Marilyn's Musings

Mayhem and Ghost Stories, by Patricia Crandall, published by The Troy Book Makers is available at Independent Bookstores and on Amazon.com. “Mystery stories are meant to thrill and entice you the reader while engaging your thought process to see if you can figure out who has committed the evil deed. I invite you to such a challenge, one I’m sure is worthy of your ability and interest, to solve the crimes before the end of the various stories. Murder, Mayhem and Ghost Stories is a series of short and very short stories about murder, mayhem and ghostly happenings that I have successfully written and published over the years. Most were for a particular magazine requiring a specific number of words, e.g., 100 to 2000 words. The book is divided into categories and there is one very special story written by my Granddaughter, Nicole St. Onge, No Guts, No Gory, which will satisfy your mysterious needs.      Writing and publishing these stories have been my enthusiastic path t...

This is a story about the results of childhood abuse and the resulting consequences in adulthood. Is also about an unwanted gift of astral projection, a friendship of opposits, a romance, and of course, a murder. This tale is very different than my others, but I think it has a lot of interesting twists. So where did this story come from? Many people and places: A family member who shared about her childhood abuse. My imagining what astral projections might be lijeand a few dreams I've had about it--plus some research. The main setting a lot like where we used to live in Oxnard. One of the pre-schools I once worked at including one of the teachers and a couple of students. Research about support groups for people with sexual problems. A whole lot of imagination. The first publisher for this book was extremely supportive and she later published the first three Deputy Tempe Crabtree mysteries as mass-market paperbacks. She also got me a spot on a Bakersfield talk show--she was located...

To buy: https://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Impulses-Rocky-Bluff-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B089WJNQBX/ref=sr_1_1?crid=GGH1IVL9JD0R&keywords=dangerous+impulses+by+f.+m.+meredith&qid=1655299985&s=books&sprefix=dangerous+impulses+by+f.+m.+meredtihg%2Cstripbooks%2C1602&sr=1-1 The murder of the mother and son plus the teens buying and taking synthetic drugs both came from articles in police magazines. Of course, reading the articles gave me ideas of what could happen in Rocky Bluff and I was off and writing like mad. And for those who care for Officer Gordon Butler, he's a true hero in this tale.  Of course there's a lot going on in all the regular characters' lives, and always.  This book received  15 five star reviews. I do hope some of you will take the time to read it. F. M. Meredith, aka Marilyn

Yes, I'm doing it again. This time it's for NO BELLS in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series. It will be free from today, March 14 through Friday, March 18.  https://www.amazon.com/Bells-Rocky-Bluff-P-D-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B08BXD2FS4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=20PN942J8HIHP&keywords=No+Bells+by+F.+M.+Meredith&qid=1646067402&sprefix=no+bells+by+f.+m.+meredith%2Caps%2C1884&sr=8-1 Gordon started out as a minor character in one of my earlier Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novels, Fringe Benefits , which was mainly a story about Gordon’s training officer, a very bad cop. In that one and subsequent others, things have not gone well for Gordon. Being a police officer is all that Gordon ever wanted to do. He knows the law better than anyone on the force. His biggest joy is catching a criminal—or any law breaker for that matter. He hands out traffic tickets gleefully and seldom gives anyone a break. He is not a buffoon, though if something can go wrong for him, it will. Gordon’s love life has ...

The title, TANGLED WEBS , of course refers to "Oh, what tangled webs we weave when we practice to deceive." This should tell you that some of the plot is about lies.  I didn't need to do a whole lot of research for this one. The main plot is about the murder of a day-care center teachers. I worked in several pre-schools and day cares and have plenty of knowledge about what goes on behind the scenes with those who work in them.  Officer Gordon Butler has a new-hire for a partner who has eyes for Gordon's wife. And of course, family problems loom up when Detective Milligan's daughter isn't acting like herself. This was another one I enjoyed writing. It's always interesting to be able to draw from my past experiences for parts of a mystery. https://www.amazon.com/Tangled-Webs-Rocky-Bluff-Mysteries/dp/B08C475W13/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Tangled+Webs+by+F.+M.+Meredith&qid=1623944241&s=books&sr=1-1

