Interview of Heather Weidner, author of Film Crews and Rendezvous, A Jules Keene Glamping Mystery

Today, I’m welcoming Heather Weidner from Midlothian, Virginia to Ruff Drafts.

Hi, Heather. How long have you been published? What titles and/or series have you published and with which publisher? Have you self-published any titles? Please give details.

I have been published since 2013. I write the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries, the Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, and the Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries.

The Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries	The Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries
Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers (Oct. 2021)	Secret Lives and Private Eyes (2016, 2021)
Film Crews and Rendezvous (Oct. 2022)	The Tulip Shirt Murders (2017)
Christmas Lights and Cat Fights (Oct. 2023)	Glitter, Glam, and Contraband (2020) Male Revues and Subterfuge (2022)
The Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries Sticks and Stones and a Bag of Bones Twinkle, Twinkle Au Revoir A Tisket A Tasket, Not Another Casket	Short Stories Virginia is for Mysteries (2014) Virginia is for Mysteries II (2016) 50 Shades of Cabernet (2017) Deadly Southern Charm (2019) Murder by the Glass (July 2021) Virginia is for Mysteries III (Jan. 2022)
Novellas
To Fetch a Thief (2019)
To Fetch a Scoundrel (2020)
To Fetch a Villain (2020)
To Fetch a Killer (2021)

My publishers include Level Best Books, Untreed Reads, Wildside Press, Bay Breeze Publishing, Sandpiper Productions, and Koehler Books.

That’s quite a list of publishers and books.

Tell us a little bit about them — any upcoming releases or your current work-in-progress.

FILM CREWS AND RENDEZVOUS is the second book in the Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries. The next in the series are CHRISTMAS LIGHTS AND CAT FIGHTS, DEADLINES AND VALENTINES, TEDDY BEARS AND GHOSTLY LAIRS, and FRUITY DRINKS AND HIJINKS.

STICKS AND STONES AND A BAG OF BONES is the first in the Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries, and it launches in January 2023. The other books in this series are TWINKLE TWINKLE AUVREVOIR and A TISKET A TASKET, NOT ANOTHER CASKET.

The fourth book in the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries launched in August. It’s called MALE REVUES AND SUBTERFUGE

Wow! You are certainly busy. I love the title of the next book in your Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries: Christmas Lights and Cat Fights. As an author who includes cats in most of my books and has two of her own, that title speaks to me 🙂

Describe your goals as a writer. What do you hope to achieve in the next few years? What are you planning to do to reach these goals?

I am so excited to have three series, and I’m working on a fourth right now. It’s also set in Virginia. The last few years have been very busy with lots of projects. I plan to work on the new series and final revisions on the other.

Great goals. I just started my second cozy mystery series, the Buttercup Bend Mysteries. I can’t imagine how you handle four.

What type of reader are you hoping to attract? Who do you believe would be most interested in reading your books?

My readers like fun, entertaining mysteries. Most are cozy mysteries with not a lot of graphic scenes.

We have similar readers.

What advice would you give other authors or those still trying to get published?

Be persistent. It takes a lot of work (and waiting) to get your book published. Keep writing and revising.Writing is a business, and you have to think about it that way. Publishers and agents are looking for projects that don’t need a lot of rewrites and can be sold. You often only get one chance when you query, so make sure your manuscript is the best it can be.

Excellent advice and very true.

Do you belong to any writing groups? Which ones?

I do, and I think finding your writing crew is important for support, networking, and ideas. I’m a member of Sisters in Crime National and the Guppy, Central Virginia, and Chessie chapters, James River Writers, and International Thriller Writers.

I agree. I also belong to Sisters in Crime National and the Guppy group, as well as International Thriller Writers.

What are your hobbies and interests besides writing?

We live near the reservoir, so I love to take the kayaks out for a paddle. I also have two crazy Jack Russells who like to go for walks, hikes, and car rides.

Very nice.

What do you like most and least about being an author? What is your toughest challenge?

I love writing and researching. Editing and revising are my least favorite tasks, but they are probably the most important ones. When it’s time to sit down and revise, I have to stay focused.

I feel the same.

What do you like about writing cozy mysteries?

I have loved mysteries since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. I love the small, quaint communities and the quirky characters. I also love that they are amateur sleuths who solve crimes and puzzles and fight for justice.

I also love the crime and puzzle elements of cozy mysteries and the quirky characters in the small towns such as Alicia the librarian from Cobble Cove and Cathy from Buttercup Bend.

Can you share a short excerpt from your latest title or upcoming release?

This is a bit from Film Crews and Rendezvous.

Jules Keene’s phone buzzed as she clipped the leash on Bijou, her Jack Russell Terrier. Another text from someone in town who just had to be an extra for the filming at her resort. Ignoring the latest request, she headed across the grassy area to the office.

Hollywood had arrived in Fern Valley, and Jules wasn’t sure the one-stoplight town would be the same. She had had to keep all the location scouting a secret, and that was difficult with the town’s active gossip grapevine. Now, everyone seemed to be plotting ways to get close to the action.

Great excerpt. Thanks for sharing it.

Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about you or your books?

I’m a C. K. (cop’s kid), and I thought everyone talked about murder and mayhem at the dinner table. It wasn’t until I was college age that I learned that most folks didn’t. My dad is retired now after 46 years on the force, but he’s still my best resource, and he answers a lot of questions that I don’t want to Google.

Interesting. That must’ve been a great help to your writing.

Please list your social media links, website, blog, etc. and include some book cover graphics and author photos if possible.

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

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyBjyB0zz-M1DaM-rU1bXGA?view_as=subscriber

Biography

Through the years, Heather Weidner has been a cop’s kid, technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, and IT manager. She writes the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries, The Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, and The Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries.

Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Deadly Southern Charm, and Murder by the Glass.

She is a member of Sisters in Crime – Central Virginia, Sisters in Crime – Chessie, Guppies, International Thriller Writers, and James River Writers.

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.

Thanks so much for the wonderful interview, Heather. I’m sharing your blog tour and giveaway below. Best of wishes on your new release.

Film Crews and Rendezvous: A Jules Keene Glamping Mystery
by Heather Weidner

About Film Crews and Rendezvous

Film Crews and Rendezvous: A Jules Keene Glamping Mystery
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Virginia
Level Best Books (October 25, 2022)
Number of Pages 240
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BHLSYBZ9

Hollywood has come to Fern Valley, and the one stoplight town may never be the same. Everyone wants to get in on the act.

The crew from the wildly popular, fan favorite, Fatal Impressions, takes over Jules Keene’s glamping resort, and they bring a lot of offscreen drama and baggage that doesn’t include the scads of costumes, props, and crowds that descend on the bucolic resort in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Added security, hundreds of calls from hopeful extras, and some demanding divas keep Jules’s team hopping.

When the show’s prickly head writer ends up dead under the L. Frank Baum tiny house in what looks like a staged murder scene with a kitschy homage to the Wizard of Oz, Jules has to figure out who would want the writer dead. Then while they are still reeling from the first murder, the popular publicist gets lost after a long night at the local honky-tonk and winds up strangled. Jules needs to solve both crimes before filming is canceled, and her business is ruined.

About Heather Weidner

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.

Author Links