Interview with Jessie Van Dyke, Iraq war veteran, paramedic and search-and-rescue team member

And here is another peek behind the scenes of Last Chance Rescue (psst: buy it today!)...

So, what were you doing before Last Chance Rescue?
I spent twelve months in Iraq as a paramedic before moving to Colorado, and I'd been in Colorado for a couple years when this all started.

What was Iraq like?
I don't like to talk about it much. It was pretty intense.

Didn't you get married after that?
I don't like to talk about that, either. I'm a pretty private person.

What did you think of Brad when you saw him at the reunion?
I thought he was shallow, but it underneath that I could sense a little vulnerability. I was curious what he'd do if I challenged him on it.

Is that why you took him on that first ride-along?
I could see he wanted it badly, and the guys were like, 'ah, come on, let him come.' It wasn't really my decision; it was the team leader's. It was supposed to be a routine search; Brad was not supposed to see what he saw...

How did he end up on your search-and-rescue team?
I have no idea! I sure never expected him to move to Colorado! Or to get out of advertising altogether. That was a pretty big, hairy, audacious thing to do! But I will say, he's damn good at it.

So what do you do to pay the bills?
I work as a physical therapy assistant. It's a pretty sweet deal. They're supportive of the search-and-rescue team and they cut me a lot of slack.

What do you do with your spare time?
I spend whatever extra time I have at Last Chance Ranch. I even 'adopted' a horse named Mistletoe, who'd been on the Premarin production line. And you won't want to miss the birth of her baby, Holly!

Have you been riding long?
I hadn't the first clue about horses when I moved to Colorado; all I knew was that they were the most magnificent creatures I'd ever seen. When I left the service, I had to make a delivery to Madeline, the owner of Last Chance Ranch -- it was a favor I owed a dead friend -- and the moment I set foot there I knew it was a healing place. Once I learned to ride, I was hooked.

I heard you have a 'thing' for cowboys.
[chuckles] I've always been attracted to cowboys. They have very nice behinds and they tend to be the strong, silent type.

How about a certain cowboy in Last Chance Rescue?
No comment!

Reading Instead of Writing

I did a little of both over the holidays. I usually prefer books over movies, but I loved the movie "Dancing With Wolves." So I finally picked up the sequel, titled "The Holy Road" by Michael Blake.

First off, I think it would be challenging (make that daunting) to write a sequel to a novel that was made into such a popular movie.

Second, this is pretty different: Unlike Dances with Wolves, there is no ‘main character’ in this book. That is both a plus and a minus.

On the plus side, it allows Blake to share several very distinct points of view (from staunch resistance to resigned acquiescence) – which is probably a very accurate depiction of the internal struggles of the Native Americans (considering the history in play here). I was impressed by Blake's ability to do this.

On the minus side, it is difficult to empathize with any one character when you're jumping from one head to another every chapter. For me, the minus over-rode the plus – in the first story I cheered for Dances with Wolves as I got to know him and his deep struggles. Although I could feel respect toward the various characters in this novel, that strong bond between reader and character did not have a chance to form.

(I also thought the book needed a better title - there was very little to do with the railroad ("Holy Road") in this book.)

A Big Thank You! Last Chance Video Ranked #4 in Contest

Just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who voted for my book trailer! I thought you might like to know that the "Last Chance Rescue" mini-movie came in FOURTH place. It missed the top-3 honors list by just 2% ... but out of 20 videos, that ain't bad!

Now that my virtual tour is over, I'm getting back to writing Novel #2 (two hours last night!)...

P.S. If you haven't already done so, become my Facebook "FAN"!

Three "Must Haves" When I Write

1 - QUIET (easier said than done when you have two young children)
2 - No distractions (i.e., no internet!)
3 - I must be in the mood (I don’t write for a living and don’t want to because I never want it to stop being fun)

And what crayon color would I choose to be? Find out here!