Marilyn's Musings

Yep, another one is done and ready to order. An Axe to Grind had its beginnings at a San Joaquin Sisters in Crime meeting, many years ago. The speaker was the Fresno County Coroner who brought along slides of gruesome murders to show us. He was sorely disappointed when his audience of mostly middle-aged women were not grossed out. On slide depicted the decapitated head on a table. My mind was off and running after that. As always, the families of the men and woman (only one right now) on the Rocky Bluff P.D. play an important part in what goes on. If you haven't read this one yet, I hope you'll try it out. Marilyn, who writes this series as F. M. Meredith An Axe to Grind   is available for Kindle and as a trade paperback from Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Grind-Rocky-Bluff-P-D-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B08BTG4M5L/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=An+Axe+to+Grind+by+F.+M.+Meredith&qid=1593207449&s=books&sr=1-1

The San Gabriel Valley Literary Festival (or SGVLF) is an arts and literature festival coming to the West Covina, California February 15, 16, and 17, 2013. This event will feature Writers from across the globe, musicians, and installations by prominent artists. The event is presented by The City of West Covina , and will take place in the West Covina City Hall and the surrounding environs. I will be here on Sunday, February 15, sometime after noon. If you're looking for me then, you'll probably find me hanging out at the Oak Tree Press booth. At around 5:15, I'll be doing a reading on the Main Stage. My plan is to read short passages from the beginnings of my last four Rocky Bluff P.D. mysteries. If you are coming, I do hope you'll hang around and say "hi." Copies of my Rocky Bluff P.D. mysteries will be available at the Oak Tree Press booth. Marilyn F. M. Meredith

Until December 3 0 th, An Axe to Grind is only .99 cents on Kindle! http://tinyurl.com/c5lae7u     Blurb for An Axe to Grind : Detective Doug Milligan and his partner question suspects in the murder of a stalker including the stalker’s target, her boyfriend, father and brother, as well as the stalker’s step-father. The investigation leaves little time for Doug to see his fiancée and fellow officer, Stacey Wilbur. Stacey handles a molestation case which involves the son of a friend. She and her mother talk wedding plans, though all must wait until Doug’s renter, Officer Gordon Butler finds another place to live. When Doug disappears while tailing a suspect, Stacey sets out to find him, hoping she can reach him time. REVIEWS: Right from the start, like Meredith does with all the books in this series, the reader is instantly drawn into the world of the Rocky Bluff P.D. Gordon Butler, who is usually the butt of many jokes around the station, is flagged down b...

Detective Doug Milligan and his partner question suspects in the murder of a stalker including the stalker’s target, her boyfriend, father and brother, as well as the stalker’s step-father. The investigation leaves little time for Doug to see his fiancée and fellow officer, Stacey Wilbur. Stacey handles a molestation case which involves the son of a friend. She and her mother talk wedding plans, though all must wait until Doug’s renter, Officer Gordon Butler finds another place to live. When Doug disappears while tailing a suspect, Stacey sets out to find him, hoping she can reach him time. If you want a bargain price, you can order an Axe to Grind from the publisher's bookstore, look for Dark Oak Mystery and titles are alphabetical. http://www.oaktreebooks.com/Shop%20OTP.htm Review snippets of Axe to Grind : Right from the start, like Meredith does with all the books in this series, the reader is instantly drawn into the world of the Rocky Bluff P.D. Gordon Butler, who i...

When I read what others are doing to promote their books on Kindle I feel like a slacker. I have quite a few books on Kindle, under the name Marilyn Meredith and my Rocky Bluff P.D. author name of F. M. Meredith. Final Respects is the very first book in the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series. This one introduces many of the characters who continue on through the series. You might be surprised by some of what happened here--and what influenced what happens in later books. Fringe Benefits is about a very bad cop. For anyone who loves Gordon Butler in later books, this is where he makes his first appearance. No, he's not the bad cop--but their lives are definitely linked. No Sanctuary  is one of the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novels. Officer Stacey Wilbur and Detective Doug Milligan's relationship is growing as they investigate the murder of a minister's wife. The short blurb for this is two churches, two ministers, two wives and one murder. An Axe to Grind is about a grisly...

