By Zach Dunkin
Mark Twain once said, “Write what you know.” Writing about what Noblesville author Larry D. Sweazy knows – the art of book indexing – was what inspired him to write the Marjorie Trumaine Mystery series.
“See Also Deception,” the second novel in the series published by Seven Street Books, will be distributed nationally on May 10. Trumaine first appeared in last year’s critically acclaimed “See Also Murder.”
“Most people don’t realize that someone other than the author writes the index in the back of the book,” explained Sweazy, who has done that for 19 years, indexing more than 800 books for major publishers nationwide. “Indexing is an obscure writing form, as much science as art, and it made sense to me that an indexer would have a little bit knowledge about a lot of things, be persistent, and detail-oriented.”
In the second book, Miss Trumaine, a freelance indexer and North Dakota farm wife, faces another death in the community that pulls her into an unwanted investigation. A local librarian was found dead at work and everyone considered it suicide. But Marjorie can’t believe that Calla would be capable of taking her own life.
“As an indexer, Marjorie Trumaine has all essential qualities for an amateur sleuth in mystery fiction,” said Sweazy. “Creating her allowed me to combine my two passions, writing and indexing.”
Best known for his critically acclaimed Josiah Wolfe western series, Sweazy is a two-time winner the Western Writers of America Spur Award, the Best Book of Indiana Award, two Will Rogers Medallion Awards for Best Western Fiction and the Elmer Kelton Books Award.
There will book signings for “See Also Deception” on May 10 from 5-8 p.m. at Barnes and Noble, 17090 Mercantile Blvd., Stony Creek Marketplace, Noblesville, and noon-4 p.m. on May 14 at Barnes and Noble, 8675 River Crossing Blvd, Indianapolis.
