Jules sits down for a question-and-answer session with dru’s book musings so that we can learn more about what makes her tick. Let’s see what she has to say.

What is your full name?
Julia “Jules” Anne Keene

How old are you?
I turn thirty-nine this year.

What is your profession?
I own the Fern Valley Camping Resort in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Fern Valley is a tiny town near Charlottesville. My dad and I refurbished vintage trailers to save them from the scrapyard. I used my degree in interior design to make each one perfect for glamping (glamorous camping). When he passed away, I inherited the property.

Do you have a significant other?
I do. His name is Jake Evans, and I’ve known him forever. He worked on and off at the campground when my parents ran it. After he did two tours overseas in the Army, he returned to Fern Valley, and he’s the campground’s maintenance/security guy. He also has a side business that I help him with. He builds tiny houses, and we have added several to the campground for folks to try out posh tiny living. And right now, he’s working on a really cool project. It’s a tiny house treehouse. I cannot wait to decorate this one. All of the houses are themed for authors. So far with have Beatrix Potter, J.K. Rowling, L. Frank Baum, and Bram Stoker. The treehouse one is going to be themed for A. A. Milne who wrote the Winnie the Pooh stories and The Red House Mystery.

Do you have any children?
I have no children, but I do have a fuzzy pal, Bijou. She’s a brown and white Jack Russell terrier who is a great ambassador for the resort.

Do you have any siblings?
No. I’m an only child.

Are your parents nearby?
No. Sadly, my mother passed away when I was in middle school. I helped my father run the campground until I left for college. I worked in Northern Virginia for a while and then returned to Fern Valley when he became ill. We started refurbishing the trailers, and we converted the traditional campground to the glamping resort that it is today. I have no regrets about giving up my job and life in the city. Rebranding the campground was an amazing project, and I am so lucky to be able to continue the family business.

Who is your best friend?
Jake is my best friend. We’ve known each other since I was in middle school. Bijou is also my best pal and confidant. She knows all my secrets. She was the best thing to come out of my divorce from the Idiot.

What town do you live in?
I live in Fern Valley, Virginia. It’s a tiny little town in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. When I left for college and then work and then a brief bad marriage to the Idiot, the town had one stoplight. We now have two. And the decaying downtown has transformed into a fun place with eateries, wineries, cideries, boutiques, and art galleries. I plan all kinds of events to bring people to our little neck of the woods. The landscape is beautiful, and there are a ton of outdoor activities like hiking, fishing, and mountain biking.

What type of dwelling do you own or rent?
I live in a large cabin on the back of the resort. We have the tiny houses and the vintage trailers. The property also has a large barn, an amphitheater, and a large meadow that I use from time to time for traditional camping. There’s a big multi-purpose building that I use for breakfasts and events. There are also three smaller cabins on the property. Jake lives in one, one is for storage, and our groundkeeper Lester lives in the third.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
I love everything about the property. The view is probably my favorite thing. We’re in the valley, and we’re surrounded by the mountains on three sides. Spring is gorgeous with all the wildflowers, and the autumn colors draw tourists from miles around.

What is your favorite meal and dessert?
I love pizza. It is my absolute favorite. And my favorite dessert is anything chocolate. Mel and Crystal, the mother and daughter team, who help me with the cleaning also do the fabulous breakfast and brunches. They also cater most of our events. Recently, we hosted a “Death by Chocolate” event for a romance writer’s festival that was in town. I was in heaven with all the chocolate goodies.

Do you have any hobbies?
I live where I work, so the resort takes up a lot of my time. When I have some time off, Jake and I love to hike up to the waterfall, go for rides on the back mountain roads, and hang out with friends at the neat restaurants in town.

What music do you listen to?
I love all kinds of music. And music is always on at work or at my house. My favorites are rock, country, jazz, and songs from the 1950s and the 1980s.

What is your favorite color?
I love red and purple.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
I get to see the mountains every day. When we go on vacation, we usually go to the beach. Virginia, South Carolina, and Florida have some beautiful beaches.

Are you a morning or night person?
I’m a night owl, but I don’t get that many opportunities to sleep in. So, I stay up too late, and I often get up early.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
I like to pack a picnic lunch, and Jake and I hike up to the waterfall near the resort. It is a lovely spot in any season.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
That’s a fun question. If it’s about life at the resort, I think it would be From Campy to Glampy. I’ve always wanted to write a book about how we restored the trailers and all the tiny houses. We took a classic 1970s campground and turned it into a resort spot with amenities. If it’s a biography, maybe something like I Wanna be Nancy Drew When I Grow Up. I’ve loved Nancy Drew since elementary school. And I sort of got mixed up in some situations where I helped the sheriff solve a couple of murders. Yes, I did say murders, plural. It all started when one of my grumpy guests died mysteriously on my property. And then it happened again when a Hollywood crew filmed an episode of Fatal Impressions on my property, and the head writer was killed. And last Christmas, there was another murder, and I had to find out who did it before it ruined all the holiday festivities.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
I am an amateur sleuth and a full-time mystery novel and true-crime documentary fan. I talk to a lot of people, and I’ve always found it easy to find out information. My Aunt Roxanne works part-time in the office, and her beau is Sheriff Matt Hobbs. He doesn’t like me poking around in his investigations, but he consults me frequently because he knows people tell me things.

What is a typical day in your life like?
I keep the resort open all year, so we always have guests on the property. The trailers and houses have microwaves, wine chillers, and refrigerators. We serve breakfast in the lodge. I usually get up early, check on the reservations and our guests and make sure that breakfast is running smoothly. Then I spend the rest of my day talking to guests and planning events to make sure the resort stays filled. I like to hang out with Jake and Bijou when I can, and I help him with building and decorating his tiny houses. Life is hectic most days, but I wouldn’t trade it for any other job in the world.

Deadlines and Valentines, A Jules Keene Glamping Mystery Book 4
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: October 2024
Format: Digital (Print to follow)
Purchase Link

Fern Valley, nestled in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, is ground zero for all things romance. The town has pulled out all the stops for the first Valentine’s Day “Love is in the Air” Book Festival with events like Death by Chocolate, author speed-dating, a character masquerade, and a male cover model fashion show.

Everything is candy and roses until the sparks start to fly. Jules Keene and her team at the glamping resort spend their time trying to tamp down fiery tempers because opposites may not always attract.

When a popular author with a heart of gold is found murdered in the barn at the resort, Jules has to find the culprit before more than just hearts are broken.

About the author
Through the years, Heather Weidner has been a cop’s kid, technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, and IT manager. She writes the Pearly Girls Mysteries, the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries, The Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, and The Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries. 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, and she blogs regularly with the Writers Who Kill.