Marilyn's Musings

This one has been newly edited--and was great fun to write.  Any chance I get, I go to the central coast to visit. Love Morro Bay where much of this particular book takes place, though Deputy Tempe Crabtree visits other favorite spots in the area.  I belong to the Central Coast chapter of Sisters in Crime, and often have opportunities to join them. I have so many friends in that group. One of my sister/mister combinations in my San Joaquin chapter of Sisters in Crime used the book as a restaurant guide when they visited Morro Bay. Here are a couple of reviews:  by Anthony  J. Piazza Deputy Tempe Crabtree is back in another engaging mystery. She and her husband, Hutch, are in Morro Bay for their son’s wedding and a much needed vacation. Of course in Tempe’s world nothing is as it seems (hence the title), and soon she is up to her neck in trouble. Almost upon arrival she’s made aware of her future daughter-in-law’s dilemma; postpone the we...

Honestly? Well, sure I'd love for my books and my name to be better known than I am--but I'm grateful for so many other things. Over the years I've gathered many loyal fans for both of my series. Some have become great friends--both in real life and on line. Ever so often, I get to meet an online friend, and believe me that is so much fun. What have I gotten out of writing so many books? Not a lot of money, that's for sure. For those who don't know, at this point in my life I have two publishers. My Deputy Tempe Crabtree mysteries are published by Mundania Press, and the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novels by Oak Tree Press. There are costs that go into publishing a book, even an ebook. And when a book is purchased, whoever is the wholesaler (Amazon, Barnes and Nobel, Ingrams etc.) gets the first cut, then the publisher, and the author last of all. Usually the smallest percentage. You might ask why don't I self-publish and the answer is simple, I don't...

Believe me, I don't know it all and my typos etc. slip by me and my editors in my published books. And yes, when someone points them out, I cringe. I read a lot of books, books by friends and books by bestselling authors (a few of my friends are best selling authors--more are not) and I find typos and errors in all of them.  One tip that helps readers, I'm going to share. When a paragraph is long and fills up the whole page without any indents, it can be off-putting. One way to remedy this is to always start a new paragraph when someone new does or says something.  Another tip is to keep a person's dialogue short. Unless someone is giving a speech, others will interrupt.  Remember dialogue should always do one of two things: move the story along or reveal a phase of the person's character.  Rather than use any dialogue tag (and if you do, said or asked is preferred) have the character who is speaking do something, or describe something abo...

I probably should have titled this blog post, "And the Winner is..." Amy Bennett. Amy managed to comment on the most blogs. This wasn't easy because some of the posts didn't show up until later in the day. One blog wouldn't accept comments. I didn't know that ahead of time. I've notified her. Two others came in at a close second. 33 people in all left comments on various posts. Will I do another? Probably, but I might change some things. I'll never ask who'd like to host me on Facebook again.  It's important that a blog accepts comments if the contest on the tour is about counting who comments the most. The blogger needs to know that the post can be set up for a certain date and time and how to do it. Perhaps I'll search for bloggers who have a lot of followers. However, I do have some favorite blogs I enjoy visiting--and I'll probably continue doing that. I do know that people who didn't ...

Both my husband and my sister have birthdays this month. This is also the month where my family gathers together for its annual reunion. It's the only time some of us get to see each other during the year. We have a great time reminiscing about "the good old days", catching up on what's going on now, playing games, watching a talent show, and just having a great time being together. As for what I'll be doing bookwise, I'm attending the Central Coast Author and Book Festival in Pismo at the Seacrest Oceanfront Hotel on September 20, 10 to 4. What a great location for a bookfair! I am also planning my next Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery, while actively promoting the latest, just out, Not as it Seems, available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and all the other places you can find or order books. I'll be having a blog tour beginning September 15th, and of course the information about it will be here.  Another project I've decided upon is ...

Anyone who has read many of the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series knows that Tempe is often visited by spirits. This began when she called back the dead to find out the truth about a murder and suicide in Calling the Dead.  From that time on, Tempe has had regular visits from the dead or other spirits in nearly every book In Spirit Shapes , it's not only ghosts but also evil spirits who confront Tempe in a very haunted house. A different kind of spirits greet Tempe in this story about a movie being made on the Bear Creek Indian reservation. In the latest, Not as it Seems , ghostly visitations abound when Tempe visits Morro Bay and becomes involved in a murder investigation. All the Deputy Tempe Crabtree mysteries, are avaiable in various formats direction from the online bookstores, by ordering through a physical book store, or visiting the publisher: http://mundania.com Marilyn Meredith

Not as it Seems , the latest in my Deputy Tempe Crabtree mysteries will soon be available. Exactly when, I don't know yet, but things are moving along as they should be. My best guess is sometime before the end of this month. I did something different with this book. It's not set in the Sierra. Tempe and her husband Hutch have gone to Morro Bay to participate in their son, Blair's wedding. Hutch will officiate. This is the first time they get to meet Blair's fiance, Amaresh.  Of course there's a mystery to solve--Amaresh's maid of honor is missing. Usually I write about fictious places with some resemblance to real places. This book is different. Morro Bay is a very real place--one that I love to visit. I've included many of the real places to visit and eat in and around the area. I do hope that I got everything right. I had a lot of help from my friends in the Central Coast Sisters in Crime who live there--but if I got something wrong, i...

The last of my Rocky Bluff P.D. mystery series has been out for a half a year. During that time I've been promoting it a lot. A writer today spends as much time promoting as writing. And believe me, we'd all rather be writing. But--how are readers going to know about our books unless we tell them? While I was busy promoting Violent Departures I was writing the next book in the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series-- Not as it Seems . While writing I was reading it chapter by chapter to my critique group. One all the chapters had been read and worked over, I went over the whole book again, and finally sent it off to my publisher, Mundania Press. I soon received back the edits, agreed with most, and sent it back. Got it back a second time and found a few things to change. Next was the galley proof--again I found some mistakes.  Now, it's waiting time. I haven't seen the cover yet, and I must confess, I'm anxious to see what the cover artist will come up wit...