Wow...November was crazy! I had an author signing at my son's school (that's me with fellow author Cheri Andrews!). Last Chance Rescue was in a "which description makes you MOST want to read..." contest (placed 4th out of 10) and the book trailer was in a video contest (placed 3rd out of 20!). And I was a guest at many Web sites during my "virtual tour." I did a lot of 'virtual talking'! And I posted tidbits of the interviews on my blog every day. The hosts asked some really great questions, so check out the "BLOGGER KARMA" topics (below right), or go straight to my blog. I've pulled one of the topics for your reading pleasure below. All my Best, Tracey Cramer-Kelly, Author REVIEW: THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT "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." To read the complete review, click here. HOW I GOT INTO FLYING HELICOPTERS I have the Army to thank for my love of helicopters. But no, the Army did not train me to fly helicopters. It was a much more circuitous route... I joined the National Guard when I was 17. It was not for any life-long dream of being a soldier, certainly. My purpose for joining was to pay for college (it never occurred to me that I could actually be sent to some other country) and the GI Bill seemed like a pretty good deal. The Army trained me as a medic and an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician). I was not a good soldier…but I loved being a paramedic. Where I responded to Army 'regiment' with near-distain, what I was trained for had the opposite effect: I liked splinting a broken leg. Inserting an IV. Dressing a sucking chest wound. One weekend a month I was a grunt soldier and a token medic. But for two weeks in the summer I was a soldier medic. And during our two-week training of my third year in the Guard, I took part in a mock battlefield exercise that changed my life (although I didn't know it at the time). I had gained enough rank and experience to be assigned triage duty 'on the field.' After treating the victims on the ground, I found myself air-lifted out of the 'battlefield' in a helicopter. It was love at first experience. And I thought to myself: 'I am going to be a flight medic.' So I got certified and worked a few shifts at a civilian ambulance service. I figured it was a good gig: work on my homework during down time and get paid for it. I can handle blood, guts and gore. What I don't do well with-and what I hadn't counted on-was the vomit. The battlefield of 20 years ago was all about blood and guts; the ambulance on the civilian street was more about drunks, overdoses and trauma to which the human body's natural response was...you guessed it...vomit. It was also lots of boredom, punctuated by periods of utter chaos. I handled the chaos better than the boredom, I think. So, at the grand old age of 20, I gave up the idea of working as a flight paramedic, and set a different goal for myself: I would be the PILOT. I would learn to fly a helicopter-and I would do it before I turned 30 (which seemed like a long way off at the time). And since I had no intention of staying in the Army, I would do it myself. I was 29 when I started on this BHAG ("Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal") and one month shy of 31 when I got my license. It was truly one of the hardest things I've ever done! It's also very expensive, which is why I haven't flown a helicopter in a few years. Recently, I started taking lessons for my fixed-wing add-on-but the helicopter is still my 'first flying love.' My writing is heavily influenced by the time I spent in the military and by the medical training I received there. But when I became a helicopter pilot, it opened new relationships with some amazing people-and Last Chance Rescue really came together after I did some ride-alongs with medevac and search-and-rescue. Indie Award Finalist Last Chance Rescue 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. BOOKS AS A GIFT... Why not share Last Chance Rescue with your friends? I'll even customize it with any name and/or message you'd like! Click here to order! REVIEWED BY RI ROADS Here's part of what Linda at Rhode Island Roads had to say about "Last Chance Rescue": I was a little reluctant to read [Last Chance Rescue] at first. I've had my fill of gushy, sickly sweet romance novels and I just didn't want to read another one. 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... 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! To read the complete review, click here. INSPIRATION "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth..." Nathan just had his 7th birthday - and has made a killing with the tooth fairy lately! BLOGGER KARMA Review of 'The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell' by John Crawford On dreaming BIG Writing sex scenes What I like to drink while writing Setting: why the Colorado Rockies? The hardest thing about writing How I met my husband Defining moments as a writer Favorite words: ‘discombobulated’ and ‘caddywampus’ Does writing from a male point of view make me a tomboy? Visit My Blog Here! WHY YOU ARE RECEIVING THIS You received this because you (or someone you know) signed you up on my Web site. You can always unsubscribe using the link below. CONTACT http://www.lastchancerescue.com/ LCRescue@gmail.com AUTHOR BLOG! Facebook Page SquiDoo "Lens" LinkedIn Page Order here or on Amazon.com! To unsubscribe please Click Here