by Josh Carpenter

DENVER – Writing a book was something Cindy Ely always wanted to do.

But she never had the time.

Since her retirement about six years ago with her husband, Mark, she’s written two. Ely published the World War II novel “Dear Mrs. Gray” in August 2010 and recently released “The Superstitions.”

“It’s just something I’ve always been passionate about,” Ely, of Denver, said. “I think (writing) allows an extra avenue to express myself.”

Ely’s most recent book isn’t about the Canadian metal band, but instead focuses on a 16-year-old girl that has her life changed while camping at the base of the Superstition Mountains in Arizona.

The idea came about when Mark used to frequent that area for golf outings with friends.

“There’s a wide range of odd things that have happened out there,” Mark Ely said. “All kinds of lore. UFOs and things like that, some strange occurrences.”

The girl, Arizona, is bitten by a rattlesnake while camping with friends and develops a set of strange cognitive abilities.

The rest of the plot focuses on the special blood that runs through her veins, Ely said, and her mythical bloodline to the tribe that lives within the Superstition Mountains. The tribe can only be seen on the night of a blue moon, which occurs just once every three years.

This story in particular was one Ely always wanted to write.

“I’ve always been interested in Indian folklore,” she said. “I always wanted to write a novel about it. There are so many myths and legends that go with those mountains.”

The paperback book can be purchased on amazon.com for $14.95 or for Kindle e-book readers for $4.99.