July Author of the Month
When a failed romance and a $500,000 prize lure Kate Carson into participating in the reality TV show, Traces, the least she expects is to pick her partner. After all, she’s the PR spokeswoman of the company that derived a thirteen-lens, rotating camera from military use and installed it atop Atlanta’s tallest skyscraper. But she never would have chosen to evade techno hunters for twenty days with “G.I. Joe.”
Stoic, ex-military Alex Mitchell is the sort of man she always vowed to avoid, while the shadows of Alex’s past cause him to spurn emotional involvement. When Kate’s insider knowledge makes her a target of someone more threatening than game show hunters, Alex offers her only hope to reveal the dark plans of proponents of The Eye.
Stoic, ex-military Alex Mitchell is the sort of man she always vowed to avoid, while the shadows of Alex’s past cause him to spurn emotional involvement. When Kate’s insider knowledge makes her a target of someone more threatening than game show hunters, Alex offers her only hope to reveal the dark plans of proponents of The Eye.
Interview with Denise Weimer
and Kate & Alex
#1. What was the inspiration for this book?
The idea for Traces began with a reality TV show that ran only one season in the U.S. (2017), but it captured my attention because I recognized many of the filming locations here in Georgia. The U.S. version of Hunted was an offshoot of the original, ongoing British version. In both shows, contestants seek to evade skilled investigators for a set amount of time in a set area in order to win a cash prize. Due to the long arm of technology, staying “off the radar” is much harder than they think when they need to get money and travel.
The idea for Traces began with a reality TV show that ran only one season in the U.S. (2017), but it captured my attention because I recognized many of the filming locations here in Georgia. The U.S. version of Hunted was an offshoot of the original, ongoing British version. In both shows, contestants seek to evade skilled investigators for a set amount of time in a set area in order to win a cash prize. Due to the long arm of technology, staying “off the radar” is much harder than they think when they need to get money and travel.
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The second piece of Traces was The Eye, technology that may seem futuristic but for all intents and purposes already exists. Constant Hawk was developed in the early 2000s at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The wide-area motion imagery (WAMI) system weighed around 1500 pounds and was flown on manned aircraft in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The technology from Constant Hawk has continued to evolve. Brazilian officials mounted four Simera cameras on weather balloons and small blimps to surveille the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Thirteen full-motion cameras capable of zoom captured real-time footage with sixty times the resolution of high definition at three frames per second. |
From these examples of existing WAMI systems, it’s not hard to picture one being installed on a skyscraper. That type of surveillance makes some feel secure, but for others, it would represent a total loss of freedom. A perfect and unique setting for a suspense novel.
#2. How long did it take to finish writing this book?
Hm, I don’t even remember! Not very long, probably a couple of months. Writing contemporaries is generally much quicker than historicals, although there was extra research for this one with the technology involved. And lots of funny searches on my computer (i.e. “how to evade surveillance cameras”). What took the longest for Traces was that it was rewritten several times. I’d originally written it in first person, Kate’s POV. Then, at the suggestion of my agent, I redid it in third person, his/hers. Really challenging to give scenes to Alex that started not only in Kate’s head, but in her voice as well!
Hm, I don’t even remember! Not very long, probably a couple of months. Writing contemporaries is generally much quicker than historicals, although there was extra research for this one with the technology involved. And lots of funny searches on my computer (i.e. “how to evade surveillance cameras”). What took the longest for Traces was that it was rewritten several times. I’d originally written it in first person, Kate’s POV. Then, at the suggestion of my agent, I redid it in third person, his/hers. Really challenging to give scenes to Alex that started not only in Kate’s head, but in her voice as well!
#3. What made you choose some of the specific locations in this book?
I answered part of this in #1, but to give a bit more detail, the story starts in Atlanta. Alex and Kate have to remain within the city’s perimeter for a certain amount of time before moving out into the smaller towns and countryside.
I answered part of this in #1, but to give a bit more detail, the story starts in Atlanta. Alex and Kate have to remain within the city’s perimeter for a certain amount of time before moving out into the smaller towns and countryside.
Kate Carson
#4. What is your greatest strength and your greatest flaw? I know how to put a spin on things. That’s both my greatest strength and my greatest flaw. As a PR exec, I sell the concept of safety to the public about the surveillance systems my company, SurveyCorp, builds. But that ends up putting me in grave danger when I learn too much. And in my personal life, I’m used to employing my looks and my skill with words to get my way. Neither prove successful with Alex, the ex-military security guard I get partnered with for the Traces reality TV show. Alex seems to see beyond my put-together façade to the insecurity that comes from my fear of failure—past and future. Maybe that’s because he has his own secret failures.
Alex Mitchell
#5. What do you hope that people will learn from your story?
I hope that people will learn you can’t run from your past. No amount of tough exterior or trying to redeem yourself will work. The things you want to hide will come out, and the things you don’t want to deal with will come back to bite you. Hard. So admit your failures, get the help you need, and reach out to God right now. The result you imagine from facing the skeletons in your closet is not near as bad as the running. In fact, it just might be a blessing in disguise.
I hope that people will learn you can’t run from your past. No amount of tough exterior or trying to redeem yourself will work. The things you want to hide will come out, and the things you don’t want to deal with will come back to bite you. Hard. So admit your failures, get the help you need, and reach out to God right now. The result you imagine from facing the skeletons in your closet is not near as bad as the running. In fact, it just might be a blessing in disguise.
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#6. What part of the writing process do you like the least?
I enjoy all parts of the writing process. It’s the marketing that’s hard, especially in today’s world where there are so many books out there. It’s a real challenge to let folks know about your book releases without inundating them or begging them! LOL. It was especially hard for those of us who had spring 2020 releases at the height of coronavirus. You’d think folks would be reading more, but for a time, fear and anxiety seemed to stall even e-book sales. I had another spring release as well, Spring Splash, a feel-good, contemporary romance/sports fiction. https://www.amazon.com/Spring-Splash-Denise-Weimer-ebook/dp/B0845LXMHP/ |
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#7. Tell us something funny, sad, embarrassing, whatever, that has happened in your life as writer.
Okay, let’s go for sad and embarrassing. The publishing house that was debuting my very first novel of my Georgia Gold Series folded right as the novel released, and I was left holding the bag. Folks who had ordered books weren’t able to get them, and I was scrambling to place orders myself. I had to explain to everyone why the novel wasn’t going to release, after all. It took me over a year to find another publisher for the series. During that time, I had to come to the place where I told God I was willing to set aside my dreams of becoming a published author and pursue something else if that was what He wanted. Now, many years later, I have over ten traditionally novels published plus several novellas in collections, and I also got to fulfill my other dream, being a historical imprints editor! If he gifts you, He will equip you and open the doors when the time is right.
Okay, let’s go for sad and embarrassing. The publishing house that was debuting my very first novel of my Georgia Gold Series folded right as the novel released, and I was left holding the bag. Folks who had ordered books weren’t able to get them, and I was scrambling to place orders myself. I had to explain to everyone why the novel wasn’t going to release, after all. It took me over a year to find another publisher for the series. During that time, I had to come to the place where I told God I was willing to set aside my dreams of becoming a published author and pursue something else if that was what He wanted. Now, many years later, I have over ten traditionally novels published plus several novellas in collections, and I also got to fulfill my other dream, being a historical imprints editor! If he gifts you, He will equip you and open the doors when the time is right.
Denise Weimer
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Denise Weimer writes historical and contemporary romance and romantic suspense set in her home state of Georgia. She’s authored over ten published novels and a number of novellas. As a managing editor for the historical imprints of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, she also helps others reach their publishing dreams. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise always pauses for coffee, chocolate, and old houses.
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It's Time For A Giveaway!
Denise is generously giving away an e-book copy of Traces.