Authors Day with the AAUW

Last Saturday, I was one of four authors who participated in an Authors Day put on by the Colorado Springs chapter of the American Association of University Women (AAUW). AAUW is the oldest women's organization in the United States, founded in 1881. It promotes equity for all women and girls, life-long education, and positive societal change.

This Authors Day was an example of the life-long education programs that the local chapter offers. With a mystery/crime focus to the event, they invited three mystery fiction authors, including me, Margaret Coel, who writes the Wind River reservation series, and Suzanne Young, author of Murder by Yew, and true-crime author Kathryn Eastburn, who wrote Simon Says: A True Story of Boys, Guns and Murder.

Almost seventy people attended the event at the Falcon Club on the grounds of the USAF Academy during a beautiful sunny fall day. The next two photos show the audience.




Natalie Johnson of Black Cat Books in Manitou Springs handled the book sales with her helper Val, who are both shown in the photo below.



And below is a photo of the authors and other VIPs for the day. In the back row, from left to right are Victoria Bartz, Author Day organizer, Suzanne Young, Natalie Johnson, and chapter president Dixie Gordon. In the front row, from left to right are me (Beth Groundwater), Kathryn Eastburn, and Margaret Coel.



I want to thank Heather Zambrano for the lovely gift basket of goodies she made for me, one of four she constructed for the authors. Each gift basket had a color scheme that matched the colors of the cover of our latest book. Like my gift basket designer sleuth, Claire Hanover, Heather has her own gift basket business in Colorado Springs, and I can tell you that the results are beautiful!

It was a fun day, with interesting talks and conversations with the attendees and a delicious lunch. And the book sales raised almost $250 for the chapter's scholarship fund. Thanks, Victoria, for the invitation!