I write the Writing Like a Buddha blog, offering meditations and exercises to help writers see and experience the world in different ways. In 2014, I also published a “sales-werewolf” novel titled Wolf. Today I live with my Tibetan Terrier, Rascal, in semi-rural Colorado. Find out more about Jim at his website: www.JimRingel.com
Veronica Yager
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Veronica Yager has been working with self-publishing authors since 2008. Her mission is to help make publishing a book as painless and easy as possible for authors. Veronica specializes in book interior design and ebook conversions, which most self-publishing authors neglect and forget about! YellowStudios offers a free consultation jam packed with advice and will give you a solid direction to help ease the frustration many new authors face. In 2016 – Veronica won a CIPA EVVY Award for Interior Book Design and Layout, and received a Gold Medal – 1st Place Award for eBook design and conversions! In both 2017, and 2018, Veronica and her team again won 1st Place Awards for eBook design.
Click to read Bob's Bio
Bob has served as a Publishing Resource since 1984. He has worked as the production manager of Pruett Publishing, art director of InJoy Birth & Parenting Education, and board member & vice president of the Rocky Mountain Publishing Professionals Guild. Currently the founder and owner of Bookends Design, Bob works extensively with publishers, small businesses, schools, authors, and individuals requiring book design & production, art direction, project management, print coordination, or publishing consulting. He especially enjoys helping new authors navigate the self-publishing process.
Mike Daniels
CIPA ELF Executive Director
& Member-At-Large
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Mike Daniels has been in the book publishing business for the last two decades working with authors & publishers of all sizes and genres while representing book manufacturers. As a publisher’s coach he provides strategic and creative direction, connections and insight to best reach the client’s targeted goals. Mike’s a Past President of the Colorado Independent Publishers Association (2005-06) where he received the CIPA Leadership Award and the Ric Simmons Memorial Life Vest Award for excellence in publishing, integrity in business and service to authors and he’s the current President of the 501 c 3 CIPA Education and Literacy Foundation.In addition, Lt. Col. Mike Daniels is the Director of Public Affairs for the Colorado Civil Air Patrol-U.S. Air Force Auxiliary (selected as the U.S Civil Air Patrol’s 2014 National Public Affairs Officer of the Year) and Editor-in-Chief of Peaks & Planes magazine (received CAP’s 1st Place Balsem Award for Magazines.) publishercoach@gmail.com
Pam Feely
Pam Feely, CPA, MBA, AF,
CIPA Treasurer
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Consultant for political campaigns for organizing a campaign’s business operations. Assist first time treasurers and candidates on the what’s expected in a campaign. Work with existing committees to organize the clutter.
Melanie Mulhall
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Melanie is a highly seasoned and skilled editor with four first place EVVY Awards for editing. She is also the award-winning author of Living the Dream and publisher/editor of Radar Rhythm. While she continues to write, you will find Melanie exercising her writing/editing muscles most often through freelance writing and editing for others.
Melanie holds both a BA and an MA, has more certifications than she wants to list, and has worked in corporate, government, and nonprofit sectors. She is also a practicing shaman. All of this has enhanced the breadth and depth of her writing and editing for both herself and others. Melanie is a longtime member of CIPA because she believes in the power of author-publishers supporting one another.
Click to read Michael's Bio
Daniel Willis has spend most of his life working in, around, and with books. His first job as a teenager was in a used paperback bookstore in rural Ohio where he grew up, and he moved up to Barnes and Noble shortly after arriving in Denver in the late 80s.
As an author he started in genealogy compiling massive royal genealogies of descendants of three 17th century monarchs. This lead to a few more biographical works about the Romanovs and the Habsburgs. Today Daniel is recognized as one of the world’s leading authorities on European Royalty and still maintains two annually updated reference works on the subject.
