Traces Blog Tour: Author Interview + Giveaway

 

Welcome to the Blog Tour & Giveaway for Traces by Denise Weimer, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

Title: Traces
Author: Denise Weimer
Publisher: BLING! Romance
Release Date: March 5, 2020
Genre: Inspirational Romantic Suspense

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.

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookDepository  

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Denise Weimer writes historical and contemporary romance and romantic suspense set in her home state of Georgia. She’s authored eleven published novels and a number of novellas. As a managing editor at Smitten Historical Romance and Heritage Beacon Fiction, 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.

CONNECT WITH DENISE: Website | Facebook | Twitter  

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Hi Denise! Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions and giving my readers the chance to get to know you and your book-Traces- a little bit better. I always like to begin these interviews the same way with something fun… tell us 5 random facts about yourself that we WON’T find in your bio!

Wow! Great intro! Why is this the hardest question to answer? LOL.

1.    I’ve been a swim mom for over 15 years.2.    I’m getting ready to be an empty nester. (Pray for me!)

3.    I have a cockapoo named Lucy who might be the sweetest dog on the planet.

4.    I used to lead a mid-1800s dance group.

5.    Don’t hate me, but I’m that person who prefers mountains to beach.

Let’s talk writing! When did you first discover that you had a passion for writing?

Around age 11. My parents took me to historic sites across the Southeast. The old houses and towns intrigued me. I had to channel my active imagination somewhere (none of my friends wanted to play Barbies anymore!), so I started writing stories and reading them to my mom. She encouraged me to continue.

You have written quite a variety of books across several genres- historical to contemporary, romance to suspense. Is there a particular genre that you would say is your favorite to write?

As I shared, I began with historicals, and now I serve as managing editor for the historical imprints of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolianas, so that genre will always claim a prominent place in my affections. I absolutely adore Eastern frontier, Colonial romances. There’s so much danger, beauty, and conflict inherent in the setting! But there is also something freeing about writing contemporary stories. They force me as an author to dig deeper into the characters. And there’s definitely less research! 

Can you tell us a little bit about Traces?

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.

I love a good suspense book, but I’m always curious about the story behind the story! Where did the inspiration for this story come from? Was there any particular research that went into creating Traces?

The idea for Traces began with a British reality TV show that ran only one season in the U.S., but the filming locations near my home in Georgia captured my attention. To win a cash prize, teams of volunteers evade skilled investigators for a set amount of time in a set area. They have to find creative ways to stay off the radar as they pay for things and travel.

The second piece of Traces was The Eye, technology that may seem futuristic but pretty much already exists. Constant Hawk, a wide-area motion imagery (WAMI) system, was developed in the early 2000s and flown on manned aircraft in Iraq and Afghanistan. The technology continued to evolve. Brazilian officials mounted four Simera cameras on weather balloons and small blimps to surveille the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

It’s not hard to picture a similar system 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.

And yes, my research on “how to evade surveillance” would’ve looked very suspicious to anyone combing through my search history!

What do you hope readers will take away from this book? 

My hero and heroine are both running long before they join the cast of the reality TV show. Their flight mentality is largely metaphorical. Both are hounded by past failures, Kate by perfectionism, and Alex by fear of responsibility in the future. The humorous, awkward, and sometimes painful situations their journey puts them in forces them to face their issues. Sometimes we need to slow down and take an accounting of what’s driving us. Then apply God’s grace and healing so we can run in the direction HE wants us to.

I have found that writers are so often some of the best readers too. If we were to take a look at your TBR, what might we find there?

I like to say my TBR stack should be called my TBE (“to-be-edited”) stack, since I spend much of the time I’m not working on my own writing and marketing working on projects for others. I do enjoy slipping in reads for author endorsements when I can, or just reading for pleasure and to review the writing of friends.

Thank you again for taking the time to answer my questions. Before we go, can you give us an idea on what we can look forward to next? Any projects you are currently working on that you can share?

My agent is currently shopping both a time slip romantic suspense novel and one of those frontier romances I adore, set during the War of 1812 but among the Americans, Creeks, and Cherokees. I’m also part of several collections in various stages of production—some contemporary and some historical. Right now, I’m just waiting on God to open the next door.

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(1) winner will receive a print copy of Traces and Fall Flip by Denise Weimer plus a $25 Amazon gift card!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule shown below. Giveaway will begin at midnight March 9, 2020 and last through 11:59 PM EST on March 16, 2020. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US mailing addresses only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

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