Places
I’ve Traveled as a Writer
Never would I have gone to Anchorage, Alaska if it hadn’t
been for Left Coast Crime first and a few years later, Bouchercon. The first
time, I also visited a school in a tiny village called Kwithlik. To get there,
I traveled in a Suburban on a frozen river. (Scary!) The second time, I stayed
in Wasilla with a Native friend who I met on the first visit.
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| church in New Orleans |
My first and
only trip to New York City was to attend Edgar week and the Edgar awards. I was
in awe the whole time I was there—it looks just like it does in the movies and
TV. (I know that sounds dumb, but I
couldn’t help just staring at everything that seemed so familiar.) From there,
my friend and I took the train to Washington DC and then on to Arlington, VA
for Malice Domestic. I attended Malice a second time and included a visit to my
husband’s hometown in Cambridge MD.
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| Hawaii |
When I was asked
to be an instructor at the Maui Writers Retreat, I didn’t hesitate a moment to
pack my bags and jump on a plane. Of course I took hubby too, and he had a
great time while I was busy working with students all day. Besides being in a
beautiful place, I had a great time.
Because of
various mystery cons, I’ve visited places I’d never have thought of visiting,
sometime with hubby sometimes by myself: Bellevue and Seattle WA, Austin, El
Paso, Plano and San Antonio TX, Madison and Milwaukee WI, New Orleans LA, Oklahoma
City OK, Orlando and Tampa FL, Nashville TN, Portland OR, and Virginia Beach,
VA.
We fell in love
with Omaha NE when Mayhem in the Midlands (now sadly no more) met there for ten
years.
Though I may
have visited Las Vegas and Reno NV with my hubby, I’ve also gone there for
writers’ conferences.
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| Sedona AZ |
I’ve been to one
end of California (Crescent City and Redding in the North, to Temecula and Dana
Point in the South) and from coast to coast, giving talks at writers’
conferences and attending Left Coast Crimes and Bouchercons.
Now I’m back on
the road again to promote the latest in my Rocky Bluff P.D. series, Dangerous
Impulses. I’m headed to Epicon in Vancouver WA this month. and have
various places in California to go. In July it’ll be off to Vegas for the
Public Safety Writers Association’s annual conference.
Thank you, Kaye
for letting me tell you about places I’ve been. It’s been a wonderful
experience with great memories.
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An attractive
new-hire captivates Officer Gordon Butler, Officer Felix Zachary’s wife Wendy
is befuddled by her new baby, Ryan and Barbara Strickland receive unsettling
news about her pregnancy, while the bloody murder of a mother and her son and
an unidentified drug that sickens teenaged partiers jolts the Rocky Bluff P.D.
Buy it here: http://tinyurl.com/byxomtk
Buy it here: http://tinyurl.com/byxomtk
Contest:
The person who
comments on the most blog posts on this tour may have a character named after
him or her in the next Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novel or choose a book from the previous
titles in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series in either paper or for Kindle.
Rocky Bluff P.D.
Series:
Though each book
in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series is written as a stand-alone, I know there are
people who like to read a series in order. From the beginning to the end:
Final Respects
Bad Tidings
Fringe Benefits
Smell of Death
No Sanctuary
An Axe to Grind
Angel Lost
No Bells
Dangerous
Impulses
F. M. Meredith’s Bio:
F.M. is also
known as Marilyn Meredith, the author of the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series. She
first became interested in writing about law enforcement when she lived in a
neighborhood filled with police officers and their families. The interest was
fanned when her daughter married a police officer and the tradition has
continued with a grandson and grandson-in-law who are deputies. She’s also
serves on the board of the Public Safety Writers Association, and has many
friends in different law enforcement fields. For twenty plus years, she and her
husband lived in a small beach community located in Southern California much
like the fictional Rocky Bluff. She is a member of three chapters of Sisters in
Crime, Epic, and Mystery Writers of America.
And I’m on
Facebook and Twitter as MarilynMeredith
Thank you so much for hosting me today, Kaye. I'm always surprised when I read what I wrote--I did it so long ago with so much happening in between. I really have had a great time and new experiences while traveling as an author.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn,
ReplyDeleteLike you, I love to write and I love to travel. Isn't it wonderful that, in our chosen careers, we get to do both? Who could ask for more?
I smiled at your description of yourself as a NYC gawker. So true for all of us the first time in the Big Apple.
ReplyDeleteThe other cool thing about travels is when you've been somewhere and read about it in someone's novel.
Oh yeah, I remember that...
~ Jim
Hi, Patricia. Thanks for coming by. And Jim, I loved New York and truly I was surprised it looked just like it does in movies and TV shows.
ReplyDeleteI remember a place you briefly visited where you did a presentation at a library -- Laughlin, Nevada. A small dot on the maps. I think, if I recall, that's where I first met you. Loved having you here.
ReplyDeleteMarja McGraw
Thanks for blogging here, Marilyn. What a life, eh? I loved reading about all your travels!
ReplyDeleteYes, indeed, Marja, I did go to Laughlin and I did meet you there, but I think I met you once before too. I've had a great time over the years.
ReplyDeleteKaye,I know a lot of authors have gone more exciting places than I have--but I'd have never gone where I did if it hadn't been for my writing.
ReplyDeleteI envy people like you, Marilyn. I never traveled much, mostly because I couldn't afford to, so I had to settle for being an armchair traveler.
ReplyDeleteOh, Evelyn, I never thought I'd do much traveling either, so it's been fun.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn, your post makes me want to pack up and hit the road. Did you visit Pandemonium bookstore while you were in Wasilla?
ReplyDeleteNo, unfortunately I did not visit any bookstores in Wasilla. I visited the Iditarod Museum, a Senior Center, and spent a day at the middle school talking to every classroom about writing mysteries. And the rest of the time I spent with my Native friend who put me up. We had a great time together.
ReplyDeleteThanks to everyone who stopped by for Marilyn's travels. Good luck with her giveaway contest!
ReplyDeleteWith all the traveling you do. I'm still wondering how you find time to write,Marilyn.
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming by, Jean. Marilyn fits a lot into 24 hours!
ReplyDeleteJean, it isn't easy finding time to write. But I really don't travel as much as I once did.
ReplyDelete