Patricia Stoltey

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Sometimes I Wonder Where My Next Idea Will Come From … by Marilyn Meredith

March 31, 2016 By: Patricia

2016_Marilyn MeredithA common question people ask authors is “Where do your ideas come from?” Because I write two different series, sometimes the idea for the next book is right there waiting to be written, but not always.

When it was time to come up with the 12th book in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series, I had no idea what I should write about. Because much of this series is about the police officers and their families, there were some ongoing problems and events in their lives to continue with—but I had no clue when it came to what kind of crime to introduce.

Out of the blue, one of my author friends sent me an email that said, “You should write about a crushing death.” Okay, interesting, but I had no idea what a crushing death was so I investigated via the Internet.

What I learned was long ago, many different cultures would pile stones on someone’s chest in an effort to make him or her tell the truth. Of course it seldom, if ever, worked, instead the person died. Ah, ha, a new way to kill someone off.

From there the questions to be answered were:

Who was the victim?

2016_Meredith_A Crushing Death FinalWhat was the motive?

Where did it happen?

Who was involved?

Right away, the ideas began to flow and I began to envision in my mind exactly how the plot should go. Oh, of course there were side threads that I began to weave into the story, but I had the main idea.

The title was obvious, A Crushing Death.

Anyone else have unusual ways an idea for a mystery came to you?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

F. M. Meredith who is more commonly known as Marilyn Meredith

A Crushing Death Blurb:
A pile of rocks is found on a dead body beneath the condemned pier, a teacher is accused of molesting a student, the new police chief is threatened by someone she once arrested for violent attacks on women, and Detective Milligan’s teenage daughter has a problem.

F. M. Meredith who is also known as Marilyn Meredith is nearing the number of 40 published books. Besides being an author she is a wife, mother, grandma and great-grandmother. Though the Rocky Bluff she writes about is fictional, she lived for over twenty-years in a similar small beach town. Besides having many law enforcement officers in her family she counts many as friends. She teaches writing, loves to give presentations to writing and other groups, and is a member of Mystery Writers of America, three chapters of Sisters in Crime and on the board of Public Safety Writers Association.

Learn more about Marilyn and her books at her website and blog. She can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Category: Books and Authors, Guest Blogger

When Inspiration Whacks … by Edith Maxwell

March 24, 2016 By: Patricia

For me as a writer, inspiration sometimes jumps out of the bushes and whacks me on the head. Other times it’s a little more stealthy. For example, once a man I’d seen walking on the street hung around in my brain until he became a character and then had a story form around him. My …Read More

Category: Books and Authors, Guest Blogger

Writing from Experience … by Bill Lamperes

February 11, 2016 By: Patricia

I stepped into the Pink Flamingo and spotted the bartender preparing for the day. I approached and said, “Hi, my name is Bill Kerouac, Jack’s cousin,” and extended my hand. The gruff old guy snarled at me and said, “Bull shit. I know all the Kerouacs and you ain’t one of ’em.” I smiled and …Read More

Category: Books and Authors, Guest Blogger

The Message That Demands to be Heard … by Tracee Sioux

November 19, 2015 By: Patricia

The goose bumps on my legs sprouted hair as I absorbed Elizabeth Gilbert’s speech at the inaugural 2013 Emerging Women conference in Boulder. Through a serendipitous series of saying YES! to my Soul I had scored press passes with a VIP tag; front row center. Had I not been in that audience I might have …Read More

Category: Books and Authors, Guest Blogger, The Writing Life

ON LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION … by David Freed

August 6, 2015 By: Patricia

I marvel at the capacity of those authors who can pinpoint that precise moment when inspiration struck. There they were, waiting in line at Starbucks, or shampooing their hair, or staring out over the South Rim of the Grand Canyon at sunrise with their legs twisted in some impossible yoga position, and then, suddenly—Bam! Huzzah! …Read More

Category: Books and Authors, Guest Blogger, Writing

Meet Patricia

I read, I write, I blog, and sometimes I do the laundry and cook. My 2014 novel, Dead Wrong, was a finalist in the thriller category of the 2015 Colorado Book Awards. Wishing Caswell Dead (Five Star/Cengage, December 20, 2017) is a historical mystery set in 1830s Illinois in the fictitious Village of Sangamon. The novel was a finalist for the 2018 Colorado Book Awards for General Fiction. Read More…

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