Author Interview: Crime Fiction Novelist Marilyn Meredith

Marilyn Meredith is the author of award winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series as well as other novels. The latest is, Judgment Fire, from Mundania Press. Under the name of F. M. Meredith she writes the Rocky Bluff P.D. series, the latest, Smell of Death from Tigress Press. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, EPIC and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. She was an instructor for Writer’s Digest School for ten years, served as an instructor at the Maui Writer’s Retreat and many other writer’s conferences. She makes her home in Springville, much like Bear Creek where Deputy Tempe Crabtree lives. For many years, she lived in a beach community much like Rocky Bluff.

You can visit her website at http://www.fictionforyou.com/  or her blog at http://www.marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/.

Welcome to Beyond the Books, Marilyn! Can we start out by telling us whether you are published for the first time or are you multi-published?

I’m along way from my first time. I’m not exactly sure which published book this makes, over twenty. It’s just as thrilling now as it was then.

What was the name of your very first book regardless of whether it was published or not and, if not published, why?

Trail to Glory was my first published book. The two I wrote before that I threw away when they were rejected once. (Something I definitely regret.) Trail to Glory was an historical family saga based on my family’s genealogy.

For your first published book, how many rejections did you go through before you either found a mainstream publisher, self-published it, or paid a vanity press to publish it?

I received nearly thirty rejections before I received a contract. However, I must tell you that I rewrote the book several times. After I joined a wonderful critique group (one I still belong to, by the way) and they gave their input and I rewrote it for the final time, that’s when it was accepted for publication.

How did the rejections make you feel and what did you do to overcome the blows?

Different from how I’d acted from previous rejections, I just kept sending the book out. Of course I was busy writing another book at the same time.

When your first book was published, who published it and why did you choose them?

Dorchester published Two Ways West. I picked them out from the publishers in Writers Market.

How did it make you feel to become published for the first time and how did you celebrate?

I walked out to the mailbox and got the envelope from Dorchester. I opened it on the way back from the house and started jumping up and down and screaming. I’m sure the neighbors thought something bad happened. When I actually held the book in my hand, it was absolutely thrilling. I can’t really remember what I did to celebrate. Probably husband and I went out to dinner. It was back in the days before email so I’m sure I made a lot of phone calls.

What was the first thing you did as for as promotion when you were published for the first time?

Unfortunately, I had no clue what should be done for promotion. The free books that the publisher sent me I gave away. I knew nothing about reviews. I did have a booksigning at our local bookstore and gave a talk at a writers group. I sent out notices to people. This was all in the days before the Internet. No one I knew had a clue about promotion and the publisher didn’t give me any suggestions.

If you had to do it over again, would you have chosen another route to be published?

That was my first and only experience with a New York publisher. What I should have done differently was to get an agent before I signed my contract.

Have you been published since then and how have you grown as an author?

I’ve been published many, many times since then—and many bad experiences along with the good. I was published by two publishers who turned out to be crooks—one even spent some time in jail. I’ve had two publishers who died and publishers who didn’t pay royalties like they should.

As far as growing as an author, I’m definitely seasoned. I know that no matter how good I think a manuscript might be, besides running it by my critique group, I need an editor who knows what she is doing to go over it before I sent it off to my publisher. I also expect the publisher’s editor to make changes.

Looking back since the early days when you were trying to get published, what do you think you could have done differently to speed things up? What kind of mistakes could you have avoided?

Except for being an avid reader, I didn’t know much about the rules of writing. I learned the most from my critique group and writing conferences and also an agent I had for awhile. If I had known more about the rules of writing before I started sending my manuscripts out, I might not have received so many rejections.

What has been the biggest accomplishment you have achieved since becoming published?

I’ve won some great awards for several of my books. Probably one of the most fun things was being asked to be an instructor for the Maui Writers Retreat. Whenever I finish a book, I feel like I’ve made a big accomplishment.

If you could have chosen another profession, what would that profession be?

I’ve had several different professions: Telephone Operator, Pre-School Teacher, and for twenty-two years, my husband and I owned and operated a licensed facility for the developmentally disabled.

Would you give up being an author for that profession or have you combined the best of both worlds?

Because I always wrote even while I was employed in other professions, I definitely combined the best of both worlds. Even today I have other side jobs that I do—mainly to help pay for the promotion of my books.

I’m a wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother and I do enjoy being around all of my off-spring. My husband and I do a lot of fun things together. We love going to movies and he almost always goes with me to mystery cons and conferences.

How do you see yourself in ten years?

I hope I’m still able to do what I’m doing now.

Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day?

Never give up! But also, make sure your manuscript is as good as it possibly can be before sending it off. Have someone check it over who knows about editing and writing. Be sure you follow the publisher’s guidelines for submission.

My latest book is Smell of Death written as F. M. Meredith. My son-in-law was a police officer and always mentioned how phony police TV and movies were because the police never have one case they are working on. We were friends with may police officers and there families and I saw first hand how the job affected the family and what was going on in the family affected the police officer. I tried to portray this in all of the Rocky Bluff P.D. novels. To learn more about me and my books, visit http://www.fictionforyou.com.

Marilyn’s virtual book tour is brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion and choreographed by Cheryl Malandrinos.

Leave a comment below and you can win a free copy of Smell of Death!

An Interview with Crime Fiction Author Michael Simon

Born in Levittown, Long Island, the birthplace of mass-produced housing, Michael Simon is a former actor, playwright, and Texas probation officer. He has taught at Brooklyn College and New York University.

