New: Memories & Secrets by Diane Winger - available for pre-order

Scheduled release date (e-book): Friday, May 22   May 15, 2015

Diane's latest novel explores the lives of two women -- grandmother and granddaughter.

A year after her husband died, Deborah is still deeply torn over her role in his death, but there’s no one left whom she can confide in without breaking a solemn promise. The prospect of a month-long visit from her only grandchild feels like an opportunity to begin her arduous climb out of the twin burdens of grief and guilt.

Ashley is no longer the cheerful, confident tomboy her grandmother remembers from when they all lived close by. No one realizes that the suicide of a student at her high school – a boy she barely knew – has cut her to the core. Ashley’s secrets are weighing her down, undermining her future, destroying her friendships.

Two damaged people, fifty years separating their ages – neither expected their summer visit to be transformative, but life is sometimes full of surprises, some courageous, some grave.

In this novel filled with sadness and laughter, with fear and courage, two people turn to love to lift them beyond their painful memories and secrets.

Memories & Secrets will be available for pre-order from Amazon from April 13 to May 14, 2015. Reserve your copy today!

Help complete the Ouray Perimeter Trail

Make a donation, receive a free book

Book signing at the Ouray Visitor Center on
Saturday, July 19, 2014
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The most popular trail in the Ouray region is only 75 percent complete, but plans are underway to complete the unique loop route. Local authors Charlie and Diane Winger, volunteers with the Ouray Trail Group, hope to help the fundraising effort to make the finished trail a reality.

In 2006 the Ouray Trail Group began construction of a new trail that, when complete, will circle Ouray following cliff bands, scree slopes, and forested areas, but be accessible to hikers of nearly all ages and abilities. The finished trail will access four waterfalls, cross six drainages and offer unmatched perspectives of the surrounding mountains. The partially-completed loop trail attracted some 40,000 hikers last year, making it the most popular trail in the region.

Completing the next section of the trail will require constructing a bridge on the steep Oak Creek Canyon on Ouray's west side and will entail costs well beyond the non-profit group’s usual map and book sale receipts. As part of the effort to raise $50,000 to cover the costs of extending the trail, the Wingers are donating books as incentives for donations to the 501(c)(3) organization.

On Saturday, July 19, 2014, the Wingers will be on hand at the Ouray Visitor Center from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to autograph books. Visitors who donate $15 or more toward the Perimeter Trail project will receive a gift of one book of their choice by the authors. A donation of $40 or more qualifies the donor to receive a gift of any three books (mix or match the titles). All proceeds go to the Ouray Trail Group to be applied to this trail project.


The titles available are: Two Shadows – the inspirational story of one man’s triumph over adversity (memoir by Charlie Winger); Faces (novel by Diane Winger); Rockfall (novel by Diane Winger); and Duplicity (novel by Diane Winger). The novels are suspense/adventure stories set in Colorado and include outdoor activities such as rock climbing, hiking, and backcountry skiing; Charlie Winger’s memoir features over thirty-five years of his mountaineering adventures and his unlikely and remarkable early background. The Wingers are also co-authors of several outdoor recreational guidebooks.

“The Perimeter Trail is my personal favorite in the area. I’d love to see it completed and hope we can do our part to help make that happen,” Diane Winger explained. Charlie Winger, who spends countless volunteer hours each summer helping to preserve and maintain over 80 trails within the Ouray Trail Group’s area,  concurred. “We get so much enjoyment from the trails and our mountain environment. This is a way of giving back.”

Click here for more details about the Perimeter Trail project.

Charlie Winger wins prestigious mountaineering award

Previous award winner Jean Aschenbrenner presents the
Ellingwood award to Charlie

The Colorado Mountain Club (CMC) announced the 2013 recipient of its prestigious Ellingwood Award for mountaineering excellence, recognizing Charlie Winger for his accomplishments as a climber over the past thirty-eight years as well as his outstanding role as a volunteer instructor. The award is named for Albert R. Ellingwood, one of the pioneering mountaineers in Colorado and Wyoming of the early 20^th century. It is given to the recipient for reflecting the club’s climbing ethics, demonstrating and teaching strong climbing skills, and pushing the boundaries of climbing accomplishments in Colorado and around the world.

  

Winger has an impressive resume of climbs under his belt ­– or in his case, under his climbing boots. Here in Colorado, he not only climbed all the “Fourteeners” (peaks of 14,000 feet elevation and higher), but went on to summit the 200 highest mountains in our state. He is fond of lists of peaks, and has climbed each of the highpoints of the 50 states; the highpoints of every county in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Nevada; over 100 peaks in Death Valley; a list of 99 desert peaks identified by the Desert Peak section of the Sierra Club; over 100 peaks in the Sierras of California; and the list goes on.

Outside of the U.S., Winger has climbed in other parts of North America (Canada and Mexico), South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Well-known peaks he has completed include the Matterhorn (Switzerland), Aconcagua (Argentina), Mt. Elbrus (Russia), and Kilimanjaro (Tanzania). In addition to mountain climbing, Winger enjoys rock climbing and ice climbing, especially at the Ouray Ice Park.

