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Tracey's writing draws from her experience as an Army Reserve paramedic and exposure to helicopter medevac (she obtained her helicopter pilot license in 2001). She is an avid motorcyclist and owns a motorcycle accessories business (Leader Motorcycle Accessories). Her hobbies include music, Taiko drumming and outdoor activities of all kinds. She lives in small-town Minnesota with her husband and two young children.


Writing Awards/Commendations:
Media/Press Interviews/Reviews: See Below
Reader Comments: Click here


Click to view (format: MSWord)
Last Chance Rescue Overview
Interview Questions with Answers
Tracey Cramer-Kelly Biography
Last Chance Rescue Reviews


Sample Interview Questions:

What inspired you to write "Last Chance Rescue"?
What is most compelling about the setting of Last Chance Rescue?
Last Chance Rescue is written mostly from Brad's point of view. Why did you decide to write from a male perspective?
How does your background in the military impact your writing?
You are also a helicopter pilot. How did you become interested in flying helicopters?
How does your background as a paramedic impact your writing?
"Last Chance Rescue" is your debut novel. What other writing projects are you working on?
I understand you have a fun twist to your next novel. Can you tell me about that?
You own a motorcycle accessories business, and are an avid motorcycle rider. Does that aspect of your life show up in your writing?
With a business to run and a young family-children aged 6 and 2-how do you find time to write?


REVIEWED by Rhode Island Roads!

When I read the preface about this novel being a romance book, I was a little reluctant to read it at first. I’ve had my fill of gushy, sickly sweet romance novels and I just didn’t want to read another one, but I committed myself to read the book, so I did. Surprisingly, I found myself not able to put the book down once I started reading it. I wasn’t expecting such an action-packed book, full of vivid imagery, knowledge about rescue maneuvers and extraordinary character development.

The first few chapters describe in great detail what an actual rescue mission was like, right down to the finest details of the language used by real rescue teams, helicopter pilots and medics. It was quite clear to me that the author had a very knowledgeable background in this area that made the reading even more enjoyable because it was fact; detail upon detail of terminology and information that only a well-trained person would know.

Taking place in the Colorado Rockies, Brad Sievers comes in contact with an old friend, Jessie Van Dyke, at their high school reunion. Realizing that he was missing something in his career in advertising, he joined Jesse on one of her rescue missions and decided to make it his new career. In search of his own fulfillment, Brad was finally able to feel that he could do something that would actually make a real difference in someone’s life. Jessie, on the other hand, was an experienced rescuer and had already made many rescue missions that changed peoples lives forever.

Jessie and Brad become good friends during their work and actually ‘rescued’ each other through some very difficult times. Neither one wanted to admit their feelings for each other for fear of being hurt again and demons arising from both of their pasts. When Brad nearly died from a fall himself, Jessie finally realized that she truly loved Brad. Brad was still struggling with his feelings, not sure if it was love or just a strong attachment to his rescuer from the fall who happened to be Jesse. One night when Jessie went missing at the Last Chance Rescue horse ranch, Brad’s true feelings for Jessie were finally revealed. Both Jessie and Brad had to battle their own demons from the past, but once that was done, their love for each other was everlasting.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone that likes action-packed, never-ending adventure with a roller coaster romance thrown in the middle of it all. It is well written from the author’s medi-vac and pilot experience making the flow of the book superb. The characters’ development and self-discovery throughout the book transitioned satisfactorily from one chapter to the other.

Plain and simple, it was a great book! (Link to article)


INTERVIEWED by Maine Outdoors!

Topics include writing from a male perspective and why men would enjoy the book (the interviewers were both men) and why I don't consider myself a tomboy even though I 'write like a man'!

Also: my experience as a military medic; why I decided to become a helicopter pilot (and how I ended up doing ride-alongs with Dick Chaney's Secret Service team!); the idea behind the book (how a major wake-up call can change a life); issues I like to explore in my writing (internal struggles with past/intimacy/regrets or unreasonable fears); and how I use the setting/physical danger to develop the characters.

The interview is about 18 minutes long (although commercials take up minutes 3-6!). You can listen to it here (note: you may want to save it to your desktop and open it from there).


REVIEWED in Helicopter Life Magazine!

"Last Chance Rescue is a very interesting behind the scenes look at a life-style very few people, even helicopter pilots, get to experience, and has a very genuine feel to the rescues and problems which paramedics face..." READ THE COMPLETE REVIEW


REVIEWED in FireHouse Magazine!

