My son-in-law, Mike Cole, was a police officer for
Oxnard P.D. for 15 years. When he was a new officer and worked the graveyard
shift, he’d stop by my house when he came home from work for coffee. He’s
always ask, “Do you want to hear what happened last night?” Of course I did.
He told me lots of exciting tales—some funny and
some sad. Always a writer, I began to weave ideas together for a mystery novel.
He let me look at some of his case notes, giving me even more ideas.
The first book, Final Respects, deals with a tragedy
concerning a family dispute call, a main character who has a wife who hates his
job, an officer who is a publicity hound and involved with a woman with a
serious problem, a family who lose a husband and father, and three little girls
whose father owns a mortuary and torment the mortician who works and lives
there.
When I wrote that first book, I had no idea that it
would become a series, but I wanted to know what happened to those characters I
created, so I had to write the next, and the next and so on.
Here are the titles in order:
Final Respects
Bad Tidings
Fringe Benefits
Smell of Death
No Sanctuary
An Axe to Grind
No Bells
Angel Lost
Dangerous Impulses
Murder in the Worst Degree
and now:
A Crushing Death
Marilyn aka F. M. Meredith
Blurb: A Crushing Death
A pile of rocks is found on a dead body
beneath the condemned pier, a teacher is accused of molesting a student, the
new police chief is threatened by someone she once arrested for attacking women,
and Detective Milligan’s teenage daughter has a big problem.
To buy:
To buy:
Bio:
F. M. Meredith who is also known as
Marilyn Meredith is nearing the number of 40 published books. Besides being an
author she is a wife, mother , grandma and great-grandmother. Though the Rocky
Bluff she writes about is fictional, she lived for over twenty-years in a
similar small beach town. Besides having many law enforcement officers in her
family she is counts many as friends. She teaches writing, loves to give
presentations to writing and other groups, and is a member of Mystery Writers
of America, three chapters of Sisters in Crime and on the board of Public
Safety Writers Association.
Facebook: Marilyn Meredith
Twitter: MarilynMeredith
Tomorrow you can find me here:
Behind-the-scenes info is so cool!
ReplyDeleteHi, Nancy, it's a challenge to come up with new topics for a blog tour as long as this one.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy whatever you choose to share with us, Marilyn. Your recent pictures have also been great. I like this blog's layout, too. Good job.
ReplyDeleteHey, Jackie--I was gone for a while and just now came back to the computer. How delightful to see of you came to visit. I do this blog for the San Joaquin chapter of Sisters in Crime.
DeleteThat's a great son-in-law to have... both a wonderful man and great fodder for stories. Easy to see how Rocky Bluff came to be with such inspiration at your kitchen table every day... Thanks for sharing your journey!
ReplyDeleteSadly, we lost our son-in-law in the line of duty, but he's forever in our hearts. Thanks for commenting, Susan.
DeleteI'd like to know when you started writing and if you thought at the time that you would write 40 books? Perhaps that would be a good blog post. Love to hear your 'backstory' information.
ReplyDeleteThe answer, Elaine, I had no idea. I just knew I loved to write.
DeleteI always love hearing how authors got their start and where they get their inspiration. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAre there subjects you will not include in your stories ? For instance, a police department calling child welfare services to remove children from an unsafe environment?
ReplyDeleteI did write about something I'll never do again and that was about a child's murder in the Smell of Death. It was based on something that happened where I used to live and I couldn't get it out of my mind. Removing children from an unsafe home, I would be willing to write about. Unfortunately, I've known some that have been removed and it made a great and positive change in their lives.
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ReplyDeleteMarilyn, thanks again for your insights about your writing. Apparently your characters got a hold of you and never let go---something a lot of writers share. You're fortunate to have such a good resource in your son-in-law.
ReplyDeleteMaggie, as I replied to another, my son-in-law is no longer with us, but he certainly got me started--and as a result, I've become friends with many men and women in law enforcement.
ReplyDeleteYou are one lucky woman to have a son-in-law willing to share. Did you ever give him ideas for how to solve a case? Meredith I just finished Dangerous Impulses, and enjoyed it! I'll get up a review very soon, after I return from Hawaii on May 10. Looking forward to reading your newest, as well. Keep writing, my friend!
ReplyDeleteRolynn, have a super time in Hawaii. My son-in-law was wonderful, but no longer with us. And no, I picked his brain a lot, but never helped him with anything to do with police work.
ReplyDeleteAs a person with 41 years in law enforcement, I understand completely how learning the events of a working cop can inspire someone to want and write about it. That's exactly what I did. You Marilyn have taken it one step further with not just telling the story of the work, but in telling the story of the life. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHi, Joe, thank you for your kind comments.
ReplyDelete