Marilyn's Musings

Even though I heard people say they didn't want to read any books that had the pandemic in it, I didn't see how I could write the next Rocky Bluff P.D. mystery without including it. The series unfolds in real time--my real time, at least--and ignoring what has been going on in the world didn't seem logical. Yes, I think it has affected sales of the book--but I'm happy with how it turned out, and it's received some great reviews. The biggest part of the research I did involved my police officer grandson. I asked about the cops wearing face mask in his department, and how they handled the threat of rioters coming into town. I also had to do some research about homes in the foothills of Santa Barbara.  Some other part of this story came from notes I'd taken when a police chief spoke to our Sisters in Crime group. I've included one of the reviews: 5 Stars:  Things get rather rocky for the Rocky Bluff Police Department as they deal with all sorts of problems from...

That’s a question I’ve been asking myself lately. My current mystery series is set in a real place—Provincetown, Massachusetts—and features real events, the myriad festivals and “theme weeks” offered by this tourist destination. But like so much else in our world, that got upended when the coronavirus pandemic came to town. With the horrifying thought of thousands of people crowded into Commercial Street (our Main Street equivalent) for events such as the Carnival or Portuguese Festival parades, or into theaters for events like the Tennessee Williams Festival or the International Film Festival, one by one event organizers have wisely cancelled plans. Which leaves my protagonist in a bit of a pickle. The series is scheduled around these events, so that launch parties for each title take place at the same time as the event in town. Last week I changed the wording of an advertisement I’d planned for a local publication: “Explore Provincetown’s theme weeks!” it had exclaimed...