First up is a most pleasant surprise as well as being an enjoyable read: Last Chance Rescue: A Story of Rescue and Romance in the Rocky Mountains. The author, U.S. National Guard Flight Paramedic Tracey Cramer-Kelly, reached out to me by e-mail and pitched her self-published book. She explained it was a cross between a modern-day romance and a rescue tale.

Alarm bells went off in my head as I read her words. Key phrases like Romance, aka Bodice Ripper, went through my mind along with serious concerns about a self-published book. Mind you, there are a number of good to very good self-published books on the market, but it has been my experience that the majority of them would have been much better with the services of a good editor.

I am very pleased to say that Tracey Cramer-Kelly is an excellent writer. Well-crafted plot, storyline and character development that is consistent throughout and a very plausible, satisfying and realistic ending to the tale. A man in his 20s is dissatisfied with his life and decides to make a clean break of things and head out to a mountain town in Colorado, where he runs into a woman who was a friend in high school. She is a paramedic and very involved with the local search and rescue team.

Their first get-together is interrupted by coming upon a serious car accident. The accident is quite accurately depicted along with the treatments, both what was done and quite frankly also what couldn't be done with a personal BLS jump kit, and had the feel of someone who had actually been there. Rather a nicely presented handling of an emergency that impressed our young man, who in turn is introduced to the rescue team and eventually, bit by bit, gets more and more involved with the team. Training up and going out on various missions, and, oh yeah, a budding romance with a few speed bumps along the way. To tell more is to give away too much of the story. I found Last Chance Rescue to be a very entertaining read by someone who's been there.
READ THE COMPLETE REVIEW


REVIEWED in Feathered Quill!

The two snowmobilers were probably high-marking it, but it would be the last time for one of them. Brad got a glimpse of the man’s mangled face just before they covered him, but it didn’t deter him from wanting to try his hand at search-and-rescue. Maybe it was the fact that he no longer had a job or, if he really thought about it, it could be Jesse van Dyke. He’d known her practically since they were babes in arms, but well... things change...

Jessie had secrets and they were as deep, dark and turbulent as a Colorado Rocky ravine at night. A tour of Iraq left its mark, but things like helping deliver Mistletoe’s foal, Holly, on the ranch and her dedication to her job did seem to breathe a little life back into her soul. Every positive attribute that could be slapped on a woman Jess could lay claim to save one, and that was a sense of peace. Brad couldn’t seem to get anywhere with her and found old man jealousy smacking him upside the head whenever he thought another man like Drew loved her...

Told from Brad’s point of view, it was a nice change of pace to find an emotionally vulnerable man instead of a man totally devoid of feelings pretending to be a tough guy...We’ve got a winner!
READ THE COMPLETE REVIEW


REVIEWED in Long and Short Reviews!

“You rescued me, and I don’t mean just from the mountain.” The how, where, when, and why of this quotation is the essence of this beautiful love story that is full of action, emotion, introspection, and sharing of life.

The learning to love oneself in order to truly love another who will give love in return is another compelling part of this novel. In addition, the acceptance of others and their limitations comes into play as the main characters come to terms with issues that cause deep-seated anger, guilt, and feelings of self-doubt.

The main characters, Brad and Jessie, share an enviable ability to communicate with each other about their inmost emotions as they come to realize the other’s unconditional acceptance. Their story is full of faith, friends, and family along with fear, fun, and their own special friendship—a type of friendship so often missing in male/female relationships.

Brad Sievers, a laid-off advertising agent, has used money, prestige, and being associated with the “right” people as a gauge for success for ten years, but he has never realized a sense of fulfillment. When Jessie Van Dyke, a schoolmate from kindergarten through high school, says she never thought of him being that shallow, he takes a hard look at his life. She says she always saw him as a sensitive, caring person that was a little unsure of himself and attractively shy.

The reader gets a front row seat to his changes in life style, a style full of action, true friends, and a commitment to help others while coming to terms with longtime issues with his father. More importantly, the reader gets to watch a truly special friendship and love develop as the hero and heroine survive both physical and emotional upheavals.

Jessie Van Dyke’s life the past ten years has left her with lots of emotional scars and unresolved issues. She also carries a load of guilt that is not hers to claim. Her feeling of responsible for taking care of others makes her an excellent medic, while in Iraq and while working Search and Rescue. However, it leaves emotional wounds when she cannot always succeed in saving a life. She is a complex character that the reader gets to see grow in wisdom and understanding as she deals with her own demons and while becoming an important part of Brad’s life.

