The conventional wisdom for authors is to write about what you know. Instead of doing that, Meredith chose to write about a subject she wanted to know more about. She said, “Though I am not a Native American, I have always been fascinated by their mystique. When I moved to the foothills of the Southern Sierra I learned we had an Indian reservation as a neighbor. I became friends with a young Native woman and she eventually became the role model for Tempe. I’ve had a great time learning more about the history of the tribe I write about (though I’ve fictionalized them), the reservation, their history, their legends, and how things are changing for them.”
One of the difficulties in writing about a different culture is making sure to get the details correct. Meredith feels that she’s accomplished that goal because of feedback tribal members have given her. She said, “One of the characters in the book, Nick Two John, I fashioned after a real Native American man who I hadn’t met but seen at various events. One day he called me to say he’d read my first book in the series, Deadly Omen. My immediate thought was, ‘Oh no, he recognized himself.’ Thankfully, that wasn’t it. He wanted to tell me that I’d gotten what I’d written about the Pow Wow in my book right.”
Meredith has more than 30 published novels to her credit and likes to think of herself as an entertainer. “I don’t begin writing a book with any issue or argument in mind,” she said. “Mainly I want to entertain my readers. I’m writing fiction though I know some of my beliefs and life experiences filter through my writing, I am not trying to make a point about anything.”
As a writer who focuses on keeping readers entertained, Meredith needs to focus on making her books as authentic as possible. She first makes sure that she understands her subject, then begins to write. She said, “Whenever I begin a new book, it takes me a while to submerge myself into the place and people I am writing about. When it finally happens, I don’t have any trouble writing because the characters take over.”
In “Spirit Shapes” ghost hunters stumble upon a murdered teen in a haunted house and Deputy Tempe Crabtree’s investigation encompasses ghosts and evil spirits. So, how did she decide to write a book about ghost hunting? Meredith said, “Lately, I’ve been reading about our local ghost hunter setting up tours in an around our area. I thought it might be fun to write about a ghost hunter. Because this is a Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery of course there is a murder for her to solve and some Native American mysticism.”
“Spirit Shapes” is Meredith’s 13th book in the series and she feels that it is growing richer with each new book. “My characters have grown and changed,” she said. “Even though this is a series, I write each book to be complete.”
For more information
To learn more about Marilyn Meredith, the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series, or her Rocky Bluff PD series, visit fictionforyou.com. Enter Meredith’s contest to have a character named after you in the next Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery by leaving a comment on this post. On October 9, look for Meredith at smsenden.wordpress.com.
