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In A Death in the Family, the second in the
Erica Coleman series, private eye Erica Coleman and her family happily
anticipate Grandma Blanche’s eighty-first birthday celebration in the
picturesque town of Florence, Oregon. But when the feisty matriarch, a savvy
businesswoman, suspects wrongdoing and asks Erica to investigate her company,
things get sticky.
Before the
investigation can even begin, Blanche’s unexpected death leaves Erica with more
questions than answers—and it is soon clear Grandma’s passing was anything but
natural: she was murdered. When another relative becomes the next victim of
someone with a taste for homicide, Erica uses her flair for cooking to butter
up local law enforcement and gather clues.
Erica’s OCD
either helps or hinders her—depending on who you talk to—but it’s those same
obsessive and compulsive traits than enable Erica to see clues that others
miss. When she narrowly escapes becoming the third victim, Erica is more
determined than ever to solve the case.
Excerpt from A Death in the Family
“It’s hard to believe she’s gone,” Kristen said
dolefully. “When I moved here, I thought I’d have years with Grandma. She was
always so active—I thought she’d keep going for years.”
“And all the
time, her heart was getting weaker,” Trent said glumly.
Walter
commented, “The last time I saw her, Blanche said the doctor told her she had
the constitution of a mule.”
There were a
few smiles at this, but Martha’s brow furrowed in confusion. “But Mom’s death
didn’t have anything to do with how healthy she was.”
“What are you
talking about?” Trent’s impatient voice billowed out and filled the small room.
Martha
squirmed but fluttered on, “Well, after what Mom said when she came to visit
me, you know—about how something wrong was going on in the company—I worried
that something might happen.”
Her response
reverberated around the room. Everyone went very still—as if they were holding
their breath.
Martha’s eyes
went from one to another. “I didn’t mean—oh, I shouldn’t have said anything,”
she stammered. Her voice was pure distress. “It’s just that . . . well, we’re
all family here, so it’s okay, isn’t it? I mean, no one else knows.”
“No one else
knows what?” Trent said brusquely.
Visibly
flustered, Martha’s hands twisted in her lap. “And . . . and Mother was very old and—and the police haven’t
even come, have they?”
Erica wondered
what Martha could be getting at. Everyone darted quizzical looks at each other,
trying to make sense out of Martha’s confused chirruping.
After meeting
blank looks all around, Martha blurted, “I mean, that’s good . . . isn’t it?
For the family?”
The room
remained deadly silent as Martha’s cheeks flamed red.
There was a
rumble as Walter cleared his throat. “Why would the police come?”
“Why, to
arrest someone.” Martha sounded surprised—as if he had asked something that was
completely and absolutely self-evident. She stared at Walter, as if he and he
alone could straighten everything out. “Isn’t that why they’re doing an
autopsy? I mean, don’t they always do an autopsy when someone has been
murdered?”
Marlene Bateman Sullivan was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and graduated from the University of Utah with a BA in English. She is married to Kelly R. Sullivan and they are the parents of seven children. Her hobbies are
gardening, camping, and reading. She has been published extensively in magazines and newspapers and has written a
number of non-fiction books, including: Latter-day Saint Heroes and Heroines, And
There Were Angels Among Them, Visit’s From Beyond the Veil, By the Ministering
of Angels, Brigham’s Boys, and Heroes of Faith. Her latest book is Gaze Into Heaven; Near Death Experiences in Early Church History, a
fascinating collection of over 50 documented near-death experiences from the
lives of early latter-day Saints.
Marlene’s first
novel was the best-selling Light on Fire
Island. Her next novel was Motive for
Murder, which is the first in a mystery series that features the quirky
private eye with OCD, Erica Coleman. Find Marlene at
Interview with the Author:
You
write both non-fiction and fiction. Which do you find more difficult—and why?
For me, writing non-fiction is easier than writing novels.
Researching takes a lot of time, but then, I love that part. Since I’ve done a
number of non-fiction books, I’ve settled into a comfortable routine. It’s
harder to get into a routine with fiction. I’m always striving to come up with
an interesting plot, figure out scenes and the characters, and all of that can
be stressful. Fortunately, once I get to the revising process, writing becomes
easier. I derive a great sense of satisfaction when all the editing and
revising makes a polished, intriguing mystery.
Do you write as you go or
do you have the book all planned out from page 1?
Since I write mysteries,
I have to know how the book is going to end before I can start the first
chapter. I write a rough draft of the last chapter, then the first chapter, and
go on from there. I have to plot very carefully to keep up the tension and so that
all the clues are in place at the right time.
