Thank you for joining us for part two of our talk with author F. M. Meredith. If you missed part one, you can click here to catch up.
F. M., you mention you’ve gone on ride-alongs with police officers to lend authenticity to your stories. Was that frightening? Did anything scary ever happen with you in the police car?
The scariest ride-along was with my son-in-law, who drove really fast, careening around corners. He also made me get out of the car and follow along behind when he was chasing a burglar. I wasn’t so scared as wondering what I’d do if we caught up with the guy. The most frightening was while I was on a ride-along with a female police officer who also had me get out of the car for everything–until she got a domestic violence call. I had to wait while she went inside. Needless to say, I was scared for her because those calls have the most potential for danger. Her sergeant came by and asked if I’d heard anything, which I hadn’t. He listened at the door and came back and told me she was wonderful with such situations, much better than the men. She solved the problem and we went on.
You talk about death and decaying bodies in your books. I know firsthand
that the author does a lot more research than actually makes it into the
book, and while the books aren’t graphic, I imagine your research has been troubling. Is it hard to learn about things that are so difficult to examine?
The big thing I’ve always wanted to portray is that there is nothing
romantic or glamorous about murder. In movies and TV shows you can’t smell blood, human waste–or a body when it’s decaying. Of course I do
research–but it’s with books, though I have smelled the terrible odor of
large dead animals because I live in the country.
What projects are you working on now?
I’m working on my next Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery, and I also do ghost writing and I’m busy on a couple of those projects.
What is your writing schedule like?
I write first thing in the morning and for as long as I’m inspired. If I’m really excited about what I’m working on, I could work all day. Usually I’m done in the evening, though sometimes I’ll do some editing then. It’s also the time I work on other projects.
Who are your favorite authors, and which ones have influenced your own
writing the most?
Over the years I’ve had many favorite authors beginning with Erle Stanley Gardner, the timeless private eye novels, Mary Higgins Clark and more recently I’ve enjoyed Jan Burke, Wm. Kent Krueger, and James Lee Burke. Lately I’ve been trying many new authors and enjoying them.
Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to be here with us, F. M.
If you would like to learn more about F. M. (Marilyn) Meredith and her impressive catalog of books, click here to visit her website.
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