Marilyn's Musings

This started out to be a Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery, but when I was done, it didn't quite feel like it fit.  It's based on Christian principles,  and the heroine just didn't sound like Tempe. Partly because of the lack of any Native American connections, and also because it's not a typical mystery. However, I really liked the book so changed the names of the characters and the location of the story. Fortunately there are many mountain communities that I'm well acquainted with, and it wasn't difficult to make the switch. Those who read this, will definitely see the similarities to my Deputy Tempe Crabtree mysteries. Though it didn't turn out to be part of my series, I still think it's a good scary book.  Try it and see what you think. https://www.amazon.com/Devils-Foothold-Supernatural-Mystery/dp/197930534X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=The+Devil%27s+Foothold+by+Marilyn+Meredith&qid=1578582020&s=books&sr=1-1 Marilyn ...

Halloween is right around the corner--so why not try one of my scarier books, The Devil's Foothold. Resident Deputy Jessica McGuire’s day starts much the same as usual, but when she jogs by the old family cemetery, she discovers the grave of a baby dug up, and the skeleton is missing.  Not much later, Pastor David Tanner reports the theft of a hand-carved redwood cross from his church. Next, a baby goat is reported stolen, and one of the pastor’s cows is discovered mutilated in the field.  Jessica and Pastor David team up to investigate these strange occurrences. He is convinced Satan worship is going on in their town. Jessica isn’t sure until she discovers a hooded and robed group meeting in the woods. They flee upon her arrival.  She needs to get to the bottom of things before it escalates into something worse. Or has it already? Available in paper and for Kindle. Find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Devils-Foothold-Supernatural-Mystery-ebook/dp/B076...

  When I began writing The Devil's Foothold,   I fully intended it to be one of the first in the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series. But by the time I finished it, I knew it didn't really fit the series. The main characters were there, a female deputy with a teenaged son and a preacher. The story was set in the mountains. But it didn't fit the series for two important reasons. There was nothing about Tempe being an Indian, and it is far more intense and scary, more of a horror novel with Christian elements. Because I did like the plot, I changed the names of the main characters, and the setting from the one I used for the series to a mountain community in what was once gold country.  The book was accepted by one of my earlier publishers and put into print. That publisher closed her doors, and for a brief while it appeared as an e-book only, with a different cover. When I promoted it, I called it Christian horror.  However, anyone who has re...

Deadly Trail was the first book written in the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series, but as I reported earlier it was not the first published. It was later picked up by Hard Shell Word Factory, which is no longer in existence, but promoted the book as a prequel to the series. This was Deputy Tempe Crabtree's introduction and also her introduction to the enigmatic Nick Two John when he becomes the prime suspect in the murder of the owner of the Inn. (at that time I just called it the Inn, it has since become known as the Bear Creek Inn.) Much of the story revolves around the Inn which is based on the Springville Inn, physically it's a bit different though the early history is the same. Pastor Hutch makes his first appearance in this one too. Tempe and he are not married yet, but the wedding happens between this book and Deadly Omen . And if you would like to hear a bit of a a confession, there is an earlier book that I wrote as a Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery, but there was n...

The Devil’s Foothold by Marilyn Meredith (first published in King's River Life) Review by Diana Hockley When Deputy Sheriff of Lawrenceville, Lupine County, Jessica McGuire heads out for a morning jog the last thing she expects to find as she runs past the cemetery is the empty grave of a long-dead infant. Who on earth would want to steal what is left of the body? The condescending attitude of her boss, Captain Boone, who dismisses the discovery as not being important enough for him to mount an investigation infuriates Jessica. The Pastor, David Tanner reports the theft of the cross from his church and her neighbor’s report of a missing baby goat can only add up to one cause: Devil Worship. Marilyn Meredith dredges deep for this story of evil and her research is impeccable. Whether one believes in the devil’s work or not, the reader’s heart can only beat faster as Jessica and David follow what leads they can to discover who is behind an increasingly horrifi...

I've always been a sucker for horror movies, not the slash and blood and gore flicks but the ones that are downright scary and often have demons and even the devil in them. Seldom did the main characters have any faith in any religion or if they did it was usually the Catholic faith--never a Protestant. I began thinking about creating a story with the devil and a heroine and/or hero who were Christians. I did some research into Satan worshiping, and it certainly made me wonder why anyone would be interested in following a supernatural being who would end up in a fiery hell for all eternity. The more are investigated the more intrigued I became and soon began writing. At the time, I was new to the foothill area where I live now and decided to make it the setting. I wanted a female resident deputy with a teenage son and a local pastor in the book. Anyone who has read my Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series will recognize some of these elements. Actually this might have been...

For the first time I have a Kindle book available that I sort of did myself. I've been reading about all these authors putting their books up on Kindle, and especially those who had books they couldn't find a publisher interested in it. I had a book like that. When I finished it, I sent it out to various publishers and though I always got good reports on the writing the rejections from the main stream publishers all said something along the lines of, "It's a little too Christian for our readers." So I sent it out to Christian publishers and received the same kind of rejection, "It's a great story but far too scary for our readers." I liked the story and ended up self-publishing it with an outfit that turned out to not only be a bit on the crooked side (I really know how to pick them) but not all that savvy in the publishing business. The manuscript has been idling in an old word-processing program for years--until I decided to take a look...