Interview & Givewaway: Last Chance Rescue by Tracey Cramer-Kelly

Today I would like to Welcome Tracey Cramer-Kelly to Book Junkie today as my Guest Author celebrating her release Last Chance Rescue! This is Tracey's first novel bringing her experience from the military as an Amry Reserve Paramedic to this suspenseful and intriguing story of love, forgiveness and self discovery.

If someone were writing a story about Tracey Cramer-Kelly, what would your blurb say?
Tracey is married with two young children (2 and 6) who keep her busy(!) She has owned and operated a motorcycle accessories business, http://www.leadermotorcycle.com/ for over six years (she currently rides a Kawasaki Vulcan). She obtained her helicopter pilot license in 2001, and recently started taking lessons for her fixed-wing ‘add-on’. She plays the taiko drums every Saturday morning and occasionally sings with her friend’s band. When she can get away, she enjoys skiing (all kinds) and white-water rafting/kayaking.Tracey’s first novel, Last Chance Rescue, was a finalist in the 2009 Indie Awards. Her writing draws from her experience as an Army Reserve paramedic. Her writing and blog can be found at http://www.lastchancerescuebook.com/.


How do you get started with writing a story (as in, how do you start developing the story, how do you get inspired for it)? Do you start with an outline, synopsis, characters; what is your writing process like?
For me, it starts with one scene—often from a dream. Ideally, I have the luxury of some ‘daydreaming’ time to allow the character(s) to develop until I have the makings of a story or novel in my head. I’ve tried making an outline but find that my characters sometimes take me in a different direction. I’ve learned not to fight that, but it means I usually write more than I need and end up cutting. My writing is heavily influenced by the time I spent in the military and by the medical training I received there. When I became a helicopter pilot, it opened new relationships with some amazing people—and Last Chance really came together after I did some ride-alongs with medevac and search-and-rescue. My ‘writing time’ is from 9-11pm a couple times a week (after my kids are in bed) and a stolen hour at a café or coffee shop when I can swing it. I do my best work when it’s quiet and I have NO interruptions, but sometimes a change of scenery can help my level of inspiration. I prefer to read rather than write unless I’m ‘in the zone’ (I don’t write for a living and don’t want to because I never want it to stop being fun).

Can you tell us a little about your newest release Last Chance Rescue?
Last Chance Rescue (a finalist in the 2009 Indie Awards) 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.

What was your favorite scene to write in Last Chance Rescue?
My favorite scene to write was Brad’s accidental fall down the mountain—and subsequent rescue. I love it when a girl gets to be the hero!

You have a background in the military, as a pilot and a paramedic offering great insight and knowledge for your characters Brad & Jesse who are members of a search and rescue team, did you ever draw your characters from the personalities in your life?
Absolutely. Because of my hobbies and my military background, I’ve had the fortune of meeting, working and playing with some very interesting people! I think everything I write is affected by what I’ve experienced. Yes, there’s a healthy dose of imagination and plenty of creative license, but a seed has to be sown somewhere, and for me it is often a ‘human’ interchange. I made the heroine of Last Chance Rescue (Jessie) an Iraq war veteran and gave her some of the qualities I saw in my fellow soldiers/medics (and perhaps myself).

What was the most challenging thing you’ve done in the name of research that might have been out of your comfort zone?
Another member of the Whirly-Girls (a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of women in helicopter aviation) invited me to ride along on medevac flights and participate in a helicopter search-and-rescue practice. (The simulation exercises turned out to be for Vice President Dick Cheney.) I was exhausted every night, but my brain was buzzing. It was really a turning point for Last Chance Rescue.

As this is your debut novel, what else do you have in the works?
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. The main character in this novel is actually Last Chance heroine Jessie’s ex-husband!

For you, what is the hardest part of writing a novel? Concept, Characterization, Plotting, Writing the story, Synopsis/Query letter writing, etc.
I think it’s ALL hard! Thank goodness I don’t have to do it for a living! Characterization is a challenge. I do better if I take time up front to flesh out the characters before I start writing, but if I’ve been inspired, I’m off and writing before I’ve got a full ‘picture’ of a particular character in my head. And writing the story often comes down to just putting my butt in the chair. I often find it more enjoyable to just daydream and fantasize about it…getting it onto the computer screen is much more difficult!

Do you usually cast your characters (a mental picture) before or after you have started writing? Does it help inspire you and take the story in a different direction?
I might have the main characters pretty well ‘cast’ before I start writing, but the ‘contributing’ characters (and sub-plots) often develop as I write. Perhaps I end up writing more this way but there’s no wrong or right way to write!
Here’s an example: at one point while writing Last Chance Rescue, the antagonist (Quinn) starting taking over the story. I had to ‘cut him off at the legs’ so to speak, because this wasn’t his story. I don’t know how many pages I cut, but he became so real (and human) to me that someday it would be interesting to write his story.

If you could ask readers any one question, what would it be?
With so many books and so much ‘noise’… and the availability of the library … what convinces you to actually buy a particular book? So many sound good!

Tracey Cramer-Kelly, Author
INDIE AWARD FINALIST, "Last Chance Rescue"
Please visit www.LastChanceRescueBook.com

BOOK EXCERPT

Despite three blankets and a roaring fire only two feet away from him, Brad couldn’t stop shivering. Even the hot shower he’d had only thirty minutes before was a distant memory. A warm mug appeared in his hands. "What is it?"
"Hot toddy with herbs." Jessie sat in the easy chair across from him. "It’ll help warm you."
The bourbon burned the back of his throat but the herbs left a pleasant aftertaste.
"You might start feeling warmer in a week or so," Ryan teased, sipping on his own. The younger man sat next to Brad, nearly as wrapped as he was. Micah had been soaked as well, but he didn’t seem as affected by it. He and Tony—who had performed CPR with Jessie during the medevac flight—sat on the sofa, engaged in a conversation about fishing, of all things.
They fell silent when the phone rang. Every eye watched Jessie as she spoke a few short words into the phone and hung up. She shook her head. "I’m sorry," she addressed Brad specifically. "He didn’t make it."
Brad sat staring into the fire long after Tony, Micah, and Jessie had left. He wasn’t prepared for the impact of her words. Although he knew it to be true, he didn’t want to believe it. When? he demanded silently. When had the man died? Had he been dead when Brad had held him in his arms? Had everything he’d done been meaningless after all?

***GIVEAWAY***

Tracey will be giving away an autographed copy of her book "Last Chance Rescue" to one randomly drawn commenter from the tour and an autographed copy of her book to the tour host with the most comments, excluding duplicates or Tracey’s responses. So the best way to win! Follow the tour and comment on EVERY Blog Post! Here's the schedule!

November 16: Tamela Quijas

November 17: J. A. Saare

November 18: Katie Bug aka Domestic Diva

November 19: Reading At The Beach

November 20: My Overstuffed Bookshelf

November 20: One Person's Journey Through a World of Books