Promotional Interview with Marilyn Meredith

Marilyn Meredith is the author of Smell of Death. This is a bit about her latest book ----

A missing child, strange burglaries, the murder of a mother and her daughter disrupt the peaceful beach community of Rocky Bluff. Officer Stacey Wilbur assists Doug Milligan with the investigations and she finds herself breaking her long-standing rule of never dating anyone who works for Rocky Bluff P.D.

PROMOTIONAL INTERVIEW WITH MARILYN MEREDITH

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Your Name: Marilyn Meredith (also F. M. Meredith)

1. Where you are from and where are you now?

I grew up in Los Angeles CA, married a sailor and traveled to Virginia and Maryland, lived many years in Oxnard CA near the Port Hueneme Seabee

Base, and now we're in Springville CA which is located in the foothills of

The Southern Sierra.

2. How did you get started writing?

I drew stories even before I could read or write, thanks to my mom listening

to soap operas on the radio. I've been writing stories ever since I knew how.

In junior high, I wrote and printed and sold my own magazine. Also wrote plays for the neighborhood kids to star in.

3. What do you do when you are not writing?

Most of my day is spent in front of the computer. If I'm not actually writing, I'm doing promotion. I also do writing for others--including ghost writing. By

evening, I'm ready to read or watch TV. My husband and I try to go to a

movie every week or so. I have a big family, so I do spend time with them

kids and grandkids and greats when possible. I'm also active in my church.

4. What would readers like to know about you?

I'm one of these people who never gives up, despite many, many rejections

over the years, two publishers dying who were publishing my books, getting

tangled up with a couple of crooked publishers, I kept going.

5. What inspired your first book?

My first book was an historical family saga based on my family's genealogy.

My sister did the genealogy and I was so fascinated by what she found out and all the unanswered questions, I decided to some research into the places and times the family was there and try to figure out why they moved from here to there. It was fascinating--and I wrote a book about each side of my family.

6. How many books have you written?

That I'm not sure about. What I do know is I have over 20 published books, and two that I have contracts with my publisher.

7. What are the titles of your books and what genres are they? I have so many I'll just tell you about the latest ones. Anyone who'd like to know all the titles is welcome to go to my website: http://fictionforyou.com The very latest is Smell of Death, in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series written under the name F. M. Meredith. The latest in my Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series is Judgment Fire, and that one is written by Marilyn Meredith. These are crime fiction or mystery

8. How do you decide on that topic or genre?

Mysteries are what I like to read so that's what I've been focusing on.

9. How do you manage to keep yourself focused and on track? This is something I've never had a problem with. I raised five kids and wrote despite whatever was going on--and there was always plenty going on. I wrote when I babysat grandkids. I wrote when I was caring for six developmentally disabled women. I can be interrupted and go write back to whatever I was in the middle of doing.
10. Do you write to make money or for the love of writing? If I were writing to make money, I'd have quit long ago. I have to write and that's why I keep doing it. I always hope someone will enjoy reading my work as much as I enjoyed writing it.
11. What are some traditional methods of marketing you have used? Book signings, library talks, presentations to service and women's groups, mailings of postcards and letters, bookmarks, my website, talking about my books on the lists I belong to.
12. What are some unique methods of marketing you have used? I always have a book launching in my hometown. I think that Virtual book tours are unique though this is my second one. I do several blogs on a regular basis. I sell books at craft fairs.
13. Do you sell through a website? Yes. If so, what's the address? http://fictionforyou.com
14. Where can people order your books? From the above website and Amazon. com and if you want an e-book of Smell of Death, go to http://www.tigresspress.com
15. What format are your books - e-book, print, audio etc? All of my books are in print as trade paperbacks and also as e-books.
16. Will you write more books? Of course. I'm about half way through a new one.
17. What do you have in the works now? I expect a new Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery to be out in August of this year. And of course, I'm busy promoting.
18. What does the future hold for you and your books? I have no idea. I know what I have planned--but I really can't see into the future. My husband and I will be attending Love is Murder in Chicago, EpiCon in Portland, Public Safety Writers Conference in April and Mayhem in the Midlands in May.
19. What was the most successful thing you did to promote your books? One time I was invited to speak at an AAWU luncheon along with several other authors. The others were all young and quite famous. I told my husband the only way I could compete was to be funny. I was and after the luncheon everyone rushed to my table and I sold over $800 worth of books.
20. What was the least successful thing you did to promote your books? Bookstore signings seem to be the least profitable. Sometimes it's difficult to get paid. However, anytime you can meet people and get your name out there it is worth it.

This interview was done in conjunction with Nikki Leigh. For more information, visit - www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm.

Would you like to read a bit of the book? Here is an excerpt from Chapter 1 ---- visit http://startatbeginning.blogspot.com/2008/02/smell-of-death-by-marilyn-meredith.html