AOTF History

A Brief, Mostly True History of the Authors of the Flathead

By Debbie Burke

If there are inaccuracies, they spring from my faulty memory and are no one else’s responsibility.

Around 1988-89, a group of would-be authors met at FVCC creative writing classes. Several of us decided we wanted to keep fanning the flame of creativity that had been ignited. We continued to meet weekly at homes and coffee shops to share our stories, poetry, and memoirs, although we were too embarrassed to call ourselves “writers” since none of us had been published. We savored the guilty pleasure of telling stories and delighted in hanging out with like-minded folks.

The bravest among us took risks by sending our “children” out into the cold cruel world of editors and agents. When a dreaded rejection came back, the rest of us talked the recipient down off the ledge. From time to time, someone achieved publication and we celebrated their success. We could have gone on in this haphazard fashion for who knows how long except for several seminal events:

First, a professional magazine writer named Marti Doyle came to town. With her left-brain focus, she decided to structure us disorganized right-brainers into an official group with officers, bylaws, and an actual identity, the Authors of the Flathead.

Second, in 1990, founding member Peggy Mathiason decided we should throw a conference. She invited three professional journalists from Washington as speakers and convinced her church to let us meet there on a Saturday. About 25 attendees brought brown-bag lunches, learned how to get published, and came away bursting with fresh ideas and inspiration. That day energized us so much, we vowed to do it again next year, and next year, and next year….

With each succeeding conference, the program became more refined. We took a daring plunge and invited New York agents and editors who, to most of us, were Brahman we dared not approach. To our amazement, these professionals not only accepted our invitations, they proved to be remarkably nice human beings who treated writers with respect and freely shared their insights with us, demystifying the publication process.

The conference continued to grow. From brown bag to catered lunches, from the church basement to venues at FVCC and various hotels, the event increased in popularity and size, until we decided to cap attendance at 100 to preserve the intimate, friendly atmosphere relished by both presenters and attendees.

A third seminal event for Authors of the Flathead occurred in 1994 when Dennis Foley, who enjoyed a successful career in television and motion pictures, moved from L.A. to Whitefish. Dennis adopted AOF, raising the group to new level of professionalism and achievement. His craft of writing lectures, similar to classes he taught at UCLA, educated us in sophisticated techniques of storytelling. Thanks to his generous mentoring, more and more members achieved publication and success.

Dennis tells many stories, but my all-time favorite explains why he has been so incredibly generous and supportive of the Authors of the Flathead. When he was a struggling new screenwriter, Oscar- and Emmy-winning author Stirling Silliphant took Dennis under his wing, dispensing advice and rescuing the inexperienced scribe from literary corners he’d painted himself into. One day, Dennis said to Stirling, “You’ve done so much for me. How can I ever repay you?” To which Stirling replied, “Pass it on. If you don’t, you’re an a**hole.”

For decades, Dennis passed it on, to the enduring benefit of AOF. We continue to quote his wise words like:

“You can’t fail at writing; you can only quit.”

“There’s only one rule: don’t bore the reader.”

One of AOF’s early success stories was Fred Salter, a snowy-haired gentleman with twinkling blue eyes. He decided to write a memoir for his kids of his World War II experiences in the horse cavalry and as an Army recon scout. “I ain’t no writer,” he often said, “not like the rest of you. I don’t know them fifty-cent words.” But a limited education didn’t hamper his gift of storytelling. His compelling combat experiences riveted us, made us laugh and cry.

When he finished his book, we pestered him to publish it. His sons paid for Recon Scout to be self-published and he acknowledged Authors of the Flathead in it. In 1991, the beginning year of the 50th anniversary of World War II, Fred circulated his book at military gatherings and reunions. It caught on like wildfire among veterans and family members, who often wrote to Fred, with messages like, “My father never talked about his war experiences. I read your book and now I understand.” Recon Scout wound up as a text in the Army War College. Impressed with the self-published book’s success, a Random House editor picked up Recon Scout and published it both in hard and soft cover. It became a Military Book of the Month selection. Fred completed two more books and many poems. Not bad for a guy who “ain’t no writer.”

Dennis was always on the cutting edge of new developments. In the early 2000s, he introduced us to Kindle Direct Publishing. Kathy Dunnehoff, Debbie Epperson, Marie Martin, and other AOF members joined the early wave of self-publishing. Hundreds of thousands of readers downloaded their books and they became bestsellers in the new world of e-publishing. Now a significant percentage of our members have published books, traditionally, online, or both.

From time to time, a rumor circulates that one must be published to become a member of AOF. Not true!!!

We always welcome and encourage beginning writers because every one of us, no matter how successful, started out new, inexperienced, and scared. Our mission has always been to offer one hand to those coming after us, while reaching out with the other hand to those ahead of us in experience and knowledge.

When AOF became a non-profit, we connected with the community at large, participated in library activities, and sponsored an annual high school writing contest with cash prizes. For several years, we worked with the Gifted and Talented program on an event for junior high students. AOF members spoke to the kids about various genres and led workshops to critique their stories and poems.

AOF served as a springboard for young writers. Baxter Owen Graham was about 10 when he published a successful children’s book. Sarah Rugheimer won the AOF high school writing contest and later became a Harvard PhD. Jess Owen Kara was 16 when she attended her first AOF conference. She now authors a popular fantasy series as well as Young Adult novels.

I’ve been around since the beginning, which is why I was tasked to record this history.You might say I’m the oldest member, which is getting closer to true every year, but to be more accurate, I’m the most tenured member.

For 35+ years, the Authors of the Flathead has been a support system to hundreds of writers. AOF offers an education to hone craft, a safety net of reassurance when discouraged, and an atmosphere of friendship to share inspiration, success, and camaraderie.