|
Site Index
Home
About the IWL
Information on IWL Chapters
IWL Member Page
Member Only Area
Contact webmaster for access information
Summary of Leagazette
Annual IWL Writer's Conference
Annual IWL Writing Contest
Links to IWL Member & other writing sites
Site Map
Contact Us
|
|
Connie Otteson, Idaho Falls Chapter
Idaho Writer's League
2009 Published Writer of the Year
2006 Published Writer of the Year
To learn about Connie's books, scroll down.
An award-winning author and poet, Connie Otteson was named IWL's Published Writer of the Year in 2006, partly in recognition of her first book, a non-fiction work entitled Unsung Heroes and Settlers of Bonneville County, Idaho. Commenting on the book, editor and IWL member Larry Godwin states, “[Unsung Heroes] describes the lives of [twenty-one] Idaho pioneer families and their notable accomplishments, and also weaves…their…heartaches into…poignant stories. The…compelling biographies are shared in an informal style that will appeal equally to Northwest history buffs and to the citizens who now reside where unsung heroes once walked.” Brent Brown, a Professor Emeritus at Arizona State University says, “[Unsung Heroes] adds a dimension not found in standard history books.” After two years, the book still enjoys brisk sales at Barnes & Noble as well as Hastings (and, of course, from the boxes in Connie's garage.)
Just out in 2008, Connie's first full-length novel, Laura's Lullaby, has been published by iUniverse. Some comments include, “After I started reading, I couldn't put it down until the last page.” Another reader states, “Laura's feelings were so intense… I had tears at the end.” And IWL member Gary Townsend says, “…rich in local color, character, and theme. The story includes a secret and a memorable touching turn of events…An authentically 'good read'.” Copies may be ordered from iUniverse, Amazon, Hastings, and Barnes & Noble.
Connie's project for 2008-09 is George Brunt, Young Pioneer of Eagle Rock, which received a first place award in IWL's 2007 writing contest. A work of creative non-fiction, George Brunt tells the story of a nine-year-old boy who comes to Eastern Idaho with his family in 1885. The read-along storybook is commissioned by School District #91 and a local philanthropic family for use in 4th grade classrooms to supplement their study of Idaho history. The book is scheduled to be published for use during the 2009-10 school year, with copies being furnished to every 4th grade student in Bonneville County.
Connie has won numerous awards in IWL contests and in Byline Magazine, and has published several articles and stories in the Idaho Falls magazine and in IDAHO Magazine. She has been an officer on the board of Bonneville Company DUP for fifteen years, was state secretary for IWL for two years, and has served on the Bonneville County Heritage Commission, which is dedicated to preserving Idaho history and to celebrating the centennial birthday of Bonneville County in 2011. She and her husband are natives of Idaho Falls where they raised four children. They have twenty-one grandchildren.
Unsung Heroes and Settlers of Bonneville County, Idaho
recounts twenty-one true stories of a few pioneer families who settled in and around Eagle Rock (now Idaho Falls) from 1865 through 1910. The names of these unsung heroes are mostly unknown today except to their own posterity. Some settlers came for unclaimed land, many were searching for new opportunities, a few hoped to avoid persecution for polygamy, and others came to join family members. But without exception, every settler played a heroic part in turning a vast sagebrush wasteland into the productive, verdant area known today as Bonneville County, Idaho.
Non-fiction, beautifully hardbound from Harris Publishing in 2005, 167 pages
$14.95. Available from the author at www.otto-soft.com , www.gohastings.com/, Barnes&Noble.com, and Cardons.
Laura's Lullaby
tells the poignant story a beautiful girl who finds love late in life only to lose it again. “Laura” is a fictional person, but her story is based on an actual woman born in Shelton, Idaho, in 1913. She lives to be ninety years old then dies in a nursing home, childless and alone with many of her deeply-held secrets following her to the grave.
In 2009, Laura's Lullaby won first place in Media Network of Idaho's novel contest and fourth place in the National Federation of Press Women's novel contest. Laura's Lullaby is the recipient of an iUniverse Editor's Choice Award.
Soft bound from iUniverse in 2008, 175 pages
$13.95. Available from the author at www.otto-soft.com , www.iUniverse.com/, www.gohastings.com/, and Barnes&Noble.com.
George Brunt: Young Pioneer of Eagle Rock
is a real-life pioneer boy who travels by wagon with his family to settle on a farm near Eagle Rock, Idaho, known today as Idaho Falls. Before long, responsibility for the family's entire existence is thrust squarely on his tender shoulders. In thirty exciting chapters, travel side-by-side with George to learn what it's like to be an early pioneer. Be there when he makes Indian friends, works a farm boy's life, fights off wild animals in the dark, and faces unbelievable obstacles to carve out an existence in early-day Idaho. With many historical photos and original illustrations by John Hart, this book was commissioned by the Groberg Family Trust and Bonneville County Heritage Association.
Classroom sets of George Brunt have been placed in all elementary schools in Bonneville County, supplementing the study of Idaho history. The book also celebrates the centennial anniversary of Bonneville County on 02/07/2011.
Softbound from Caxton Printing in 2009, 205 pages
$12.95. Available from the author at www.otto-soft.com and Barnes&Noble.com.
Coming in 2010 Mountains of Majesty: The Story of Darby Girls Camp
commemorates the 60th anniversary of a beloved camp attended over the years by an estimated 75,000 girls and leaders. In 1950 Darby Girls Camp opened on the Idaho/Wyoming border between Driggs and Victor, Idaho, to serve Idaho Falls and Teton-area teenage girls. In 1951 lightning struck a group of forty hikers, injuring many and killing five outright. The tragedy, rather than closing the camp, created a remarkably hallowed spot in Darby Canyon. The book includes a history of the camp, fun times and pranks, hikes in the fabulous Teton Range, spiritual experiences and testimonies, outstanding youth leaders, dozens of personal memories, even campfire recipes and songs, and much more.
Publisher, release date, and price to be announced on the author's website: www.otto-soft.com
Out of Time
Supernatural Historical Thriller
by Connie B. Otteson
Go back to the early days of Eagle Rock and imagine who might have homesteaded and lived on the land now occupied by Smith’s Food & Drug in Idaho Falls, Idaho. After tragedy strikes the original homesteaders, their ghosts begin haunting residents who own the property in later years.
Told in three parts, Out of Time spans several generations. The ghost who resides in a crumbling root cellar on the old homestead realizes she won’t be at rest until she can convince the living to help find her husband’s remains so her family can be reunited. Events become more mysterious when it’s discovered that the missing husband’s bones might lie in a cave high in the mountains above Malad, Idaho, where rumors of hidden gold have persisted for over 100 years.
Publisher, release date, and price to be announced on the author's website: www.otto-soft.com
Updated: December 06, 2009
|
Connie Otteson
