Marilyn's Musings

Besides being big news--the fires in California touched me in several ways. Here in Springville we had our own fire. At the time we had no idea that so many other fires would follow. The smoke got so bad that hubby and I sent to Porterville to stay with friends for three days. The kids remained at our house determined to battle the fire if necessary, mainly because we had so many animals that would be impossible to move. It was scary, but we were so fortunate compared to those living in the way of the fires to come. Though the fire came close what saved us was the fact that we didn't have the horrible winds that fanned the flames in other areas wiping out whole neighborhoods. Ventura is a place close to my heart. We go there at least once a year, and the fire burned down so many homes. The fire began in Santa Paula and burned down a KOA we'd visited last summer. It surrounded the town of Ojai where an old friend of mine lives, and burned into t...

Today is my eldest daughter's birthday! Besides being my first born, she's also turned into a best friend. We'll be spending time with her and her husband in a couple of weeks--in fact, we'll be with them on my birthday. I'm in the throes of getting a new computer. It's sitting here, but my old one is still being used (maybe by the time this appears it'll be functioning) but not everything has been transferred over. A computer tech is doing that after his regular business hours and he couldn't finish the first night. In the meantime I got the first edits for my next Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery. When the first edits come, that means that the book may actually come out close to the time it is supposed to. However, I've learned not to make too big of plans until I actually have books in hand. I've also been working on my next Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novel which I struggled with at first, but now it's moving along nicely. I've also been work...

For two full days in Ventura CA, from 9 to 5, PSWA's board worked on by-laws and made plans for the future of PSWA. The picture was taken at the end of the two days and our last meal together. Toast us is our president, Marilyn Olsen. Another photo shows Tim Dees and Lynn and Keith Bettinger. Nancy Farrar and Michelle Perin is in the other photo. Nancy's husband, AJ was present and so was I and my husband. For some unknown reason, I didn't get a photo of us. (Lynn and Hap didn't attend the meetings as they aren't member of the board, but joined us for meals.) We took time out for lunch at two of Ventura's interesting restaurants and we had dinner together in the evenings--walking everywhere. On Saturday night, after dinner in a Thai restaurant we headed up to the old Ventura court house, reported to be haunted, and took a tour of the grand old building. Part of our tour was in the dark--ask Keith Bettinger's wife how exciting that was. I've only attended...

While at the Santa Barbara County Fair, I quite often explained to people who stopped by, that my Rocky Bluff P.D. series is set in a place sort of like Carpenteria. The real town of Carpenteria is located on the ocean side of the Pacific Coast, south of Santa Barbara and north of Ventura. There are other smaller towns perched on the hillsides here and there along the way. Rocky Bluff really is nothing like Carpenteria, except for the fact that it is a beach community located between Santa Barbara and Ventura. Actually, I've moved it closer to Ventura so it could be in Ventura County because I knew more about that county than Santa Barbara county. I also wanted the town to be smaller with more of the problems of a small town police department. Another thing that is quite different is the geography. Rocky Bluff has a yes, rocky bluff on the north side and where it gets it's name. The richer folks of the town have their houses up on the bluff, and the most popular of two Protesta...

Because of a fascination with all things ghostly, I'm always delighted when we're going to stay at a hotel and learn that it's haunted. The Queen Mary, permanently moored in Long Beach, CA has a long history of being haunted. Once a troop ship during WWII, it was attacked and many died. They have a ghost tour (phony, but fun) which of course I took. We went to a convention of the Queen Mary and stayed for three days and four nights. Believe me, you can feel the presence of other beings--or at least the echo of former presence. Everything on the QM is more or less as it used to be. One night I took the elevator to my deck and found myself all alone in the long corridor. Believe me, it was definitely eerie--even more so when I couldn't find my room. I had to go all the way to the middle of the ship and walk back in order to find it. Someone took photos and the awards ceremony and interesting little phantom blogs showed up all around people. The old hotel across from the A...

Because this is the most interesting thing I've done of late, I'm cross posting to other of my blogs. Hubby and I stayed in Room 17 of the Bella Maggiore Bed and Breakfast in Ventura CA because the room is supposed to be haunted. We did not have a ghostly visitor. My daughter looked up the ghost and said it was because the ghost, a prostitute in her former life, only visited men who stayed in the room by themselves. Guess I ruined it. However, we did have a rather intimate romantic encounter with a real live young man. Room 17 opens on a balcony shared with another larger room. There are no windows in these rooms, only doors that open to the balcony with no screen door and a transom. We were sitting in our room with the door open, when this darling young man popped in to inform us he was having a surprise party for his girlfriend’s birthday at 10 p.m. on our shared balcony complete with music, a Spanish harp and guitar along with a singer. We were invited. Both of us were tired...

The graduation was lovely, the kids with marital problems got back together, and life got sort of back to normal. I say sort of because the bathroom still isn't done, and somehow, rats (yes, rats) managed to take up residence in a closet near the bathroom. One of our cats discovered them, husband and grandson got rid of lots, the cat has managed to round up a couple of more. Ugh! I hope they're all gone. In the meantime I finished the ghost writing project I'd been working on and I'm only a few pages from finishing my own work in progress. And because my latest Tempe is coming out in September, I've been busy setting up the promotion for it. Of course I'm still promoting the books I've got on hand. I had a booth at a flea market in Temecula where we have two grown grandkids with families--we stayed with one and then the other and had fun visiting the great-grands. I'm also reading books for a prestigious contest--one I help judge every year. So I've ...