GIVE THE GIFT OF SAFE TRAVEL

What do you and your friends miss most during the pandemic? #Travel?

Why not give family members and friend a safe trip to an exotic place for the #holidays? Buy a book in which the heroine travels. These blurbs might start you thinking about traveling to:

CUBA. In Malignancy, Sara Almquist accepts an assignment from the State Department to arrange scientific exchanges between scientists in the U.S. and #Cuba. She hopes to escape violence in her past, find an old friend, and see the tourist sites in Havana. Neither her work or sightseeing goes as planned. She’s disappointed by La Floridita (the bar made famous by #Hemingway) and the memorials to fallen heroes (like #Che Guevera) but she’s fascinated by the way black marketeers and scientist circumvent the U.S. embargo to Cuba. She also finds #romance in the most unlikely situation. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028528

INDIA. In Dirty Holy Water, scientist Sara Almquist is frustrated by the slow progress in the investigation of a friend's murder. Thus she's in a funk as she begins her trip to India and is disappointed by what she sees initially. The pollution of the holy rivers (Ganges and Yamuna) is staggering. The overcrowding and filth in markets make her happy to retreat to the safety of the tour bus. But the Taj Mahal is breathtaking as it appears among the mists rising from the Yamuna River at sunrise. The folk dances of the nomads of Rajasthan are mesmerizing. Eventually, Sara realizes her friend, like India, was a complex mixture of good and bad - but always interesting. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028587

BOLIVIA. In Ignore the Pain, Sara Almquist couldn't say no when invited to be the epidemiologist on a public health mission to assess children’s health in Bolivia. Soon someone from her past in New Mexico is chasing her through the Witches' Market of La Paz and on to the silver mines of Potosí. Unfortunately, she can't trust her new colleagues because any one of them might be under the control of the coca industry in Bolivia. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028501

I hope these blurbs whetted your taste for an #adventure #novel. Now where do you want to go?

Mystery tour of a senior gated community with Marilyn Meredith

My friend Marilyn Meredith takes you on a mystery tour of a senior gated community in her new novel THE TRASH HAREM. I live in such a community and this story rings true. I'l let Marilyn tell you about Moon Glow Village.

The main setting for The Trash Harem is a fictional gated community for folks fifty-five and older. No, I don’t live in one but I have two daughters who do. Their homes and neighborhoods are quite different from one another, as are the houses themselves.I borrowed the outsides of the homes from one community, and the insides a combination of both.

In this tale, the fictional Moon Glow Village is located in the city of Temecula. I’m fond of Temecula and have visited there many times as I have lots of relatives who live in the general area. I’ve also given classes on mystery writing there.

Temecula has a great Old Town with many great shops and restaurants and a wonderful museum. 

I do want to assure everyone that the characters in The Trash Harem are not based on any real people, though the main character who is the main suspect in a murder investigation does have some similarities to my son-in-law. And these similarities are what gave me the idea for the story. The tale has many interesting characters including other suspects who may have vague resemblances to people I know, but none are from the place where my daughter and son-in-law live. One thing I might mention is most of my daughter’s and her husband’s neighbors are closer to my age than theirs. To my knowledge, none of them has died under suspicious circumstances.

On a personal note, my home is much different than theirs. My husband and I share our home with my granddaughter and husband and their three young girls. It’s pretty lively around here. 

I had a great time writing this story; I hope you’ll enjoy reading it.

Marilyn

Blurb: Deputy Tempe Crabtree has retired from her job in Bear Creek when friends, who once lived in Bear Creek and attended Pastor Hutch’s church, ask her to visit them in Temecula. The husband, Jonathan, is a suspect in what might be a murder case. The retirement community includes many interesting characters, any of whom might have had a better motive than Jonathan. There is also a connection to Earle Stanley Gardner as well as the Pechanga Old Oak. What is a trash harem? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

To purchase The Trash Harem

https://www.amazon.com/Trash-Harem-Tempe-Crabtree-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B096KZDPH8/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+Trash+Harem+by+Marilyn+Meredith&qid=1622899167&s=books&sr=1-1

Marilyn Meredith’s Bio: She is the author of over 40 published books including the Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series, and writing as F. M. Meredith, the Rocky Bluff P.D. series. She’s a member of two chapters of Sisters in Crime and the Public Safety Writers Association.

