Marilyn's Musings

WHY DID I DECIDE TO WRITE ABOUT INDIANS? This is an easy one to answer. Until I moved to Springville, I'd only met one Native American, a movie actor named Rod Redwing. He was a good friend of my dad's and I saw a lot of him when I was growing up and once more as an adult.  Once we moved from Oxnard to Springville, I learned we were neighbors with the Tule River Indian Reservation, and it wasn't long before I met a beautiful Indian woman, and saw more Indians at various places around town. I did some research about our neighbors and was hooked. Tempe Crabtree became a real person to me. I met other Indians at a Pow Wow and learned even more--reflected in the 2nd book in the series: Deadly Omen. Of course, I had to do a lot more research for other books, but do remember I'm writing fiction. A lot of imagination is mixed into every plot. I do hope you'll enjoy reading the series. To buy for .99 cents go to: https://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Shapes-Tempe-Crabtree-Mysteries...

The following  reviews will probably tell you what you ought to know about Invisible Path. Invisible Path is phenomenal! The series improves as time goes on. The last book, Dispel the Mist , included the Native American legend of the Hairy Man. He also helps to move the plot in this new installment along. This, and Tempe 's continued confusing dreams, which Nick Two John (the innkeeper and Tempe 's friend) doesn't really help Tempe decipher, give this mystery series a unique element. What the author has always done well in both her series is showcase how a law enforcement career can impact family life. While for Tempe that usually means missing dinners or working on her day off, this makes her a character that readers can relate to. I eagerly await the next Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery novel. –Cheryl Malandrinos, The Book Connection * * * Marilyn Meredith brings readers another Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery with “Invisible Path”. Set in the...

Over the years, I've included fires in many of my mysteries. A fire is part of the main plot in  Seldom Traveled , the latest in the Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery. This was written and published long before the latest rash of fires. But fire is always a threat in California, for several reasons. Chaparral covers the hillsides and houses have been built all over the hills. Chaparral must burn to reseed. Logging has been restricted and the trees have become way too dense, many trees have died, so when there is a forest fire there is way too much fuel. We are fortunate to have so many brave firefighters willing to risk their lives to fight the fires, and we saw much of that bravery during the last few months.  Fires lend themselves to all sorts of interesting plot twists. If you read through the Tempe Crabtree mystery series, you'll come across various fires. I'd much rather write about a fire than be as close to one as I was this past year. But I was far mor...

It has happened before. I wrote about a bear invasion in Bear Creek that Deputy Tempe Crabtree had to deal with and a couple of years later, we had bear marauding in Springville (where I live and Bear Creek bears a big resemblance to the area.)  After about a five year drought, we've had some great rain storms which have swelled our usually calm Tule River to the point where boulders are moving and crashing into each other, and trees and some people's possessions are floating on down toward the dam.(Lake Success.) At times they've blocked off the entrances to the bridges that cross the river. They do this because the river is flowing over the bridges and they take down the sides to prevent debris from piling up and damaging the bridge.  There are some great similarities Raging Water as far as the flooding is concerned. The two murders are actually based on two deaths that occurred in our town, not treated as murders, though I, and others certainly thought...

This is the first day of my blog tour, be sure and visit  https://jwillsbooks.com/2016/09/03/new-release-from-successful-author/ Everyone I know who has Native American blood flowing through their veins prefers to be called Indian.  It does cause some problems though, because many people in our area are Indians from India.  In our family we have several American Indians: my daughter-in-law is half Yacqui, which of course means her daughters and their children have some of this DNA. Another granddaughter is about 1/4 Tule River Indian (Yokut.) The Indians I borrow a lot from for my Deputy Tempe Crabtree mysteries are also Tule River Indians (Yokut.) I had a very good friend who was Tolowa--and that's what she wanted to be called. Wrote about her and the Tolowa tribe in Kindred Spirits. In my opinion, using American after whatever ethnic background we come from seems weird. We should all consider ourselves Americans and leave it at that. Most ...

Blog Tour for Seldom Traveled September 3 -    https://jwillsbooks.com/2016/09/03/new-release-from-successful-author/ Having Different Publishers September 4 – http://auntiemwrites.com/2016/09/04/marilyn-meredith-seldom-traveled/ Fiction Too Close to Fact September 5 –  http://maggieking.com/how-a-mountain-setting-defines-character/ How Does a Mountain Setting Define Character? September 6 – http:// thoniehereon .worpress.com/ How Real Life Propelled me into Fiction September 7 – https://bookbrowsing.wordpress.com/about/ Promotion Over the Years September 8 -- https://mmgornell.wordpress.com/ September 9 -- http://pat-writersforum.blogspot.com/ September 10 – http://barbaradonlonbradley.blogspot.com/ Interview September 11 -- http://www.lindathorne.com/blog/ September 12 – http://amymbennettbooks.blogspot.com September 13 – http://cncbooks.blog September 14 – http://www.djadamson.com/le-coeur-de-lart...

