Suzanne Cheavens, Mountainfreak magazine

Suzanne Cheavens is the senior editor of Mountainfreak magazine, based in Telluride, Colo.

So cold my eyes tear up on my walk to the coffee shop. For better or for worse, coffee is an integral part of every morning. I go to a place where the coffee is as black as a murderer's heart and as strong as Joan of Arc's faith. Damn good coffee.

After the diary, I'll do an email session, update our entry in the Writer's Market, finish up the masthead, and hone in on the intro for our Spring 2000 issue. Mark Steele and I will do the dummy, and then the magic begins. I think this is my favorite part of the whole process. I have already put my energy into the stories. Now Mark, our art director, will synthesize the words with the photos and artwork assembled by Brett Schreckengost, photo and art editor, to create what you will ultimately hold in your hands in March.

Today, I will introduce you to the tribe at Mountainfreak. Hilary White, as I wrote yesterday, created the magazine. It is her vision. She can sell the magazine like nobody's business, and to that end, she is gone on a month-long marketing trip that will take her all over the country.

Mark is a wizard. The ideas that pour from his head fascinate me. I am verbal, so I find those who think visually to be exotic.

Brett not only has a deft touch with photo and art selection for the mag, but is a brilliant photographer. It's interesting to watch him hit his stride as an artist. He's young and can get impatient. I wish I could convince him he has his whole life before him and it will take a long time for him to refine his prodigious talent.

Lise Waring is our managing editor, aka Suzanne's right arm. Before she came on board, I did everything -- queries, rejection letters, writer payments -- all the nuts and bolts stuff. I was overwhelmed. Lise is organized right down to her last comma. We complement each other well, and her presence frees me to assume the more visionary role I am supposed to fill. A good managing editor is worth her weight in dictionaries.

Christina Callicott handles subscriptions and customer service. She's a climber and looks like the kind of person who would rather be outside than in. But she gladly spends hours in front of the computer and is cheerful on the phone. And then she escapes to String Cheese shows whenever possible. I love her quietly tenacious approach to problems and her populist political views.

John Kula is our business manager and the resident new guy. If we're a bunch of freaks, he's our straight man. He loves numbers, he's a day trader, and he has five kids. We're just beginning to discover what makes him tick.

Lastly, but not at all least, is the über Mountainfreak, Mark Biedron. A successful, self-made businessman, Mark is our investor. He knew as little about the publication business as we did, but his unshakable faith in what we're doing is bottomless. Magazines require copious amounts of cash thrown at them initially until they take hold. I don't know that I would invest in a magazine if I had that kind of dough. I draw strength from Mark and channel his faith into my work.

Okay, the coffee has taken hold. Here's a question for you, dear diary snooper. Have you read Peter Huber's Hard Green? After I finish the book I'm in, I'm going to read it, but I'm afraid it will piss me off mightily. I will, however, approach it with an open mind. That's the 40-year-old me talking. Just ten years ago, I would have gone into that book with a set of preconceived notions. Time teaches us that answers exist everywhere, even in the most unlikely places.

The day's work beckons. Time to light my candle, crank the tunes, and let my fingers fly.

Are you wondering about the "freak" bit? Well fiddlee-dee, tomorrow's another day.