New Release: Tangled Webs

Too many people are telling lies: The husband of the murder victim and his secretary, the victim’s boss and co-workers in the day care center, her stalker, and Detective Milligan’s daughter. 

Link: https://tinyurl.com/yabj9z9f

Marilyn (F.M.) Meredith

No Matter how Bad it Got, I Never Gave Up

Not many authors have had publishers die on them (two), be struck down by a stroke (one), turn out to be out-and-out crooks (three), decide that because of circumstances not to continue with the publishing business (two.)

Yep, that really happened to me, plus more.

The first to die was early on in my writing career. A publisher accepted my novel but told me I had to get it camera ready. This was long before the Internet. I had a friend who was a computer expert and had a computer store, he showed me what to do on one of his computers. For several weeks, I went to the store at 6 a.m. and worked diligently. When it was ready, I sent it to the publisher. Waited a while, then heard from his wife that he’d died.

I crossed paths with the crooks early on too. Two started out honest and actually published books. One in Canada made the decision to keep all profits and skipped out. The other in the U.S., gambled away his profits and went to jail. The third, who charged for publishing services, didn’t come through with the books.

One publisher had something happen in her family that caused her decision to quit the business—the other, after printing two books in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series, decided the business wasn’t for her.

The previous publisher of this series was a good friend—and a stroke took away her ability to run her business, and finally her life. Sad on all counts.

Of course, I didn’t receive the royalties I earned from most of them. That’s like working and never receiving a paycheck.

Believe it or not, there were other hurdles, but I never gave up. I kept on writing and looking for new publishers.

So what would make someone so driven to keep on going? In my case, the love of writing and the fact that I wanted to know what happened next in the lives of the characters I’d created.

Bio: F. M. Meredith who is also known as Marilyn once lived in a beach town much like Rocky Bluff. She has many friends and relatives in law enforcement. She’s a member of MWA, 3 chapters of Sisters in Crime and serves on the PSWA Board.

Webpage: http://fictionforyou.com

Blog: https://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com

Facebook: Marilyn Meredith

Twitter: @marilynmeredith

Once again I’m trotting over to visit Thonie Hevron at https://thoniehevron.wordpress.com/ and revealing what I think is the biggest plus of being a mystery writer.

A Blast from the Past - Author Evelyn Cullet

Life Gets in the Way of Writing  (2016)

Author, Evelyn Cullet

There are so many things in life that can get in the way of writing. The Internet for one. By the time I’ve answered my emails, searched for a few new recipes, and visited all the websites I’m a member of, hours of writing time have passed and I’m usually late making lunch or dinner, occasionally even breakfast.

Every morning I wake up determined to get some writing done that day, but my husband has his own agenda, (He’s retired, too.) which always supersedes mine, because as he puts it, “You can write anytime.” Oh sure I can, but not when he stays on the computer for hours searching for... whatever he searches for, not really sure what that is most of the time. Or he comes into the room after I’ve been on the computer for what I think has only been a few minutes, but in reality has actually been a couple of hours, and says, “Why don’t you take a break?” just as I’m in the middle of a great idea for the climax of my novel. And then he’ll sit down and talk to me about something he considers interesting, but I couldn’t care less about. I lose my train of thought, and that’s that.

Mostly, I’m my own worst enemy, because I’m not disciplined enough to set the time aside. There are all kinds of things that need to be taken care of before I can sit down to write. Maybe it’s because I’m a woman. Men don’t have this problem. They write whenever they want, but when I do, I feel guilty if there are dishes in the sink or the floor needs to be washed or the laundry isn’t done.

Recently, we had our telephone number hijacked. It sounds like an odd thing to happen, but there are criminals who hijack phone numbers and sell them to companies that make burner cells. At least that’s what the fraud department at my phone company told me. To make a long story short, I spent 28 hours over a period of two weeks on my cell in contact with my phone company rep. trying to get my landline number back.  (Did I mention that my husband is a hard of hearing, so I always have to make these types of calls?) I finally did get it back, but it was a huge time waster. More writing time lost. And don’t think that hadn’t crossed my mind as I was on hold for most of that time. 

And then there are a lot of minor things. Appliance break downs, the garden needs tending, the dog needs to be walked, doctors’ appointments, dentist appointments, grocery shopping... the list goes on. I feel like I’m racing the clock every day. It’s funny how time passes more quickly as you get older. It seems like you’ve just eaten breakfast when it’s time to make lunch, and after the lunch things have been cleared up, it’s nearly time to make dinner.

I don’t watch much television. Some days I don’t watch it at all, unless there’s a good, old mystery movie on, or a program like Bones or reruns of Castle where I might learn something new, or get a story idea. And even then, I feel guilty because I should have been writing.

When the telephone rings, I cringe and hope it’s not someone who wants to talk for the next hour, when all I want to do is write. Which reminds me of a blog post I once read about writers. It stated that we’re busy but flexible, sociable but focused. We find it difficult to be there for needy people, as our timetables don’t allow for it. But on the flip side, when you don’t call us for three weeks, that’s okay. In fact, we probably appreciate it, especially when we’ve got deadlines to meet.

I’m currently working on my next mystery, The Tarkington Treasure, the final novel in the Charlotte Ross Mystery Series. Charlotte’s ex-fiancé is back in town, and it appears they may finally get back together, except for one small problem—he’s wanted for murder.

