The Chemistry of Heroes is the second tale starring Charles Jerome Harrison, an African American chemist at a small manufacturing company. He is accompanied once again by his college intern sidekick Tony Gilbert. I am thrilled that my story made the cover of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine.

The Marshall Gasket Company renovation hits a snag when a body is discovered under a newly poured concrete floor. The factory is plagued with thefts of supplies used in meth labs, while animal rights activists protest an art gallery display of taxidermy. Chemistry holds the solution when Dr. Charles Jerome Harrison and his young assistant Tony Gilbert once again become entangled in a murder case.

The May issue goes on sale March 28, and should be available through April. Every story promises to be a treat in the annual humor issue, which also features Colorado author R. T. Lawton, and Derringer Award winning Robert Lopresti.

My article on Workshop Etiquette appeared on the Pikes Peak Writers blog Wednesday, March 16. Click here to read my thoughts on writers' conference panels and workshops, and how you can help them succeed.

The Pikes Peak Writers group has been running some terrific articles building up to their Colorado Springs conference in April.

I met my husband at the door Friday afternoon, consumed with excitement about my discovery of a new bookstore, and in our neighborhood, no less! He patiently asked me to explain my enthusiasm. His engineer mind needed structure to understand why finding a new bookstore was such a fantastic event. First, I needed to define terms.

Brick and Mortar: an actual, physical bookstore, as opposed to ordering reading materials on-line.

Shelf Space: rare as a snowball in Florida is the chance that a budding author published by a small press will a) find their way onto a major chain bookstores’ shelves, or b) remain there long enough for your friends to make a trip to the store to buy your book.

Book Signing Event: a gig that is shockingly difficult to obtain, except at Mom and Pop bookstores, and is non-existent in the virtual world of on-line book shopping.

Used Bookstore: an enterprise seeking to liberate your overloaded shelves of their burden. As used bookstores are to avid readers, so are no-kill shelters to crazy cat ladies court-ordered to divest themselves of excess felines. Readers prefer the books they have read and loved go to a good home, not a dumpster!

My husband began to understand that a brick and mortar bookstore provided a unique outlet for local authors, but just to be sure, I enumerated additional advantages:

1. Personal service, as opposed to computer generated algorithms deciding which books fit your reading habits.
2. Spotlight on regional authors and topics.
3. Supporting a local business helps employ folks in your town.
4. While I love libraries, I also purchase books. If I want the luxury of a local bookstore, I need to support it with my book-buying dollars.

As I chatted with store owner Christi, I spotted several titles I wanted to explore. Unfortunately, my schedule has been crazy busy lately. I plan to visit soon, when I have time to browse. The store is bright and uncluttered, and has an inviting children's section.

Why Not Books? graciously placed books one and two in my Rock Shop Mystery series, Stone Cold Dead and Stone Cold Case, on their local author shelf. These are new books by Colorado authors.

Why Not Books? is conveniently located near the Pikes Perk coffee shop on North Academy. Imagine - buying a local author's novel, or perhaps a good used book, and then reading while enjoying a hot beverage at a coffee shop!

The photo is an image I see every week as I take my lunchtime walk. The little tree stands alone in a field. For about half the year, it is clothed in green leaves.

Then the leaves turn brown - not orange or red or yellow, just plain old brown. The shriveled leaves hang on the tree for a few weeks, until the wind knocks them off. Naked branches give the appearance of death from November to April. Sometimes snow softens the contours. More often, this is what I see.

Yet inside the tree is life waiting to happen. Buds will form, then leaves unfurl, and the tree will look vibrant again.

Writing a short story or novel often feels like the same process. No, it does not begin with bare branches. My writing begins in a flash of lush green promise, like the little tree. A scene or character will form in my mind, as complete as late summer days.

As I begin to commit the story to paper, the images of my imagination become desiccated. The words I thought perfectly captured my ideas fade and blow away.

The season of doubt begins, a lingering cold that saps the life from language that once worked so well. I struggle just to get the story down, from beginning to end. Then a blizzard of editing and rewriting, draft after draft after draft. Sleet scours away redundancy. Freezing days and bitter nights kill the passive voice. Whatever life the story once possessed has retreated deep into untapped veins, hidden.

I set aside my work in disgust, convinced that I have deluded myself that I am in possession of any talent. That is when a bud unfurls slowly. Then another. I return to my desk and re-read. It's not so bad. Spring brings the fragile promise of life.

As I gain the approval of my beta readers, the summer sun glows bright. Leaves open with vigor. I make some tweaks here and there. The story flows. The characters live. The mystery intrigues. My confidence peaks. I have accomplished something wonderful.

I send the story into the big wide world, hoping for a positive response. A sale. As I wait, I begin anew. An image, a character, beckon. In a haze of optimism I begin, completely forgetting the seasons to come.

My blog on Keeping Promotion in Perspective appears on the Pikes Peak Writers blog. Go here to read my opinion on a difficult topic for writers. I have struggled with how much time to spend trying to sell my books, and have come up with my own rules.