Good Morning, Booklovers!
Join me in welcoming Heather Weidner to the Coffee Chat! It's nice to see you again, Heather!
HW: Thank you so much for having me back on the blog. I’m so excited to be here to talk about the second book in my Jules Keene Glamping series. It’s Film Crews and Rendezvous.
Ally: And we're eager to hear all about it. First, why don't you tell readers something about yourself?
About the Author:
Through the years, Heather Weidner has been a cop’s kid, technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, and IT manager. Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers is the first in her cozy mystery series, the Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries. She also writes the Delanie Fitzgerald mystery series set in Virginia. Her Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries debut in 2023.
Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Deadly Southern Charm, and Murder by the Glass, and her novellas appear in The Mutt Mysteries series.
Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a pair of Jack Russell terriers.
Social Media Links:
Website and Blog: http://www.heatherweidner.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeatherWeidner1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherWeidnerAuthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heather_mystery_writer/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8121854.Heather_Weidner
Amazon Authors: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00HOYR0MQ
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/HeatherBWeidner/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-weidner-0064b233?trk=hp-identity-name
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/heather-weidner-d6430278-c5c9-4b10-b911-340828fc7003
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@heather_weidner_author?lang=en
Through the years, Heather Weidner has been a cop’s kid, technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, and IT manager. Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers is the first in her cozy mystery series, the Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries. She also writes the Delanie Fitzgerald mystery series set in Virginia. Her Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries debut in 2023.
Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Deadly Southern Charm, and Murder by the Glass, and her novellas appear in The Mutt Mysteries series.
Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a pair of Jack Russell terriers.
Social Media Links:
Website and Blog: http://www.heatherweidner.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeatherWeidner1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherWeidnerAuthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heather_mystery_writer/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8121854.Heather_Weidner
Amazon Authors: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00HOYR0MQ
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/HeatherBWeidner/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-weidner-0064b233?trk=hp-identity-name
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/heather-weidner-d6430278-c5c9-4b10-b911-340828fc7003
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@heather_weidner_author?lang=en
INTERVIEW:
Ally: Do you write in more than one genre?
HW: Yes and no. I have loved mysteries since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew/ I primarily write cozy mysteries, I do have a private investigator series. That is a light, funny series, but it’s more of a traditional mystery since there’s no amateur sleuth. My short stories are a little darker. I get to experiment more with those.
For my day gig, I’m an IT manager, who used to be a technical writer, so I do have some nonfiction credits. And I was part of a cozy mystery cookbook last year that was a fun project.
Ally: What is the most challenging part of your writing process?
HW: I love researching, plotting, and writing. I can (and often did) spent hours on these tasks. My least favorite is the revision process. It’s critical, so I have to get motivated when I have a revision deadline. I tend to play faster music in the background, and I make sure I have little rewards (like chocolate) for big progress.
Ally: What are you currently working on?
HW: I write three series, the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries, the Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, and the Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries. Right now, I’m working on the next few books in the glamping series.
Ally: Has an association membership helped you or your writing?
HW: Yes. Writing is a lonely sport. I spend hours writing, researching, and revising. I think authors need to find their crew. You need support, advice, and someone to celebrate with. Your family and friends are a great support network, but they don’t understand the roller coaster ride of the writing life like your writer friends do. I am so grateful for Sisters in Crime (Central Virginia, Chessie, and Guppy chapters), James River Writers, and International Thriller Writers. I have met so many fabulous authors who are generous with their time and encouragement.
Ally: Who’s your favorite author?
HW: This is a tough one. I have so many. I acquired my first library card at four, so I’ve been reading for a long time. I love Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Austen, Christie, Dickens, Dickinson, Frost, and Lee. My favorite thriller/suspense authors are Child, Grisham, Coben, and K. L. Murphy. My favorite cozy authors are Diane Kelly, Sherry Harris, Libby Klein, Ellen Byron/Maria DiRico, and Bree Baker.
Ally: How long did it take you to write your first book?
HW: It took me five years to finish my first book. I dabbled and shelved it for a while. It took another two years until it was finally published. (I’m much faster now.) I did an experiment one year where I set writing goals, and I found I was more prolific if I wrote or revised daily.
I had had articles and other things published, but I didn’t get a novel published until after I joined Sisters in Crime. I am so grateful for all the authors who shared their experiences and advice.