Plotting can be hard, but its very important and actually saves time in
the end, since you don’t have to rewrite and add important information that
should have been there in the first place. Once you get your storyline laid
out, you have a structure to follow. A contractor would never begin building a
house without plans, and to my way of thinking, a mystery writer would never
write without having a basic plot down on paper.
What else have you
written?
My first
non-fiction book was Latter-day Saint
Heroes and Heroines, which is a
compilation of true stories about people in early Church history who risked
their life in defense of the gospel.
My next three
books are also compilations of true stories in early Church History, and are
about angelic experiences. The first
book is, And There Were Angels Among Them.
The second book is, Visits From Beyond
the Veil, and the third is; By the
Ministering of Angels. Researching
and writing these books made me realize how much Heavenly Father loves his
children and that He is aware of us and our lives.
I then wrote Brigham’s Boys, which tells the life
stories of sixteen men who worked closely with Brigham Young as he brought the
Saints across the plains and colonized the Great Basin area.
I had two
non-fiction books come out last year. Heroes
of Faith is a collection of true stories about people who stood firm in the
faith despite mobs, bullets and overwhelming trials. Gaze
into Heaven, Near Death Experiences in Early Church History, is a
collection of true, carefully documented near death experience, which occurred
to people in the early days of the church.
My first novel, Light
on Fire Island, a romance/mystery came next. My second novel was Motive for Murder, which is the first in
the Erica Coleman series.
What
makes your mysteries standout from the crowd?
First, my books are
‘clean’ books, which means no swearing and no gratuitous sex or violence. Second, I like to keep the reader guessing.
My novels are ‘whodunit’ mysteries that keep readers trying to figure out who
the killer is. Many current TV shows focus on high tech prowess to solve the
crime. I focus more on the psychological aspects—why this person did that, why
that person didn’t do this. I try to delve into the killer’s psyche and show
the psychological aspects that drive their behavior. I like to have a lot of
fun and interesting characters. Third, I
like to incorporate humor, because everyone likes to laugh now and then.
Fourth, and last, I include plenty of intriguing plot twists and turns to keep
readers turning the page. Each ending of every book has a surprising, final
twist.
How did
you learn to write?
Learning how to write is
an ongoing process. I started in
elementary school, did more writing in junior high, and so on. I’ve spent
countless hours on manuscripts that were never published, but I don’t count
that as a loss, since it helped me improve my writing. I have a bookshelf full of books on writing
and every weekday morning, I try to read 2-4 pages. I underline important parts, then type them
up, which hopefully, sets the ideas in my brain. When I’m done with the book, I
print out up my notes and save them in a master binder so I can look them over
now and then.
Another thing that helps
me is that I try to pay attention when I read. If I don’t like something, I try
to figure out why and then not do
that in my own writing! And when I read something I like, I try to think about
why it worked so I can use that same technique in my own writing. I also attend a yearly writer’s conference
and the wonderful workshops help me learn more about the craft of writing. Anyone can write—as long as they are willing
to practice and study.
What is
the funnest thing about being an author? The most frustrating thing?
The greatest thing is
simply being able to sit down and take time to write. When my children were small, I felt very
guilty about taking time to write, as though it was some nefarious indulgence.
Now that I’ve published nine books, I no longer feel guilty taking time to do
what I enjoy. Sometimes writing is difficult, occasionally it’s a chore, but I
love it. I’ve always felt driven to write. I have such a deep inner desire to
put words down that I sometimes wonder if I’m an addict! It gives me a great sense of accomplishment
and pleasure to write, polish and revise and get the words just right.
The
most frustrating thing for me is usually the first draft. I’m not sure why, but it’s very difficult for
me to get the rough draft down. I enjoy
coming up with an idea and plotting out the story line, but the first draft is
torture. It seems that whatever I write
is garbage. I take heart only in knowing that you have to get something down
before you can revise, and that revising is the essence of good writing. So, I
grind my way through it, and then enjoy the revising process, going through the
manuscript 6-10 times until I’m satisfied. I liken revising to taking a
nondescript stone and polishing it until it sparkles.
Also available at bookstores such as Deseret Book, Seagull Book, and Barnes and Noble. Check your local bookstore for availablity.
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Thank you for sharing A Death in the Family, looks like a very intriguing read. I could not find a way to comment on Marlene's Blog, but I am looking forward to reading her work :)
ReplyDeleteHi Denise!
ReplyDeleteI'm a dinosaur, and don't have a blog. Sorry! But I do hope you'll enjoy reading A Death in the Family! Its fun and a great mystery, but then, I'm biased . . . :)
Marlene Bateman