Marilyn's Musings

My blogs tend to focus on writing and other work that I'm doing, but I believe it's important to refresh oneself by doing things that are fun. Some of my fun things are writing related, but fun never the less. For instance, attending a Sisters in Crime chapter meeting, which is what I'm going to be doing this a.m. Why is it fun? Because I have many friends who are members of the San Joaquin chapter of Sisters in Crime. It's a time to connect with them, both other writers and readers. I also belong to the Central Coast chapter of Sisters in Crime, and I have several close friends over there. Not only do I get to spend time with them when I go over there, I also get to be by the ocean. Always a refreshing activity. Tomorrow I'm going to be teaching my Sunday School class and joining my church family for worship. For me this is the best way to start the week.  In the afternoon, hubby and I will be attending our granddaughter's baby shower--this is #3...

A Crushing Death is off to the printers. I've ordered 50 copies for my self--not because I expect to sell that many right off the bat, but I am planning a book launch and will need copies for it. Near the end of the month, (March 26-10 a.m.) I'm headed over to the Nipomo Library to speak to the Central Coast Sisters in Crime chapter about Planning a Blog Tour. I definitely want books available for that event. What is always scary about having a new book out, even though I had it professionally edited, went through the first text block carefully and found some errors that were corrected, and then found a few more in the galley proof--there's no guarantee that I found them all. In fact, I'm convinced there are gremlins who attack a book after you've done your last bit of correcting. Another thing an author worries about is if readers will like the book.  I think this tale has a lot to offer to people who like mysteries and police procedurals--and o...

The time is getting close for the publication of Violent Departures, the next in the Rocky Bluff P.D. mystery sereis. I sent in the corrections to the galley (the set-up of the pages of the book) and now it's a waiting game. I'm anxious because I have a presentation I'm making the last Saturday of the month for the Central Coast Chapter of Sisters in Crime. One of the members won a contest to have a character named after him and I'd sure like to have the book available at the meeting. I know that he is eager to find out about his namesake. April is when my blog tour begins for Violent Departures  and having the books available for purchase is always a good thing. This is always the time that is a bit on the nerve-wracking side for authors--hoping the book will come out in time for the promotion you've planned. Blurb for Violent Departures : College student, Veronica Randall, disappears from her car in her own driveway, everyone in the...

Once again I'm fortunate to be joining a panel of members of the Central Coast chapter of Sister in Crime for a panel on the E-age. Frankly, the Internet has opened up a whole  new way of doing things for me--and for the people on the panel.  We'll be meeting in the Atascadero Library on Saturday, October 25th, 1-4. I hope some of you in the area will come and see us. Our illustrious panel consists of: Susan Tuttle Professional editor and award-winning author of the "Write It Right" 5-star review e-Book series now available on Kindle, "Tangled Webs," a novel of suspense available on Amazon.com and Kindle (print and ebook). Just released! "Proof of Identity" as both print and ebook on Amazon.com. Check out my blog at: www.SusanTuttleWrites.com < http://www.SusanTuttleWrites.com > Barbara M. Hodges Barbara M. Hodges is the author or co-author of nine published works of fiction.  She was introduced to e-books fifteen years ago ...

Anyone who reads my blog has already figured out that hubby and I love to travel over to the coast. Because I belong to the Central Coast Sisters in Crime, I have opportunities to join them in various events. We are traveling over to Santa Maria June 27th and staying overnight in the Santa Maria Inn. Also one of our favorites. Last time I went was with our daughter Lisa and we stayed in the newer part of the Inn. I'm hoping this time we'll get to be in the older and more historical part--the haunted part. On Saturday, June 28th, we'll drive down to the Lompoc Library where I'll be on a panel with other SinC members talking about different phases of publishing. My topic will be e-books. I'm sure I was chosen for this one because I've been published in e-books long before most anyone had a clue what that meant. Things have changed so much since I first started talking about e-books and how they would change the way people read. (I was right.) I've never...

This has been a busy, busy month. Besides the blog tour, which had a few more glitches than usual and I'll be giving some tips about what I will do differently next time, if there is a next time, I've done a lot of traveling. At least for me. The first weekend of the month, hubby and I headed over to Morro Bay--one of our most favorite places so I could join with my sisters and misters in the Central Coast chapter of Sisters in Crime. I wrote about it earlier, but the best part is always seeing my friends who live in the area. I didn't have to travel far to do a presentation in our local library, only 17 miles. I love the Porterville Library and their staff. Traveling with my daughter this time, we headed back to the coastal area and Santa Maria where I joined up with the CC chapter of Sisters in Crime again at the Santa Maria Library. This was a fast trip--but as usual, we both had a great time. It was fun to stay in the Santa Maria Inn once aga...

Once again I traipsed across the valley to the coast to join with the Central Coast Sisters in Crime at an event. This time it was at the most wonderful Santa Maria Library. We had a group discussion on how to plot a mystery. Lots of fun, because we all do it differently. The whole group. Me and Barbara Hodges This time daughter Lisa drove me over and we had a great time the day before, visited Morro Bay, had a great lunch, did some sight seeing along the way, checked into the Santa Maria Inn. This was the first time that we stayed in the newer part of the hotel. At the desk, I told the clerk, "Darn, no ghosts." Another guest heard me and laughed, and told me that I'd made his day. Our room was huge compared to the ones in the older part of the hotel where the movie stars of old always stayed. Lisa and I explored a bit so she could see how gorgeous the old hotel is, then we had dinner in the dining room. Next morning we opted for something a b...

This is National Library Week and on Friday, April 18th, I'll be heading over to Santa Maria with my daughter at the wheel. She loves to drive and she'll be my helper this time. We're going to stay at the Santa Maria Inn overnight, one of my favorite places. Daughter will love it. On Saturday, April 19th, I'll once again be joining the Central Coast Sisters in Crime for an event, this time at the Santa Maria Library, 4215 W. McClelland at 10 a.m. We authors will be having a panel discussion about plotting your mystery. Should be interesting and enlightening because I'm sure we all go about it differently. We'll all have copies of our books and I'm bringing several from both mystery series. And yes, I'm looking forward to seeing my fellow Sisters and Misters again.  We won't be hanging around though once the event is over and everyone who wants to buy a book has, because we'll be heading back home that afternoon. The reason being th...

 This Sunday, April 6 from 1-3, several members of the Central Coast chapter of Sister is Crime will gather at the Coalesce Bookstore and Wedding Chapel, 845 Main St., Morro Bay. Not only will it be a book signing, but each participant will give a 5 minute reading or talk about their book(s). And (I know this is important) there will be refreshments! Those who will be presenting are: Tony Piazza (the president of CCSinC), Sue McGinty, Paul Fahey, Barbara Hodges, Anne R. Allen, Natalie Jarboe, and me. The event will be held in the chapel and the beautiful garden patio. My hubby and I love to go over to these events, it's like a mini-vacation. We're good friends with so many of the members because we've been joining the chapter for events for a long, long time. I do hope some of you who are in the area will come join us. I'll have copies of Murder in the Worst Degree, Dangerous Impulses, Spirit Shapes and Raging Water.             ...

Going to San Joaquin Sisters in Crime is a real treat. I'm one of the founding members and it's the closest chapter of Sisters in Crime--though it's in Fresno and can take up to two hours to drive there.  My hubby has now joined because he likes to hear the speakers--and eat the lunch afterwards, and it's cheaper for members. And all the Sisters in Crime chapters welcome Mister Sisters.  This past Saturday we went primarily because Tony Piazza was going to speak. Tony is the president of the Central Coast Sisters in Crime which I am also a member of and he's been a guest on this blog.Tony and his wife are friends and I we asked them to join us at our table. Tony at part of his display. Tony told us he'd been an avid reader as a kid and he also loved movies from the '30s and '40s. He learned film making at school. His father was a San Francisco police officer who worked with many companies making movies and TV shows, and Tony and his...

