SunLit Interviews
SunLit Interview: Johanna Garton stepped up to complete a project begun by her mother
With "Edge of the Map," she also honored the story of a legendary climber from her hometown, part of a Colorado-based mountaineering pair that went missing in western China
SunLit Interview: For M.E. Browning, 22 years as a cop paved the way to this “police procedural”
Following the write-what-you-know formula, the author of "Shadow Ridge" adapted her approach to crime solving to fiction writing
SunLit Interview: Todd Fahnestock explains how his simple intentions turned totally complex
The award-winning sci-fi/fantasy author explains the college-days origin of his personal philosophy and how it evolved into a novel about "found family." And a lot more.
SunLit Interview: Rebecca Taylor dug deep within to find disparate characters
The author examined her own challenges as both a mother of two teens and as a writer to inform the development of the sibling characters in the novel "Her Perfect Life"
SunLit Interview: Nancy McKinley sought a way to shine light on dark times — with humor
With "St. Christopher on Pluto," she created characters that delve into seldom-heard voices from the fringes of Appalachia in a series of non-linear stories that comprise her novel
SunLit Interview: Andrew Altschul’s spark for “The Gringa” grew from his years in Peru
The author followed the story of Lori Berenson, an American convicted of terrorism, and pursued a fictional account based on her character after her parole
SunLit interview: David A. Varel sought to close “gaping chasm” between history and public
In producing his biography of Lawrence Reddick, the author encountered the professional and financial hurdles that many historians face to bring their work into the public eye
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 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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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"
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"