Jerrie Alexander answered her phone one afternoon and was greeted by a retired FBI agent.

She was working on a novel and had written the bureau a series of questions about profiling and what pushed people to commit heinous crimes.

As the caller introduced himself, Alexander said she immediately jumped to the conclusion that he was calling to tell her no answers would be forthcoming. Instead, he patiently answered her questions.

What she learned helped the Fort Worth native develop the storyline for her first book, "The Green-Eyed Doll," which was released earlier this month by Wild Rose Press. It’s a romantic thriller set in a small Texas town, where the sheriff has to make sure the woman he’s falling for doesn’t become the next victim of a serial killer who paints his victims’ faces so that they resemble porcelain dolls.

"The story came from reading horrific profiler stories," Alexander said.

She recalled that she had just finished two contemporary romance stories — "they’re the worst I’ve written" — when she stumbled on the idea of trying her hand at romantic suspense.

"I decided romantic suspense was where I belong," she said.

Alexander figures between stops and starts it took about two years to complete The Green-Eyed Doll. The most time-consuming part of writing for her is the research she undertakes beforehand.

"I have 100 pages’ worth of research before I start writing," she said.

She tries not to take too much literary license, noting that her biggest fear is someone declaring "That can’t happen" or "That’s not true" after reading one of her stories.

She opted to go the traditional publishing route, albeit with a small publishing house, because she likes the writer/editor interaction. (Her book is available on Amazon.com and through special order from Barnes & Noble.)

Novel writing marks the third career turn for Alexander. She stayed at home with her children until they were in middle school and then did logistics work for Wal-Mart and a third-party vendor that held a contract with the retailer.

"I moved boxes," she said.

Alexander said she was at a crossroads when her employer lost its contract. She could look for another job or try her hand at writing. Writing won out with the encouragement of her husband of 52 years.

"He’s always told me I could do anything that I thought I could do."\