In the early 2000s, he ventured into the world of fiction, combining his love of history with an equal fascination of the supernatural. He traditionally published three nonfiction and three fiction books before experiencing the heartache of having his publishers go out of business. To keep his fiction alive, he re-released those books as self-published works. After helping a few other authors with their self-pubbed books, he went into the business of publishing full-throttle. Today he is the owner and publisher of DX Varos Publishing which now owns two imprints, Thursday Night Press (dedicated to local Colorado authors) and House of Willis Press (home to his own royal and genealogical works), and has six novels, one collection of short stories, and nine nonfiction works to his name.
Daniel Willis, Publisher
Learn more about Dainel and DX Varos Publishing here: www.dxvaros.com
Peter Trimarco
Membership Chair
Click to read Peter's Bio
Peter Trimarco has nearly three decades in the publishing industry, from content creation, production, and distribution through to magazine and book publishing. Throughout his tenure he has also been immersed in the film industry, the music industry, and most recently in publishing books for children.
As co-founder and publisher of both Beyond Cinema Magazine and Notable Kids Publishing, he has expertise in all aspects of traditional magazine and book production and distribution. As an author and illustrator, he has created original content for augmented-reality mobile apps for children, and of course, the printed page. Currently, Peter’s primary focus is in publishing picture books and content for mid-grade readers, while working with new and established authors and illustrators. Prior to establishing Notable Kids Publishing, he was a veteran of the media industry as executive producer and creative director on dozens of music productions, co-founder of three record labels, publisher for two international film magazines, and as a news art director. While in the music industry, he was the creative director and executive producer on over forty titles with two receiving Grammy nominations. As an active member of the entertainment and publishing communities, Peter has been featured on NPR’s Fresh Air and interviewed by the London Financial Times on intellectual property rights, in addition to being a voting member of NARAS. He currently serves on the Board of the IBPA and the CIPA Education and Literacy Foundation.
Caitlin Berve
Click to read Caitlin's Bio
Caitlin Berve is a fantasy author, editor, and speaker. Through Ignited Ink Writing, she edits novels, creates video tutorials, and writes. Using her MFA, she teaches creative writing at conferences, colleges, and Colorado writers’ organizations. You can get a taste of her editing and teaching style through her blog Ignite Your Ink and YouTube channel Ignited Ink Writing. She specializes editing in most genres of fiction including sci-fi/fantasy, mystery, action/adventure, and young adult. She also works with narrative non-fiction authors.
Her collection of modern fairy tales When Magic Calls is available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats. If you like changelings, selkies, and cursed magical artifacts, you’ll like these short stories. Caitlin seeks to fill the world with the kind of writing that lingers with readers and find magic in modern times.
Sara Frances
Click to read Julie's Bio
I have volunteer experience in the following: Walk to Emmaus BST, Speaker for Hope+Choice Reach for Greatness Program, Board Member for the Amarillo Community Prayer Breakfast Committee, Production Team at Trinity Fellowship, faithful volunteer at Faith City Mission, The Love Up Project Homeless Ministry, HOA Vice President Dogwood Park HOA, Women’s Ministry Leader, Media and Sound Developer, Website Development and Design for countless organizations, self-publisher for over 30 books on Amazon, Devotion Leader, Secretary – Barksdale Air Force Base Officer Spouses Club, President – 69th Bomb Squadron Spouses Organization, Secretary – Minot Air Force Base Officer Spouses Club, Secretary and Board of Directors – Safe Haven Club, Inc, Chapter Chairperson Oxford Houses of Virginia and Mississippi, State Association Chairperson Oxford Houses of Virginia, Rotary Club of Lynchburg, Speaker on several platforms.
Cheryl Callighan
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Cheryl Callighan is a Master Virtual Assistant and Professional Author’s Assistant with over 31 years of executive administrative and managerial experience, executive level secretarial skills and extensive technology and online marketing experience. Cheryl has run her successful Virtual Assistant business, the original multi-VA Team, for 27 years.
Cheryl works best with creative self-motivated professionals who need someone to hand off the details. She is proactive and detail-oriented. As a graduate of the Author Smart program, she has all the necessary skills to help writers and authors become organized, oversee the details, and coordinate the publishing and promotion processes.