Boulder Bookshelf: What locals are writing and we’re reading
13 Oct 2020
We ask local authors to describe what inspires them, what’s on their writing agenda next, what’s tough about being a writer and so much more.
Heidi Piper, Choose Love
phoenixrisingco.com/book
BMag: Was the writing process cathartic for you or was your healing complete before you started the book?
HP: It was cathartic and it gave meaning to an extremely difficult chapter of my life; sharing the story created something beautiful that can support others out of something extremely painful.
Kay Turnbaugh with Lee Tillotson, Following in Their Footsteps
kayturnbaugh.com
BMag: What inspired you to write this book?
KT: We both love history and hiking, and we’ve spent many years hiking with Lee’s old maps in hand, trying to piece together how the historic trails fit into the history of our area.
Lisa Birman, How to Walk Away
moviestarpress.com
BMag: What was your inspiration for this book and its characters?
LB: Otis and Cat are the heart of “How to Walk Away.” They were the perfect imperfect beings to help me explore PTSD, obsessive-compulsive disorder and the aftermath of trauma. Their relationship taught me how capable we are of love and acceptance, even of our most broken places.
“How to Walk Away” won the Colorado Book Award for Literary Fiction.
Tom Gormley, A Korean War Odyssey
tomgormley.com
BMag: What was the most difficult part of researching and writing
this book?
TG: Searching for my missing-in-action relative, Cpl. Donald Matney, took many years of research—interviewing veterans and their family members, digging through archives, attending government meetings, reading books and journals, and spending months waiting for official responses. After we found him, we decided to tell his true story and what happened by writing this book.
Jeff Blumenfeld, Travel With Purpose
travelwithpurposebook.com
BMag: Why was it important for you to write this book?
JB: I’ve always been a lousy vacationer. Bored silly sitting on a beach. Yet I knew there were opportunities to travel and help make the world a better place. Voluntourism represents the combination of voluntary service and travel and tourism. I wrote the book to encourage people to lend a hand wherever they go.
Amy Rivers, All the Broken People
amyrivers.com
BMag: What are you working on now? Do you have a new book in the works?
AR: I’m working on the first book in a series set in my home state of New Mexico. The main character is grappling with family dynamics, especially her relationship with her sister, while becoming entrenched in the investigation of a sex-trafficking operation.
Amy Rivers was awarded the Gold Medal for Best Mystery of the Year in the Feathered Quill Book Awards for “All the Broken People.” 
