CHICAGO VOICES: An excerpt from "City Boots," by Elizabeth Ward

I was standing alone, just outside the smoked glass doors of the Amarillo Airport when I realized it had been a while since I checked my veins. It was early, maybe 8:30 in the morning, and so hot that when I looked up at the sky and parted my lips, I could feel the heat on my teeth. But that was O.K. Really, just fine. Me and heat, we liked each other, respected what each could do for the other. I liked the rush of fire, tanned feet and the Greenhouse Effect. I'd take it any day over the cold, cause cold made me nasty mean. Extremely unpleasant. Cold made me run fast toward anything warm. Anything and anyone, while the rest of life passed me by. Heat slowed me down, made me think twice before doing anything rash.

Elizabeth Ward is a Chicago police officer whose first novel, "City Boots," is available through amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. Her second novel, an urban thriller titled, "9-Tenths," will be published in 2004. Her plays have been produced in Chicago and New York City. To learn more about Elizabeth Ward's work, visit www.7thWard.com.