We welcome mystery and crime fiction author F.M. Meredith (Marilyn Meredith). We’ll be talking about the latest book in her Rocky Bluff P.D. series, Smell of Death.
Welcome back Marilyn. It’s always a pleasure to have you with us.
Thank you for having me. This is always fun.
Before we begin talking about Smell of Death, why don’t you give readers a refresher of who you are and let them know what you’ve been up to since you last popped in.
I’m the author of over 20 books. Besides the Rocky Bluff P.D. series, I also write the Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series. Since my last tour, I’ve been to Tampa FL where I was a speaker at a writer’s conference and to Anchorage AK to a mystery convention and then I stayed a few days with a friend in Wasilla and spoke to every class about mystery writing at Wasilla middle school.
This is a bit off-topic, but I am dying to ask you about this. Your website http://fictionforyou.com/ says that you write mysteries, historical novels, and Christian horror. That last one throws me. I didn’t even know there was such a genre. Can you tell us a little bit about it and the Christian horror books you’ve written?
I probably am the one who came up with the name for the genre. It’s horror (really scary) with a Christian theme. The Left Behind Books fit in that category, though in my Christian horror, the heroines may not have the strongest faith, but that’s what carries them through and helps them overcome what ever threat they’ve come up against whether it’s the devil or his demons.
Why don’t you tell us about your Rocky Bluff P.D. series.
This series focuses on the men and women in the Rocky Bluff P.D. and their families. My intention is to show how what goes on in the job affects the family and what happens in the family affects the job. Though many of the same characters appear in each book, the main characters change. For instance, in the first book, Doug Milligan is the main character and at that time is just a regular officer. He appears as a minor character in the next two books, and in this book he’s become a detective and has a major part.
Officer Stacey Wilbur’s physical size appears to be a disadvantage for her. How does she handle it?
What Stacey doesn’t have in brawn she makes up with by her brain and psychological approach to situations.
In the first chapter of Smell of Death you have a lot going on—a murder, a police officer suffering from horrible nightmares, and a missing toddler. How did you manage to jam that much conflict into one chapter? What do you think the key is to making it work well?
Hopefully, I’ve hooked the reader into continuing on. One thing my son-in-law, a police officer for 15 years, always said was that the police department never has just one case to work on at a time like they do in books and movies. That’s one of the things I wanted to show in all four books and have it be more realistic.
We also meet several members of Rocky Bluff’s police department in this first chapter. Is there anyone you would like to talk more about?
Other officers have come and gone, the ones who are in this book have appeared in others. Gordon Butler is an officer who is interested in Stacey, and sort of becomes the comic relief. He was an important character in the book right before this one, Fringe Benefits.
In addition to being the only female in the department, Stacey is a single-mom. How does she juggle her career and her home life?
Stacey and her son live with her parents. She is fortunate to have her folks to baby-sit Davey.
There’s a hint of romance in Smell of Death. We find out that Stacey is attracted to Detective Doug Milligan, but she has a long standing rule about not dating anyone from the department. Do you think Doug could make her break that rule?
There is definitely a strong attraction between Stacey and Doug. He not only admires her as a woman but soon realizes she’s intelligent and a real asset to the department. To find out if she breaks her rule, you’ll have to read the book.
Where can readers purchase a copy of Smell of Death?
Smell of Death is available as a trade paperback from my website, http://fictionforyou.com or Amazon.
What is up next for you? Are there any upcoming projects you would like to share with our readers?
My next Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery, Kindred Spirits, is expected in August. I’ll be busy promoting Smell of Death and the latest Tempe mystery, Judgment Fire, all this coming year. I’m attending Love is Murder in Chicago, EpiCon in Portland OR, Public Safety Writers Association’s conference in Las Vegas, and Mayhem in the Midlands, in Omaha NE plus library talks and other appearances. And oh yes, while working on another book.
Thanks for joining us today, Marilyn. It was great to speak with you again. I wish you continued success and hope you’ll be stopping by again soon.
This interview first appeared at The Book Connection.
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