Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers

Kelly Pollard resides in Loveland, CO. She was recognized by NoCo Style’s 30 Under 30 in 2024 for her debut YA novel, Shattered Streams. When she isn't writing, you can find her in nature, traveling, or cozying up with a book and her cat, Cleo. Check out her website: www.kellypollardbooks.com Visit her on Instagram: www.instagram.com/kellylaurapollard

This episode is about inspiration. Farrah Frances writes weird girl fiction and spec fic under the pen name A.Z. Sultana. Her prose can be found scribbled on the walls of many bathroom stalls across the nation. She holds a PMP certification, a Bachelor’s in general studies with a focus on Marketing from Gonzaga, and a Master’s in Library Science from North Carolina Central University. You can find her on Instagram @a.z.sultana or anywhere questionable behavior is encouraged.

Kevin Wolf’s novel, THE HOMEPLACE is the winner of the 2015 Tony Hillerman Award.  The novel was a finalist for the 2016 Strand Critics Award for Debut Mystery. Western Writers of America selected his short story, BELTHANGER as the 2021 Spur Award Winner for Best Short Fiction. The great-grandson of Colorado homesteaders, he enjoys fly fishing, old Winchesters, and 1950's Western movies.  He lives in Estes Park, CO with his wife. Visit his website: www.kevinwolfstoryteller.com

Jacquelin Cangro worked at Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster for more than twenty years. Now, as an independent developmental editor and book coach, she reviews novel manuscripts in many genres, including historical, YA, women’s fiction, romance, and upmarket, providing writers with feedback to revise their stories. She teaches creative writing at GrubStreet and The Loft. Her short fiction was selected as one of the Saturday Evening Post’s Great American Stories, and her novel in progress takes place on a road trip around France. You can find her on Instagram @jackie_cangro_editor and Substack at jacquelincangro.substack.com and you can check her out on jacquelincangro.com.

David Rodeback was born in Boulder, Colorado, and lived in southeast Idaho and upstate New York before settling in American Fork, Utah, near the end of the past century. He studied at Brigham Young University, Cornell University, and the Pushkin Russian Language Institute in Moscow, USSR, and taught writing and Russian language and literature at Cornell, BYU, and elsewhere. By day he's Chief Marketing Technology Officer (CMTO) of a Salt Lake City-area manufacturing firm. Nights and weekends, he writes mostly fiction, and most of that is contemporary and realistic. He enjoys finding and revealing the beauty and dignity of ordinary people (if such exist) leading ordinary lives. His two self-published collections of short fiction won 2024 Silver and Bronze Quill awards. Both were named Notable Reads by the 2025 Utah Book Awards. He is the League of Utah Writers' 2025 Writer of the Year. His first novel, a contemporary coming-of-age story, is scheduled for release in November 2025. Here's where to find David and his books: https://60eastpress.com (see the books) https://davidrodeback.com (author website and newsletter signup) books2read.com/david-rodeback/ (all the places to buy the print and audio books online, or there's Amazon, or have your favorite bookseller order them) Facebook: authorDavidRodeback

I talk with Celina about the 2025 RMFW Gold Conference. If you’ve got a book coming out, and you are interested in being interviewed, you can email me at rmfwpodcast@gmail.com or DM me on Instagram at a.z.sultana if you have any questions. This Saturday is the YA Birds of a feather meetup from 1-330 at the Valdez-Perry Library in Denver. I know I’m going to try to make it. If you have any questions, our lovely hosts Kelley Lindberg can be reached at kelley@kelleylindberg.com or Rachel Craft at rdcwriter@gmail.com or Karen McChesney at kdmwriter@gmail.com

GRETCHEN FELKER-MARTIN is a Massachusetts-based bestselling horror author and film critic. Her debut novel, Manhunt, was named the #1 Best Book of 2022 by Vulture, and one of the Best Horror Novels of 2022 by Esquire, Library Journal, and Paste. Her sophomore novel, Cuckoo, debuted on the USA Today bestseller list. You can read her fiction and film criticism on Patreon and in TIME, The Outline, Polygon, Nylon, and more. Her latest book Black Flame can be purchased online and in stores where books are sold, and https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250348012/blackflame/ Check out her website at: https://www.patreon.com/c/scumbelievable

Rob Samborn is the award-winning author of six novels, including the Painted Souls dual-timeline thriller series and the upcoming spy thriller series, Diplomatic Security. In addition to being a novelist, Rob is a screenwriter, entrepreneur, and avid traveler. He’s been to forty-two countries and lived in five of them. As a restless spirit who can’t remember the last time he was bored, Rob is on a quest to explore the intricacies of our world and spin them into gripping tales. He falls squarely in the hybrid category, having had a three-book deal with TouchPoint Press, has self-published, and has a current three-book audiobook deal with Tantor Media. Five of his ten screenplays have been optioned. Originally from New York City, Rob lived in L.A. for twenty years before moving to Denver with his family. Rob is represented by Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management. His most-recent release is called The Swordsman of Venice Part II, which is a continuation of his Painted Souls series. And The Swordsman of Venice Part III, will be released later this year. You can Find all of his books on amazon.

Today, our guest is Chelsea Pennington. Chelsea lives in Colorado with her husband and their dog, Pippin. Her first story was Pokémon fan fiction in kindergarten, and she's been writing ever since. When she's not writing or reading, you can probably find her listening to podcasts or bird watching. You can connect with Chelsea online at www.chelseapenningtonauthor.com. A Gardener's Guide to Love and Loathing came out in March this year. It is available online wherever books are sold, including ordering it from your independent bookstore or asking your local library to purchase it.

Bestselling author Mariah Ankenman lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains with her two rambunctious children and loving spouse who is her own personal spell checker when her dyslexia gets the best of her. Mariah loves to lose herself in a world of words. Her favorite thing about writing is when she can make someone’s day a little brighter with one of her books. To learn more about Mariah and her books visit her website: https://mariahankenman.com/ follow her on social media or sign up for her newsletter. Her upcoming release: Accidentally Dating The Enemy can be purchased anywhere books are sold: https://books2read.com/u/49KV98

Laura Resau is the author of The Alchemy of Flowers, her debut novel for adults coming summer 2025 with Harper Muse, and eleven acclaimed books for young people. Her books have won five Colorado Book Awards and spots on “best-of” booklists from Oprah, the American Library Association, and more. Trilingual, she’s lived in Provence and Oaxaca, and studied cultural anthropology and languages. She teaches graduate creative writing at Western Colorado University. You might find her writing in her cozy vintage trailer in Fort Collins, Colorado, where she lives with her rock-hound husband, musician son, wild husky, and a hundred house plants. You can find her in her socials and website below. https://www.lauraresau.com/ Instagram: @LauraResau https://www.instagram.com/lauraresau/ Facebook Page: Author Laura Resau https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057088165074 Facebook Account: Laura Resau https://www.facebook.com/laura.resau/

The son of two librarians, Mark Stevens has worked as a reporter, as a national television news producer and in public relations. Mark Stevens is the author of No Lie Lasts Forever (Thomas & Mercer, 2025), The Fireballer (Lake Union, 2023) and The Allison Coil Mystery Series including Antler Dust, Buried by the Roan, Trapline, Lake of Fire, and The Melancholy Howl. Trapline won the Colorado Book Award for Best Mystery. He has also published short stories in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Mystery Tribune, and Denver Noir (Akashic Books, 2022). You can find him at: X: @writerstevens Instagram: mark54stevens Tik Tok: mark54stevens