Tracey Cramer-Kelly gives the reader some intense, realistic Search and Rescue scenes while she creates memorable characters that deal with life and death issues along with so many other emotion stressors in modern day society. Her secondary characters add new dimensions to the story as they interact with Brad and Jessie.

The psychology and philosophy imparted through the development of the characters’ self-awareness and self-acceptance make LAST CHANCE RESCUE a story that gives serious food for thought. However, most of all, the remarkable relationship she creates for Brad and Jessie makes this a provocative story—a story I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

Just a note: The layout of this book adds to the pleasure of reading it.


INTERVIEW/REVIEW in Rapid City Journal!

It's hard to pin Minnesota native Tracey Cramer-Kelly down to any particular standard. As a self-described "non-traditional mom," Cramer-Kelly, 39, has a helicopter pilot's license, is a former reservist with the Army National Guard and manages her and her husband's motorcycle accessories business, Leader MotorSports. And she's written and published a 252-page debut novel within the last year.

"Women with young kids have to make a particular effort to do the things they like," Cramer-Kelly said. "They're at home, and reading is an escape as much as anything else. I wanted to bring them into a whole different world."

Cramer-Kelly has been writing almost as long as she's been riding motorcycles, which she began with her father when she was 11 years old. Although she took a break from writing in her early college years to pursue other creative hobbies - like joining a rock band - Cramer-Kelly picked up writing again after her son was born. She said she had four novels started, and decided to take the one that was farthest along and finish it. After two years of solid work, "Last Chance Rescue" was the result.

"Last Chance Rescue" follows Brad Sievers, an advertising executive, as he grows closer to former classmate Jessie Van Dyke, a search-and-rescue team member. The novel draws on Cramer-Kelly's experiences as an Army reservist and her medevac training.

Although it's often categorized as a romance, Cramer-Kelly said she tends to call the novel "adventure fiction." "Men like the book, too. It has an adventurous spirit," she said.

Cramer-Kelly self-published "Last Chance Rescue" through Createspace.com in 2008, and has sold a few hundred copies. She said she hadn't been actively publicizing her novel until recently because she's been busy with Leader MotorSports on the vendor show circuit.

Recently, "Last Chance Rescue" was named a finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards and Cramer-Kelly called the nomination a "kick in the pants." "I think it legitimized it, and that I should be writing another one," she said. "It's not just me that thinks it's good, and now my other stories need to be told."

Even though she enjoys writing, Cramer-Kelly said she wouldn't give up her motorcycle accessories business for writing. "It's a lot of work," she said. "I never want to write full-time. It's just part of the mix."

Leader MotorSports will be at the Monkey Rock throughout the week, and will have a few copies of the novel on hand. It can also be ordered through Cramer-Kelly's Web site, www.lastchancerescuebook.com.

READ THE COMPLETE REVIEW


REVIEWED in GRIPPED: The Climbing Magazine!

Cramer-Kelly injects some mountain culture into the romantic novel genre and the results don't break the genre's mould, but will provide some guilty pleasure to climbers who like, well, romantic novels. Brad Sievers is pulled away from an unfulfilling life as an advertising executive after a rapprochement with the wholesome and dependable Jessie Van Dyke at his high school reunion in Minnesota. Brad has an epiphany when she takes him on a rescue mission in the Colorado Rockies and suddenly realizes how superficial his life has become. He joins a search and rescue team in the Rockies, where Jessie runs a ranch for rescued horses. There, he rediscovers his lust for life -- and Jessie. Anorexia, abusive boyfriends, Iraq veterans and sick horses all keep the melodrama at a level more intense than the average Himalayan epic.


INTERVIEW/REVIEW in Women's Outdoor Wire!

A veteran of the Iraq war and part of a search and rescue team in the Rocky Mountains, Jessie is complex and guarded. She bumps into Brad, a successful advertising executive who is going through a pre-midlife crisis, at their high school class reunion. When Jessie challenges his superficial lifestyle, he takes it to heart. A 180 degree career change finds him as a member of Jessie's helicopter-based search-and-rescue team in the Colorado Rockies where he faces the dangers of being a first responder and the vulnerabilities that come with a deepening relationship.

