I've been a huge fan of Deputy Tempe Crabtree since I first discovered her in Judgment Fire. I followed her along through Kindred Spirits, and now she's back solving another crime in Dispel the Mist
.We're going to give you a bit of insight into Deputy Tempe Crabtree's character with this interview performed by her creator, author Marilyn Meredith.
Q. In earlier books, Detective Morrison was far more hostile to you than he is this time around. Why do you think that happened?
Tempe: (Laughing) Maybe he finally realized that you catch more flies with honey. Actually, I think he finally realized that I could be helpful to his investigations—though he has an unrealistic expectation as far as expecting me to get more information from Indians because I am an Indian too. The reality is, because I don’t live on the reservation and I wear a uniform, with few exceptions, the Indians are as wary of me as they are of any law enforcement office.
Q. You seem to be having more and more dreams that predict the future than in the past. Do you find them helpful?
Tempe: Unfortunately, no. The dreams are often dark and disturbing, but so enigmatic I never know quite what they mean until after whatever they predicted has happened.
Q. Why do you think you are having these dreams?
Tempe: Nick Two John believes it’s because I’ve opened myself up to the spiritual world, but frankly, I have no idea.
Q. Nick is quite helpful to you, isn’t he?
Tempe: Nick is an interesting person. He is so enigmatic…and I might add, frustrating. He never answers any of my questions directly, in fact, he often answers with another question. I believe he could be more direct and clear things up for me in a much simpler manner, but he always wants me to figure things out for myself.
Q. Nick is an Indian too. At one time your husband, Hutch, seemed to be jealous of him.
Tempe: Fortunately, that’s no longer a problem. In fact, Hutch and Nick have become good friends despite having different spiritual beliefs.
Q. The legends your grandmother told you as a child play an important part in your life during this investigation. Do you want to tell me about that?
Tempe: My grandmother played an important role in my life when I was growing up as a child. She lived with us until she died. I loved sitting on her lap and listening to her stories. Unfortunately, in my teenage years I was ashamed of being an Indian. Grandma passed away and I felt guilty about my feelings. I tried to forget all that. My memories of the legends are just now coming back.
Q. The legend of the Hairy Man plays in important part in the book. He seems to be a similar to Big Foot. Tell me, do you think the Hairy Man is real?
Tempe: If you’d asked me this earlier I would have told you no. You’ll have to read the book to learn what changed my mind.
Q. Thank you for answering my questions about Dispel the Mist. I understand that it’s available as an e-book and trade paperback directly from the publisher: www.mundaniapress.com as well as all the usual online bookstores. It also can be ordered through regular bookstores too.
Tempe: To read the first chapter of Dispel the Mist and learn more about other books in the Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series, visit author Marilyn Meredith’s website.
Marilyn and I are on a virtual book tour to promote Dispel the Mist. If you want to see where we stop next, visit http://virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/.
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