It was suggested on one of the lists that I'm on, that others go to a person's book on Amazon.com and agree to and/or add tags. The tags are at the bottom of the page, and you can add more by going to the ad spot and click on T on your computer and the place to add will pop up. I've put short URLs for some of my e-books here to make it easy to do. http://tiny.cc/dg9ea for An Axe to Grind http://tiny.cc/1i4ub for No Sanctuary http://tiny.cc/qezqy for Lingering Spirit   http://tiny.cc/0tlyi for Invisible Path  If your haven't read my books, you might just agree, if you have read one see if the tags fit or if there are more that you think might fit.  I'd appreciate you doing this and we'll see if it really helps sales. You could do the regular books if you'd prefer. Thank you, Marilyn http://fictionforyou.com

As it gets closer and closer to the time for Angel Lost to be an actual book, the publisher and I have been emailing back and forth. (Oh the joy of having a small publisher.) She sent me the back cover to look at as she wondered if it had too much printing. It was full of great blurbs from other authors. I loved it! Then she sent me a slide show of me and my books. Wow! That was very flattering, too bad all the pics in it look just like me. Well, what can I say, when you're a great-grandma, unless you've had a lot of surgery, you're not going to look like a movie star. I've lived a great life with all it's ups and downs and it shows, not such a bad thing. I was interviewed this a.m. over the phone by someone who read one of my ARCS of Angel Lost and she loved it. We talked for an hour. She asked me oodles of questions about the book and the whole series. I'm really not one who likes telephone conversations, but this one was a lot of fun! How could it not ...

I am thrilled to announce that An Axe to Grind is a finalist in the mystery/suspense category of the Epic e-awards. An Axe to Grind is available on Kindle as are most of the rest of the series. I hadn't planned to enter this year but at the last minute my publisher entered An Axe to Grind for me. Needles to say, I'm thrilled that she did and equally thrilled that I'm a finalist. Woo hoo! Can you hear me cheering all over the Internet? And a big P.S., have you heard about Blog Jog Day? Get in on the action. It's happening November 21st, for information go to: http://blogjogday.blogspot.com and to http://www.blogjogday.webs.com to sign up. Marilyn

This new review is from an author I admire and respect. I love his Pot Thief series. AN AXE TO GRIND is the sixth of F. M. Meredith’s Rocky Bluff PD series. The previous five, in order, are FINAL RESPECTS, BAD TIDINGS, FRINGE BENEFITS, SMELL OF DEATH, and NO SANCTUARY (which I reviewed on this site a year ago). For those who might want the books, I should mention that FINAL RESPECTS is no longer available unless you can find a used copy. The next three are available only from the author’s website (www.fictionfoyyou.com), and the two most recent ones are available or can be ordered from anywhere you buy new books. All the books except for BAD TIDINGS are also available on Kindle. When I first heard of the series, I thought it was about a private detective named Rocky Bluff, which struck me as a hackneyed-sounding name. I realized PD stands for ‘police department’ only when I started to read NO SANCTUARY. Rocky Bluff is a good name for a small fictional community on the California c...

I forgot to take pictures! I am so bad about that. My book launch in the Porterville area was Saturday from 1 - 4 in Books Off Main, a new used bookstore that carries local authors' books. No one came for the longest times--no one, no one for me, no customers for the store. All sorts of things were going on around town: a huge quilt show, a Tea Party gathering in the Fairgrounds, and a few other things I can't remember, plus it was a gorgeous day--first in a long, long time. When we came down from Springville we saw a lot of people at Lake Success. Finally, someone came in who'd never seen the shop before. I told her about my book, An Axe to Grind , and she bought one. Another long, nothing happening spell. Then someone crashed into a city bus on the street by the parking lot. No injuries, but the way into the parking lot was blocked and for awhile the police blocked one lane of the main street the other way. I spent some time watching the excitement out the window and samp...

AN AXE TO GRIND By: F.M. Meredith Published by: Oak Tree Press http://www.oaktreebooks.com/ ISBN 978-1-8923343-78-9 An Axe to Grind is another winner by author, F. M. Meredith. Ms. Meredith has been fortunate to have police for neighbors and a son-in-law who is a police officer. With these types of contacts, it's no wonder her mysteries have a ring of truth. She has done her homework and every detail is well researched from the blood spatters on the wall to the condition of someone who is living on the streets. An Axe to Grind takes place in Rocky Bluff, a small community located along the Pacific Coast. While it's obvious the main characters have been introduced in earlier novels, Ms. Meredith quickly brings the reader up to speed through dialog and action. We are taken on a fast-paced ride as Detectives Doug Milligan and Frank Marshall follow the clues to find out who decapitated Kenneth Buchelo. As the clever detectives interview the suspects, we find any one of them ha...

An Axe to Grind , review from the Book Connection Doug Milligan, Stacey Wilbur, Abel Navarro, Gordon Butler, Frank Marshall, and more familiar names are back in An Axe To Grind, the latest in the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series by F.M. Meredith. Doug Milligan and his partner, Frank Marshall are investigating the murder of a stalker. There are several suspects, which include the father and brother of the girl who was being stalked. Meanwhile, Stacey Wilbur, now a Vice-Officer, is working a case involving a soccer coach who might be a pedophile. With their busy work schedules, Doug and Stacey's romance is pushed to the back burner, and even though Stacey and her mother, Clara, continue with wedding plans, a lot hinges on whether Gordon Butler can find himself an apartment so he can move out of Doug's house. When Doug sets out on his own to corner the murderer, Stacey is in a race against time to find him before it's too late. Right from the start, like Meredith does with all th...