Week #3 for River Spirits Blog Tour: Nov. 15    http://www.marywelk.com/    The Supportive Mystery Writing Community Nov. 16 http://crimewriters.blogspot.com   Where I Get My Energy Nov 17 http://jwillsbooks.com/   Avoiding the Jessica Fletcher Syndrome Nov. 18   http://bookbrowsing.wordpress.com     Promotion Tips Nov. 19 http://booksbeatbabes@blogspot.com/   Where Do the Minor Characters Come From? Nov. 20 http://bookscanbedeadly.blogspot.com/   What Might be Next for Tempe Nov. 21 http://evelyncullet.com/   Excerpt and links I do hope you are enjoying this tour as much as I am. Marilyn

Here is the schedule for the first week of the River Spirits blog tour, along with the topics I've written about. Remember, the person who leaves comments on the most blogs will win his or her choice of being a character in my next book, or choosing an earlier book in the series--any format. Nothing ever happens without problems, so instead of beginning on Nov. 1, I have two posts on November 2nd. Nov. 2    http://judys-stew.blogspot.com                      Coming Up With a Title Nov. 2    http://lindathorne.blog.com/ The Bumpy Road of Publication for the Tempe Crabtree Series Nov. 3.   http://wordmuseum.com/ Where Deputy Tempe Crabtree Came From Nov. 4    http://Susanvankirk.com/category/blog/     The Setting for the Deputy Tempe Crabtree Series Nov. 5   http://gumbojustice.blogspot.com/ Indians or Native America...

When I'm reading a book, if the writer has done a good job, I soon find myself identifying with the main character(s). When the character is in peril, my heart beats faster and I feel anxious. So shouldn't it be the same when you are the author and writing from you character's point-of-view? I think so. How can you make this happen? For me, it's the same way I make sure to remain in the POV character's mind and body. I climb inside that character and look at his or her world through his or her eyes. I see what this person sees. I feel what the main character feels. I address a challenge in the manner that character would. I can smell what the person smells. And I only know what that person knows--which means I have no idea what anyone else is thinking, I can only guess. When the character is in peril, I have the same emotions that he or she is experiencing. And the same goes if that emotion is revulsion or love. So what that all means, is that I must then p...

Certainly, I am not any of the characters in my books, nor are they based on me. As far as Deputy Tempe Crabtree is concerned, we have but one resemblance to one another. Certainly it is not in ethnicity--I have no Indian blood whatsoever. My ancestors came to the states in the mid to late 1700s from places like England, Holland, Scotland and Ireland. Or at least that's what I've been told, and in some instances searching genealogy has proven. I don't look anything like Tempe either, I'm short, she's tall, I'm chubby and she's not, and she's nearing middle-age and I passed that up long ago. I've never been in law enforcement either. The closest I've come is to have many relatives, past and present, who have served as police officers or deputy sheriffs. What Tempe and I, and some of my other female characters, do have in common is a strong streak of independence, bravery and willingness to stand-up for those who are falsely accused. Thou...

Lately I've been frustrated by not having enough time to write. I've blogged about distractions that take me away from my writing--but a lot has to do with promotion I have to do for my new book coming. A funny thing happened at my writers' critique group. I was reading the next completed Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novel which at the moment has no name (remember the next one in that series, No Bells , is due out sometime in March. When critiquing time came, one of our new members pointed out that I had in one spot I had given Stacey a different name--Tempe. I didn't notice and neither did the old-timers of the group. Tempe is the heroine of the Tempe Crabtree mystery series--and she and Stacey are not alike except for being female law enforcement officers and strong women. I do know why it happened though, I go back and forth from writing a new book in one series and promoting the book that is out or soon to be out in the other series--and I usually have another manus...

There may be a real town somewhere called Bear Creek--and I'm sure there is--but the one I'm writing about though based on the town where I live, is not an actual place. My Bear Creek, the mountain community where Deputy Tempe Crabtree lives and works, is located in the Southern Sierra at about the altitude of 2000 feet. The town itself is on both side so the highway that leads into the mountains with the river it is named after running through. Though the town itself only has an Inn which years ago was a stage coach stop, it doesn't have much else in the way of eateries. There's the Cafe' which is the best place to get a great hamburger. Only one grocery store with a gas station is the only place to gas up and get supplies. Of course there's a post office, though not much has been said about it. One of the most important places is the fire station. There is a paid Fire Captain but everyone else is a volunteer. Volunteers are only paid when they actually...

Probably the easiest way to explain it is to let you know what's going on right now with my writing. I'm in the process of writing a Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery. This one is set in January and has a double homicide of two harmless women, a torrential rainstorm, a river flooding, and a mud slide which isolates the town of Bear Creek--and maybe the murderer. I'm about 3/4 of the way through. I'm reading it to my critique group chapter by chapter. No title for it yet but I do have an idea for the cover. I write as many mornings as possible. In the meantime, I'm still promoting Angel Lost by F. M. Meredith , in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series and Invisible Path , the last published book in the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series. I have a lot of in-person events coming up with opportunities to speak about and sell the books. (All these books can be ordered through a bookstore or Amazon and are available for Kindle and other reading devices.) I've sent off the next b...

