SunLit
In “Shall We Dance?” a cop’s lost bet sets the stage for dance lessons and romance
Shelley Shepard Gray introduces a dance teacher struggling to launch her new studio when a handsome potential student walks through her door with an off-putting proposition
SunLit interview: How a prize in a charity auction nudged Shelley Shepard Gray toward a dance trilogy
The author's own experience in dance, plus a move to Colorado, informed the series of books about three reunited sisters living above a ballroom dance studio
SunLit Special: “The Holly” tells the story of Terrance Roberts, his Denver neighborhood and much more
Author Julian Rubinstein focuses on north Park Hill's gang culture, but also other forces that shaped the neighborhood -- from cops to gentrification to George Floyd
SunLit interview: “The Holly” author Julian Rubinstein reflects on the story and its challenges
A 2013 shooting by a Denver anti-gang activist revealed what the author saw as a narrative of national scope and importance
In “Lean and Strong,” the author guides readers toward effective motivation for diet and exercise
Josh Hillis steers individuals away from harmful psychology that thwarts healthy efforts, and toward practices more likely to achieve success and satisfaction
SunLit interview: Josh Hillis introduced psychology into a plan for healthy eating “in real life”
Working with clients and digging into research informed the principles behind "Lean and Strong: Eating Skills, Psychology and Workouts," which revamped the author's approach to diet and exercise
In “Yanks Behind the Lines,” the author sheds light on a little-known WWI humanitarian effort
Jeffrey B. Miller's grandparents were part of the massive project that kept millions in Belgium from starving. Their story sent him on a mission to research and write about an undertaking that defined American aid.
SunLit interview: An inheritance of diaries and journals spurred a years-long pursuit of history
Jeffrey B. Miller's interest in a World War I-era humanitarian aid effort led to his current nonfiction account of the people behind a program that saved millions from starvation
“White Trash Warlock” introduces a young man versed in the supernatural, on a mission
In David R. Slayton's trailer-park fantasy world, Adam Lee Binder encounters magic, evil and romance in a quest to find his father
SunLit interview: Author wrote “the kind of book I always wanted to read but could never find”
David R. Slayton, a high school dropout and gay, found plotlines in his impoverished youth and melded them with fantasy -- plus his study of Denver history
SunLit interview: As an animal lover traumatized by burglars, R.L. Maizes knew she had the makings of a novel
In "Other People's Pets," the author sought to explore whether an individual traumatized during childhood could rise above the experience to live a normal life
In “Other People’s Pets,” an animal empath battles her bizarre upbringing
Author R.L. Maizes introduces protagonist La La, whose parents raised her as a burglar -- though she's well on the path to becoming a veterinarian. Will her life veer off the rails?
In an excerpt from “Once Again,” a mother suddenly finds herself reliving the loss of her daughter
Author Catherine Wallace Hope introduces a grieving woman, barely clinging to her sanity, who's jolted back in time by a phone call from the girl's school
SunLit interview: A nightmare and quantum physics set Catherine Wallace Hope on a novel course
The author wanted to get the plot of her science fiction/fantasy tale just right -- but in order to do that, she paid particular attention to the science
In this excerpt from “Creatures of Charm and Hunger,” astral projection yields heartbreaking results
After escaping the Nazis to England in the waning days of World War II, Miriam Cantor employs special powers to determine her parents' fate. Her nocturnal adventure reveals a startling truth.
SunLit interview: Molly Tanzer melded World War II with the supernatural to continue a tradition of “secret histories”
The author of "Creatures of Charm and Hunger" spun a tale of individual resistance to evil by a character largely confined to her home. Any parallels to the COVID crisis were purely accidental.
In “Death of a Car Salesman,” a daughter discovers her semi-famous father’s death could be a homicide
Author Collin Brantmeyer introduces a woman returning home to settle family business involving her car-hawking dad, whose goofy TV ads made him a celebrity and overshadowed his checkered past
SunLit interview: How a family estate battle turned Collin Brantmeyer into a novelist
The divisive elements of that experience, plus an episode of "This American Life," gave the author lots of material for a whodunnit -- and also offered an alternative to therapy
“Bridging Worlds” tells of Pemba Sherpa’s journey from Everest to Boulder, and back
With co-author James McVey, Sherpa traces his steps from the high Himalaya to Colorado, where his business success triggered philanthropy in his native land
SunLit interview: Pemba Sherpa had a story to tell but little time to write it. Enter James McVey.
The author and former CU professor joined forces with Sherpa to produce "Bridging Worlds," a memoir of life in both the Himalaya and Colorado. For McVey, it was an education.