R.L. Maizes is a Niwot local whose debut novel "Other People's Pets" is set in a fictional small town on the front range of Colorado.

For Maizes, setting the book in Colorado was a natural choice.

"It's so inspiring to look out your window and see a red tailed hawk, to see a fox when you're on your evening walk," said Maizes. "I recently saw a bobcat going behind a neighbor's house. There's inc...