For a fiction writer, the most rewarding aspect of the craft is getting the story in your head out and onto the written page. Closely following is the recognition afforded by getting your work published and in the hands of readers.

    Local author and adventurist Elizabeth Haysmont (her pen name) satisfied both creative urges in one shot, signing her new novel “The High Bridge,” with publisher Passion in Print Press.a
    Unconventional in concept, Haysmont’s traditional romance centers around a paranormal researcher grounded in skepticism of paranormal events. Her doubts lead her to investigate a haunted hotel room where a man murdered his wife, which turns out to be the work of a demon.
    Without giving away too much, the demon winds up as the catalyst for the haunting of a ghost train crossing the Continental Divide. Sandra, Haysmont’s heroine, pursues the legend single-handedly. While staying in a bed and breakfast during her investigation, Sandra sets out on her motorcycle, inadvertently entering the clutches of a mountain storm and setting off a chain of events that change her life and her outlook on life, forever.
Enter the love interest, Monty.
    “When she doesn’t return, the owners of the bed and breakfast get worried and send the handyman (Monty) out to look for her. He discovers she has crashed,” Haysmont said.
    Worried about hypothermia and her injuries, Monty takes her to his cabin. Unfortunately, the storm that triggered her mishap also washes out the road, and the pair subsequently decides to go over the mountain, passable only by rugged four-wheel drive vehicles.
    “While they are up there, they actually see the ghost train, and find out what happened,” Haysmont explained.
    Based loosely on locations in the Rockies that inspired Haysmont, the settings may seem familiar to those acquainted with mountain towns and history.
    Predictably, Haysmont has much in common with Sandra – not the least her skepticism.
    “I’m fascinated by ghost stories, I always have loved them, but I don’t really believe in ghosts,” Haysmont said.
    Also an avid motorcyclist and off-road enthusiast along with her husband, Haysmont’s many interests include her two cats and dog, history, rail lore, hiking, music and photography, to name a few. An Illinois native, Haysmont is a Colorado transplant but firmly rooted in the intermountain West, a region she plans to inhabit for the foreseeable future and beyond. She plans to continue writing, with another book planned for Passion in Print and a Civil War awaiting publication. Until then, you can grab a copy of “The High Bridge.”
    “It’s supposed to come out a week from Saturday, so May 19,” Haysmont said. “You’ll be able to get it on www.passioninprint.com as an E-book first, then two weeks later, it will be released to Amazon.”

Contact Staff Writer Gene Sears at gsears@metrowestnewspapers.com