When I began working on my latest Work in Progress, a Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery, it was winter and we were having an unusually rainy season. The novel is set right after Christmas so all the rain and the havoc it was causing for real I reflected in what I was writing. I definitely knew how it felt to drive through a downpour so I could write easily about Tempe not being able to see through the sheet of rain. The earth was so saturated, roads were blocked by rivers of mud, making it particularly hazardous for night driving. In places parts of the hillsides slid down bringing boulders along with the saturated earth. Trees fell, taking out power lines causing the loss of electricity. In some places, people were without lights and water for three and four days. All of this was great fodder for my story. But I'm still in the middle of it and guess what? The weather has changed. Instead of being dark and gloomy, rain threatening every day, it's bright and sunshiny, colorful w...

Remember Jessica Fletcher who lived in the small New England village of Cabot Cove? So many murders happened in that tiny town when Jessica Fletcher was around, it was a wonder she wasn't the prime suspect. It didn't get any better when she started traveling. Wherever she went someone dropped dead of suspicious circimstances. My little town of Bear Creek where Deputy Tempe Crabtree is the resident deputy has some similarities to Cabot Cover in the sense that it's unlikely that many people would be murdered as has happened over the years in my books. Fortunately, Tempe is never on the scene at the time of the murder, she is always called in after the discovery. We've had three murders that I know of and they happened over a long period of time. The first a book was written about it, Murder in California, and a movie from the book. It happened right across the river from where I live. A large ranch owned by a prominent family in Beverly Hills sits atop a hill. Right b...

Is it for fame and fortune? If so, I would have quit a long time ago. I made more money working at the piddly though fulfilling jobs I had in the past. I've been a telephone operator, pre-school and day care center teacher, and owned and operated my own licensed residential facility. And yes, I wrote during the times I had those jobs too. Even though I have nearly thirty books in print, many of them on Kindle, I'm not a well-known author. I do have a small following for both of my mystery series, but it's a long way from any kind of fame. When I receive my royalty checks, sometimes I have to laugh they are so small. So, why do I do it? I can't seem to help myself. When I've finished writing a new Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery I begin wondering what's going to happen to her next. Are she and her preacher husband going to continue getting along, or will there be bumps in their marital travels as there have been in the past? Will her son, Blair, make an appea...

I've been writing about Deputy Tempe Crabtree for a long while now. Though Deadly Trail is the first book in this mystery series, it wasn't the first to come out. The publisher I found wanted to begin with Deadly Omen . Because I wanted Deadly Trail to also be available to readers, I contacted an electronic publisher who also does trade paperbacks, Hard Shell Word Factory, and she was willing to publish it, so it came out later and I promoted it as a prequel. In Deadly Trail , Tempe is not yet married though the wedding is soon to come about. However, all her plans are put on hold when the owner of the local inn is murdered. The detectives arrest Nick Two John because he's been having an affair with the owner's wife. Tempe doesn't believe her Indian friend is the guilty party and strikes out to find the right person. In this first book, thanks to Two John, Tempe begins to learn more about her Indian heritage, something she's ignored in the past. As readers of ...

One of the promo newsletters I subscribe to recommended always doing your blog before 9 a.m. If I did that, I would never get around to writing. If promo was all I did, I could follow all these suggestions about blogging, but what would I blog about if didn't write and have books to promote? Politics? Religion? I do mention both at times when I think it's relevant or I'm feeling passionate about something. I feel quite proud of myself that I'm blogging nearly everyday, doing the blogs I'm committed to weekly (Stiletto Gang) and every two weeks (Make Mine Murder) and commenting on both those blogs. Now, on to other things. Yesterday we took my youngest son and wife out to dinner for their 17th wedding anniversary. We went for Thai food--theirs and our favorite. Afterwards I went to my critique group arriving very early because I didn't want to go back home because I'd have had to turn right around and come back again. Fortunately, our hostess for the group an...

Just a quick message to let you know that I have a fun interview of Deputy Tempe Crabtree on Nikki Leigh's blog: http://shareyourheroine.blogspot.com/2008/12/meet-marilyn-merediths-heroine-from.html Of course, Tempe is the heroine of my Deputy Tempe Crabtree mysteries. Marilyn http://fictionforyou.com

We live very close to the Tule River Indian Reservation. With the advent of their casino (small by most Indians casino standards) life for these Native Americans has been a change for the better. The reservation is tucked away in a narrow valley between huge mountains. The reservation has more acreage than any other California reservation. However, much of it is inaccessible and includes part of an old growth Sequoia forest. The Indians now have their own health clinic, a modernized recovery center, day care, their own police force and fire department. Off the reservations they own and operate an air park at the Porterville airport where they do all kinds of air plane repair and other industry. They have plans for a hotel and a new casino in that area. Something else they have done off the reservation is built a gas station and mini-mart which is state-of-the art–the nicest gas station and mini-mart I’ve ever seen. It’s built off the main highway to Springville, where I live. The gas ...