Marilyn's Musings

The settings for No Sanctuary  includes two churches. One has a remarkable resemblance to the church I attended from the time I as about 6 until I started high school. It was a one story brick structure with a large basement. The other church is much larger and a mixture of large churches I've attended,  The two preachers in the book are nothing like any ministers I've known, nor are the wives. However, the church secretary is based on a friend of mine who was a church secretary for many years and knew all the secrets. One of the crimes in the book came from a talk given at a Sisters in Crime meeting by a female police officer--in the book it is Officer Stacey Wilbur who goes undercover to catch the bad guy. Speakers at Sister in Crime meetings have given me lots of ideas for this series. (I'll be happy when the chapters I belong to start meeting in person again.) When someone asks me about this book, I usually say it's about two churches, two pastors, two wives and one...

Over the years I've attended many churches and come to know and be friends with many ministers. (I have three Southern Baptist pastor in my family, and I can assure you, none of them are anything like the two ministers portrayed in No Sanctuary.)  My ideas came from bits and pieces of other ministers I've known--but none of them murdered their wife. The actual building of the older church in the story is pretty much as I remember the first church I attended until I started high school. The big church on the bluffs is completely made up. I've never been to a church that big or new. One of the subplots came from a talk given by a female police officer at a Sisters in Crime meeting about a case she worked on. I've gotten many plot ideas from talks at our San Joaquin Sisters in Crime meetings. I'm always surprised when more authors at those meeting aren't busily taking notes. The romance between Officer Stacey Butler and Detective Doug Milligan i...

Pick up where I left off, this is #5 in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series. I've been a church goer all my life and I've attended services in many churches. I've been friends with ministers and their family, and have relatives who are preachers. And no, the characters in this book are not based on any of them. There are two churches in this book--one is much like the one I attended as a child, though it resembles the one in my dreams more than the actual building. The second church, new and large, is a complete figment of my imagination. Unfortunately, the sin of gossip rises in church groups and I used that as part of the plot. One of the subplots came from a talk given by a female police officer at a Sisters in Crime meeting I attended.  In this book the romance between Detective Doug Milligan and Stacey continues. And yes, I had fun writing this book too! It's available with the new cover and re-edited in paperback and on Kindle.. https:/...

Until December 30th, No Sanctuary is available on Kindle for only .99 cents. http://tinyurl.com/cjy5a9b By this time I’d written No Sanctuary , I’d lost two publishers for the Rocky Bluff P.D. series. Fortunately, I’d made friends with Billie Johnson, the owner and publisher of Oak Tree Books. I’d signed a contract soon after that. No Sanctuary Blurb:   Two churches, two ministers, two murders, one murder. Reviews : A car accident or a murder? That is the question Officer Stacey Wilbur faces when she finds a car smashed into a tree while working the night shift for the Rocky Bluffs Police Department. Stacey immediately phones Detective Doug Milligan who responds to the scene. It doesn’t take long to figure out that the victim had been shot in the head. The victim is identified as Mallory Cookmeyer, wife of a prominent local minister. Rev. Paul Cookmeyer is shocked to hear of his wife’s death but can offer no suggestions as to who might want her dea...

No Sanctuary Blurb: Officer Stacey Wilbur works with Detective Doug Milligan investigating the death of a popular minister’s wife,and she's given an undercover assignment to catch a pedophile, is offered a new job, and learns a church isn’t always a sanctuary . You can buy No Sanctuary from the publisher's site at a great price.  http://www.oaktreebooks.com/Shop%20OTP.htm   Scroll down to find No Sanctuary . I often ask other others what inspired the book--here's my answer about this one. I've belonged or visited many churches over the years--met and listened to good preachers and bad, some were true ministers to their flock, some not. And if you ever want to find an intriguing cast of characters, churches are full of them. I am not bad-mouthing churches--I love the little church I go to and the members. We have a preacher who is a true minister and cares for and watches over his flock. Like all churches, interesting souls...

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...

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 ...

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 ...

Ever so often something really exciting shows up in my email box. This time it was an announcement from the Epic e-book contest committee that No Sanctuary is a finalist in the Mystery/Suspense category. Wow! Of course I wanted it entered, but I've entered a book nearly every year since I joined Epic. I've even been a finalist three times. I've also served as a judge every year though never in the category where I have books entered. Every year the caliber of the books has become better and better. Excellent writing, few mistakes. The news about who actually wins won't happen until March of 2010 at the Epicon in New Orleans. I'll be there because I'm giving two presentations about writing mysteries, one for the adults and one for the kids. I'm up against two authors that I know. Mike Orenduff who writes the Pot Thief mysteries--the first on is absolutely great, and Linda Faulkner whose book I haven't read yet but I've heard nothing but good things. ...

