Sunday Salon: Angel Lost by F. M. Meredith

Living in the South, Sundays bring to mind a time when family and friends gather on the front porch or around the kitchen table. It was a time to relax and catch up with what each other had been doing the past week.

Sunday Salon does that for bloggers. It’s a time to get comfortable, enjoy a good cup of coffee (or tea) and talk about the interesting books we’ve read during the past week.

The book I want to tell you about today fits perfectly with this theme. This is a cozy mystery, but tugs at the heart strings of family dedication and friendship.

ANGEL LOST by F.M. Meredith

This is the seventh installment in the Rocky Bluff P.D. Crimes Series so reading ANGEL LOST can be like catching up with old friends. If you haven’t read the previous books, you can still enjoy the story and get to know the crowd without feeling like you’re missing something.

Officer Stacey Wilbur is head (and only officer) of the vice squad at the Rocky Bluff P.D. It’s her job to catch the flasher who is stalking victims on the beach. With the help of newly transferred Officer Vaughn Aragon, she plans to set a trap for the flasher using herself as bait.

Stacey’s superior, Det. Doug Milligan isn’t happy with the sting operation, but knows it’s Stacey’s job. Doug had rather Stacey concentrate on her upcoming wedding to him and for them to find some alone time before the event.

Other officers of the department have their share of problems and stress to deal with outside of work:
* Sgt. Abel Navarro’s wife, Maria, and his mother have never gotten along. Now Maria’s trying to convince him his mother is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. Could she be right or just trying to get back at his mother?
* Officer Felix Zachary is awaiting the birth of his first child and is troubled by the new transfer. Could it be problems from Felix’s past that makes him feel uneasy around Vaughn?
* Officer Gordon Butler is having his usual problems. Will he move this things out of Doug’s house before the wedding or will he just continue running into trouble?
* Vaughn Aragon, recently transferred from the LAPD, has demons he can’t shake. Leaving the big city for a job in a small town hasn’t helped. In fact, without help soon Vaughn’s demons may lead him down a path of no return. Could he take another office with him?

Amid all the family drama, officers are busy having to work robberies of well-to-do homes, and the miraculous appearance of an angel in a furniture story window has created a unique problem. Crowd control becomes an issue with the image draws lookers from near and far.

Just when things finally seem to be falling into place for Stacey and Doug’s wedding, the unthinkable happens. Without a guardian angel, Stacey may become a missing bride.

ANGEL LOST is more than your typical mystery - it’s filled with suspense with a dash of humor, at look at family devotion, and the possibility of miracles. Author F. M. Meredith weaves a tale of suspense and shows how a close-knit group of officers deal with their personal problems while catching the bad guys.

Author F.M. Meredith’s website is http://fictionforyou.com/ She also blogs at Marilyn’s Musings.

Angel Lost by F. M. Meredith, A Rocky Bluff P.D. Crime Series, Oak Tree Press, @2011, ISBN: 978-1-61009-005-6, Paperback, 198 pages

FTC Full Disclosure - This book was sent to me by the author in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.

What have you read this past week and what are you reading now?

Author F. M. Meredith Visits

It’s my pleasure to welcome author and fellow blogger F. M. Meredith back to Thoughts in Progress as the special guest blogger as she makes a stop on her virtual book tour.

F. M’s current release is ANGEL LOST, the latest installment in the Rocky Bluff P.D. Crime series. Here’s a brief synopsis of the book: As plans for her perfect wedding fill her mind, Officer Stacey Wilbur is sent out to trap a flasher, the new hire realizes Rocky Bluff P.D. is not the answer to his problems, Abel Navarro’s can’t concentrate on the job because of worry about his mother, Officer Gordon Butler has his usual upsets, the sudden appearance of an angel in the window of a furniture store captures everyone’s imagination and causes problems for RBPD, and then the worst possible happens—will Stacey and Doug’s wedding take place?

F. M. stops by today to talk about adding a bit of flavor to her Rocky Bluff P.D. Crime series through the characters.

When I first start thinking about writing a new Rocky Bluff P.D. novel, I begin with which characters I am going to spotlight. This series has an ensemble cast and each one needs to play a part. I hope that readers will want to know what is happening with the people that they’ve read about in previous books.