Two big things got me going with   Dangerous Impulses,  and both needed research. The main plot is about the murder of a mother and her teenaged son. This came from a real murder, of course fictionalized. I had to do research about blood spatter. The secondary plot, which fits in with the first plot, is how easy it is to get synthetic drugs from the Internet. I read and learned more about such drugs poisoning young people.  And for all of the Gordon Butler fans out there, once again he has a big part in this tale when he is chosen to be the training officer for a new female officer.  Though all things are not perfect for him, he becomes a hero. The settings change a bit to more about the bluff area of Rocky Bluff and the foothill area on the otherside of the freeway. I think there's a lot going for Dangerous Impulses  and it got some great reviews when it first came out. If you're interested, it can be found on Amazon for Kindle and in paper. https://www.am...

My parents instilled in me a love of words, laughter, and nature, so perhaps it was inevitable that I became a writer of mysteries with a hint of laughter and a bias toward the environment. My first two novels (The Havoc in Hancock series) are set in Idaho, where I lived for thirty-plus years after growing up in southern California. I got the idea for my first book when our activist daughter invited me for breakfast with a friend of hers. A colorful character, Roadkill (he really calls himself that!) dressed in the skins of animals he’d found by the side of the road. With his permission, he became a character in Mustard’s Last Stand , where Roadkill convinces his screenwriter brother to help him fight a faux safari camp in North Idaho. He was such a reader favorite that I’m bringing him back in my next book, the second in my new series. When we moved to Arizona, I knew I wanted to set my next novel there. I happened to spend a month outside the town of Benson, AZ, a ...

In Calling the Dead Deputy Tempe Crabtree calls back the dead to learn the truth about a murder and a suicide. This was one of the harder of the series to write, namely because it focuses on murder and suicide. And yes, Tempe learns how to call back the dead. I have no idea if that is even possible, but it isn't something I'd recommend anyone trying. And where did I find out about it--from a book of course. You can research anything using the library, the Internet or others sources. I believe I've now written about each one of my refurbished books. If you want to know something more, leave me your question as a comment. Marilyn Calling the Dead is available as a trade paperback and for Kindle https://www.amazon.com/Calling-Dead-Tempe-Crabtree-Mystery/dp/1594263523/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?keywords=callin+the+dead+by+Marilyn+Meredith&qid=1559923444&s=books&sr=1-1-fkmr0

Yes, I now have the cover for Tangled Webs, the latest in the Rocky Bluff P. D. series. As you'll note on the cover, it's #15. (I find this hard to believe, and I write them all.) Don't have the publication date yet, but it will be soon.  Of course this is a murder mystery--a beloved day care center teacher is stabbed on her own front porch. Perhaps she wasn't as beloved as people said. Too many are not telling all the truth. And life moves on for those who inhabit Rocky Bluff including the police officers. Family situations cause problems for Detective Milligan, Sergeant Navarro and Ryan Strickland. Officer Gordon Butler has a rookie to train--maybe one who is a tad too eager.  As usual, I enjoyed myself spending time with these characters. I hope you will too. Marilyn who writes this series as F. M. Meredith.

Many know that one of my publishers has had serous health problems causing me to take back all my rights. This was so difficult because we were good friends. The publisher who did my last Rocky Bluff P.D. mystery, said he'd republish the others, but this will all take time.  I had two other books with the publisher that did well over time--and though I wanted to self-publish them I really didn't have a clue how to go about it. Enter my good friends and angels, Lorna and her husband Larry, who generously offered to get both books ready for publication.  The first one is done: The Astral Gift The heroine is a young woman who, as a child, escaped from the sexual abuse of her stepfather through astral projection. As an adult, she continues to astral project, but has no control over when it happens.  No, I've never astral projected nor was I sexually abused as a child. The heroine is a day care center teachers--and yes, I've been one of those. ...