In 2004, Viking published his first novel, Dirty Sally, which introduced Dan Reles, a half-Jewish, New York Mafia-born Texas homicide detective. Dirty Sally was lauded by The Chicago Tribune as “A bloody and intriguing delight for noir aficionados.” The Seattle Times called it “the finest crime-novel debut since Dennis Lehane’s A Drink Before the War in 1994.” It was named one of the Top Ten Thrillers and Mysteries of the Year by Amazon.com.

In 2005, the second book in Simon’s Texas series, Body Scissors, was published, also to critical acclaim. The Rocky Mountain News called it, “Fast paced and suspenseful from start to finish.”

Viking signed on for two more Dan Reles thrillers, Little Faith (2006) and Last Jew Standing (2007).

To date, Simon’s works have appeared in Swedish, French, Italian, Japanese, and on audio tape.

He lives in New York City.

You can read more about him and his books at http://www.michaelsimon.info

Welcome to Beyond the Books, Michael.  Can you tell us whether you are published for the first time or multi-published?  Can you give us the title(s) of your book(s)?

 

This is my fourth novel and my fifth significant publication. My novels are Dirty Sally (2004), Body Scissors (2005), Little Faith (2006), and the current book, The Last Jew Standing (2007.)

What was the name of your very first book regardless of whether it was published or not and, if not published, why?

Dirty Sally was my first book. It was preceded by my first published play, Murder at Minsing Manor, which I co-authored with my brother Richard. The play was produced Off-Broadway in 1995 and published by Samuel French, Inc. in 1996. Like Dramatists Play Service, Samuel French publishes plays in paperback, in order to make the plays available while they still linger in the theatre-going public’s memory. For me, it meant my first publication, and hence, my immortality.

For your first published book, how many rejections did you go through before you either found a mainstream publisher, self-published it, or paid a vanity press to publish it?

I’m pleased to say I have no idea how many publishers rejected my book. My agent took it to auction and Viking made a significant offer for the book and the first sequel (then unwritten,) allowing me to quit my day job.

How did the rejections make you feel and what did you do to overcome the blows?

I’ve had many rejections before and since. I either drop the rejection letters in a file for future reference, or keep a list somewhere on my computer, and never look at it. I figure I need to hear the word “no” a certain number of times before each significant “yes.” Each rejection is one more “no” out of the way. Also, I compare my rejection to that of actors. When an actor is rejected, he’s often standing right there. When my work is rejected, I get word by mail and I’m safely at home hiding under my bed where I belong. I take the blow, sulk for an hour or so if it’s a big one, and get on with my work.

When your first book was published, who published it and why did you choose them?

Viking. They made the best offer, including, as I said, the book and the sequel.

How did it make you feel to become published for the first time and how did you celebrate?

I experienced a level of excitement so intense it became problematic. I struggled to calm down just to experience the sheer joy. I had been struggling for six years with that one book, and the payoff was, I felt, something I deserved but might not have gotten.

 

Oddly, I celebrated with my sweetheart the afternoon I got the word that the book had been sold, but went to my proofreading job that night and pretended nothing had happened. I wasn’t really letting loose until the contract was signed. My most purely joyful moment was when my editor called me a year later to tell me the book had come back from the printers. I ran to his office and stared at it, making incoherent exclamations of joy.

What was the first thing you did as for as promotion when you were published for the first time?

There was a meeting with my editor, my publicist, and the head of marketing before the book came out. They told me I needed to have a web site. I said that was fine, as long as I didn’t have to have anything to do with it. They set me straight. The site was entirely my responsibility. I had to hire a designer and provide content, which I’ve updated annually. Publicity has gotten more and more challenging since then.

If you had to do it over again, would you have chosen another route to be published?

No, but I’d want to know how much the publisher was going to invest in publicity. There’s no substitute for a publisher really getting behind an author.

Have you been published since then and how have you grown as an author?

Three more books and I like to think I’m better, but all I’m sure of is that the books have changed. The first book had the greatest number of points of view, and the most violence. The fourth book had a single point of view. Whether this makes it a better book, I can’t say. I write what I have to write, and I don’t write what I can’t write. Case in point: a high-concept thriller might do wonders for my bank balance, but so far, it hasn’t come to me.

Looking back since the early days when you were trying to get published, what do you think you could have done differently to speed things up?  What kind of mistakes could you have avoided?

I probably would have tried to find a greater number of trustworthy readers, though I found several who helped me through the first 15 drafts before I submitted the book to my agent. Ultimately I wouldn’t have waited a year for notes from any one reader, a mistake I made at the expense of a year of my life.

What has been the biggest accomplishment you have achieved since becoming published?

Nothing beats getting published, but I’d say the fact that I was able to follow up the book with three more means the publication of the first book wasn’t a fluke, and that I’m really a writer.

If you could have chosen another profession, what would that profession be?

When I was a kid I wanted to be an actor. As an adult, I’ve often wished I’d become a doctor, if only for the steady income and the respect. I’ve yet to come up with a field that balances the magic with the practical concerns but I’m open to suggestions.

Would you give up being an author for that profession or have you combined the best of both worlds?

As far as acting, I think I made the right choice. I’m using the parts of my brain I like using. As for medicine, if I’d become a doctor I’d have spent my life in a nice house regretting the dreams I abandoned. Everything is a trade-off.

How do you see yourself in ten years?

The serene, wealthy author of ten more novels.

Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day?

The process of writing is reading and writing. Read and write. Read more, write more. Don’t expect your first drafts to be any good. First drafts suck. Quality, even genius, comes in revision.

Tags: Beyond the Books, virtual book tour, author interview, author promotions, online book promotion, crime thriller, crime novel, mystery detective, crime fiction, Michael Simon, The Last Jew Standing, Viking