Marilyn
Meredith is the author of over thirty published novels, including the award
winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series, the latest Raging Water from
Mundania Press. Writing as F. M. Meredith, her latest Rocky Bluff P.D. crime
novel us No Bells, the forth from Oak Tree Press. Marilyn is a member of
EPIC, three chapters of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and on
the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. Visit her at http://fictionforyou.com
and follow her blog at http://marilymeredith.blogspot.com/
Marilyn
borrows a lot from where she lives in the Southern Sierra for the town of Bear
Creek and the surrounding area.
Here's an excerpt from Raging Water.
(This begins right
after an unknown person has shoved Tempe into the raging river.)
Tempe plunged into
the water with a loud splash. Freezing cold, it took her breath away. She sank
into the wet darkness. Her arms flailed and she kicked, trying to make her way
to the surface. The swift river pushed her down. She had to fight to lift her
head out. She swallowed muddy water, and coughed. She struggled to keep her
nose up as she was thrust along.
Moving swiftly
downstream, Tempe
tried to turn and see who shoved her, but all she could do was fight to stay
afloat. Swimming wasn’t an option.
Maybe, if she
worked hard enough, she could make her way back to the bank. The dark, dirty
water swirled around her, splashed her face, pulled at her. Branches snagged
her clothes.
Aiming her body in
the direction of the bank, she attempted to swim in a dog-paddle fashion,
kicking her legs as fast as she could. Maybe she came a bit closer to her goal,
but the river continued to carry her downstream at a scary speed. If she kept
going like this she might end up in the lake, but chances of her getting there
before she was sucked under and drowned were slim. She had to make it to shore.
It was hard to
keep her head above water. She felt like she’d swallowed at least a quart of
the muddy, nasty tasting liquid. Kick, kick, kick, and pulling hard with her
arms as she moved achingly slow toward the bank. The river thrust her along in
the debris.
A log came so close she thought she’d be
caught up by it. She pushed her feet against it and propelled herself away and
a bit closer to the side. The river didn’t flow quite so swiftly there.
She lifted one arm
and stroked, then the other arm, pulling against the water as hard as she
could. A tree root poked out of the water and she aimed her body toward it.
Crashing into it, she grasped it with both arms and hung on tight. Resting for
a moment, she saw that even though most of the root was submerged, if she could
hang on to it, she could use it to make her way to the side.
Pulling with all
her might, muscles screaming, sopping clothes dragging against her, she moved
her hands up the root. When she thought she was close enough to hoist herself
onto the bank, what she’d thought was a root pulled free. She let go before it
sucked her under.
Once again the
river took over, pushing and rushing her along. Every muscle in her body ached.
The only good thing was that she was driven closer to shore. She could see a
bend in the river. Maybe this could be her chance.
If she could
maneuver herself closer to the side, before the water rounded the curve,
perhaps….
Drawing on her
only bit of reserve strength left, she kicked even harder than before, aiming
toward the bit of land jutting in front of her. This had to work. She didn’t
have much energy left. It would be so easy to relax, stop fighting, and let the
river take her.
No, she wasn’t
giving in.
Paddling
furiously, she headed toward the curve. When she was only feet away, she pulled
with each arm until she felt the muddy bank. She tried to scramble up the side,
but the slick ooze caused her to slide back into the water. The river tried to
recapture her.
She
knew this was her last chance.
* *
*
Raging Water Blurb: Deputy Tempe Crabtree’s
investigation of the murder of two close friends is complicated when relentless
rain turns Bear Creek into a raging river. Homes are inundated and a mud slide
blocks the only road out of Bear Creek stranding many—including the murderer.
I
know there are some people who like to read a series in order, but let me
reassure you that every book is complete. Though the characters grow through
each book, the crime is always solved. Here is the order of the books for
anyone who wants to know: Deadly Trail, Deadly Omen, Unequally
Yoked, Intervention, Wing Beat, Calling the Dead, Judgment Fire, Kindred
Spirits, Dispel the Mist, Invisible Path, Bears With Us, Raging Water.