Ally: Do you outline, or are you a pantser?
HW: I’m a hybrid. I outline and plot at the beginning. That helps me stay on track as I’m writing the first draft. It helps me not to write myself into a corner or to get stuck and bogged down in a plothole. This outline also helps me later with the dreaded synopsis.
Then as I’m writing, the story and the characters often have a mind of their own. There have been several times when I’ve had to update my outline.
Ally: Thanks for spending time with us, Heather. Before you go, please tell us all about your latest release.
Ally: Do you write in more than one genre?
HW: Yes and no. I have loved mysteries since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew/ I primarily write cozy mysteries, I do have a private investigator series. That is a light, funny series, but it’s more of a traditional mystery since there’s no amateur sleuth. My short stories are a little darker. I get to experiment more with those.
For my day gig, I’m an IT manager, who used to be a technical writer, so I do have some nonfiction credits. And I was part of a cozy mystery cookbook last year that was a fun project.
Ally: What is the most challenging part of your writing process?
HW: I love researching, plotting, and writing. I can (and often did) spent hours on these tasks. My least favorite is the revision process. It’s critical, so I have to get motivated when I have a revision deadline. I tend to play faster music in the background, and I make sure I have little rewards (like chocolate) for big progress.
Ally: What are you currently working on?
HW: I write three series, the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries, the Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, and the Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries. Right now, I’m working on the next few books in the glamping series.
Ally: Has an association membership helped you or your writing?
HW: Yes. Writing is a lonely sport. I spend hours writing, researching, and revising. I think authors need to find their crew. You need support, advice, and someone to celebrate with. Your family and friends are a great support network, but they don’t understand the roller coaster ride of the writing life like your writer friends do. I am so grateful for Sisters in Crime (Central Virginia, Chessie, and Guppy chapters), James River Writers, and International Thriller Writers. I have met so many fabulous authors who are generous with their time and encouragement.
Ally: Who’s your favorite author?
HW: This is a tough one. I have so many. I acquired my first library card at four, so I’ve been reading for a long time. I love Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Austen, Christie, Dickens, Dickinson, Frost, and Lee. My favorite thriller/suspense authors are Child, Grisham, Coben, and K. L. Murphy. My favorite cozy authors are Diane Kelly, Sherry Harris, Libby Klein, Ellen Byron/Maria DiRico, and Bree Baker.
Ally: How long did it take you to write your first book?
HW: It took me five years to finish my first book. I dabbled and shelved it for a while. It took another two years until it was finally published. (I’m much faster now.) I did an experiment one year where I set writing goals, and I found I was more prolific if I wrote or revised daily.
I had had articles and other things published, but I didn’t get a novel published until after I joined Sisters in Crime. I am so grateful for all the authors who shared their experiences and advice.
Ally: Do you outline, or are you a pantser?
HW: I’m a hybrid. I outline and plot at the beginning. That helps me stay on track as I’m writing the first draft. It helps me not to write myself into a corner or to get stuck and bogged down in a plothole. This outline also helps me later with the dreaded synopsis.
Then as I’m writing, the story and the characters often have a mind of their own. There have been several times when I’ve had to update my outline.
Ally: Thanks for spending time with us, Heather. Before you go, please tell us all about your latest release.
Film Crews and Rendezous (Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries #2)
Genre: Cozy Mystery
In the second book of the Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, Hollywood has taken over Fern Valley.
The town is abuzz with star-sightings and movie magic, but when a key crew member winds up dead under one of Jules’s tiny houses, everything suddenly changes.
Jules and her Jack Russell Terrier sidekick, Bijou, find themselves at ground zero and have to find the killer who goes on a rampage against the cast and crew before film production is shut down and the project shelved.
Book Links
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1685122000
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BHLSYBZ9?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420
Barnes and Noble: Film Crews and Rendezvous: A Jules Keene Glamping Mystery by Heather Weidner, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)
Booshop.org: https://bookshop.org/shop/heatherweidner
Fantastic Fiction: Film Crews and Rendezvous (Jules Keene Glamping Mystery, book 2) by Heather Weidner (fantasticfiction.com)
Scribd: Film Crews and Rendezvous by Heather Weidner - Ebook | Scribd
If you haven't yet read book #1, here's the cover to look for to read Jules adventures from the beginning:
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