Marilyn's Musings

FOOD FOR THOUGHT As in the creation of mosaics, in writing it's details that help make up a fuller picture. Consider the type of food characters are shown preparing, being served, or eating. Even casual references tell something about their culinary tastes and, with historical fiction in particular, their station in life. But not always! For although our protagonist John, Lord Chamberlain to Emperor Justinian, is one of the richest men in Constantinople, his food preferences have remained simple. Thus he is occasionally seen eating boiled eggs or bread and cheese, although from time to time we permit him his two favourites: grilled swordfish, sometimes purchased from a street vendor and so eaten from a skewer outdoors, and the sweet honey cakes his elderly servant Peter makes for him. We've also utilised food in more extended sequences to throw light on the nature of a given character or to provide a touch of pathos or humour to the narrative. For examp...

My last in-person appearance for 2015 is going on right now as I spend my second day at the Porterville Art Gallery's Holiday Boutique all day today. I love doing this, surrounded by fantastic paintings on the walls, and crafts created by many of the same artists. (I usually end up buying from them and some buy from me.) I am promoting a .99 cent deal on Amazon for Kindle for my book Lingering Spirit from December 7 - 11. That will keep me busy. I do hope some of you will take advantage of it. It is different from my usual writing--a romance with a touch of the supernatural--and one of my favorites. It's not a typical romance nor is the supernatural what you'd expect. As the saying goes, "try it, you'll like it." It's been a busy year, and of course with the holidays coming it will be even busier. I'm cooking a turkey and some side dishes for our church's Thanksgiving potluck, and of course, hosting our family's Thanksgiving d...

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...

In 2006 I signed a contract with a respected publisher, and since then they’ve released six of my books. When I found I could write more than a book every two years, I signed with an additional publisher who liked two ideas I had for a series. Soon I had three series going. Though hectic, it was lovely to be a traditional author—and actually still is. The publishers handle the publishing part, and I simply write books. I don’t earn the massive amounts of money people think authors make, but there is money, and besides, I get nice press from reviewers, and I have readers who wait eagerly for the next book in each series. A few years ago word began circulating that traditionally published authors were venturing into the world of self-publishing. At first I thought, “How could they?” but as time went on, the question changed to “How could I?” Publishers and agents look for books that will sell lots of copies. That’s understandable from a profit standpoint, but it means the...

I used to love horror movies--but when they became full of slash and gore, I didn't enjoy them anymore. I still like to read scary books--and I've written quite a few myself. I think the scariest is one I labeled psychological horror: Wishing Makes it So . It's about a really bad little girl.  The hair color of the girl on the cover isn't right--but the face works. I drew on some real life happenings for the story--some I"ll never reveal in a public forum. Some of the mean things the child does came from grandkids that I asked, "Tell me some mean things other kids did to you." Over the years as a residential service provider I've had lots of dealings with the regional center--and had fun including snippets about them. In real life they do a lot of good--but like any other such organization, they make a mistake now and then. So, if you want to be scared right away, check out the book on Kindle. Oh, and for a furt...

Lingering Spirit won an Epic E-book award winner in 2012 in the Supernatural Romance Category. Published by Oak Tree Press, the publisher says it's her favorite book and has read it numerous times. Book blurb: After, Steve, her police officer husband is killed in the line of duty, Nicole Ainsworth struggles with the changes forced on her life. Her efforts to focus on her daughter an cope with her grief are kept off-balance by Steve’s ghostly visitations who seems to be trying to communicate with her. Eventually, Nicole finds that Steve isn’t the only one watching over her, and discovers a second chance for love. Review Snippets: “… Meredith is a master of characterization. She fully rounds out the facets of her protagonists’ personalities and richly develops the details of the supporting cast. She does not hit any false notes with her dialogue and builds strong relationships among her characters. She realistically describes what a young widow would go through foll...

Where do I get my ideas? This is the single most popular question for authors and for me is the most difficult to answer. There are two difficulties with this question. First, it feels very personal and second, I’m afraid the source might disappear if I talk about it. Unreasonable, perhaps, but there it is. Frankly, I'm not sure where they start. I absolutely know when they arrive. My keyboard recognizes the speed and ease of the words that flow onto the page. My ideas for stories cannot be separated from my life as a girl, a woman, a wife, a mother, an engineer and an author. As far as I can tell, everything that has contributed to make me who I am is swirled into a massive reservoir of waiting ideas. Almost anything will spark the origin for a story. A song – a chat with a friend – a walk in our neighborhood – a great meal – a new vacation spot – a conversation overheard – a perfect location to hide a body. The real difficulty is not coming up with ideas. The trou...