHERE MY LOVE, was a 1998 RITA Finalist. BUTTERCUP BABY was a winner of the Booksellers Best Award. She’s been active in several writing organizations, serving on the Romance Writers of America board, the Pikes Peak Writers board and on PPW conference committee. She’s also involved in the Novelists Inc. annual conference.

Lawrence Good – “Black Man Running, 1969“

Lawrence Good is a writer, teacher, recording artist, and film and broadcast producer/composer. He studied writing with Tobias Wolff at Stanford University and wrote op-ed columns for the Aspen Daily News, Aspen Times, High Country News, and once, the Denver Post. His YA sports novels “The Other Jackie Robinson”, and “Losers’ Bracket” are ready for representation. He lives in a mountain lodge in the tiny village of Marble, Colorado. His younger son is the country music recording artist David Walker Good.

Ronnie Graham – “I Always Wake Up”

“A retired Army Lieutenant Colonel who lives a life of adventure.” That’s what the first line of his biography reads. And of course, the last line is, “He still has no intention of growing up.” All the stuff in between is a mix of braggadocio and history. It makes for a really boring read except for this one part, “He once saw a broken mirror with a sign on it that read, ‘temporarily out of order.’ He found that very curious.”

Matthew Heneghan – “A Boy Named Ryan”

Born in the U.K., Matthew Heneghan immigrated to Canada at age five. He would grow up among the beautiful expanse of the Rocky Mountains. After high-school, Matthew would go on to join the Canadian Armed Forces and serve as a medic for a period of 6 years. Upon his honourable release, Matthew’s desire to serve would not end with military service — he became a civilian paramedic, and worked in that role until 2017. Matthew went on to write two memoirs of his experiences in uniform and out.

He currently resides resplendently in Western Canada with his beautiful girlfriend and her two wonderful daughters.

Scott Kerby – “The Bunker”

Scott Kerby is a special effects coordinator with over 43 years experience in blowing things to tiny bits. The art of movie making isn’t all fun and games with explosives. You get to crush, dismember, and disembowel things, too.

After nearly half a century bringing to life everything that the Hollywood writers could imagine, Scott realized that they missed some stuff.

He lives with his beautiful wife in a log cabin in the Rockies with dogs and horses and all the Rocky mountain critters.

His joy is sharing the wonders of life and the magic of a meaningful story.

T.R. Kerby – “Dream Harvest”

T R Kerby has led a life of thrilling adventure with interesting people in exotic places… so what if most of it was in her imagination?

Her weaknesses include chocolate and rescuing lost souls, mostly animals, but sometimes people. She currently lives in the Rocky Mountains with some of her rescues including her husband, two dogs, and a herd of horses.

She has written or co-written eight novels and her short stories have been selected for several anthologies including Fantastic Realms and Fresh Starts: Tales from the Pikes Peak Writers.

You can find her at www.trkerby.com and on Amazon at www.amazon.com/T-R-Kerby/e/B07JDZGNQ3.

Lauren Lang – “Dream On”

Lauren Lang is a former broadcast journalist and current freelance photographer and videographer living in Denver, CO. In her spare time, she writes fiction, cooks, bakes, crochets hats for stuffed animals, gardens with the intent of taking pictures of the flowers should they live and terrorizes residents by pretending to be a wildlife photographer and running through area parks with her camera screaming, “Birds!”. Occasionally, she does take a picture of a bird.

More information about Lauren and her work can be found by visiting her on Facebook.

John Lewis – “Sleepstone”

John Lewis’ writing and illustrations have appeared in various publications. With a degree in Fine Art from Western Colorado University, he enjoys stories about humanity’s often fraught relationship with objective reality. Credulity is a big deal, and whether it’s literary, sci-fi, or fantasy, his fiction typically invites the broad-possibility of magical realism. Humanity is in a constant romance of belief with the material world, and storytelling honors best this ambiguously shared experience.

Gregory Mattix – “Dream Eater”

Gregory Mattix enjoys all types of speculative fiction and writes a variety of stories under that broad genre. He grew up in the blazing heat of the Arizona desert. He obtained a degree in Business Administration at the University of Arizona, served in the military, and lived overseas for a time. Currently, he lives in Colorado with his wife. He is the author of Remember Tomorrow and the Extensis Vitae and Nexus of the Planes series.

Peter McQuade – “Dreamwater”

Peter D. McQuade grew up wandering the mountains and deserts of Idaho. When he was six, his parents made the mistake of letting him stay up late to watch The Twilight Zone—a mistake that led to a lifelong love of spooky storytelling. Now Pete resides in Colorado Springs with his wife, Marilyn, and their dog and cat, Jasper and Gauss. When he’s not writing, Pete’s a professor of Space Systems Engineering. But if the weather’s right, he’ll put aside both writing and teaching and head to the prairie with his model gliders, seeking the exhilaration of a sky-high flight.

Tracy Mitchell – “False Fate“

Tracy Mitchell is a Colorado writer schooled in the tradition of legendary Minnesota poets. His free verse writing is largely inspired by spirits of nature and stupefactions of the inexplicable human experience. He carries a digital recorder, always on the lookout for the unexpected – deities and weasels, mostly. His best work has been imagined by a campfire in a clearing somewhere near sleep. Tracy is a contributing member of Poetry Society of Colorado and Florence Critique Group. His work has appeared in Lake Region Review, Poetry Society of Colorado Showcase, As the Kettle Wolf-Whistles (poetry anthology), and Califragile (online contemporary journal).

