Lynn Slaughter Novelist
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As an animal lover and a fan of great characters, I thoroughly enjoy the work of cozy mystery author K.L. Borges. Below she talks about her newly released MURDER ON FLESHER PASS and about her writing journey and process:

First off, congratulations on the release of MURDER ON FLESHER PASS, the second book in your Montana Animal Rescue Mystery series. Can you share with our readers a bit about the book and what inspired the series? 

In MURDER ON FLESHER PASS we once again meet the ladies of RogerDog Rescue who first appeared in Book One, MURDER IN THE CRAZY MOUNTAINS. Transport of rescue dogs across states in the USA is a big deal in the rescue world: thousands of animals a year cross state lines on their way to a better life, some of them even arrive from foreign countries. In MURDER ON FLESHER PASS, a pack of hounds is on its way to a Butte, Montana rescue but are misdelivered to RogerDog Rescue. This seemingly innocuous event triggers the death of a cherished friend. Kelly Boyd and Betty Mills don’t believe the official explanation and infilter the Butte rescue looking for answers. Soon the body count is rising; can they solve the mystery before they are next?   

Set in modern-day Montana, this realistic cozy murder mystery is both suspenseful and humorous. If you like dogs, mysteries and Montana, well! This book is for you! Important to mention: no animals die in my books, not ever.

I know that you are a former math teacher, and Kelly Boyd, the main protagonist of your novel, is a retired math teacher as well. To what extent did you model her character after your own? 

I didn’t set out to model Kelly after myself, not consciously, but I did want my characters to be based in reality. Write what you know, right? So, I went with a math teacher from Billings and I did give her my voice. My friends who have read MURDER IN THE CRAZY MOUNTAINS claim reading Kelly’s parts are like listening to me speak. If I lived in an alternate universe as Kelly, we would match up pretty well.

Kelly’s sidekicks, Betty Mills and Cici Vargas, each have such distinctive personalities and backgrounds. Can you talk about these lively characters and how you developed them?

Betty and Cici are each composites of people I have known over the years, including relatives. Bits and pieces of past escapades, stories told or lived through, come bubbling up to the surface when I write about these two strong women. It is tremendous fun for me to re-experience the memories as I write! Interestingly enough, readers often tell me they feel like they have known them as a co-worker, friend, or as a member of their own families. 

Your first novel in the series, MURDER IN THE CRAZY MOUNTAINS, was an Agatha finalist and received rave reviews. Some authors have said that after a successful debut novel, the second book is more difficult to write. Did you find it easier or harder to write the second book in the series? 

I wrote Book Two, MURDER ON FLESHER PASS, in the downtime between the finishing and releasing of Book One. Traditionally published books take between 12 to 18 months to hit the shelves after the editing is done – I used that time to write Book Two, unaware of the future success of Book One.

It was both easier and harder to write Book Two. Easier in that I now knew what pacing was expected for a cozy mystery, harder in that I knew from word one of the manuscript that I was writing for publication. I mean, EEK! Book One was written purely for my own fun, it wasn’t until it was finished that I thought about trying for publication.

A related question: Did you find that your writing process and approach was different for the second book in the series as compared to writing your debut novel?

Yes, I put more time into plotting the second book in advance of writing the scenes. I was also seized with terror that I wouldn’t have enough material to be a full-length novel which led to more plotting. In the writing of the first book, I wasn’t concerned about length, backstory, etc, until the manuscript was under contract and my editor and I worked to get it shaped into a cozy mystery.

What is a typical writing day like for you?

I like to write for a few hours in the morning, getting words onto the word-processor page. Other hours of the day, I spend imagining scenes and plot twists, piling up words to be written the next time I am at the computer. Haha, the only time I am NOT allowed to “write” is when I am driving the car; my imagination takes over my reality far too thoroughly for that to be safe.

What do you find is the easiest and most enjoyable for you as a writer? And what is the hardest?

Easiest and most enjoyable is the time spent channeling my story from my imagination onto the page through my fingers tap tapping away at the computer. Most fun are the times when the characters in my head start to do impromptu actions that I had NOT anticipated and I find myself typing furiously to keep up, while thinking, “Wait, what?” Occasionally a new character strolls onto the stage in this way, leaving me wondering, “Who ARE you?” as I write them into existence.

The hardest part of being a writer is to be in charge of promoting my books. I have been blessed with helpful people (like yourself, Lynn!) who have given time and advice to my neophyte self on this part of the author journey. It would be wonderful if there was a magic wand that could be waved and Hey Presto! my books would be on the shelves of all the bookstores and libraries in the land, but that’s not how it goes, is it?

What advice would you give to someone who aspires to write a mystery series? 

Plunge in and have fun writing your story. Just do it. Join an organization like Sisters in Crime where you can get advice, support and access to classes. Do NOT let anyone (including AI) erase your voice from your work through “helpful” suggestions.

What’s next for you writing-wise?

Book Three, MURDER AT BAD MOON CANYON, is with the editor for developmental editing at this very moment. We will get it ship-shape for a release in the fall of 2027. I am toying with potential plots for a Book Four, but don’t have one on the imagination on-ramp just yet.

 Anything else you’d like to add, or wish I’d asked that I didn’t?

I have had some incredible moments since becoming an author. Being nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Mystery, holy cow! A close second was having an airline stewardess, from Guam, recognize me as the author of MURDER IN THE CRAZY MOUNTAINS and ask for a selfie. She told me that the book was popular in Guam because animal rescue is a big thing on the island. What? Guam? That’s on the other side of the world! I almost fainted.

Thanks for visiting today, Kathy!

BIO:

K.L. Borges, an Agatha Award nominated author, is a long-term resident of Montana. Prior to becoming an author, she was a math teacher at a private Billings high school (Go, Rams!). Borges is an active volunteer in the animal rescue community of south-central Montana, and a member of the Billings Gem and Mineral Society and Sisters in Crime. She and her husband are often found enjoying the Montana outdoors with their two blue heelers. MURDER ON FLESHER PASS is her second book in the Montana Animal Rescue Mysteries.

CONTACT/BUY LINKS:

Author Website: https://www.klborgesauthor.com

Buy Links: Independent Bookstore: This House of Books: https://thishouseofbooks.com/books

Barnes and Noble: https://barnesandnoble.com/w/murder-on-flesher-pass-k-l-borges/1150310478?

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Flesher-Montana-Animal-Mystery/dp/168492362X/ref=sr_1_1?