I expected to have copies of An Axe to Grind in my hand by this time so I could plan my two book launches. Instead, there's been a problem. The problem lies not with the publisher but the printer. I don't know the details, but there is a problem with the cover. I've already ordered 50 copies. My blog tour begins next month--and next month is almost here--reviewers are waiting for their copies and I don't have any to send. Of course this is the reason I didn't set up my book launches ahead of time--sweating it out while waiting for books is no fun. Been through that before and I know better. Of course I'm eager--and anxious maybe, but eventually the problems will be ironed out and the books will come, maybe not in time for what I want them for, but they'll be here for other events down the line. I have two biggies coming up at the end of March, a booth at Celebration of the Whales in Channel Islands Harbor, Oxnard, and a group author signing at a bookstore i...

I'm sure people are wondering why An Axe to Grind is priced at $1.99. I read about an author whose priced her own books really low for the Kindle and she is selling lots. Because An Axe to Grind is part of the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series, I thought pricing the e-book low might give more readers the opportunity to get acquainted with all the police officers and their families who inhabit Rocky Bluff and they might wnat to read more about them. Fortunately, I have a publisher who is willing to go along with all my ideas. Do I think this will work? I have no idea, but it's worth a try. After doing my taxes and seeing how much more I spend promoting than I make selling, figured it was time to attempt something new. The trade paperback will remain at the same already low price of $12.95. As soon as they arrive, anyone can order an autographed copy from my website. Marilyn http://fictionforyou.com

Because I'm writing two books a year, one for each series, I'm always writing one for one series and promoting the latest book in the other series. Confusing? Yes, it is at times. Because my series are so different: Rocky Bluff P.D. is a police procedural crime novel told from many points of view and more than one crime, and the Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series is from Tempe's point of view and usually only one murder or major crime. An Axe to Grind is just about to make it's debut, the Rocky Bluff P.D. series and I'll be doing two launches for it--not yet planned as I like to have the books in hand before I set dates and do publicity, but my blog tour is being worked on now and is happening during the month of March. At the same time, I'm working on the next Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery. This one is turning out to be a bit different as it is contrary to all the "rules" of mystery, there is not yet a murder. Oh, there's plenty of intrigue, bu...

No, you don't want to start your book with the weather like "It was a dark and stormy night." That become a taboo thing to do. However, by adding weather you can create suspense. Remember we all talk about the weather all the time. As I write this it's raining and has been raining all day. On Facebook, people have been talking about the snow and how tired of it they are and all the obstacles it creates for moving along with daily life. I've written about a blizzard where no one can get in or out and someone disappears. That was in one of my Deputy Tempe Crabtree mysteries, Intervention . In No Sanctuary the Santa Ana winds play an important part in creating a feeling of suspense. In my latest Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novel, An Axe to Grind , fog adds suspense to what is going on in the story. Take an example from the movies, thunder, lightning and blinding rain always complicate things for the hero--or hints at the imminent arrival of the bad guys or perhaps a mon...

I should have copies of my latest Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novel, An Axe to Grind , in a couple of weeks. I've already got a list of reviewers waiting for a copy, and I've been writing blog posts for the virtual blog tour I'm going on in March. Soon as the books are here, I'll plan the two launches that I'm doing in Springville where I live, and in Porterville, the nearest city. It's always exciting to get a new book you've written and actually hold it in your hand. I wrote this book for the first time several years ago when I was between publishers. It was sitting in my computer without a title. Titles used to come to me while I was writing the book, now I have to work a bit harder to come up with a good one. Actually the title An Axe to Grind came from the gal who edited the book for me. Anyway, I'll be promoting An Axe to Grind any way I can from now on. Marilyn http://fictionforyou.com

Checking out the cover to An Axe to Grind one can immediately make some valid assumptions. There will be a murder. The victim may or may not be headless. Noticing the badge, you know it'll be a Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novel. And with all of the Rocky Bluff P.D. novels, the characters who've been there since the beginning, the police officers and their wives, will all be there. In this one, Detective Doug Milligan and Vice Officer Stacey Wilbur are the main players and yes, their romance does move ahead. You will get to peek into the lives of Ryan and Barbara Strickland again and see how the free boys are faring in their relationship with their step-father. Probably the character who has grown the most throughout the books is Ryan. His transition from a publicity hound and skirt chaser to a good husband and father has been remarkable. Most of the earlier books you can find on Amazon's Kindle. And of course, I must once more mention that the one right before this one, , is a ...

This is the next book in the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series. Isn't this a great cover? I am so pleased. I will be doing another blog tour in March so if anyone would like to host me for that, email me at mmeredith@ocsnet.net Also you can read the first three chapters here: https://www.createspace.com/Preview/1061882 Please leave a comment. Marilyn