 

Amazon Author's Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/evelyncullet

Website and Blog: http://evelyncullet.com/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EvculletsAuthorPage

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EvelynCullet

Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3425303.Evelyn_Cullet

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/ecullet/

About the Author

Evelyn Cullet has been an author since high school when she wrote short stories. She began her first novel while attending college later in life and while working in the offices of a major soft drink company. Now, with early retirement, she can finally write full time. As a life-long mystery buff, she was a former member of the Agatha Christie Society, and is a current member of the National Chapter of Sisters In Crime. She writes mysteries with warm romance and a little humor. When she’s not writing mysteries, reading them or reviewing them, she hosts other authors and their work on her writer’s blog. www.evelyncullet.com/blog. She also plays the piano, is an amateur lapidary, and an organic gardener.

A Blast from the Past

Marilyn Meredith

I see mystery everywhere

  by Marilyn Meredith

Yes, I really do see mystery everywhere. The question, “What if” is always forefront in my mind. I think “what if” when I’m reading any intriguing article in the newspaper. When driving down the road, a gathering of vehicles, someone getting a ticket, lots of tents at the campground, an interesting conversation at a nearby table in a restaurant, something someone tells me, and I could go on and on.

For my Rocky Bluff P.D. series, I’ve gotten ideas from law enforcement professionals who’ve spoken at my Sisters in Crime chapter. I’ve also been piqued by things I’ve seen or heard when visiting the coast. (RBPD mysteries take place in a fictional small beach town.)

For my Deputy Tempe Crabtree series, other things will trigger a story idea. When I first began thinking about the plot for Raging Water, which didn’t have a title at that time, it was raining a lot where I live. Tempe lives in Bear Creek which is much like the place where I live, though 1000 feet higher in the mountains. Locals were discussing how much the river was rising and remembering past flooding. 

As the rain kept coming down, mud slid down and blocked parts of the road that leads to town. H’mmm, what if after lots and lots of rain, not only would the river flood and send folks who lived along the river finding shelter elsewhere, but a mud slide could make it impossible to leave Bear Creek.

All that could certainly make a mystery interesting, but I needed a murder.

Not too long ago two women who went to our church died under what I and a few others considered suspicious circumstances but our local law enforcement did not. Our deputies are also deputy coroners and can pronounce someone dead. In the case of these two women, both with serious chronic illnesses, no autopsies were performed. Both women were poor and didn’t have any family to demand an autopsy. I decided to include their deaths in the book. 

One more ingredient came along. A good friend of mine and a fan of the Deputy Tempe Crabtree mysteries asked if I’d put her in one of my books. I agreed. Though the character has a new name, I used her physical description and some of her personality attributes—though I’d rather say that it is her essence in the character. I did use her two dogs though, including their breed and names, and they become quite important to the plot.

Raging Water Blurb: Deputy Tempe Crabtree’s  investigation of the murder of two close friends is complicated when relentless rain turns Bear Creek into a raging river. Homes are inundated and a mud slide blocks the only road out of Bear Creek stranding many—including the murderer.

Marilyn Meredith is the author of over thirty published novels, including the award winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series. She also writes the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series as F. M. Meredith. Marilyn is a member of EPIC, three chapters of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. 

Since this original post in 2012, Marilyn has gone on to write several new books in both of her series. You can read about them and/or order them at https://tinyurl.com/y7js5q3j.

Death Promise

New York psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Reiner is contacted by a woman who claims she was married to his father after his mother’s death and his father’s disappearance from his life. Tiffany Tyler asks Daniel to take charge of the girl she claims to be his half-sister. But when Daniel tries to make contact, it seems the girl has vanished.

Daniel wants to hire Michelle Hallam to help him investigate the situation in Las Vegas, Nevada. Michelle’s deceased uncle, a former British intelligence agent, operated an international "consulting firm" which she now runs. Michelle and Daniel share some past history as well as a strong physical attraction but Michelle remains wary of him. Daniel has a friendly, warm personality, and urban wit in contrast to Michelle’s outward façade of cool cynicism. While searching for the missing young girl, things become complicated, involving Michelle and Daniel in a mystery, as well as romance and murder, not to mention placing their own lives in peril.

For more about the novel, check it out here:

http://encirclepub.com/product/death-promise/

DEATH PROMISE is now available in print and e-book from:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079VWPTVF

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/death-promise-jacqueline-seewald/1127590013?ean=9781893035942

Library Journal: 
Verdict:  "Romantic suspense with an interesting plot...the plot kept this reviewer turning the pages."

*****

From Mel Jacob at Gumshoe Mystery Review:

“The romance between Daniel and Michelle is incendiary with plenty of heat. Nonetheless, they work well together to catch a killer. She struggles with wanting love and not wanting to give up her dangerous work.”

***** 

“This is a nice blend of suspense and romance with lots of action to keep the pages turning.” 

Lelia Taylor, Buried Under Books, May 2018

*****

Jacqueline Seewald

From the author:

 
"DEATH PROMISE was published on May 2^nd.  Needless to say, I felt a sense of accomplishment.

 

I had encouragement in the sense that Encircle, my publisher, found me rather than vice versa. DEATH PROMISE is a sequel to DEATH LEGACY, a novel originally published by Five Star/Cengage in hardcover and large print hardcover. The novel received excellent reviews from the major review publications such as PUBLISHERS WEEKLY and BOOKLIST among others. Harlequin Worldwide Mystery brought out a paperback edition while a different publisher opted for e-book rights. The novel proved popular with many readers. This encouraged me to write another book featuring the two main characters. Originally, I conceived of DEATH LEGACY as a stand alone romantic mystery. However, my subconscious insisted that Michelle and Daniel really needed at least one more good story.

When Five Star/Cengage dropped their mystery line, many of us who wrote mysteries for that publisher were hurt.

Although a small publisher, Encircle took on a number of us orphaned Five Star authors. Encircle has turned out to be professional to work with. They provided good editing and we worked on cover art together. Initially, there were actually three different covers, but finally one was chosen that satisfied everyone."