The Centennial state, Colorado, has all kinds of things
to recommend it—mountains, plains and the high desert. Skiing in Aspen, Copper
Mountain and Telluride. Sports? The Denver Broncos, The Nuggets and The
Avalanche. Shopping? You name it, we have it. History? There are historical
mining towns Ouray, Silverton and Leadville. Natural hot springs abound—Pagosa
Springs, Manitou Springs and Glenwood. The Air Force Academy is here, and so is
the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame.
I don’t live in Denver or one of the ski resorts. I grew
up in Ouray, one of those historical mining towns, and one of the most
beautiful places on the planet. But I don’t live there any longer. My family
has moved to a farm near a speck on the road, Olathe, population 1,838. No,
that’s not a typo.
My town is not a historical site, nor a ski resort, and
to do any shopping, you have to drive 10 miles up the road to Montrose. Olathe’s
high school sports teams are phenomenal, including two back-to-back state
football championships and a whole bunch of wrestlers who have also won state! But
what makes my town famous is…sweet corn! Really! Raised on farms all over the
valley, fed by mountain water, our sweet corn is shipped all over the world. Thousands
fill the town park for the Sweet Corn Festival every summer. My family eats it
almost every meal in the summer months and freeze plenty for winter, too!
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| 1999 Olathe Sweet Corn Festival |
I have never set one of my books in my town, not even a
fictional setting. But my characters have definitely eaten Olathe Sweet corn!
In Cooper’s
Redemption, Elizabeth Adams is a Los Angles native who has always dreamed of
living in the Rocky Mountains.
Shot Through the Heart brings Laramie Porter to the aid of
her family
And Vaquero shares an immediate attraction
between Cordero Ybarra and Aspen O’Hare.
Falling in love with romance novels the summer before
sixth grade, D’Ann Lindun never thought about writing one until many years
later when she took a how-to class at her local college. She was hooked. She
began writing and never looked back. Romance appeals to her because there's
just something so satisfying about writing a book guaranteed to have a happy
ending. D’Ann’s particular favorites usually feature cowboys and the women who
love them. This is probably because she draws inspiration from the area where
she lives, Western Colorado, her husband of twenty-nine years and their
daughter. Composites of their small farm, herd of horses, five Australian
shepherds, a Queensland heeler, nine ducks and cats of every shape and color
often show up in her stories.
Visit her here:
Good article, Annette and D'Ann. I've only been to Colorado one time for seven days. I live in eastern North Carolina and enjoy the beaches and an occasional dusting of snow, but I'd never seen snow in May, piled high on the sides of the roadways. I also got a glimpse of my first live ram up on a ridge. The city of Denver was so clean and as I walked the downtown blocks to shop and dine, I felt very safe with law enforcement visible everywhere. I'd love to go back again. Best of luck with your writing!
ReplyDeletewww.susanwhitfieldonline.com
www.susanwhitfield.blogspot.com
I've never been to Colorado, but it's someplace I will go one day, especially if my son & his family relocate there. Thanks for the blog and my mouth is watering. Lots of luck with your books.
ReplyDeleteI traveled through the southern end of Colorado back in the day and was amazed at the rich black soil so perfect for farming. I didn't know that corn was a big crop, but I sure do like it fresh out of the field and into the pot.
ReplyDeleteYour books seem perfect for your town. I hope you consider writing one that includes your town. I love westerns.
All the best to you.
I loved Colorado, corn and all. I especially liked the ice cold mountain streams where a beer bottle placed in the stream chilled in half an hour. Then you could sit back and enjoy the view. Nothing like it.
ReplyDeletegreat post, thanks for giving us a snapshot of your town. I love sweet corn - we have it a LOT in the summer months; it's harder to get in the winter. Now I'll have to check to see if our sweet corn comes from Colorado!
ReplyDeleteI love to visit Colorado, my neighboring state to the north:)
ReplyDeleteI'm so not a traveler--don't have the desire to see the wide world, but Colorado is the one place I have to visit before I kick it.
ReplyDeleteGreat article. I've heard that Colorado overall is a beautiful state and from this short snippet of description, it sure does sound like it. I love corn so a sweet corn festival sounds like a lot of fun. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteLots to see and do in Colorado. I've only been once, but I'd love to visit again.
ReplyDeleteI would love to visit! I've never been to Colorado, but always wanted to go! Love D'Ann's books! Recommend them to anyone who hasn't read them yet!!
ReplyDeleteI love Colorado! I've only been to Colorado Springs but I've hiked in the Garden of the Gods many times. So beautiful. You're so lucky to have that in your backyard.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to come to Colorado. My niece went out there on a work internship and never came home! And Olathe is still several times the size of the town nearest to me. :-)
ReplyDeleteI want to visit CO soon. And to taste some of the sweet corn in D'Ann's town. What a wonderful post, I learned a lot about your area, your books, and you.
ReplyDeleteBorn in Salida and raised in the Denver area, I can tell you there is a reason it's called Colorful Colorado. I miss so much of it. Except the snow. Oh, and the Olathe corn is the best!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to visit Colorado one day. Great post! :)
ReplyDeleteI've never been to Colorado, but I'd certainly like to visit! For us, the West has been Arizona and Nevada to a limited extent. But my husband and I would both love to see much more of the West.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it the centennial state?? It is one of the states I'd love to visit and you made sound even better.
ReplyDeleteThank you, all!
ReplyDeleteYou are all welcome here, anytime! Colorado is the Centenial state b/c it was 100 yrs old in 1976!
I've got cousins who live out there, and so does my husband. We just have to clear the time to be able to get there. Maybe once all of the kids are out of college and we've paid off the student loans?
ReplyDeleteColorado sounds gorgeous! I went to college in DeKalb, IL, also a corn-growing mecca. I love sweet corn on the cob! That supplemented by mass quantities of beer, was the sum total of my calories intake during the summer months!
Interesting post D'Ann! And I love...I mean LOVE sweet corn. YUM. We eat it a lot in the summer too. As for your towns population, you have mine beat by about 500 peeps. I like living in the country :) Congrats on your books!
ReplyDeleteNice blog. I'm hungry for corn on the cob now!!
ReplyDeleteYour small town sounds wonderful, especially the corn!
ReplyDeleteD'Ann, you should check out Women Writing the West--it's a great organization!
Is Colorado where James Michner set his novel Centennial? And we had sweet corn for lunch! I wonder if it was yours? I'm coming to visit Colorado come hell or high water. You and I have a date with a horse! :)
ReplyDeletePoor D'Ann, it must be so trying to wake up to majestic mountains and raging rivers. So glad I live in New Jersey. Our mountains were shaved off by icebergs. Makes hiking so much easier.
ReplyDeleteColorado has alwasy facinated me. I tweeted.
ReplyDeleteLike many, I've never visited Colorado but it is on my list of TTDBID! Thanks for painting such a beautiful picture of the state with your words.
ReplyDeleteIt's one of the states I haven't travelled to, but I'd love to go someday. Particularly for the mountain climbing.
ReplyDeleteSometimes small town living is precisly what we need. I live in a big city, but there are times I'd like to get back to a less hectic pace of life.