Subject: SMELL OF DEATH by F. M. (Marilyn) Meredith "WOW, what a fabulous book! In the very beginning I wondered if I was going to enjoy this book as much as I have Marilyn's other novels, but before long I was absolutely gripped by the unique plot and didn't want to put it down to work, eat, or sleep. Truly. The main character, as in the other Rocky Bluff P.D. series, is Officer Stacey Wilbur. But other officers in the department are along for the ride and a thrilling ride it is. The books slips easily from one to another of the men working in the RBPD, letting each tell his story (Stacey seems to be the only female officer) and bringing family members and situations into the plot. Point of view moves smoothly from life to life as we learn the problems and joys--at home and at work--that the several officers face. They are working on several cases, and we go back and forth from one to another, making progress, experiencing frustrations, and always digging and diggin...

Just had to share this terrific review of No Sanctuary I found on my publisher's blog. "Crime fiction readers will find F. M. Meredith’s No Sanctuary deeply satisfying. It is an excellent police procedural and worth reading on those grounds alone. But there is so much more. Meredith rivals Ed McBain in her ability to create convincing cops and lead us through the twists and turns of investigation. She draws her characters and her setting in prose reminiscent of the British novelist Barbara Pym who was noted for her style, characterization, and sketches of village life. In short, Meredith has risen above genre fiction and created in Rocky Bluff a place you will enjoy visiting. Indeed, as I read the book, I kept having the strangest feeling that I had been there – this despite the fact that the place is fictional. Make no mistake, mystery aficionados will find their fixes in the intricate plot, the well scattered clues, the ‘aha moment’ (I almost missed it because it is so teasi...

Hail, fellow readers! Before you pick up a book by F.M. Meredith, do yourself a favor—reserve time for an uninterrupted read. Once you start reading, you won’t want to stop. No matter the topic, this author has an undeniable gift for hooking readers from page one and not letting go until its conclusion. No Sanctuary delivers well-developed characters and an intriguing plot with a surprising twist at the end. Congratulations, F.M. Meredith, on another winner. No Sanctuary qualifies as a fast and satisfying read. Loved it! -- Karen Kavanagh, former Co-president of Sisters in Crime-CCC.

I'm just finishing up my latest blog tour for No Sanctuary. This is the third tour I've been on arranged through PumpUpYourPromotions.com. It's a lot or work, even when I don't have to find the blogs to visit myself. Each of the blog hosts has their own ideas for what you should do for them: might be an interview or a set bunch of questions to answer, an interview of one of your characters, writing tips, or any variety of tasks. Most will want a copy of the book so they can put a review on their site. Because I've always wanted a book trailer, I've paid extra for that. This time the trailer was superior. It was obvious that Cheryl Maladrinos, my tour guide and the one made the trailer, had read the book. It's terrific and available on U-Tube under No Sanctuary and also on my website: http://fictionforyou.com Do blog tours help? My number always go down on Amazon when I'm on a tour (that's a good thing) as a book begins with a number in the millions...

http://readingmama.blogspot.com/ has another review for No Sanctuary . As I've said before, it's always a bit nail-biting time while waiting for reviews. I'm always glad someone is willing to read the book and write a review--but there's no way of telling whether someone will actually like it. Tastes do differ. Though the crimes I write about can be pretty horrific--I don't go into detail. My cops are for the most part family men and don't use bad language. Though there are relationships, I don't go into intimate details. I figure most adults can fill in the blanks with their imaginations. Most of my readership appreciates the lighter touch--and it makes it possible for kids to read the books. They do tend to buy them when I'm doing book fairs and festivals. Marilyn aka F.M. Meredith

