Today Jodi Linton is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Nightmare on the Bike Trail, her latest novel in the Southwest Exposure Mystery series.

Welcome, Jodi. Let’s get started, shall we?

Tell us about your novel. Is it part of a series? If so, please tell us about the series too.

Nightmare on the Bike Trail is book four in my Southwest Exposure Mystery Series. The series follows amateur sleuth and outdoor guide, Andie Sullivan, as she solves crimes in her mountain community of Bushwhack, New Mexico.

Where did the idea for the mystery that is central to the story come from?

A couple years back, my husband and I took the kids to Ruidoso, New Mexico for a trip. There we had the grand idea of renting mountain bikes to take on the trails. Well, my kids didn’t think the idea was so fabulous. They’d stop every two seconds, and I was behind them, so I had to stop, going uphill. It was a nightmare. And that’s how I came up with the idea for the title and some plot to storyline of Nightmare on the Bike Trail.

Is there a theme or subject that underlies the story? If so, what prompted you to write about it?

Not necessarily. The book is part of a series and some of the plot connects to an overarching subplot, but the book can be read as a standalone.

How do you create your characters? Do you have favourite ones? If so, why are you partial to them?

I created Andie Sullivan and Zac Mars after going on several vacations to the mountains and wondering what it would be like to live there. I just threw a murder mystery into it.

How do you bring to life the place you are writing about?

When it comes to Bushwhack, New Mexico—my family and I are regular vacationers to Red River, New Mexico and surrounding mountain communities so I was able to draw from my experiences or what I saw.

What research do you do to provide background information to help you write the novel?

As to research for the Southwest Exposure Mysteries, I actually do outdoors adventures to get a feel of what Andie and her friends might be doing. A few weeks ago, I went canoeing on the Brazos River and spent a day out in nature.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about the book?

Just that it’s a fun, thrilling story and if they haven’t started reading about Andie and her crime solving adventures—now’s the time.

Thank you for answering my questions, Jodi, and good luck with Nightmare on the Bike Trail, your latest novel in the Southwest Exposure Mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Jodi by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads and Bookbub pages.

The book is available on at the following retailers:

 Amazon  B&N    Kobo     iBooks

About Jodi Linton: Jodi is an author of several romance novels and cozy mysteries. She pens funny, romantic, whodunnits during her days in between being a carpool mom. She lives in Texas with her husband, with who she runs the family day business with and two kids. When she isn’t writing her next page turner, she likes to delve into her hobby of finding all the cool, new makeup products to buy.