Sunday, April 10, 2011

Blog Talk Radio Show

Monday, April 11, 2011, at 1:00 p.m. CST, I am participating in a Blog Talk interview at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/, with Sylvia Dickey Smith. The focus of the interview is writing strong female characters, and I will be talking about writing Ryan Murphy, my protagonist from Gumbo Justice, and the soon to be released Jambalaya Justice.

The interview is thirty minutes long, and you can call in to chat or ask a question at 1-347-843-4128. (Not a toll-free number.) If you miss the interview, it will be played twelve hours later, and then archived so you can listen to it whenever you would like.

I have been interviewed on t.v. before, not as a writer, but as a parent, and I HATE the way I sound in a recording-- like a ten-year-old boy. I had to think long and hard and push myself to decide to do this interview because of that, but in the end I thought the topic was so interesting, strong women, that I couldn't stand to pass it up. (I don't believe I am nearly as strong as Ryan, who would have signed up without a moment's hesitation. Of course, her voice is prettier than mine.)

In any event, it should be interesting.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Guest Blogger Marilyn Meredith

I have a very special guest today, Marilyn Meredith, author the Rocky Bluff Police Department Mystery Series--which she writes as F.M. Meredith-- and thirty other novels, including the Tempe Crabtree Mystery Series. Marilyn is blogging today about her newest in the Rocky Bluff PD series, Angel Lost.

I was fortunate enough to read an advance reader copy of Angel Lost and have to say it is a must read. In Angel Lost, Marilyn creates the perfect blend of action and suspense against the backdrop of a small, close-knit community, with a dose of supernatural thrown in for good measure. Reading the Rocky Bluff series is like catching up with old friends, and Angel Lost does not disappoint. While you do not have to read the books in order to follow the story, I would definitely recommend reading all of them, because they’re all that good.


HAPPY APRIL FOOL’S DAY!

How many of you have pulled tricks on your family or friends on April Fool’s Day? When my kids were little they delighted in trying to fool me. Sometimes what they thought was funny was a bit on the scary side—like screaming and telling me someone was hurt. It’s a wonder I survived raising five kids and then a couple of grandkids later on in life.

I’m not trying to fool anyone with this post; however I may fool some readers with my latest book in the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series, Angel Lost. Though there are definitely crimes in this latest edition, there is something missing. You’ll have to read it to find out what.

If someone picks up Angel Lost thinking it is a religious book, they’ll be disappointed. Yes, there is an angel in the book and a smattering of religion, because some of the characters are religious—but that’s not what the book is about. It’s about how people react to unusual things that happen in the town of Rocky Bluff and to the people who live and work there.

What about the angel in the title you may ask. There is an angel—but not in the sense you might expect. The title has a double meaning. Authors sometimes have a difficult time coming up with an appropriate title, but in my opinion, this one is a perfect fit.

Angel Lost is one of those books that I had great time writing. Because I know my characters well, I knew what would happen if I put one in jeopardy. To be honest, I almost always put someone in jeopardy because that’s the challenge, finding out how everyone is going to feel and what actions he or she will take.

And those are my April Fools thoughts.

F. M. Meredith a.k.a. Marilyn Meredith


Bio: F.M. Meredith, also known as Marilyn Meredith, is the author of nearly thirty published novels. Her latest in the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series, from Oak Tree Press, is Angel Lost. Marilyn is a member of EPIC, Four chapters of Sisters in Crime, including the Internet chapter , Mystery Writers of America, and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. Visit her at http://fictionforyou.com and her blog at http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com


Angel Lost Blurb:

As plans for her perfect wedding fill her mind, Officer Stacey Wilbur is sent out to trap a flasher, the new hire realizes Rocky Bluff P.D. is not the answer to his problems, Abel Navarro’s can’t concentrate on the job because of worry about his mother, Officer Gordon Butler has his usual upsets, the sudden appearance of an angel in the window of a furniture store captures everyone’s imagination and causes problems for RBPD, and then the worst possible happens—will Stacey and Doug’s wedding take place?