Today and tomorrow--October 21 and 22, are the last days to get a copy of Spirit Shapes for only .99 cents. This book is perfect for the season--lots of scary stuff. https://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Shapes-Tempe-Crabtree-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00FEJDA04/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1473949324&sr=1-1&keywords=Spirit+Shapes+by+Marilyn+Meredith#nav-subnav ASIN:  B00FEJDA04 Ghost hunters stumble upon a murdered teen in a haunted house. Deputy Tempe Crabtree's investigation pulls her into a whirlwind of restless spirits, good and evil, intertwined with the past and the present, and demons and angels at war. This is one of my favorites in my Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series--I had a great time writing it and I hope you'll enjoy reading it.  Marilyn

Have you ever heard of a Boston Marriage? In Nineteenth Century America, unmarried professional women (teachers, social workers) often shared living quarters.  Part of this was an economic necessity because, just like today, women were paid less than men. The other part of it was social.  Women developed close friendships with their peers and enjoyed each other’s company.  The author Henry James (you probably studied him in high school) wrote about one of these relationships in his classic novel The Bostonians.  Although the phrase “Boston Marriage” never appears in his novel, people started calling these relationships between professional women who lived together Boston Marriages, no matter what city they lived in. This is the part I love most about writing historical—learning all this trivia! In MURDER IN MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS, my protagonists Frank and Sarah Malloy have just opened a private detective agency.  They are hired to find out who killed a yo...

In my other life I am an Arizona Historian, an avocation I’ve enjoyed from childhood. I have researched the history and explored the site of the Stoneman Grade, a military trail built into the heartland of the Apache homeland in 1870. So when I read that the Arizona Highway Department was proposing modifying US-60 through the Pinal Mountains between Superior and Miami by separating the east and westbound lanes with the new part following the old Stoneman Grade, the seed of The Baleful Owl was planted. The story begins with a murder at an archeological site in the proposed new US-60 corridor. As part of the impact study for the new route, excavation of a Salado Culture pueblo was begun. As crews report for the second day of the dig, the body of an archeologist and a second wounded archeologist is found.  As my three rural cops investigate the scene they conclude that the attacks resulted from theft of artifacts. One artifact, a beautifully crafted and unique e...

I’ve never liked February much. More snow, ice, and cold. This year with record-breaking winter weather, I bet a lot of readers are eager to forget winter. How about curling up with a thriller – Ignore the Pain ? Besides being exciting this book gives you a chance to do some armchair traveling to Bolivia, possibly a place you’ve never considered. Let’s start with a fast-paced plot. In Ignore the Pain , Sara Almquist couldn’t say no when invited to be the epidemiologist on a public health mission to assess children’s health in Bolivia. Soon someone from her past is chasing her through the Witches’ Market and churches of La Paz. Unfortunately, she can’t decide whether to trust any of her new colleagues, especially the unsavory Xave Zack, as she learns more about coca production and the god Tio of the silver mines of Potosí than she ever wanted to know. The let’s add the excitement of an exotic location. What do you like to do when you travel? See historical sites, sho...

Authors wear at least three hats – writer, publicist, and business executive. Instead of investing time and money in another seminar on how to manage your time more effectively, consider reading Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight . Don’t shake your head no, keep reading! Set priorities In Chapter One of Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight , Linda Almquist receives this advice on setting priorities when she begins a new job . “There are three types of problems. A few problems are like wine; those situations improve if you delay decisions and let them age. Most problems are like waste paper. You can ignore them because they don’t matter. Unfortunately like waste paper, they tend to be messy when they pile up. And some problems are like manure. You must identify them quickly before they stink.” Most of us are so swamped by our “waste paper” problems, that we ignore the “manure problems.” For example, I dribble away my time agonizing over the position of pictures in...

Many thanks to Marilyn for giving me a chance to talk about my new series, Blue Plate Mysteries. I love being an author, but the truth is that in another life I would be a chef and a restaurant owner—or should I say in my next life, I “will” be. I love to cook, and I’ve always longed to run a small restaurant that serves the kind of food I like—sandwiches with innovative fillings, soups, salads, sort of tea room food with a twist. But I know that owning a restaurant easily leads to disaster and potential financial ruin, so for several years I scratched that itch by helping out once a week at The Star Café, located in Fort Worth’s Stockyards National Historic District and owned by good friends Don and Betty Boles. It’s no tea room. Specialties of the house are steak, chicken-fried steak, and really good hamburgers. The clientele are mostly but not all from the cowboy side of Fort Worth’s culture, including many whom plan to go dancing later in the night and others who come to h...