The Next Big Thing
Wanda Snow Porter is the one who tagged me at:
This is a blog tour where you can follow along and meet all
sorts of authors who have written or are writing books that you may not have
heard about. Who knows what exciting new
book you might come across, could be the
next Harry Potter series, or Hunger Games.
Ten
Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing:
What is the working title of your book?
Raging Water is the title and it is available as an e-book and trade paperback.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
The idea began with the deaths of women I knew who were best friends and lived near one another. Their bodies were discovered the same morning and both had died the night before. No investigation was done, nor were there any autopsies. Neither woman had any family who was interested.
Since I don't believe there really is any coincidence, I couldn't help but wonder if there wasn't some kind of foul play. These two incidents were the seeds that planted Raging Water.
What genre does your book fall under?
Mystery, this is the latest in the Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series. Tempe investigates the crime, but there is so much more going on because of the terrible weather and the flooding of Bear Creek that she has her hands full.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I don't really know any Native American actors and actresses who could play the parts of Tempe and Nick. And I know from hearing others talk, the casting of actors to play characters in movies is never left up to the author of the book, the movie is based on. (Think Tom Cruise playing Reacher.) So I'll leave the picturing of the characters in Raging Water up to the imaginations of the readers based on how I've described them.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Deputy Tempe
Crabtree’s investigation of the murder of two close friends is complicated when
relentless rain turns Bear Creek into a raging river; homes are inundated and a
mud slide blocks the only road out of Bear Creek stranding many—including the
murderer
Will
your book be self-published, with a small press, or represented by an agency?
Though I have had several agents over the years, I no longer have one. I'm proud to say that Raging Water was published by Mundania Press.
How long did
it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
My process for writing is usually first draft, six months which includes reading the manuscript chapter by chapter to my critique group who make great suggestions. I'm usually editing the manuscript of a book in my other series at the same time.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Instead of trying to figure out what other book to compare with Raging Water I'd rather give you some of the elements in the story. Because Tempe is an Indian there are always some Native American legends and supernatural or mystical threads in each book in the series. It is a small town mystery, which gives it a quality of a cozy--despite the fact there are no cats. (There are two dogs, however, who play an important part in the plot.) Because the town is cut-off from the rest of the world because of the storm and a mud-slide, there is somewhat of a locked-room feel to it. I like to say it is a cozy police procedural.
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
Of course, because it is part of a series, the deaths of those two friends inspired me a lot. But I also had a friend who is fan of the series who wanted to be a character in my book--and she is. Not her name, but her description, personality and looks are a big part of this story.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
I know Tempe and her husband, Pastor Hutch, even better than I know my own family because I know how they think--something I don't know with relatives.
Where to find the book:
I know there
are some people who like to read a series in order, but let me reassure you
that every book is complete. Though the characters grow through each book, the
crime is always solved.
Here is the order of the books for anyone who wants
to know: Deadly Trail, Deadly Omen, Unequally Yoked, Intervention, Wing Beat,
Calling the Dead, Judgment Fire, Kindred Spirits, Dispel the Mist, Invisible
Path, Bears With Us, Raging Water.
Bio: Marilyn Meredith is the author of over thirty published novels, including the award winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series, the latest Raging Water from Mundania Press. Writing as F. M. Meredith, her latest Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novel us No Bells, the forth from Oak Tree Press. Marilyn is a member of EPIC, three chapters of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. Visit her at http://fictionforyou.com and follow her blog at http://marilymeredith.blogspot.com/
Marilyn borrows a lot from
where she lives in the Southern Sierra for the town of Bear Creek and the
surrounding area.
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Mary Montague Sikes