Winger is a “Lifetime” member of the Colorado Mountain Club, joining the organization in 1976. He has served in the club as a volunteer instructor for most of the courses offered by the Denver Group, including rock climbing, technical ice climbing, basic mountaineering, winter camping, high-altitude mountaineering, telemark skiing, and first aid. Hundreds of club members have been taught and inspired by Winger to go beyond their perceived limitations. A number of his former students have gone on to become notable mountaineers themselves, crediting Winger for getting them excited and prepared for their climbing goals.

At age 76, Winger keeps up a level of activity that many would envy. He ice climbs 20 to 30 days during the winter season. In 2013, he climbed fifty-two peaks, went on rock climbing trips for fourteen days, enjoyed a six-day trek along the Pacific Crest Trail in California, cross-country skied, snowshoed, and volunteered with the Ouray Trail Group doing trail work.

Charlie Winger is an author of three outdoor recreational guidebooks (co-authored with his wife, Diane). He has also written an autobiography, Two Shadows - the inspirational story of one man’s triumph over adversity, which describes many of his mountaineering adventures.

Via KindleBoards: Adventurous duo relay their experiences into guidebooks

A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of being featured on KindleBoards, one of the premier blogs related to books available on -- you guessed it -- Kindle. We shared our story of working with small, traditional publishers for our first 3 guidebooks, and moving into self-publishing for our more recent publications. It has been an interesting and worthwhile transition for us.

See, you can teach old dogs new tricks!

Adventure authors to donate to benefit at-risk teens based on Paperback and Kindle book sales

(for immediate release)

Charlie & Diane Winger, authors of Two Shadows - the inspirational story of one man's triumph over adversity and
Because It’s There announce that they will donate $5 per paperback and 50¢ $1 per Kindle book sale to Big City Mountaineers.
(8/2/12: We've had such a great response so far, we're sweetening the pot & raising our donation from $0.50 to $1.00 per Kindle book sold.)
(8/9/12: ...AND, if you purchase a paperback directly from
The Winger Bookstore (autographed, of course), we're raising our donation from $5 per copy to $7.50 per copy sold.)

(Final update 8/16/2012:
Thanks to everyone who responded! We sold a total of 52 books during this period, and raised $122 to donate to Big City Mountaineers.)

Mountaineers and guidebook authors Charlie and Diane Winger have announced that they will support Big City Mountaineers (BCM), a non-profit organization which delivers programs that enhance the lives of under-resourced urban teens through transformative outdoor experiences. The donation will be based on sales of Charlie Winger’s autobiography, Two Shadows - the inspirational story of one man's triumph over adversity and of their photographic essay on climbing adventures, Because It’s There – a photographic journey.

In his memoir, Charlie Winger describes growing up in an atmosphere of neglect and abuse. He made numerous bad choices in life which resulted in his being sentenced to prison at age eighteen. While incarcerated, Winger turned his life around. He obtained his high school diploma, began taking college courses, and learned computer programming, which led to a successful career in information technology after his release.

When he moved to Colorado in the early 1970s, Winger began hiking and climbing in the Rocky Mountains. He discovered a passion for the mountains, and went on to climb peaks all around the world, as well as literally hundreds of summits within the United States. Winger feels inspired by the programs of BCM, a volunteer-driven nonprofit that delivers life-changing outdoor experiences to hundreds of at-risk teens every year. Their unique curriculum improves young people’s self-esteem, motivation, decision-making, and communication skills through wilderness expeditions. Winger believes that, if only a program like BCM had been around for him as a teen, perhaps many difficult and painful experiences in his early years might have been avoided.

From now through August 15, 2012, the Wingers will donate $5.00 per paperback copy sold and $0.50 per Kindle copy sold of these two titles. Both Two Shadows and Because It’s There are available in paperback from Amazon.com, WingerBookstore.com, and other online bookstores. Kindle versions of the books are available from Amazon.

"Mo" ways to combat prostate cancer

Mountaineer, guidebook author, and prostate cancer survivor Charlie Winger will donate again this year to Movember, a fundraising campaign raising awareness and funds for the number one cancer affecting men – prostate cancer. The donation will be based on sales of Winger’s autobiography, Two Shadows - The inspirational story of one man's triumph over adversity.

Winger was diagnosed with prostate cancer in May 2009, and subsequently underwent surgery to remove his prostate. All indications are that he is now cancer-free. He has been impressed with all the awareness campaigns and support for women and men diagnosed with breast cancer, and wanted to find a way to reach out to men with prostate cancer as well as to support organizations fighting this disease which will kill 32,000 men this year. Movember USA uses the moustache (called a “Mo” for short) as the “ribbon for men’s health,” and is partnering with the Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG to address this health issue.

During the first 2 weeks of November 2011, The Winger Bookstore will donate $5.00 per paperback copy sold and $1.00 per eBook copy sold to Movember. Two Shadows is available in paperback or e-book (Kindle) format from Amazon.com and other online booksellers, and in paperback directly from The Winger Bookstore.

Charlie & Diane Winger have also set up an individual donation page on the Movember website, http://mosista.co/WingerBookstore, where direct donations to Movember can be entered.

Online Bookstore facelift

Diane has been in ultra-geek mode recently, creating a whole new look for The Winger Bookstore. Check back regularly, since we'll be expanding our offerings and will be adding more features soon.

wingerbookstore.com