Biz Buzz:
2 new books by Westside authors

       Two books by Westside writers have recently gone on the market. They are “Child of Desire,” by Verla Powers; and “The Neversink Chronicles,” by John McKenna.
       Although the subject matter is different, both books are period fiction, set in the 1930s. Also, they're the first books published for both writers.
       Powers' book is about a woman “trapped in a loveless marriage [who] dares to enter into a conspiracy” that could lead her to happiness or destruction, according to to the description on the book jacket.
       The book jacket for “Neversink Chronicles” states that it consists of 17 stories “linked together by the adverse possession of land and property on the Neversink and Rondout river valleys… It's a David and Goliath conflict between New York City and the ordinary people who lived, loved and worked up there.”
       Powers lived the first 16 years of her life on the Westside. She later worked in education in Michigan and Kansas before moving back to Colorado Springs seven years ago. The book came about because of her desire to “write a novel,” she said. In counterpoint to modern-day communication capabilities, the comparatively limited technology of the 1930s plays into the mystery, she pointed out.
       Once a used-car salesman and compliance officer in securities, McKenna owned an antique store on the Westside in the 1990s before his back gave out on him in 2000. He has been wheelchair-bound ever since. The misfortune forced him to sell his business, but he used the opportunity to “reinvent myself as a writer,” he said.
       Combining his writing interest with historical curiosity led to “Neversink.” The book received the Best Fiction award this year from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association.
       To simplify getting published, he started his own publishing company, Rhyolite Press.

       July 6 ArtWalk updates
       Additional news about the First Friday ArtWalk July 6, from 5 to 8 p.m., in Old Colorado City:
  • The Cucuru Gallery Café, 2332 W. Colorado Ave. will have a reception for painter Angie Schwickerath, with music by acoustic group RVZOO. From 7 to 10 p.m. blues guitarist B.J. Estares will perform.
  • The overall ArtWalk will be a fundraiser for Care & Share. Donations are welcomed, according to event organizer Sharon Wolff.

    Editor's note: If you know any Westside locations not listed here, or you find that any of this information has changed, please let us know at 471-6776.

    Westside Pioneer/press release