Webpage: http://fictionforyou.com/

Blog: https://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marilyn.meredith

 

SELLING BOOKS DURING A PANDEMIC

Please enjoy this post from Marilyn Meredith - author of more than 50 books. Marilyn writes her Rocky Bluff P.D. mystery series as F.M. Meredith. I think you'll learn a lot from her comments on marketing her books. She's a real pro.

Before the pandemic, my favorite way to promote my books was in-person, whether as a speaker for a writers’ group or conference, or at service or social club. If I could get people to laugh, I sold books. My second favorite was to participate in a book or craft fair. My calendar was full of both for 2020 and everything was cancelled.

So that meant I had to concentrate on other ways to let people know about my books. One thing I’ve always enjoyed doing is being a guest on someone’s blog like I am today. One of the big reasons is because I like to write, but does it sell books? Sometimes. When I’ve done best is when I’ve been on a blog tour and held a contest for someone to have his or her name used for a character in the next book.

Like other authors, I use Facebook to promote new books—and old ones too. I’ve gathered quite a few friends along the way, and some of them have become fans. Of course, I don’t just write about my books, I talk about everything I’m doing. The same for my own blog, I write about most anything that comes to mind and host other authors. I also belong to some Facebook groups, but not sure any are helpful when it comes to selling books.

Now, what has worked best for me. Because I write series, offering one of the early books  series for free has resulted in reader buying other books. There are many places to offer free books, all you have to do is a search on the Internet to find them.  Most of these places charge a small fee.

And there is BookBub, but they are picky about what books they promote, and the fee is way beyond my budget. 

Sometimes I feel like my promotion efforts are like throwing cooked spaghetti at the wall and seeing if it sticks. It’s hard to tell what is working, though much easier now that I’m self-pubbed and watch what and how many books are being sold.

How about any of you other authors, what are you doing and what works best for you?

Blurb for #16, Not As We Knew It. 

The challenges come one after another for the Rocky Bluff P.D. to handle―from a missing woman to a fatal house fire. Detective Doug Milligan is faced with new and unusual problems to solve, some on the job and others related to his family. With the department shorthanded because of the Covid virus, Chief Chandra Taylor must make some hard decisions in order to protect the town of Rocky Bluff. 

To buy: https://www.amazon.com/Not-As-Knew-F-M-Meredith/dp/B08NDT3FW5/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

RIDDLED WITH CLUES

 Meet the characters in the international #thriller RIDDLED WITH CLUES. It begins at the VA Hospital  in Albuquerque but takes you to #Laos and #Cuba as the protagonist Sara Almquist frantically trys to solve the mystery of Red from Udon Thani. 

Sara recognized Xave Zack as the lopsided man who stared out the window toward the Sandia Mountains. His body appeared twisted in the wheelchair, but his shoulders remained broad. Many white creases and sagging skin on his darkly tanned neck suggested he’d lost a lot of weight recently.

She hesitated recalling the macho guy who had saved her from drug traffickers in Bolivia, where she had served as a consultant on public health issues. Unfortunately, she had learned too much about the coca trade. At the time, he’d had ebony hair with gray at his temples. Now, his hair was silver.

Her mind moved to the polished sophisticate—a George Clooney look-alike, who had left her in Washington to take an assignment tracking the movement of coca from Bolivia through Cuba to the U.S. Finally, she thought of the beaten, dirty bum who gave her a message for his controller, Eric Sanders, in Colombo Cemetery in Havana. Her history with the man had been brief, colorful, and emotional. In Havana, he’d made it clear she’d never see him again....

 

She allowed no hint of sympathy in her voice because she knew pity would annoy the man in the wheelchair. “Xave.”

The man turned slowly. “Sanders must be worried if he sent you.” He flashed a wide grin. She knew he was about to tell less than the whole truth because he smiled with his teeth showing.

Maybe I can force some honesty. “Did they retrieve you from Cuba before you destroyed your liver with cheap booze as you tried to perfect your cover as a drunken sailor? Hopefully, broken bones are your only problems.” She motioned to the cast on his right leg.

He grimaced.

“Why are you in a Spinal Cord Injury Center?”

He looked around the room as if he feared someone would hear. “Better security here. What were you told?”

“Not much. Can you walk?”

