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 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.
Film Crews and Rendezvous – 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.
How did you come up with the title? This is my first cozy mystery series, and I was looking for titles that described the story but were fun. So far in this series, there’s VINTAGE TRAILERS AND BLACKMAILERS, FILM CREWS AND RENDEZVOUS, and CHRISTMAS LIGHTS AND CAT FIGHTS.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? My stories all have some sort of crime, and most have at least one murder. While I do write crime fiction, I think of them as stories of justice. Good triumphs over evil, and the truth comes out with the help of my amateur sleuth.
What are your current projects? Right now, I’m writing this series and two others. My Delanie Fitzgerald series, set in Richmond, Virginia, features a sassy private investigator who gets in way more trouble than I do. I also write the Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries (2023), also set in Virginia, that feature a quaint beach town with unique shops and a penchant for attracting trouble.
Name one entity that you feel supports you outside of family members. I was so fortunate to find a group of writers, mentors, and friends when I found Sisters in Crime. This group of mystery and suspense writers has helped me hone my craft, learn the publishing business, and get my first mystery credit.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing? I love the research and writing parts. I get so energized and excited to work that time just breezes by, but I must admit that revisions and edits are my least favorite part.
Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)? All of my novels and stories are set in Virginia. I’m a life-long native, and I love to show the beauty, the diverse landscapes, and the wonderful people of the region. We do a lot of day trips for my research. Right now, we live in Central Virginia, where we’re close to cities, the ocean, and the mountains. I love the art and culture of the region, and I will always be a beach girl at heart with my roots in the sand of Virginia Beach.
Do you have any advice for other writers? Writing is a business. If you want to be published, you need to work on your craft, read everything in your genre that you can get your hands on, and be persistent.
What is your favorite quote? I like Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s “Well behaved women rarely make history.” I also like the quote that’s been attributed to several folks. This is Ann Richards’s version “After all, Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backward and in high heels.”
What is your favorite movie, and why? My favorite movie of all time is the 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz. It has all the right elements for a perfect story: friends, a quest, a girl who fights evil, and her adorable dog.
Do you like audiobooks, physical books, or e-books better? Why? I was a diehard advocate of the physical book for years, and then the Pandemic hit. I was so thrilled to be able to get books electronically during the lockdown. So now, I read the turn-the-page kind and the electronic ones.
How do our viewers reach you and find your books?
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
Book Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BHLSYBZ9?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420
Thanks so much for letting me stop by the blog and chat! What a fun interview!
Thank you for sharing your story. I enjoyed learning more about you and your work.
Great interview.
Fantastic questions, George. And heather, I love your inspiring quotes about women meeting the challenges of the world.
Thank you both,
Pamela Ruth Meyer
Hey, regular book-books, The Wizard of Oz, and dedication to perfecting your writing craft…. It sounds like you’ve got a real goo grasp on things. Best of luck with your book series.
Great interview. I llike her take on what makes a good story (The Wizard of Oz – one of my favorite books and movies of all time). Her books sound appealing. (My goodness, she’s prolific!)