Mystery We Write Tour ~ Marilyn Meredith

Deputy Tempe Crabtree’s Patrol Area

Being resident deputy for the mountain community of Bear Creek means that Tempe not only serves in the immediate area, but also in the high country and all the way to the lake, and sometimes the Bear Creek Indian Reservation. Though this particular setting has a great resemblance to the town of Springville where I live, it isn’t an exact replica. One reason is that some businesses tend not to make it so it’s easiest to stick to those that have been around for a while and make up others.

The geography is a bit different too. The altitude is 1000 feet higher making the town closer to the big trees and the opportunity for more drastic weather changes.

The story in Raging Water takes place solely in the town of Bear Creek because of events caused by the weather. Bear Creek floods inundates homes along its banks, and the one road out of town is covered by a mud slide. A lightning strike takes out the electricity.

Most of the action takes place on the highway, along the river, in the trailer park and low income housing, the fire station, the only market, the café, Bear Creek Community Church, the Inn, and the homes of Miqui Sherwood and Anne Albert’s. (If that last name sounds familiar it is. Anne won a chance to have her name used for a character in this book.)

For me, setting is as important as the characters and often has a lot of influence on the plot as it does in 

Raging Water.

Marilyn

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.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_12?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=raging+water+by+marilyn+meredith&sprefix=Raging+Water%2Cstripbooks%2C365

I know there are some people who like to read a series in order, but let me reassure you that every book is complete. Though the characters grow through each book, the crime is always solved. Here is the order of the books for anyone who wants to know: Deadly Trail, Deadly Omen, Unequally Yoked, Intervention, Wing Beat, Calling the Dead, Judgment Fire, Kindred Spirits, Dispel the Mist, Invisible Path, Bears With Us, Raging Water.

Bio: Marilyn Meredith is the author of over thirty published novels, including the award winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series, the latest Raging Water from Mundania Press. Writing as F. M. Meredith, her latest Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novel us No Bells, the forth from Oak Tree Press. 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. Visit her at http://fictionforyou.com and follow her blog at http://marilymeredith.blogspot.com/

Marilyn borrows a lot from where she lives in the Southern Sierra for the town of Bear Creek and the surrounding area.

Do enter my giveaway contest for a copy of the previous Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery, BEARS WITH US. Leave a comment and you're automatically entered. Include your email addy so I can get in touch with you should your name be selected at random. The winner will be announced on my blog http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com

 on December 11, 2012. Good luck!

Raging Water Tour ~ Marilyn Meredith

MY TAKE ON ANIMALS IN MYSTERIES

Though many mystery authors include animals in their novels on a regular basis, I’m not one of them. There have been a few exceptions. In my previous Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery, Bears With Us, much of the plot was built around bears. And there was a big dog named whose name, Killer, certainly didn’t fit him.

In my latest, Raging Water, two little dogs play an important part in what goes on.

First, I should explain that a good friend of mine and a fan of the Tempe Crabtree series asked if I would put her into my next book. I agreed, and though the character has a different name, my friend’s essence  is a definite part of the character’s personality. My friend has two little dogs, Cleopatra, a black and white mixed terrier, and Blondie, a long-haired doxie mix.

Of course I used Cleo and Blondie’s real names—and definitely their distinct personalities. In hopes that you’ll read the book, I won’t tell you what they do, but they definitely “save the day” to use a fitting cliché.

My friend hasn’t read the book yet, but I’m hoping she’ll like the part she plays in the mystery, and even more, that she’ll enjoy Cleo and Blondie’s appearances.

I had a great time writing this book and including someone who is my friend, something I’ve never done before.

Marilyn

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.

Contest: The person who leaves comments on the most blogs will have his/her name used for a character in my next book—can choose if you want it in a Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery or a Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novel.

Bio: Marilyn Meredith is the author of over thirty published novels, including the award winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series, the latest Raging Water from Mundania Press. Writing as F. M. Meredith, her latest Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novel us No Bells, the forth from Oak Tree Press. 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. Visit her at http://fictionforyou.com and follow her blog at http://marilymeredith.blogspot.com/

Marilyn borrows a lot from where she lives in the Southern Sierra for the town of Bear Creek and the surrounding area.

I know there are some people who like to read a series in order, but let me reassure you that every book is complete. Though the characters grow through each book, the crime is always solved. Here is the order of the books for anyone who wants to know: Deadly Trail, Deadly Omen, Unequally Yoked, Wing Beat, Intervention, Calling the Dead, Judgment Fire, Kindred Spirits, Dispel the Mist, Invisible Path, Bears With Us, Raging Water.