“Always direct. It’s why we hit it off.” He rubbed his chin, but didn’t answer the question... (Then) he smiled. This time with no teeth showing, which usually meant sincerity. “How about twirling around, slowly. The pink top shows off your blonde hair and light skin.”

She was glad she had worn the khaki skirt, which she always wore in summer to do pet therapy. Most of the hospitals in Albuquerque preferred volunteers didn’t wear shorts. The skirt was acceptable and cooler than trousers. “You must be on the mend.” She twirled quickly. “Sorry, but I’m not going to talk with my back to you so you can study my ass.”

He chuckled. “Sit next to me. I want to talk business without curious ears overhearing. Lots of nosy people here.”

She pushed the table away and sat on the edge of the bed. He pulled a slip of paper from the cuff of his right sleeve. “A woman slipped this note into my pocket when I was in a large crowd about two hours before my accident. I need your help.”

Sara looked at the small piece of ragged paper. She read a phone number and “Red from Udon Thani.” She turned the slip over. “Seen a lot of wear.”

 

You'll have to read the rest of Riddled with Clues, to discover the identity of Red from Udon Thani. Here's several hints. 

• Xave doesn’t know anyone called Red, and the last time he was in Udon Thani was during the Vietnam War. 
• After Sara listens to Xave's rambling tales of all the possibilities, both she and Xave are attacked. He is left comatose. 
• She is left to fight for her life with little help from the local police but with frequent coded clues for a homeless veteran who apparently frequented the VA Hospital in Albuquerque.

Available at:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1938436237

WHAT'S ON YOUR BUCKET LIST?

When I visited India a couple years ago, I met several people who said seeing the Taj Mahal and visiting #India were items on their bucket list. Those two items were never was on my bucket list, but I admit the #Taj Mahal is breathtaking as it appears among the mists rising from the #Yamuna River at sunrise. 

Here's one reason why seeing the Taj Mahal wasn't on my bucket list. As the sun rises you also see the Yamuna River, one of the holy rivers of India, is polluted. In fact, some Indians have described it as an "open sewer." The #pollution of the Yamuna Rivers made me think. Experts say the Ganges and Yamuna Rivers are among the ten most polluted rivers in the  world, but then so is the Mississippi. Considering the importance of water for life itself, maybe more of us should include "doing at least one activity that reduces pollution" on our bucket list.

 

My other problem with the Taj Mahal are the crowds. Think of the crowds leaving the stadium of a Big Ten school after a football game. I saw the Taj Mahal during the Diwali (a Hindu festival) holidays with probably twenty thousand people. However, the groups of fifty to two hundred school children each at tourist sites were amazing. Each clump of children were identifiable by their clothes, particularly the girl's uniforms. For example, one group of several hundred girls wore leggings with long jumpers almost to their knees in shades of green. Although all the groups were noisy when they left their buses. They were quiet and organized and with the smallest in front and the tallest at the back of the group by the time they reached the entrance to the sites. The children reminded me that all of us should include on our bucket list at least one activity that improves the welfare and education of #children.

 

I usually think that the "native" song and dance performances that tourists are treated to are hokey. However, I thought the snake dance performed by tribal women in #Rajasthan was one of the most sensuous performance I'd ever seen. It made those seen in movies look like bump and grind routines. That also made think. The best parts of travel occur when you least expect them. Perhaps, the most important item on any one's bucket list should be "to learn to appreciate the arts and skills of others."

 

I suppose this blog is too preachy but it's my long-winded way of admitting that visiting India should be on more people's bucket list. I suspect that is not an achievable goal for most, especially with the pandemic. So, the alternative is: read a novel with scenes depicting modern India. You might consider DIRTY HOLY WATER.

 

Blurb for DIRTY HOLY WATER: Sara Almquist is about to become engaged and leave for a vacation in India when she becomes a suspect in the murder of a friend. It's unnerving for Sara because she's used to being a trusted forensic investigator with answers, not a nervous suspect. Surprisingly, Sara finds insights into her feelings and into the murder as she becomes immersed in Indian culture.

 

Paperback and ebook at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028587

Trick or Treat with Gifts of Books

 #Halloween is coming. Most of us have already gained weight during our distancing period for COVID. More candy and cookies is the last thing we need. Why not make your treats this year-BOOKS? They could be new or used.

Here are two books published in 2020 that might make great Halloween treats. Both are scary (at least a little bit) but in different ways.