New Contest! When I received one of my reviews for No Sanctuary, the reviewer kindly pointed out three errors in the book. Of course I immediately emailed my publisher and the mistakes have been fixed–in any book ordered from Oak Tree Press, Amazon or Kindle. However, I’ve purchased about 100 books that still have the mistake. These books can only be ordered through my website: http://fictionforyou.com If you order No Sanctuary from my website, read it and find the three errors and send me an email with a description of the error and the page number it’s on, you’ll be put in a drawing for first prize, a $50 gift certificate from Amazon.com, 2nd prize $30 certificate from Amazon.com, and 3rd prize $20 certificate from Amazon.com. My email address is: mmeredith@ocsnet.net If you already purchased the book from me at a book signing, you are eligible to enter the contest but you must tell me where you bought the book. The contest begins now–and will end April 30. Good luck! Marilyn

We live in the foothills of the Southern Sierra (Central California) and for the last two weeks we've had gloomy weather, lots of rain and a smattering of snow. There's lots of snow in the mountains making beautiful views. We really needed the rain because we're in our third year of drought. Weather man promises the biggest storm of all is coming tonight with snow levels perhaps down to 1000 feet--we live at 1000 feet. Our weather is sort of like life--especially now with the economy the way it is--gloomy for awhile, then bursts of sunshine. Having lived through World WarII, the Korean War, Vietnam, Cold Wars and now what's going on in the Middle East, I can tell you that through all the gloom, there are always bright splashes of sunshine and happiness. We've heard sad things like friends losing their jobs, salaries being cut, stocks in the toilet, and on a personal note, the lower oven in our wonderful stove pooped out on us yesterday while granddaughter was making...

That's what it seems like I'm doing. I've always had to juggle my writing life and my regular life. Now, the juggling is going on in my writing life. Having to series going at the same time is interesting--can't think of a more descriptive word--though I could have used any of the following: terrifying, frustrating, mind-boggling. I'm sure you get the idea. This is what I'm doing right now: Working on the promotion for No Sanctuary . Books don't sell without promoting them. Doing a lot of online promo and planning a book launch. Doing edits on the next book in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series. It's done, I just need to check it before sending it off to my publisher at Oak Tree Press. And--I'm writing another in that same series. I have a great plot going and don't want to lose momentum while it's percolating in my brain. In the mean time, my wonderful publisher is putting some books that I've gotten the rights back from the former publishers u...

Yep, won't be long now before I'll actually be holding copies of No Sanctuary in my hands. Once that happens, I have to speed up the promotion. I do already have quite a few speaking dates lined up in the months to come. I'm planning my launch for the last Saturday in February. Don't have everything finalized yet, but will soon. Of course once I get books, I'll be asking people for reviews. Always scary, sending your book out into the cold to let someone decided if they like it or not. This time I'll concentrate on reviewers who liked Smell of Death , the one that came out last fall. I'm so grateful to Billie Johnson, publisher of Oak Tree Press for rescuing the Rocky Bluff series when my former publisher decided to close down operations. This is the third publisher for this series--it has become like the Little Engine that Could or I should say, the crime series that wouldn't die. I'll keep everyone posted as to what is happening. Marilyn aka F.M. M...

Friday seems to be the day that hubby and I take time out for our busy schedules (how on earth did it get that way when we're both supposed to be retired) and head for the movies and usually a bite to eat in one of our local restaurants. Oh, I must confess, we always do a few errands while we're at it. Hubby likes to go to town, but I do not--unless it's for something fun. The rest of the week I concentrate on writing my next work in progress and promoting the latest book. Right now, I'm letting people know about No Sanctuary the next in the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series due out shortly from Oak Tree Press. Of course I'm excited about it and I've been busy planning the promotion on the Internet and in person. This series has an interesting history, this is the third publisher. It was inspired by my son-in-law, a 15 year veteran of the Oxnard P.D. He loved to tell me stories about what he did at work each night and he once took me on a ride-along. It is situated...

Today I planned to rise early and write. Instead, I once again went over the galley for No Sanctuary at the suggestion of the publisher. What a good thing I did. I found a big time inconsistency. It's fixed now, thank goodness. Then I went to town to my Internet provider as I purchased a mini-laptop with Internet capabilities. Well--found out from the girl at the desk, that I'll have to use it in a hotel or coffee shop where they have Wi-fi. Well, that'll probably work since I bought the laptop to use while I'm on trips. I love my Blackberry and it's email access, but sometimes I need to do things that are far beyond what I can or want to do on the Blackberry. They've made all sorts of suggestions such as getting a router--which I may. Not sure yet. From there I went to the grocery store and then the bank. Stopped at Mickey D's and got two iced coffees, vanilla flavor for me, carmel for hubby. Back home, I did some work on the w-i-p and found I had a proble...