F.M. Meredith – Violent Departures

This week, I’m pleased to welcome back one of my favorite mystery authors, F. M. Meredith.

F.M. Meredith, also known as Marilyn Meredith, is the author of over thirty published novels. Marilyn is a member of three chapters of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. Besides having family members in law enforcement, she lived in a town much like Rocky Bluff with many police families as neighbors.

Who Am I Writing For?

That’s a very good question. The obvious answer would be for the reader. More specifically for the reader who likes mysteries, police procedurals, and books that are a bit more on the side of following clues to solve a case, rather than using modern equipment and forensic science.

The readers I’m writing for are the kind who like to know about the police officers’ private lives and how what goes on at home affects the job—and vice versa. That leads into the fact that I’m writing for those readers who enjoy seeing characters change and grow as a series unfolds.

I’m also writing for those who have become fans of my series. These folks are important to me and I work hard to make each book unique and entertaining.

There is also another person I’m writing for–me.

Yes, you read that correctly, I am writing for me too. I have been compelled to write since I was a kid. I wrote stories, articles for my own magazine that I put out one summer, and plays for the kids in my neighborhood to perform.

As a young wife and mother, my writing tended to be focused on PTA news and plays for my Camp Fire Girls to star in as money-making projects. I did try my hand at a couple of novels, but nothing came of those attempts. I went to college after my 5^th child started kindergarten, and did  a lot of writing then, but didn’t get back to fiction until I was a grandmother.

Writing is part of me, something that I hope to continue for the rest of my life.

F. M. Meredith aka Marilyn Meredith

Violent Departures

College student, Veronica Randall, disappears from her car in her own driveway, everyone in the Rocky Bluff P.D. is looking for her. Detective Milligan and family move into a house that may be haunted. Officer Butler is assigned to train a new hire and faces several major challenges.

Here is a short excerpt from the beginning of, Violent Departures: 

The silver Toyota Prius stood empty and idling in the short driveway. The driver’s door gaped open. A plump, and obviously distraught, middle-aged woman ran barefoot down the cement steps of the small older home toward Officer Vaughn Aragon.

He’d responded to a call from the dispatcher about a missing person. Ordinarily, the caller would have been asked to come to the station to file a report, but the circumstances in this case seemed urgent.

“Thank God you’re here. My granddaughter, Veronica, she’s gone.” Gray strands mixed with the woman’s long black hair she’d pulled back and tied with a scarf. “Please find her.” Tears threatened in her dark eyes.

Without touching anything, Aragon poked his head inside the running vehicle. A large purse lay open on the passenger seat, belongings scattered, among them, a cell phone. On the floor lay a multi-colored backpack.

Though blond, Aragon, having grown up in East L.A., spoke fluent Spanish. Because the woman had dark skin and hair, he assumed she was Latina. He introduced himself in English and Spanish, and asked for her name.

She frowned as though his Spanish confused her. “I’m Mrs. Randall.” She added, “And I’m not Mexican. Please, help me find my granddaughter.”

Though flustered by his mistake, Aragon said, “When was the last time you saw her?”

“A few minutes before I called the police. We finished breakfast and she went out the door, on her way to school. She is a student at UCSB. I started to do dishes and then I noticed her car still parked in the driveway. I came out to see what was wrong and found the car like this.” Her voice rose. “She disappeared.”

Contest: Because it has been popular on my other blog tours, once again I’m offering the chance for the person who comments on the most blog posts during this tour to have a character named for him or her in the next Rocky Bluff P.D. mystery.

Or if that doesn’t appeal, the person may choose one of the earlier books in the series—either a print book or Kindle copy.

Violent Departures can be purchased at:  http://tinyurl.com/jvmubw5

Webpage: http://fictionforyou.com/

Blog: http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/marilynmeredith

I tackle a hard question tomorrow: What Makes the Rocky Bluff Mystery Series Unique?

http://bookbrowsing.wordpress.com/

NOTE: Don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to have a character named after you in Meredith’s next novel. I did. I loved my character and it was a lot of fun to see my name in her last Rocky Bluff mystery, Murder in the Worst Degree.