Marilyn is an award winning author of over twenty five books, mainly mysteries. She’s a member of three chapters of Sisters in Crime, on the board of the Public Safety Writers Association, a member of Epic and MWA. She lives in the foothills of the Southern Sierra in a town much like the one where Deputy Tempe Crabtree is the resident deputy. http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com

Goodness, that makes me sound like a serial killer. Perhaps in a way I am. As the writer of two series, the Deputy Tempe Crabtree mysteries and the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series, I will undoubtedly kill off at least one character in every book I write—sometimes more than one.

When beginning any new book, I always start with my characters: who will be the murder victim and what characters had a motive and the opportunity to do the deed.

When planning the latest Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery, Dispel the Mist, I decided my victim would be a popular county supervisor. County supervisors have a lot of power when it comes to what new developments in the county will be approved. Ideas began popping about what plans different people might want to happen or want to squash.

There always has to be a good reason that Tempe, who is only a Deputy, is drawn into the investigation. Often times it’s because she feels the detectives on the murder case have picked the easiest but wrong suspect. If the victim has some ties to the neighboring Indian reservation, the detectives think, erroneously, because Tempe is Native American she’ll be able to find out more from the Indians than they will.

Things have changed a bit from previous books. Detective Morrison has gained respect for Tempe’s sleuthing abilities and calls on her to help with the case for more reasons than merely her Native American heritage. It isn’t long before she discovers several people with motives for wanting the supervisor out of the way.

Old legends told to Tempe by her grandmother and eerie dreams that don’t make sense interrupt her sleep.

When her investigation takes her out to the end of the road on the reservation late in the evening, not only is Tempe’s life threatened by the killer, she has an encounter with the legendary Hairy Man.

The Hairy Man is similar to Big Foot. A pictograph of this eight-foot tall legend is in a rock shelter on the Tule River Reservation. It is the only pictograph in all of California of this legend. Seeing this colorful drawing set Dispel the Mist into motion.

To learn more about Dispel the Mist and the Hairy Man visit my website at http://fictionforyou.com and read the first chapter or order it from http://www.mundaniaperss.com or any e-book or regular bookstore.

Marilyn Meredith