Article and Interview by Elise Cooper
Death by the Finish Line by Alexis Morgan is a cozy mystery. Its characters include former military with a female heroine deciding to stay in the community of the small town in Seattle, Snow Berry Creek.
The main character Abby McCree has been roped into helping with a 5K charity race on Founder’s Day. Her partner, Gil, has a motorcycle repair and customization shop, but he was in the military and has great organizational skills. Everything seems to be going fine on race day until there are a few stragglers who are not accounted for. One man in the race is found dead in the woods. The main suspect is Gary, Gil’s brother. Abby doesn’t believe Gary killed DiSalvo and decides to input herself into the investigation.
Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?
Alexis Morgan: I wanted my main character, Abby, to do something with the biker, Gil Pratt. I liked the image of her taking on another committee with Gil showing up. In an earlier book, she did him a favor, and he showed up on her front porch with a bouquet of flowers. I knew then he had to have a book where he was featured.
EC: How would you describe Gil?
AM: He spent years in the Navy, a hard-working guy. He is very close to his brother. He does a lot of volunteer work with the Veteran’s group. He is kind of a mixed bag. When you see him, Gil is wearing biker boots, biker leather, and a ponytail, appearing a bit rough. But he is a marshmallow inside. I like Abby having friends in all walks of life.
EC: How would you compare him to Tripp?
AM: Gil and Tripp have a lot in common. Both were in the military, Tripp spending twenty years in Army Special Forces. They share a common link with serving their country and taking pride in it. They both do volunteer work with the Veteran’s group. Gil and Tripp made a transition into civilian life.
EC: Why the military angle?
AM: I have done that in quite a bit of the books I have written. Before writing cozies, I wrote romances that featured former military. It is a way to honor their service and bring that type of personality into my stories, which fits a small-town atmosphere. The fictional town of Snowberry Creek is located by several military bases. Their personality has a team mentality and stive to reach a goal.
EC: How would you describe Abby?
AM: At the beginning of the series, she is starting over. After inheriting her great aunt’s house, she moves there. Her late aunt’s friends convince her she is needed on the quilting guild. It is their way of helping her to start new connections and put down some roots in the town. This is important to her. She is deciding if she wants to continue her business or do something else. I choose to have the readers get to know the community in Snowberry Creek by having her meet people in all walks of life, the police chief, the pastor, the biker, the bar owner, and the coffee shop owner. She is curious, stubborn at times, helpful, and resourceful. She takes on all kinds of projects and sees them through. She has a caring heart, wanting to protect the innocent and find justice to get people treated fairly.
EC: What about the community?
AM: I liked writing with a large cast of characters and making the secondary characters realistic and believable where readers want to know about them. I bring them in and out of the stories. I get some discussion if the police chief or Gil are better matches for Abby than Tripp. But definitely Tripp is the better match.
EC: Next book?
AM: It is titled, Death by Arts and Crafts. Abby is recruited by the City Council for an Arts and Crafts Fair. She takes a road trip to meet up with some of the vendors and one of them is murdered. It will be out in December of this year.
EC: THANK YOU!!
