April 15, 2009 | Category: Women Who Inspire
"Last Chance Rescue" Author Tracey Cramer-Kelly
 Tracey Cramer-Kelly, a self avowed biker chic, also loves to ski, fly helicopters, kayak and go whitewater river rafting. |
By Tammy Sapp
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.
In college, Tracey majored in business management, but wishes she had gotten a communications degrees.
"I grew up thinking success was about money and climbing the corporate ladder. For most people, that won't give you a sense of fulfillment. I was in a corporate job. Now I like going to work every day," Tracey said.
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. You can read an excerpt from Tracey's book at her Web site www.lastchancerescuebook.com.
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.
In college, Tracey majored in business management, but wishes she had gotten a communications degrees.
"I grew up thinking success was about money and climbing the corporate ladder. For most people, that won't give you a sense of fulfillment. I was in a corporate job. Now I like going to work every day," Tracey said.
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. You can read an excerpt from Tracey's book at her Web site www.lastchancerescuebook.com.