The first is DIRTY HOLY WATER. Life is complicated for Sara Almquist in this #romantic #mystery and psychological thriller. She's about to become engaged and leave for a vacation in #India when she becomes the chief suspect in the murder of a friend. Only the friend and her family, well to put it politely, have a couple of dark secrets. Sara soon realizes the difference between a villain and a victim can be small - alarmingly small, especially in a dysfunctional family. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028587

The second is A POUND OF FLESH, SORTA. In this #thriller, Sara Almquist receives a mysterious box contaminated with the bacteria, which causes the plague. FBI agents consider it a threat from gang leaders because Sara is a key witness at an upcoming racketeering trial. As a #scientist, Sara thinks the packet might be an attempt to focus attention on a potential for plague in the Southwest. Soon all suspect the package is a clue needed to solve the suspicious death of one employee in a meat packing plant and the disappearance of another man maimed in an industrial accident. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028560

       P.S. Prairie dog die offs in the #Southwest really are caused by the plague and a few people in the Southwest die of the plague each year. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028560

OR MAYBE YOU SHOULD JUST TREAT YOURSELF AND BUY BOTH

A DIFFERENT TIME

I'm starting June with a guest blogger. Marilyn Meredith is a prolific #mystery author.  If you haven't read one of her books, read her new one, End of the Trail, after you read her blog below.  This is a #police procedural with heart. Let's hope this novel isn't the end of the trail for Marilyn's writing.

Right now, we are all experiencing something new. I’m not going to discuss the pandemic as such—I’ll leave the current event to Janet, my host, who is far more knowledgeable about such diseases. 

Any author knows that what is going on now has changed what we can do to promote our books. We can’t go to bookstores to do talks and signings, and book fairs and conferences have been cancelled. What is left? Mainly social media and visiting blogs like this one.

There wasn’t even a hint of what was to come while I was writing End of the Trail, the latest in my Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series. My main ideas for this book came from family—one from a distant relative living in a most unusual lifestyle, and another from a much closer member who is preparing for any coming huge disaster whether it be a biblical Armageddon or a war of some sort. (I have a huge family, and believe me, they are all different. You should hear their varied and controversial views on the pandemic!)

When I began writing I was able to attend the weekly meetings of my critique group and hear their suggestions and feelings about each chapter. Because they also write their corrections on the copies of the chapter I brought, I can use or not use what I want when I get home. And, of course, these in-person meetings have been cancelled. 

Though I had plenty of time to write, it was hard to get motivated to do so. I really did want to finish, but as I was writing, I began to wonder if this might be the last book in the series. Was that really what I wanted to do?

Even now, with the book done and available on Amazon, I am not sure. In fact, I have a new idea bouncing around in my brain.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087SFTC6K/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1588514254&sr=1-1

A Book for Halloween

My guest is  Marilyn Meredith, a well-known blogger and author of more than forty mystery/crime novels. Her newest book Bones in the Attic is the fifteenth book in her Rocky Bluff Police Department series. I asked her to write about innovative ways to market books. 

Here’s Marilyn:

Bones in the Attic centers around a skeleton, I think I’m going to buy a plastic skeleton to take along with me whenever I give a presentation or do a signing. That certainly fits the bill for innovative, right?

Probably the most exciting book signing I ever had took place in a new Bed and Breakfast. So many people signed up to come, to accommodate everyone, they served two lunches on the same day at different times. The book was Kindred Spirits in my Deputy Tempe Crabtree series, and the Tolowa (Indian tribe in northern California) woman who inspired two of the characters in the book and gave me so much information about the Tolowa people and Big Foot, signed the book along with me and gave a little talk at each of the lunches. 

We don’t have any bookstores near where I live, so I always have to find other types of places to hold my book launches, so far I’ve had them in our local inn, a coffee shop, a second hand store, and in a store in the next town that sells hand-made chocolates. That’s a fun place to have a signing. My books are also for sale in a local thrift shop.

Of course I do all the usual things like the blog tour I’m on now, go to book and craft fairs, speak at and serve on panels at writers conferences, give talks for writers groups and libraries.

I’ve given away books for a short period through Amazon, which does help sales for other books in the series. I’ve also done 99 cent sales which works much the same. Of course this also takes a lot of promoting on Facebook and Twitter, plus using several of the services that charge to promote the freebies and sales. Now it’s your turn to make comments.