Tracey not only creates interesting characters, she is one herself. When I asked her if the story was based on her life, she admitted to running into a classmate she hadn't seen in a decade at her high school reunion. She also used the understanding she gained from her training as a medic in the Army Reserves while the river rescue scenes in the book borrow from her experiences in hobbies such as kayaking and whitewater river rafting.

"The search and rescue scenes in the book gave me lots of leeway to develop characters," Tracey said. "Brad has a successful life but he knows something is missing. He has an accidental encounter that forces him to look at why he feels so empty."

As part of a first responder team, the two main characters in the book also learn to become friends before taking their relationship to a higher level. The idea of friendship before sex was one that resonated with younger woman and Tracey said she's glad that readers of all ages are finding different take-home messages from her book.

Tracey began writing in high school. However, her voracious appetite for adventure took her away from writing for awhile but filled her life with the kind of experiences that would be the envy of any writer.

To pay her way through college, Tracey joined the Army National Guard and trained as an EMT and a paramedic. She got her helicopter pilot license in 2001, has flown with a medevac team in Idaho and has been active in the Whirly-Girls, a group dedicated to the advancement of women in helicopter aviation.

Tracey and her husband Tim manage a motorcycle accessories business. In addition to her other outdoor hobbies, such as downhill and cross country skiing, water skiing and flying, Tracey is also a biker chic. Her love of motorcycles began when she was 16 years old and today rides a Kawasaki Vulcan 900 and admits to getting a new motorcycle more often than she should.

How she manages to fit all these hobbies plus writing a book into her life is fodder for a mystery novel. Tracey is also a mother to a son who is six years old and a 21-month old daughter. "Last Chance Rescue" took her two years to finish because she could only write from 9 pm to 11 pm and that was only if the motorcycle business wasn't hopping as it has a tendency to do in spring and summer. If that's not manic enough, her daughter was born in the middle of the writing project.

Even though Tracey said she never seems to have enough of it, time is both an obstacle and a gift.

"Each day I wake up and God has gifted me with another day and another opportunity. I ask myself, am I spending my days on what really matters? As women, we do a lot of serving and nurturing but sometimes we can take it overboard. We are here to serve, but achieving that balance is a tricky thing. I like to go for a ride on my motorcycle when I'm stressed out."

Tracey has her hands full achieving balance as she is already working on her second book. Tracey actually had four books in various stages when she took up writing again in 2006. And her next novel will delve into the life of Jessie's ex-husband, who is mentioned in "Last Chance Rescue." Tracey hopes to connect her first several novels in this way.

As we head into summer, many of you are looking for a good read to enjoy at the beach, your campsite or while on vacation. "Last Chance Rescue" offers adventure and insight into how two people can find meaning in their lives...
READ THE COMPLETE REVIEW


INTERVIEW/REVIEW in Anoka Union, Blaine-Spring Lake Park Life and Coon Rapids Herald magazines!

"If you’ve never been on a helicopter ride or tagged along on a medical rescue in the mountains, now’s your chance to hitch a vicarious ride on an adventurous voyage."

Tracey Cramer-Kelly of St. Francis draws from her eclectic background of Army National Guard paramedic, helicopter pilot and a savvy entrepreneur for her first book “Last Chance Rescue,” a story of rescue and romance in the Rockies.

Cramer-Kelly classifies the 251-page book as adventure fiction. “Last Chance” is about Brad Sievers, an advertising executive who runs into Jessie Van Dyke at his high school reunion. He is both drawn to and challenged by Jessie at the same time. “As Brad acclimates to the high-flying, pulse-pounding existence of a helicopter-based mountain search-and-rescue squad, what started as a whim (surprising Jessie by showing up in Colorado) is turning into something far more serious – and dangerous – for them both,” Cramer-Kelly writes about her book.

Cramer-Kelly joined the Minnesota National Guard and served from 1988 to 1993, to pay for college. She was trained as an EMT and paramedic. During her stint, she took part in battlefield simulations. She seized on an opportunity to participate in medevacs flying missions, where rescuers in helicopters pick up injured people. “I got a chance to fly in them, and, man I was hooked,” Cramer-Kelly said.

At the age of 20, she vowed to get her helicopter pilot’s license by the time she was 30. One month before she turned 31, she got her wish. Years later, while interviewing a member of the Whirly-Girls, a group dedicated to the advancement of women in helicopter aviation, an Idaho woman invited her to participate in a helicopter search-and-rescue practice – more background for Cramer-Kelly’s book. (The simulation exercises turned out to be for Vice President Dick Cheney.) As part of the team, Cramer-Kelly started the river rescue practice at 7 a.m. “By the end of the day, I was so exhausted, but my brain was buzzing,” she said. “It was really inspiring as far as sparking creativity.”

