Cold Case Murder Interview

Today we're welcoming Jodie Gilmore, the heroine of Cold Case Murder; book three of the Without A Trace continuity series, by Shirlee McCoy, March 2009. Wow, you've just had quite an adventure.


1. Tell us a little about yourself and how you came to be in the midst of such suspense.
I grew up in Loomis, Louisiana, and spent most of my childhood planning my escape. When I finally got my dream job as an FBI agent, it never occurred to me that I’d be sent back to my home town. I guess God has a sense of humor, because that’s exactly where my first assignment took me. I was supposed to serve as liaison between the locals and the FBI while I helped solve a missing persons case. Instead I got pulled neck deep into a decades old case that forced me to face my past and deal with it.

2. So, during the book you met Harrison Cahill. Tell us a bit about him. Harrison is a forensic anthropologist. The FBI brought him in to help identify the remains of two murder victims. What was your first impression? I wasn’t impressed and neither was he. Harrison thought I was too green an agent to be of much benefit to the case. I thought he was bossy and rude.
When did you know it was love?
When I realized that Harrison accepted me for who I was. I’d never had that before with anyone.

3. What strengths/skills do you have?
I’m independent and strong. I know how to get a job done. What is your greatest weakness? That I don’t want to ask for help. That I’d rather face things alone than rely on the people who care about me. I’ve had to learn that leaning on someone doesn’t make me weak. It makes me doubly strong.

4. What scares you?
The thought that I could turn out like my father – cold, hard and bitter, with little love for those around me.

5. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
That’s a hard one. I’d want to change the resentment I had for my mother for most of my life. I’ve wasted a lot of energy on anger.

6. Where are you in your faith at the start of your story?
I believe in God, but do not have a relationship with Him.

7. Where are you in your faith at the end of the story?
The journey I make helps me realize that God wants to be more than just a word in my vocabulary. He wants to have a relationship with me because He loves me just as I am.

8. You've got a scripture at the beginning of the story. Tell us why this scripture is significant.
Galatians 5:1 says that we should stand firm and not let ourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery. I was a slave to my anger and disappointments. Through Christ, I have been freed to live a life of joy. When I find myself slipping back into old habits of thought and action, I remember the truth of that verse.

9. If you could be a dessert what would you be and why? A twelve scoop sundae because it’s a dessert that can be shared by many, and I’d want to be something that brings people together.

To play a mystery game with the authors of the Without A Trace series go to the following link
http://community.eharlequin.com/forums/steeple-hill/without-trace-can-you-solve-mystery

Sounds like another intriguing story. Thank you Shirley for sharing Jodie with us.