P. James Norris – “Wind”

P. James Norris has master’s degrees in Physics and Philosophy. In the 1980’s, he wrote four spec scripts for ST:TNG. In 2018 he started getting short stories published by the likes of Moon Magazine, Fantasia Divinity, Rhetoric Askew; his shorts have been included in three anthologies. He’s written three one-hour fantasy TV pilots. He has five novels in various states of incompletion–maybe, some day, he will finish writing them. He lives in Idaho with his wife and a dog, two cats and four chickens. His published work can be found at https://amazon.com/author/pjamesnorris and more at https://www.ocetacea.net/pjamesnorris.   

Barbara Preslier – “Augmented Dreams”

Barbara Preslier grew up frolicking on the beaches of Miami, Florida. She graduated with an English degree from Colgate University in NY, and continued on to the Goldman School of Dentistry in MA. She practiced general and forensic dentistry in South Florida for over thirty years. Since retiring and moving to Colorado with her husband, she has focused on her writing career. She is currently finishing her third novel. Her publications include short stories and professional journal articles. When not toiling at her desk, she enjoys pickleball, hiking and, of course, dreaming. 

Uchechi Princewill – “Blanket of Joy”

Uchechi Princewill is a fiction writer and medical student at the University of Benin, Nigeria. His work has appeared in The Story Tree Challenge Maiden Anthology. He is also a winner of the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Council Unseen and Unspoken Poetry Competition. He spends his time reading, writing, and trying to be a musician for his own enjoyment. He can be found in most spaces @bryanwhoiam.

Sandy Reay – “Damn The Dream”

Sandy Reay worked in a full-service gas station, raced cars, ran rivers in rubber rafts, worked as a draftsman, programmed computers, lived on a horse ranch in the mountains, worked as a photographer, went pony-trekking along the banks of Loch Ness, wrote songs which other people performed and recorded (and got airplay), played bass in bar and bluegrass bands, worked at Renaissance festivals, adopted more than a dozen adult dogs (and five cats), and makes silver jewelry. She still hasn’t decided what she wants to be when she grows up.

Susan Schoolman – “Dream Crush”

Way back when shoulder-pads were in style, Susan Schooleman (pen name Cepa Onion) wrote for Roseanne Barr, was a member of the Denver Center Theatre’s Playwrights Group, was published by Self magazine and Samuel French. She then chucked it all for adventures in parenthood. Three grown kids and a retired math teacher husband later, she has begun inching her way back into the business. Her short stories have been included in two Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers (RMFW) anthologies. She was also a winner in the 2019 RMFW Gold Contest. 

C.S. Simpson – “Other Lives”

C.S. Simpson is a multi-genre author of several short stories, a novel, and even a little poetry. She self-published a fable (digital-only), and one of her short stories has appeared in Shoreline of Infinity 19.
In addition to reading and writing, CS loves music, movies, and spending time outdoors with her husband and dog under the Colorado skies she calls home. Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Benjamin X. Wretlind – “Over There”

Benjamin X. Wretlind ran with scissors when he was five. He now writes, paints, uses sharp woodworking tools and plays with glue. Sometimes he does these things at the same time. A retired Air Force veteran, Benjamin currently builds and facilitates leadership courses for staff at Yale. A multi-genre author, Benjamin’s latest is Out of Due Season: The First Transit, the first in an anthropological science fiction series. He is also the author of Castles, Sketches from the Spanish Mustang and many other novels. Benjamin lives with his wife Jesse in Colorado.

You can find him on his Website, Twitter and Facebook.

The Editors of Dream

Senior Editor – Ed Raetz

Ed was born and raised in Colorado Springs, with stints in Germany, Boulder, and California. He graduated from CU Boulder (BA-English) and CSUSB (MA-Composition/Rhetoric). His Master’s Thesis was a psychoanalytic exploration of Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain Chronicles. His writing is inspired by ancient myth and archetype, folklore, faerie, mycology, and bizarre natural phenomena. He served on the PPW Board of Directors (2018-2020) and has published several Plant Pathology journal articles. Ed is an aspiring master potter and has exhibited his artistry at the Fine Arts Center.

Editor – Deborah L. Brewer

Deborah joined Pikes Peak Writers a decade ago, seeking help with a cozy mystery. When the novel was completed, she stayed for the camaraderie. Now she’s writing short stories. An editor for the PPW 2022 anthology,  Dream, Deborah contributes to Writing from the Peak to help fellow PPW members write better with more enjoyment, and ultimately, achieve their writing dreams.

Project Manager, Editor – Kathie Scrimgeour

Kathie writes under the pseudonym KJ Scrim. She is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors with PPW, she is also the Managing Editor of Writing from the Peak (PPW’s blog) and the Project Manager of PPW’s first anthology, Fresh Starts. Her inspiration for blogging, flash fiction, short stories, and the long haul of novel writing comes from her many life experiences. You can follow her on her website, KJScrim.com and on Facebook. When she’s not writing you can find her somewhere in Arizona biking, hiking, or rock climbing.

Cover Designer – Josh Clark

Josh is a writer, bookseller, graphic designer, and designer of the cover of Fresh Starts. He graduated with an art degree from Colorado State University-Pueblo. Josh is an active member of Pikes Peak Writers, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and was the former Speakers Coordinator for Pueblo West Writers. His short story, ‘The Galaxy Got a Whole Lot Bigger,’ received a Silver Honorable Mention in Q4 of the 2020 Writers of the Future Contest. He is now busy writing his next novel. 

Marketing Director – Jenny Kate

Jenny Kate is the founder of Writer Nation, an online space dedicated to helping writers market their work. With 19 years communications experience, she regularly writes on social media, internet marketing and face-to-face publicity.