Blurb for Bones in the Attic: The discovery of a skeleton, a welfare check on a senior citizen, and a wildfire challenge the Rocky Bluff Police Department.

Buy link: https://tinyurl.com/yxpd8mxy

Bio: Marilyn Meredith, who writes the RBPD mystery series as F.M. Meredith, is the author of over 40 published books. She once lived in a small beach town much like Rocky Bluff and has many relatives and friends in law enforcement. 

Webpage: http://fictionforyou.com/

Blog: https://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marilyn.meredith

Twitter: https://twitter.com/marilynmeredith/

And she’s a regular on these blogs:

2^ndand 4^thTuesday: https://makeminemystery.blogspot.com/

4^thMonday of the month: https://ladiesofmystery.com/

RELATIONSHIPS MAKE CHARACTERS INTERESTING

I doubt many novels have been written in which characters didn’t interact (actually or virtually) with other people or animals. Think about it. Relationships, not really appearances or jobs, make characters interesting to readers.

I looked at dozens of columns written by psychologists, experts on managing stress in the workplace, and writers of columns to the “lovelorn.” In essence, they mentioned three key issues central to all relationships. You can add depth to characters in your novels by showing their relationships in terms of these parameters. 

1) Communications

A sympathetic protagonist listens patiently to others. He/she communicates through actions as well as orally. 

Characters not interested in a relationship interrupt, raise their voice, doodle, look at their watch, or pick at their nails when others are talking. They nag their cohorts. These are good traits for villains.

In Murder...A Way to Lose Weight, Abel Raines never really listens to Richard Varegos. He's always busy cleaning his office or doodling. That's how I hint the two colleagues (who are both faulty members at the university hospital and apparent confidants) might not be friends. While the main question in Murder...A Way to Lose Weight is who killed the diet doctor? One of the subplots in this mystery is: what do these two men have in common, besides work? Can they trust each other?

2) Goals 

Allies or lovers, who have no shared goals, are not realistic partners on a long–term basis. The dissolution of shared goals (divorce, business failure, or war) is the basis of strong plots. If one of your character steamrolls the rights of others to attain a shared goal, you have created a villain.

3) Struggle for control

This is universal to all relationships. If you doubt the statement, think about raising children or training a dog. These struggles, when mainly petty bickering, can add humor to fiction or can foreshadow a crisis. 

In She Didn't Know Her Place, the heroine, Dana Richardson, doesn't share the same goals as many of her colleagues at State U. Yes, she wants the university to enlarge its research portfolio but not at the cost of all ethics. She also wants to discover who killed Sally Stein. Most of her colleagues don't care. 

Think of your favorite fictional characters. How do they interact with others? Now think of your neighbors. Which are your favorites? Do they interact with others in a manner similar to the way your favorite characters interact with others?

SHE DIDN'T KNOW HER PLACE

One of the most universal themes in literature is alienation. How much of personal isolation is due to making unpopular moral decisions, to being an outsider, and to being stubborn? This is the theme in She Didn't Know Her Place. 

In this mystery, Dana Richardson faces two dilemmas in her new job as VP of Research at State U. The Natural Resource Center, which reports to her, is alleged to be "doctoring" data to help industrial clients meet federal pollution standards. Her boss Guy Beloit, the president of the university, doesn’t care. Really no one, but Dana, cares. That's not true. Sally Stein cared and she died under mysterious circumstances, and others are too scared to talk. 

This mystery can be viewed on several levels. Dana's attempt to uncover and eliminate the scientific  and financial fraud in the Natural Resource Center is an example of a different type of police procedural. You'll be surprised how complex the laws governing research are and how they can be used to ensnare the villains. You'll also wonder how much of Dana's efforts are driven by inner demons and the fear of meeting the same fate as Sally Stein. Thus She Didn't Know Her Place is a bit of a psychological thriller. Then too Dana faces the problem of being a woman administrator in a predominantly male world - the academic scientific community is not kind to feminists.

Ultimately, themes are what make reading so satisfying. They make us think. 

Here's how to get She Didn't Know Her Place. The kindle and paperback versions are available at  Amazon: https://www.amzn.com/ dp/1979733112

GoodReads is doing a free giveaway of three signed copies of this mystery. Enter before December 22 at: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/267677-she-didn-t-know-her-place.