Today I’m happy to introduce author Tracey Cramer-Kelly! You have such an interesting bio. Can you tell us a little about your background?

I joined the Army National Guard to help pay for college; I was trained as a medic and then a paramedic. It was there I was exposed to the helicopter and set my personal goal to learn to fly one…which I accomplished at the age of 30 (I have now started on my fixed-wing rating). Although I originally wanted to study communications, I earned a degree in business management, which has served me well. I have owned and operated three businesses, the most current a motorcycle accessories manufacturing company (www.LeaderMotorcycle.com). I also earned a minor in music, and spent my college years singing instead of writing! (I still lend a hand to my old music buddies now and then). I am married with two children; my son is 6 and my daughter 2.

How did you and your husband meet? Did you fall for him first, or was it the other way around?

I was introduced to my husband at our College Graduation Formal. At the time, he was dating the roommate of a friend, and I was only a few months out of a serious relationship and not looking for anything other than interesting conversation and a good time. Several of us went out afterward for drinks and dancing and we talked. About six weeks later I mentioned him to my friend, and she gave me his number. I called him, but it took about two minutes for him to ask me out! (He later told me that he’d been trying to find me in the Yearbook.)

Tell us about your latest writing project or published title.

My first published novel, Last Chance Rescue, was a finalist in the 2009 Indie Awards. It is about two people who must fight their own defenses to finally let down the walls that will allow them to rescue each other. It is a story about breath-taking search-and-rescue action and adventurous lives—and the heart that is behind it all.

I’m currently working on my next novel, which is about an officer’s harrowing experience at the hand of terrorists, and his personal journey to learn what is truly worth fighting for, and what True Surrender means.

My writing is heavily influenced by my time in the military and medical training. I also have a fun twist: Characters in my novels are intertwined with other novels. For instance, the main female character in Last Chance Rescue (Jessie) was briefly married when she was younger. Her husband? Major Aaron Bricewick, “star” of my novel-in-progress!

Name the one item in your closet that is a constant favorite - the one that always gets worn even though you might have something newer or better?

Flannel shirts! Perhaps it’s my Midwest upbringing, but there you have it.

What kinds of books do you like to read? Who is your favorite author?

I like books with complex, more adult characters (Nicolas Sparks comes to mind); I am particularly fascinated by how a male character may change/be changed by events/situations (a major theme in Last Chance Rescue as well). My ‘pet peeve’ is a book with too much ‘headhopping’ (constantly changing points of view).

What is the best piece of writing advice you didn’t take at first, but then realized it made a lot of sense?

Flashbacks. I like them in a movie and I used them liberally in my writing at first. Readers told me it slowed down the story and created confusion. I started paying attention to it in other writers’ work…and they were right! Now I’m very careful how I use flashbacks and whether the key points the reader may gain from the flashback can be incorporated in some other way.

What movie did you last see in the theatre? Did you like it?

Nights in Rodanthe. I love anything with Richard Gere (he just might be the sexiest (older) man alive…).

That’s so funny. Richard Gere was my hottie here last week. No interview of a writer would be complete without this question: what is your favorite comfort food?

It’s going to sound boring, but … chocolate!

Where can you be found on the web?

www.LastChanceRescueBook.com
Author Bio
Tracey’s first novel, Last Chance Rescue, was a finalist in the 2009 Indie Awards. Her writing draws extensively from her experience as an Army Reserve paramedic and helicopter pilot. When not managing the family business, Leader Motorcycle Accessories, she enjoys taiko drumming, motorcycling and outdoor activities with her husband and two young children. Her writing and blog can be found at www.LastChanceRescueBook.com.

Thanks, Tracey! I’ve enjoyed having you here today and learning more about you and your intriguing writing!
Readers, be sure to ask Tracey questions. Enjoy her excerpt from Last Chance Rescue!

Book Blurb
When Brad runs into Jessie at his high school reunion, little does he know how much it will change his life. When his high powered advertising career fizzles, he falls into a most unlikely career opportunity—becoming a search-and-rescue team member.

Through dangerous rescues and personal trials, Brad and Jessie become friends. When one of their rescue victims turns out to be a fellow soldier from Jessie’s Iraq War days, Brad almost loses her to old demons. But then Brad nearly dies in a training accident, and Jessie nurses him back to health. And when she goes missing one night, Brad realizes just how important she has become to him.

Brad and Jessie must fight their own defenses to finally let down the walls that will allow them to rescue each other. This is a story about breath-taking action and adventurous lives—and the heart that is behind it all.

EXCERPT:

The helicopter shuddered and swayed as it lifted off the helipad. Instinctively Brad Sievers gripped the edge of the bench, willing his stomach to calm down.

The chopper was so full he could hardly move, and he felt overly warm and claustrophobic. Though he wore a headset, he could hear the Colorado air pulsing through the giant blades above.

Minutes ago he’d been terribly insistent about tagging along on this search-and-rescue mission; now he wasn’t sure it was a good idea. What the hell am I doing? he thought. I’m in advertising, for Chrissakes!

