Guest Post by Marilyn Meredith, Friend and Author of the Deputy Tempe Crabtree Mysteries

Today, my friend and fellow mystery author, Marilyn Meredith, is taking over the Back Deck Blog to tell us about her latest Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery, "A Cold Death", and her journey as an author! Grab a cup of coffee (or chai, Marilyn's choice) and enjoy your visit!

My Journey as an Author

Like many others, I’ve written since I was a kid, starting before I could actually write words, drawing a story and all the characters. Once I could read, I went on to write my own version of the Little House on the Prairie books. I also wrote and illustrated a book about fairies that my mother sent to a publisher and received a kind rejection. In grammar school, I also wrote plays for the neighborhood kids to perform and in junior high, I wrote and put out my own magazine.

Because of marrying soon after graduating, and raising a big family, my writing narrowed down to PTA newsletters, and plays for my Camp Fire Girls to perform. Though I did write a couple of novels that were rejected, I didn’t write any fiction again until my sister did our genealogy. It fascinated me and I decided to do some research to try and find out more about what happened. The research then led me to write a 500 plus page fictionalized novel of my mother’s side of the family. I was a grandmother by this time. After many rejections and rewrites, this became my first published book. I wrote about my father’s side of the family, and that one was published too.

During my writing life I’ve had several agents, learned from some, and not from others, but no one sold anything for me.

I switched to writing mysteries after I’d finished with the historical family sagas. My Deputy Tempe Crabtree mysteries were first published by a small press and I became friends with the publisher. She published the first four and unexpectedly, died. I’ve gone through publishers who turned out to be crooks, others who decided publishing was not for them, others who’ve gotten ill or had family tragedies that made them decide to close their businesses.

Fortunately, Mundania Press, the publisher for the Deputy Tempe Crabtree mysteries is still going strong.

What I’ve told you is merely the highlights of what I’ve experienced on my journey. In reality, looking back I often wonder why I didn’t give up. Of course, I’m glad I didn’t. Because of being an author I’ve met so many wonderful people, other authors and readers, helpful folks in law enforcement who have become friends, have had many adventures, traveled to places I’d never gone to before, learned so much about writing and publishing, and for the most part, had a great writing life.

Marilyn

Blurb for A Cold Death:

Deputy Tempe Crabtree and her husband answer the call for help with unruly guests visiting a closed summer camp during a huge snow storm and are trapped there along with the others. One is a murderer—and another a ghost.

Anyone who orders any of my books from the publisher‘s website: http://mundania.com

can get 10% off by entering MP20 coupon code in the shopping cart. This is good all the time for all my books, E-books and print books.

On Kindle:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074XNP87Z/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1503149760&sr=1-1&keywords=a+cold+death+by+marilyn+meredith

Bio:

Marilyn Meredith’s published book count is nearing 40. She is one of the founding members of the San Joaquin chapter of Sister in Crime. She taught writing for Writers Digest Schools for 10 years, and was an instructor at the prestigious Maui Writers Retreat, and has taught at many writers’ conferences. Marilyn is a member of three chapters of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and serves on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. She lives in the foothills of the Sierra, a place with many similarities to Tempe Crabtree’s patrol area. Webpage: http://fictionforyou.com Blog: http://marilymeredith.blogspot.com/ and you can follow her on Facebook.

Contest: Once again I’m going to use the name of the person who comments on the most blogs on my tour for the next Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery—which may be the last in the series.

Tomorrow I’ll be here:

https://cncbooksblog.wordpress.com/

What About Killing Off a Main Character?