Make Note of Marilyn Levinson (writing as Allison Brook)

Written By Sarah Burr

Greetings, Noters!

Happy August! Oh, goodness, summer is flying by, isn’t it? I’m staring at the calendar, seeing the days before September arrives continue to shrink, and worrying that the most productive time of the year for me is rapidly drawing to a close. Eek!

However, I have been making good progress on numerous projects. I’m in the revising/beta reader feedback stages of Trending Topic Mystery Book Four. I’m feeling pretty great about this installment, too. It’s the Coco Cline readers know and love, but she’s also making some fun changes to her life that will hopefully pay off in the future. The book is due to my editor in November, and if everything goes according to plan, we’re looking at a May 2025 release date.

So, while Coco has given me an easy time, I am currently struggling through the first round of edits for the final Court of Mystery novel. The reality that I have to wrap up Jax’s adventure is so daunting, and I am tearing my hair out over how to make sure this book leaves readers fulfilled. So far, it has definitely been one of the hardest revisions of my life!

My guest this week knows a thing or two about wrapping up a much-loved series. Without further ado…

A Bit About the Author: A former Spanish teacher, Marilyn Levinson writes mysteries, suspense and novels for kids. Her books have received many accolades. As Allison Brook she writes the Haunted Library series. Death Overdue, the first in the series, was an Agatha nominee for Best Contemporary Novel in 2018. Other mysteries include the Golden Age of Mystery Book Club series, the Twin Lakes series, and Giving Up the Ghost. Her suspense novel, Come Home to Death, was released April 30, 2024. Dangerous Relations will be republished in 2025.

Marilyn's juvenile novel, Rufus and Magic Run Amok, was an International Reading Association-Children's Book Council Children's Choice and has come out in a new edition. Rufus and the Witch’s Drudge, the second in the series, came out this year as did the new edition of her YA horror, The Devil's Pawn.

Marilyn lives on Long Island, where many of her books take place. She loves traveling, reading, doing crossword puzzles and Sudoku, chatting on FaceTime with her grandkids, and playing with her kittens, Romeo and Juliet.

Marilyn, welcome back to Noteworthy. I can’t believe we’re here discussing the final Haunted Library Mystery! What an incredible journey you’ve been on, especially with this series. Before we dive into Carrie’s latest adventure, can you share what book made you fall in love with reading?

I began reading books very early in elementary school--Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, Cherry Ames. But the one book I remember--and I still own--is called The Yellow Bird by Kathleen Field.

I love seeing Nancy Drew’s name there. She’s where my love of reading and mysteries really took flight. How did your writing career take off?

I started writing in elementary school. That petered out. I began again when my sons were very young. They are now in their early fifties.

Writing is clearly something you’ve loved all your life and found ways to keep coming back to it. And your readers are very lucky that you did! Tell us, how did you first meet your protagonist, Carrie?

Carrie Singleton appeared as soon as I had the idea for the Haunted Library series. I was attending an outdoor drumming event at my library when I thought my sleuth should be the librarian in charge of adult programs and events. Working in a library would provide Carrie with a circle of colleagues, and being in charge of programs and events would offer new people to be brought in as suspects, victims, and murderers.

That’s amazing. What a journey you and Carrie have been on together, too! With this being number eight in the series, what themes or lessons can readers look forward to discovering in Booked on Murder?

That someone can mature and learn life lessons by working with people and taking part in community activities. That it is possible to be and have a loving life partner even if you grew up in a dysfunctional home.

What wonderful messages! After all this time together, what’s one thing you know about Carrie Singleton that your readers don’t?

Carrie will continue to solve mysteries. I might even write stories about her adventures.

That’s amazing news for those of us who love the world you’ve created in the Haunted Library Mysteries. What about lessons learned while writing Booked on Murder?

Ending a series is very emotional and takes its toll as you're writing the final book.

When it comes to the craft of writing, is there anything you need for a successful day of getting words onto the page?

For my kitties, Romeo and Juliet, not to keep demanding my attention.

LOL! That’s a tall order when it comes to the whim of a cat. For our final question, what book (other than your own 😊) have you been recommending to people lately? Are there any must-reads you have to share?

I love Lori Robbins' On Pointe mysteries.

Oh, me too! Ballet, mysteries, and back-stabbing dancers? What’s not to love?

Marilyn, thank you for being here and celebrating Booked on Murder with us on Noteworthy. Readers, Haunted Library Mystery Book Eight is available now wherever books are sold!

Booked on Murder

A Haunted Library Mystery

Allison Brook

Carrie Singleton is ready to kiss the single life goodbye. Her wedding to Dylan Avery is just a few weeks away, and a happy ending is about to be hers. But when a body is found on the lawn of their wedding venue, happily-ever-after is looking deadlier than ever. 

The victim turns out to be Billy Carpenter, a young man recently released from prison after serving time for a bank robbery. The stolen money he’d buried is gone and Carrie and the police suspect Billy’s two alleged co-conspirators, his friends Luke Rizzo and Tino Valdez. But then Luke is murdered and Tino is nowhere to be found. 

With no leads and only a week to go before her big day, Carrie is on the hunt for clues. She hopes to wrap up this investigation with a neat bow before she and Dylan tie the knot. Carrie has something old, something new, and something borrowed ready for her walk down the aisle. Now she needs to find the killer without becoming the ‘something blue.’

Sarah Burr
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