“Okay, listen up,” the team leader said.

The movement of the chopper was so foreign to Brad that he had difficulty paying attention. The team leader talked about the missing snowmobilers — what they looked like, where they were last seen and probable scenarios. He threw out a lot of numbers — coordinates, Brad realized later — and assigned teams to what he kept calling quadrants. “And Jessie will take our ride-along in CHIPS,” he finished.

Brad had known Jessie Van Dyke since kindergarten — in fact, it was entirely possible he’d chased her around the playground in “kiss and tell” — but they’d been only casual acquaintances through high school. He hadn’t seen her in ten years — until he showed up at their high school reunion in Minnesota just weeks ago, hoping to impress his old crush, Aimee Kinderbach — who blew him off in the end.

He must have had a blank look on his face because Jessie said, “CHIPS is our medevac chopper. It’s equipped with heat-seeking equipment, electronic mapping, medical equipment — the whole nine yards. It’s parked at our rendezvous helipad.” She tugged on Brad’s harness, adjusting the fit like another woman would adjust a tie.

They disembarked on a plateau that was in the middle of nowhere according to Jessie. Brad wouldn’t have known it; the plateau was lit up like the Fourth of July, a line of snowmobiles idling to one side. A blast of cold air hit him, making him thankful for the jacket.

Jessie tapped his arm. “This way.” She led him around the helicopter they’d just landed in. Behind it was the smaller helicopter, CHIPS. It, too, had its propellers going.

Jessie swung open the back door and plugged in her headset.

“Hey guys,” she said. “We’ve got company tonight.”

She indicated that Brad should take the rear-facing seat, and showed him where to plug in his headset. She introduced him to “Pilot Sam” and “Navigator Rick.”

“Brad’s been hanging out with us and couldn’t resist sticking around for the real thing.” Jessie settled herself into the seat across from Brad.

A pair of lit-up computer screens in front of Rick caught Brad’s attention. “How does that work?”

As if in response to his inquiry, a voice came over the radio. “Checking all systems … all teams power up.”

Lights began blinking on the computer screen. “Every team has a transmitter as well as GPS on their radio,” Rick explained. “We can track them from above and the mission coordinator can track them from the base site.”

Brad found himself riveted to the lights on the screen as the teams responded one by one: “Ready on Alpha.” “Ready on Bravo.” “Ready on Charlie …”

It took him several minutes to realize what the words meant. “Team names?”

Jessie nodded. “Based on the military alphabet. That was the team leader, Dan, calling for the ready-check.”

Finally Rick spoke into his mouthpiece. “We have audio and visual on all teams. We are ready to rock and roll.”

“Ditto on the ground,” another voice said. “Move out!”

The helicopter began to rise as snowmobiles passed it on the right. Out the rear window panel, Brad watched as the launch pad and snowmobile lights disappeared from view. “How do you know where to look?” he asked.

“Sometimes we don’t,” Rick said. “But in this case, we have fairly reliable information about where they are.”

“If we didn’t, we may have been put on standby until the ground teams found them — or first light,” Jessie said.

“Or if the weather was really crappy,” Rick added.

“Here. Make yourself useful.” Jessie was holding something that looked like a cross between binoculars and 3-D glasses. “They’re night-vision goggles.”

Brad wasn’t sure what he was looking for but it felt better to be contributing, so he strapped the goggles on and peered out the window at the ground below. His thoughts drifted to the woman across from him…

Their chance encounter at the reunion had stuck with him after he returned to his new job in Dallas. He tried to forget the way she touched his lapel when she said, “I never would have guessed you for advertising; I didn’t think that would give you fulfillment.” And the way her eyes searched his when she teased him about being shallow.

And then he lost his job.

And the self-doubt — was he the reason they’d lost the account? — started eating at him. He’d been drinking himself to devastation every night, but it hadn’t made him feel any better. If anything, that brief conversation with Jessie came to mind more often. So, on a half-drunken whim, he’d driven from Dallas to her home state of Colorado, intending to put her “shallow” comment to rest.

But the conversation didn’t go the way he’d envisioned it …

“Team Foxtrot has a visual.” The voice cut into Brad’s thoughts, jarring him back to the present. He wasn’t sure how long they’d been flying.

“Cannot confirm it’s our target,” the voice continued. “We’ll check it out.”

“Are we close enough?” Sam said.

Rick was studying a map on one of the computer screens. “That’s southwest of us about 20 miles,” he said. “If it’s not legit, we can circle back easily and still cover prime terrain.”

It was Sam’s turn to radio. “CHIPS to back up Foxtrot.” He swung the chopper around.

“Affirmative, Chips II.”

“Who’s on Foxtrot?” Rick asked.

“That would be Micah and Ryan,” Jessie said. Brad had just had a long conversation about stock car racing with Ryan, a young Vietnamese-American who was full of jokes.

Fifteen minutes later Rick said, “We’re coming up on Foxtrot.”

“They look stationary,” Jessie said. “I have a visual on their objective … looks like a wreck, all right.”

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