Interview: Heather Weidner, author of Glitter, Glam, and Contraband

Your Readers

Thanks for agreeing to this interview.
Your readers are excited to get to know you.

Tell us a little about yourself and your background.

I’m Heather Weidner. By day, I’m a Quality Assurance and Governance Manager in our IT division. (I’m also the Acting Enterprise Change Manager.) At night, I’m a writer of mysteries.

I’m a CK (cop’s kid). I’m fortunate that my dad, who is retired now, is my best resource. There are just some things you don’t want to Google. Through the years, I’ve been a cop’s kid, technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, and IT manager.

I earned my BA in English from Virginia Wesleyan University and my MA from the University of Richmond. I grew up a beach girl, and I miss the ocean now that we live inland in Central Virginia. We live near the reservoir, so I’m close to the water (just not the ocean).

Glitter, Glam, and Contraband is the third novel in the Delanie Fitzgerald series. My short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, and Deadly Southern Charm. My novellas appear in The Mutt Mysteries series, and I am a member of Sisters in Crime – Central Virginia, Guppies, International Thriller Writers, and James River Writers.

What is the craziest thing you have done?

I’m a redhead. That’s a tough one. Let’s see. I grew up in the 70s and 80s where we rode motorcycles without helmets, rode with 10 people in the back of pickup trucks, and didn’t always wear seatbelts. We drove on the beach, and we played with sparklers and firecrackers. We know better now. My life is more like a sit com than a drama.

One time in college, I was with three other gals, and we were driving back from a yearbook convention in North Carolina. There was a car in the other lane with two guys in it. The passenger kept writing notes to us and holding them up in the window. The gal in the backseat responded. We wrote notes back and forth for about thirty miles. Then we stopped at a restaurant for drinks. (We had Cokes.) It was the 80s, and nobody was thinking about stranger danger. We met two med students from UNC.

What is the most interesting place you have been?

Hawaii was my most favorite vacation. We toured the volcanoes on two different islands. They were mystical and surreal. I also loved visiting Stratford Upon Avon and Westminster Abbey.

What is your biggest fear?

I am horribly afraid of snakes. I had to do some reptilian research for Glitter, Glam, and Contraband, and it was very creepy. I still have snakes and reptiles showing up in ads on my computer.

What do you look for in a friend?

I love friends who are witty and funny. People who make you laugh are a treasure.

What do you consider your biggest motivator?

I’m pretty self-motivated. (Again, the determined redhead thing.) I get up about 4:30 or 5:00 each morning, and I work until I go to the day gig. I was a project manager for years, so I make a lot of lists. I like to see tasks accomplished. That’s probably my biggest motivator.

What is your greatest ambition?

I would love to have a TV show or movie made from one of my works, and I want to be on the set for some of the filming. I think that would be so cool.

How about some of your favorites?

Book: To Kill a Mockingbird and The Great Gatsby My favorite authors are Edgar Allan Poe, Agatha Christie, Alfred Hitchcock, Louise Penny, Robert B. Parker, K. L. Murphy, Lisa Scottoline, John Grisham, Steve Berry, David Baldacci, Lee Child, Sherry Harris, Maya Corrigan, and Mary Lee Ashford.

Movie: The Wizard of Oz

Sport: American Football (And even though they’ve had some terrible years lately, #HTTR)

Food: Pizza, Chocolate, French Fries, and Popcorn

Music: Rock, Pop, Jazz, Classical, Country – I’m an 80s girl, so anything from that era. The last album I downloaded with the new one from Hootie and the Blowfish.

Possession: I collect stuff: books, postcards, teddy bears, Christmas ornaments. They’re all my favorites. I do have a favorite stuff bear, Winnie the Pooh. My uncle sent it to me in 1967 when he was in Viet Nam. That bear has seen a lot.

What is one thing you would love my readers to know about you?

I love mysteries, the beach, books, pop culture, and music. I’m an 80s girl.

About The Author:

Glitter, Glam, and Contraband is Heather Weidner’s third novel in the Delanie Fitzgerald series. Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, and Deadly Southern Charm. Her novellas appear in The Mutt Mysteries series. She is a member of Sisters in Crime – Central Virginia, Guppies, International Thriller Writers, and James River Writers.

Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a pair of Jack Russell terriers.

Heather earned her BA in English from Virginia Wesleyan University and her MA in American literature from the University of Richmond. Through the years, she has been a technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, and IT manager.

Author Links: Website-Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / Amazon / Pinterest / LinkedIn / BookBub / AllAuthor / You Tube

About The Book:

Glitter, Glam, and Contraband: A Delanie Fitzgerald Mystery Book 3
by Heather Leigh Weidner

Private investigator, Delanie Fitzgerald, and her computer hacker partner, Duncan Reynolds, are back for more sleuthing in Glitter, Glam and Contraband. In this fast-paced mystery, the Falcon Investigations team is hired to find out who is stealing from the talent at a local drag show. Delanie gets more than she bargains for and a few makeup tips in the process. Meanwhile, a mysterious sound in the ceiling of her office vexes Delanie. She uses her sleuthing skills to track down the source and uncover a creepy contraband operation.

Glitter, Glam, and Contraband features a strong female sleuth with a knack for getting herself in and out of humorous situations like helping sleezy strip club owner, Chaz Smith on his quest to become Richmond’s next mayor, tracking down missing reptiles, and uncovering hidden valuables from a 100-year-old crime with a Poe connection.

Book Links: Amazon / Apple Books / Barnes and Noble / BookBub / Kobo / Scribd

Leo Review sm

Delanie is a busy lady. She is the main character in Heather Weidner’s Delanie Fitzgerald Mystery series. In the latest book, ‘Glitter, Glam, and Contraband’ her sleuthing skills along with the computer genius of her business partner Duncan Reynolds are solving one mystery after another. It’s just a day in the life of… When a local shop owner dies and there are mysterious entries in his ledgers, the pair find themselves tracking contraband reptiles on the dark web. Duncan is tasked digging up dirt on the town mayoral candidates while Delanie goes undercover in a cabaret. Still, when the pair are asked to discover who is illicitly digging around a famous Edgar Allan Poe statue they are surprised to find connections to another seemingly unrelated case of theirs.

I didn’t really find this a traditional mystery book where there was one overreaching story arc needing resolution with several asides. This honestly reads more like episodic television covering many cases and then there are those that just happen to intersect along the way. The effect makes for enjoyable reading. Both Delanie and Duncan are wonderful characters. They are vivid, full of depth, and a joy to read. Their supporting cast adds a terrific balance to the story and I didn’t need to have read the other books in the series to know how everyone fits in the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed Delanie’s stint as an undercover house mom backstage in a drag show. The author perfectly captured the atmosphere of the cabaret/kitchen and the bold personalities of its performers. I wanted to watch their show in the worst way. Delaney and Duncan aren’t above being bold themselves with their grifter-like cons, gadgets, and the disguises they use to get the job done. Yeah, I could totally see binging this as a television show. I will have to settle for reading the books over and over.

Don’t forget to scroll down to the tour section and click the big red button for your chance to win a prize from Heather.

I received a complimentary evaluation copy of this book. All opinions and insights are my own.

Tour and Giveaway: