Marilyn's Musings

Recently, one of my friends called and said she'd just read Deadly Feast . She said it read like a Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery. She was right. When I wrote it, I intended it to be a Tempe mystery, but when I was finished I realized it didn't quite fit the criteria. There was nothing in it about the heroine being Native American or any references to anything Indian. So, I changed the names of the two main characters and the town. Of course that meant there was still a lot of resemblance to the all my Tempe Crabtree mysteries. The story revolves around a huge storm and people being stranded on the wrong side of the river when a bridge goes out. Of course there's a murder, a murder that revolves around food, and the heroine is put into great danger when someone pushes her into the rushing river. I liked what I'd written and decided with a few changes, the book would still work. When I first wrote it, I called it Guilt by Association. Under that ...

Thought it might be fun to promote Deadly Feast  the day after we all had wonderful feasts. Yes, my Thanksgiving dinner was delicious and not the least bit deadly. In this mystery, friends,neighbors, and the local deputy and her husband, are stranded in one house during a flood that ook out the one and only bridge into town. They are staying in a big house and have plenty of provisions--but all is not well. As I've said before, this was intended to be an early Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery, but didn't quite fit for that series. But I liked the story, so changed the two main characters. I've written about torrential rains taking out bridges and roads in about three books. Why? Because I live in an area where this has happened more than once. Only once was I affected when I'd gone to a party and it poured so hard it caused a mud slide that closed the main road, and we had to take a most round-about way to get back home. And of course, I heard all s...

While checking the edits for Deadly Feast , and getting reaquainted with this book, I realized what a big influence Agatha Christie had on me without my knowing it. Obviously this is a mystery, and when I began it, I thought it might be a Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery, but when I got to the end, I knew it didn't fit the series. This is the second book that I did this with.  Because I liked it, I did some rewriting, changed the names of the characters and the setting. Still a small town, this one is in the gold country--much like Coulterville to be exact. Coulterville is right on the old '49 trail.  I really did have a good time writing this book--and rereading it. I hope you'll enjoy it too. Blurb: While investigating a murder, Leslie York, the resident deputy of the mining town of Copper Creek, finds herself stranded on the wrong side of the creek when it turns into a raging torrent. Others driven from their homes by the flood gather, but one of...

Hard as it is to admit, reviews have great importance--not just on Amazon, but everywhere. Of course I'm speaking about good reviews. I've been fortunate enough to get mostly good reviews--but not nearly enough. Does that mean not many people have read my books? I hope not. I've never been a best seller, but I do have a loyal following. And though I do write for readers who say they are anxiously waiting for the next book, whether it be a Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery (and yes, one is coming soon) or a Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novel (the next one is written just waiting for my critique group to hear it all the way through), I also write because I love my characters and want to know what is going to happen to them next. Since I am their creator, I have to write another book to find out. Not having many reviews can work against the promotion for a book in a couple of ways--too few and readers wonder why more people didn't leave their opinions. There are some promo...

This book began as a Tempe Crabtree mystery, but when I finished I knew it wasn't my Tempe. I still  loved the story, so I changed the characters and the setting. It was first published as a trade paperback and a download for the Rocket eReader--never on Amazon. Recently the publisher closed shop and rights reverted back to me. I updated it and made some corrections, and now it has found a new home and is available for only .99 cents from Kindle. I do hope you'll try it and if you like it, leave a review. Oh, and it's only .99 cents! http://tinyurl.com/l7h6fcq Marilyn