By Marilyn Meredith
The latest in the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series, Spirit Wind, is
number 17. Though the area Tempe covers as the resident deputy
of Bear Creek is vast, there is not a large population. In order not to
have Bear Creek get the Cabot Cove syndrome of “Murder She
Wrote,” Tempe has solved crimes in other cities.
In Spirit Wind, a call from a ghost hunter changes Deputy Tempe
Crabtree’s vacation plans. Instead of going to the coast, she and her
husband are headed to Tehachapi to investigate a haunted house and are confronted by voices on the wind, a murder, and someone out to get them.
Tehachapi was a great setting as there is so much going on there: the railroad Loop, a different Indian tribe, high desert and mountains, the biggest wind farm in California, and the historic earthquake that damaged and destroyed most of the town including the women’s prison.
To be honest though, I love using the mountain setting of the Southern Sierra and the Bear Creek Indian Reservation. I also like Tempe’s friendship with Nick Two John. I also enjoy researching writing about the legends and Native American ceremonies and beliefs.
Yes, I am writing number 18 in the series, but am wondering if it’s time for Tempe to turn in her badge and gun, and for her husband to retire as the pastor of the community church. Because Tempe and Hutch have been in my life for such a long time, I don’t know if I’m ready to give them up. How will I know what’s happening with them if I don’t continue writing about them?
Yes, it is a dilemma, one that I haven’t solved yet. Maybe the answer will come as I’m finishing up the latest in the series. I’ll have to wait and see.
Readers, what do you think? Is it time for me to retire the series?
Marilyn
A call from a ghost hunter changes Deputy Tempe Crabtree’s vacation plans. Instead of going to the coast, she and her husband are headed to Tehachapi to investigate a haunted house and are confronted by voices on the wind, a murder, and someone out to get them.
Bio: Marilyn Meredith is the author of over
40 published books, including two mystery series, two family historical sagas, and a romance with a touch of the supernatural, other fiction titles, and a popular cookbook. She lives in the foothill community of Springville with her husband and other members of her family. She’s been writing nearly her whole life, but didn’t get published until she was a grandmother.
Webpage: http://fictionforyou.com