In ANGEL LOST, Stacey Wilbur is the main character as she is busily planning her wedding to Detective Doug Milligan. Doug wants to spend more time with Stacey and isn’t at all thrilled about her assignment to be a decoy to catch a pervert.

Of course, Officer Gordon Butler plays a big part in ANGEL LOST, far more than just being the comic relief as he goes about his usual duties and gets ready to move from his rented room in Doug’s house.

Officer Felix Zachary has a supporting role as he’s anticipating the birth of his and his wife’s first child.
 
Public Information Officer Ryan Strickland and his wife Barbara don’t agree that the angel appearing in the window of the furniture store is a message from God. Barbara is far more religious than her husband—but no matter what anyone thinks is the reason, the angel is causing quite a commotion in Rocky Bluff.

Because I hope that my readers want to know what’s going on with everyone who has made appearances in previous novels about the Rocky Bluff P.D., I like to touch on everyone’s life.

When I thought about what to write about Sergeant Abel Navarro, one of my favorites, I decided his mother, who has been a thorn in the side of Abel’s wife Maria, should start showing signs of Alzheimer’s.

A new character is Officer Vaughn Aragon, a transfer from LAPD, who is fighting his own demons.

Of course as the story progresses, all of these characters have a part in a major occurrence affecting the Rocky Bluff P.D.

Everyone on the Rocky Bluff P.D. and their loved ones seem very real to me, and once I’m through writing one book, I start thinking about what I’m going to learn about them in the next one.

F. M. Meredith

P.S. Mason is one of those people I’ve met through the Internet and feels like a friend.

F. M. I feel like we’re friends too. Thank you for guest blogging here today and telling us a bit about your characters. You make your characters realistic and as a reader I enjoy learning a little more about each of them in each book.

Now to learn a little more about F. M. She is also known as Marilyn Meredith and is the author of nearly thirty published novels. Her latest in the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series, from Oak Tree Press, is ANGEL LOST. Marilyn is a member of EPIC, Four chapters of Sisters in Crime, including the Internet chapter, Mystery Writers of America, and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. Visit her at http://fictionforyou.com and her blog at http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com

Here’s a book trailer of ANGEL LOST, enjoy

You can also read an excerpt from ANGEL LOST by clicking here.

Do you enjoy learning about the private lives of the characters in books you read? Do you find the secondary stories on characters takes away from the main plot?

Seeking Your Advice/Direction

Where do you go and who do you trust when seeking advice or direction?

I know family is probably one of the first things that comes to mind with this question and friends would be a close second. Depending on what type of advice you’re seeking, you may have to look a little further - to your extended friends and family.

While this is a writing-related post, it is basically me asking for help - seeking advice and direction.

For most things nowadays you can find an answer just by using Google. Sometimes hundreds of answers are at your fingertips within minutes.

But for me, when I find answers through Google I’m still not always sure. While I know there are untold numbers of people in blogdom that are wonderful, helpful and caring - there are also those you can’t and shouldn’t trust.

That, my friends, is why I’m turning to you for advice or at least direction. I’m seeking to find out about doing freelance writing. It’s something that has piqued my interest and I’d like to know more. I found a number of sites where you can sign up, select from a category and submit your article. But again, I’m not sure how trustworthy these sites are.

Is there anyone out there that does freelance work that can point me in the right direction to a legitimate site? Is there freelance work available through the web?

If anyone has any answers, you’re welcome to leave the information in the comments or contact me directly by email (mcbookshelf@gmail.com). If you do e-mail, please put “Answering Your Question” in the subject line so I’ll know what it is in case gmail sends it to the spam folder.

Thanks for stopping by today and taking time to read my ramblings. Do you trust information you find online to would you rather have a friend’s recommendation?

Join me tomorrow when my friend and fellow blogger F.M. Meredith, author of ANGEL LOST, guest blogs. She’s going to talk about adding flavor to her ROCKY BLUFF P.D. CRIME series.