SunLit
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.
SunLit interview: Cary Unkelbach’s beloved dog Max spurred her curiosity about his breeder’s bizarre life
The author's previous experience as a reporter and both a prosecutor and civil litigator gave her the tools to follow the trail of the breeder who managed to keep her animal abuse from friends and family
“Heartbreak Kennel” tells a grim tale of abuse, but also the complex story of a breeder who fooled everyone
Through dozens of interviews and stacks of documents, author Cary Unkelbach weaves the story of deception and mistreatment. Somehow, her own dog Max defied the odds.
SunLit interview: How Stephanie Harper’s story of agoraphobia unexpectedly found an audience
She finished her novel in 2013, but "Wesley Yorstead Goes Outside" didn't find its way to print until seven years later, when the isolation that followed the coronavirus made it a "pandemic read"
In “Wesley Yorstead Goes Outside,” the sheltered protagonist finds his existence disrupted
Author Stephanie Harper introduces the title character and the apartment that is his world. And then an unexpected visitor arrives.
“The Loneliest Band in France” takes on a new member to help perform its killer song
Author Dylan Fisher's single-sentence excerpt tells the meandering story of an aspiring diplomat who winds up pulled into the band -- despite his lack of any musical talent
SunLit interview: How Dylan Fisher’s fever dream became a game to create the longest sentence
The author notes that his sentences seldom came to a full stop, "and, thus, the question of 'what comes next' never came up for me"
“Wild: Uncivilized Tales” collected stories from more than a dozen Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers
In "Castles in the Sky," author Rick Duffy tells the story of a literal dream merchant peddling her original creations to an inexperienced client
SunLit interview: Two writers nurtured the annual RMFW anthology into a life of its own
Rachel Delaney Craft and Natasha Watts brainstormed a theme for the collection. Once they settled on "Wild," the authors took the prompt in unexpected directions.
“The Bad Old Days of Colorado” explores the dark underbelly of the unruly early settlers
The author takes an unsparing look at the dark characters who ventured west, with sordid tales of cannibalism and behavior frequently fueled by whiskey, including the aptly named Coffin Varnish
SunLit interview: Raised on Colorado history, Randi Samuelson-Brown gravitated to its notorious elements
Family travels throughout the West piqued her interest. When she started tracking down the stories, one of her biggest challenges was unraveling accepted accounts.
Exclusive excerpt from “Going to Trinidad”: A patient arrives at a gender-confirmation crossroads
For 41 years, Dr. Stanley Biber's practice made the southern Colorado town a destination for the surgery. Upon her arrival, Claudine Griggs reflected on how she got there.
SunLit Interview: For Martin J. Smith, “Going to Trinidad” launched a challenging odyssey
From puzzling over a cousin's transition years earlier to tackling the complex nuances of gender, the author found his two-year nonfiction project revealed many things -- including his own naiveté
In this excerpt from “No Man’s Son,” the author recounts her husband’s final day
Michael Chowdry, a Pakastani immigrant, built a cargo airline and a life in Colorado. It all ended too soon when he and a journalist died in a crash.
