I am the editor and owner of Sweet as Cotton Candy, an entertainment magazine that covers the Rocky Mountain Front Range and the world. The magazine is based in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I have 26 years of reporting experience.
I am a former entertainment and features reporter for the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. I worked there for almost 12 years. I interviewed thousands of celebrities, just a few of those are; Naomi Judd, Clint Black, members of KORN, Michael Connelly, David Copperfield, Kenny Chesney, Rodney Carrington, Larry the Cable Guy, John Oates of Hall and Oates, Taylor Swift, and Josh Groban. I interviewed the late legends B.B. King and Merle Haggard. And I also did day in the life stories of The Jonas Brothers, Three Doors Down and Foreigner.
I’ve interviewed New York Times Best-Selling authors C.J. Box, Craig Johnson, Margaret Coel, Linda Lael Miller, Michael Connelly, Nicholas Sparks, Kate DiCamillo, T.Jefferson Parker, Debbie Macomber and many more.
I created the Top 12 Holiday Toy Tester annual story where local children tested toys that were chosen by the Toy Experts and slated as the holidays Hot Dozen toys. I interviewed Jim Silver and attended the Toy Wishes Holiday Toy Preview in New York City in 2005.
I parted ways with the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle in March of 2011 to pursue my music and to pursue Sweet as Cotton Candy, my own online entertainment magazine, and I became a mom.
I am also the author of three children’s books, one of them is Carol and Santa, which is being made into an animated TV movie. I have a cook book that is scheduled to come out in time for the holidays this year.
I’m a member of the Gospel Music Association and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. In the past I was a member of the Western Writers of America.
I also am an award winning musician, songwriter, dancer, artist and photographer. I play the piano, guitar, violin, clarinet, Native American flute and percussion. I taught piano. I dance at Act Two Dance Studios in Cheyenne, Wyoming and my nine-year-old daughter Katie and I danced in the San Diego Ballet’s Nutcracker Production in Cheyenne.
AWARDS:
2020: This year I was awarded the Trailblazer Grant from the University of Wyoming for business owners who have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
In past years I have also been awarded with four Individual Professional Artist Development Grants from the Wyoming Arts Council, I received a vocal music scholarship in 2011 to attend Laramie County Community College and I have received an NEA Fellowship.
I am a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship recipient for the Arts Journalism Institute in Theater and Musical Theater at the University of Southern California Annenberg’s School of Journalism. The link to find out more information about this is https://news.usc.edu/17112/USC-Annenberg-Announces-NEA-Fellowships/
My Collections:
You can find the audio files from my Wyoming Tribune Eagle years in the Karen Cotton collection at the University of Wyoming’s American Heritage Center.
Here’s the link https://rmoa.unm.edu/docviewer.php?docId=wyu-ah12640.xml
My Cheyenne Frontier Days audio interviews, articles, Frontier Editions, autographs, autographed hats, lanyards and photos are now in the Karen Cotton Collection at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum.
Photography Awards:
In September of 2011 I had a photography show at the Clay Paper Scissors Gallery in downtown Cheyenne. My show, “Rising from the Ashes: New York City 2005″ featured photos of New York City four years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. In December my “Rising from the Ashes” show was shown at the Cheyenne Family YMCA. That exhibit is on permanent display in Cheyenne at Cheyenne’s Fire and Rescue building. My photograph, “Robin in the Snow,” was juried into the Governor’s Capitol Art Exhibition.