Cramer-Kelly believes all of her experiences have come together to create the writer in her. Always the entrepreneur, Cramer-Kelly, who describes herself as a “biker chick,” now owns and operates a motorcycle accessories business that she runs from her home. The off-peak winter season allows her time to work on a craft she loves – writing...

Cramer-Kelly hopes the characters in her book resonate with the readers. Search and rescuers must face people dying. They are sometimes people’s only hope. And they work under treacherous circumstances. “They put their lives on the line; they put their hearts on the line,” Cramer-Kelly said of the rescuers. The book brings insight into to what amounts to life-changing and important work, much of which is essentially volunteer work, she said.
READ THE COMPLETE REVIEW


REVIEWED in Midwest Book Review!

Put it off for too long, and it may be too late. "Last Chance Rescue: A Story of Rescue and Romance in the Rocky Mountains" is a novel blending adventure and romance. Brad Sievers is a search-and-rescuer team member, and Jessie Van Dyke is his good friend. But friendship seems to soon become too weak of a word for it, as a disaster finds Jessie missing and Brad wanting to use the L word. Last Chance Rescue is an attractive novel that will be well enjoyed by many a reader.
READ THE COMPLETE REVIEW


INTERVIEW/REVIEW in HomeFront Magazine!

Based on the author's personal experiences and inspired by the self-help book "For Women Only: What You Need to Know about the Inner Lives of Men," by Shaunti Feldhahn, "Last Chance Rescue," is Tracey Cramer-Kelly's first novel and tells the story of a man who's life is changed when he meets a former high school classmate and female Iraq war veteran.

"As a military veteran and former paramedic who is now a mother of two, I wanted to put into words the experiences military personnel have lived through but find hard to explain in the context of everyday life," Cramer said, adding that while "Last Chance Rescue" is fiction, it is in many ways the story of military veterans and their families around the world. Brad Sievers, the speaker in "Last Chance Rescue," is reunited with Jessie Van Dyke, a former classmate and active-duty Army paramedic who served in the Iraq war. Both characters are troubled by events the occurred in their past - experiences in Iraq, trust and intimacy issues - but something is awakened when the two begin working together as part of a search-and-rescue team in the Rocky Mountain region of Colorado.

"The story is really about the transformation of Brad and Jessie because she has a lot of baggage from her time in Iraq - what she experienced, what she saw, the friends she lost - and she's dealing with a fear of intimacy. And Brad has regrets about life experiences. They learn to trust each other in this search-and-rescue team environment," Cramer said.

Cramer was inspired to write "Last Chance Rescue" from a male perspective after reading Shaunti Feldhahn's "For Women Only: What You Need to Know about the Inner Lives of Men." "I read it at the right time when I was kind of thinking how I would write the story," Cramer said, adding that the gender barrier was not a challenge since she has always naturally gravitated toward male friends. "When I was in the military I had a lot of male co-workers and I naturally gravitated toward male friends and part of it was because I'm not the "tea-and-gab session" kind of gal. I like to bond like men do, playing basketball or something physical."

Released last year, "Last Chance Rescue," has been lauded on the book's Web site by readers and critics for its intense, true-to-life rescue scenes and intimate portrayal of life as a military veteran.
TO VIEW THIS PUBLICATION, CLICK ON HOMEFRONT



REVIEWED in Wings of Gold!

"This is a story about a search and rescue team and its adventures in the Colorado Rockies. The author, like her protagonist Jessie, is a military veteran trained in rescue operations (five years as an Army National Guard paramedic -- earning her helicopter pilot license in 2001). Jessie is an independent type. She has lived alone and worked wtih a SAR team since returning from Iraq. When she meets up with Brad, an old high school buddy, at a reunion, her life takes a turn. There is romance mixed with true to life rescue scenes in the high country."


Special Thanks To...

The Tribune in Greeley, Colorado for recommending "Last Chance Rescue" in the Adventure Items!

Carrie at Words to Mouth for spotlighting "Last Chance Rescue" in Across Carrie's Desk. Words to Mouth is a blog and companion Internet talk show introducing new book releases and their authors to a community interested in excellent writing that may not necessarily top the New York Times Bestseller List -- Yet!