I'm fortunate enough to have met Tony through the Central Coast Chapter of Sisters in Crime. He's now the president of the chapter. His latest book is now out and I think it has one of the best covers I've seen in a long time. I'm reading the book now and it reminds me a lot of the detective novels of the '40s and '50s. I asked Tony what inspired Murder Amongst Angels and he gave me this answer: "I had received numerous requests to bring my detective, Tom Logan back. In contemplating what kind of story I could weave around him to mark his return, I hit upon a real life mystery that had fascinated me for some time. In the 90s I saw a film called "Hot Toddy" based upon the 1935 death of actress/ comedienne Thelma Todd. The mystery haunted me. It had all the ingredients for a good story...gangsters, dishonest politicians, crooked cops, beautiful platinum blonde found dead under suspicious circumstances, and the smell of cover-up. Takin...

I've been a member of Sisters in Crime for many years--how long I don't remember. When I learned that a new chapter was going to be formed in Fresno, I went to the planning meeting and became one of the founding members of the San Joaquin chapter and have belonged to that chapter ever since. I've made lots of friends in that chapter, sadly a few have passed on, some have disappeared or just don't come to meetings anymore, and of course many more members have joined. Besides friendships I've had a great time, heard many authors speak, been asked to speak myself, learned from many specialists in the field of law enforcement, detection, the coroner, etc. and seen photos of murder victims and read police reports about famous cases. I've always taken notes and some things I've learned have wiggled their way into my own books. I've also joined other chapters of Sisters in Crime. I first joined the L.A. chapter so I could be a part of their booth at the L.A. Ti...

Though I haven't left the house since Tuesday, my days have been really full. Though I've done a bit of writing on my latest work-in-progress, not nearly as much as I'd like So, you ask, what has kept you so busy. As you may have noticed, I have a new book coming out in March, Angel Lost . The publisher and I have been e-mailing  back and forth about errors in the ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) to get them fixed before the book goes to the printer. We've also been discussing some marketing strategies. I'll be going on a blog tour with Pump Up Your Books in March which requires writing a different post for each stop along the way. That is a challenge, but also something I enjoy going. I am a writer after all. Besides the blog tour, I'm making some personal appearances. There is one book store in Oakhurst, Willow Bridge Books, that I love. I contacted the owner to see when I could come back and talk to the writers' group that meets there. The date was se...

We love going to the coast, which anyone who reads my blogs has probably figured out. This time we're going because I belong to the Central Coast Sisters in Crime and they are having a joint author signing at the Coalesce Book Store on Main Street in Morro Bay, Sunday, March 28th from 1-3. We decided to go today and we're booked a room in another hotel we've never stayed in--sure to be an adventure like so many before. Of course we plan to have a great seafood meal this evening and enjoy gazing out the window at the bay. The signing itself sounds fun. I think each of us (authors) will have the opportunity to speak about and/or read a bit from our book. I'll be bringing An Axe to Grind and two other books. So far, this will be my only signing in a bookstore. I've been to this bookstore before and it's charming. Each author is bringing some kind of finger food, so there'll be refreshments to entice people in. When I get home, I'll report how it all went. M...

I'll be in Morro Bay when this blog posts. I'm going to participate in a writing workshop put on my the Central Coast chapter of Sisters in Crime, one of several chapters that I belong to. I'm especially fond of the members of this group and I've done several events with them. It's at 10 a.m. at the Morro Bay Library. The one today will have several published authors helping critique aspiring authors work (5 pages apiece.) We'll start with each of us giving a 5 minute talk about some aspect of novel writing, my topic is characterization. Of course I could do an hour or more on the subject, but I'll have handouts which the participants can take home and peruse. Afterwards, we'll be lunching together. Hubby and I love driving over to the coast--besides the gorgeous scenery we know we'll have a great meal with some kind of seafood. We do have to come right back later in the afternoon as we both have commitments on Sunday. February is a much less busy mo...

Saturday we head off to Pasadena. We're going to the California Crime Writers Conference though I do not expect to go to much at the conference. I was asked to be on a panel about e-publishing on Sunday morning and could attend anything I wanted that day and pay for the day before. Since I'm going to the Public Safety Writers Conference the next week, I didn't feel the need or desire to spend that much time conferencing. Plus Sunday afternoon we have an important council meeting at church and being the church clerk I should get back for it. I'm not even putting my books in the bookstore. What I will do is hand out postcards with ordering information about my books. I'll be showing off my Kindle too. We'll use our Magellan to take us there stress free. Hubby listens to Mrs. Magellan as he calls the voice on the GPS device--never listens to my directions, so I appreciate having her tell us what to do and where to turn. I'll be getting my email via my Blackberr...

Marilyn: Sue, I've known you for a long time and we're friends through Sisters in Crime Central Coast chapter. I know you've been writing short stories and children's books. I've read your new mystery, Murder in Los Lobos , and loved it. Sue: Thanks, Marilyn. I really treasure our friendship and all the direction, guidance and inspiration you've given me over the years. You're definitely on my short-list of heroes. As you say, I've written short stories, mostly mysteries as well as a passel of freelance articles. I've also completed a middle-grade novel set in the WWII timeframe, SECRET BEYOND THE DOOR . It's kind of a cross between Nancy Drew and A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN. At this writing, it's still "pre-published" as they say. Will you please tell me what inspired you to write this story? Sue: A combination of several things. At the risk of betraying my technical-writer background, here's a numbered list. 1) After meeting an ...

Today I gave a presentation to the San Joaquin Chapter of Sisters in Crime. I belong to several chapters of Sisters in Crime: Central Coast, L.A. and I'm the president of the Internet Chapter. However, I was one of the founding members of the SJ Sinc and it has a special place in my heart. I don't get to as many meetings as I'd like, but I count the members as my friends. This was the first time anyone outside of my chapter saw copies of Kindred Spirits . Though the launch for the latest in my Deputy Tempe Crabtree book will next Wednesday in Crescent City, this was the debut. They asked me to talk about my bumpy road of publication--easy enough--nearly 30 rejections for my first book before it was accepted, 4 agents--most of whom didn't even send my book out--two crooked publishers, one went to jail, the other skipped the country--two publishers who died--publishers who decided to find a new way to make money that didn't involve books--e-publishers before there wer...

As usual Epicon was great–even though I didn’t win an Eppie, at least Judgment Fire was nominated. I seem to always be a bridesmaid, never a bride–or maybe I've caught the Susan Lucci syndrome. One of the best things about any of these events is connecting with friends and making new ones. Lorna and Larry who wrote 31 Months in Japan; Lee Emory, publisher Treble Heart Books; John Schembra, a friend from PSWA; Murdock Hughes, who often looks like a werewolf and writes about one too; and way too many more to name. The highlight of the conference for me was hearing Mike Powell of Powell’s Books (Portland OR) speak. While many independent bookstores are disappearing, Powell’s keeps on growing. No doubt the largest bookstore anywhere, there are also four other speciality Powell’s in Portland and two that I saw in the airport! First, he spoke quite positively about e-books, including the fact that 18% of his business was in e-book sales and he expects that to percentage to continually in...

Here's all the places I'm going to be during the coming week: Feb 11 http://storycrafters.blogspot.com/ (guest post) Feb 12 http://www.j-kaye-book-blog.blogspot.com/ (review) Feb 13 http://www.thewriterslife.blogspot.com (interview) and http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dennisngriffin (podcast) Feb 14 http://theplotline.wordpress.com/ Feb 15 http://theplotline.wordpress.com/ I also have a new video for Smell of Death . http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=B1Q_1YJe2XQ I'm just back from a trip to the Central Coast and a joint talk at the library with the CC Sisters in Crime. The weather was spectacular, somewhere in the high 70s. Marilyn http://fictionforyou.com