Up the Creek: A Florida Eco-Mystery by Shelley Marsh
About Up The Creek
Up the Creek: A Florida Eco-Mystery
Mystery Stand Alone
Setting - Florida
Publisher : Sibylline Digital First
Publication date : October 2, 2026
Print length : 300 pages
Digital ISBN-13 : 979-8897409136
ASIN : B0H79D1LLY
Paperback ISBN-13 : 979-8897409143
ASIN : B0HF1GB458
In the Florida marshlands, Amanda finds herself in a fight that’s personal, political, and deadly
After losing her research grant, marine botanist Amanda Wright returns to her Florida hometown and takes a job at her family’s eco-tour business. But the quiet marshlands she once loved are under threat from a flashy new resort and a suspicious rezoning effort on protected land. Then a fellow scientist dies under mysterious circumstances, and a rare aquatic plant is found that may hold the key to stopping development.
As buried secrets come to light and her long-absent mother resurfaces with regrets of her own, Amanda must decide what kind of person and protector she wants to be.
A suspenseful, emotionally layered mystery set against a lush coastal backdrop, Up the Creek explores the fragile balance between progress and preservation, and one woman’s determination to defend the place she still calls home.
Praise for Up the Creek
“Sharp writing, a clever mystery, entertaining characters, and the tropical Florida setting will entice readers to pay more than one visit to author Marsh’s Mysteries.” —Ellen Byron, author of the Golden Motel Mystery series
About Shelley Marsh
Shelley Marsh is the author of the Estate Sale Mysteries, including Dying to Live Here, More Than She Bargained For, and Everything Must Go. She writes character-driven mysteries set along Florida’s coast, where community ties, hidden motives, and shifting loyalties shape the story. With Up the Creek, she expands into eco-mystery, blending environmental conflict with political intrigue and emotional stakes. When she’s not writing, she can often be found exploring the beaches and marshlands that inspire her fiction. She lives and writes in coastal North Florida.
Interview:
1. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I remember a classmate’s mother giving me a journal for my seventh birthday and telling me I should be a writer. I wish I could find that journal, because I actually tried to write a story in it. I still have a couple of little books I wrote in elementary school, complete with bindings made from cereal boxes and contact paper.
2. How long does it take you to write a book?
A first draft usually takes me two to three months, but I plan and outline before I start, then go through several rounds of revisions afterward. Realistically, I write one new book a year, or possibly two—if I’m under deadline.
3. What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?
I try to be at my desk before 10 a.m. I start by recording the date and time in my journal, then write about what I’m going to work on, what’s happening in my life, and how I’m feeling that day. Then, it’s a solid block of writing or editing. After a break for a walk, workout, or lunch, I try to get another block of writing done in the afternoon. I usually wrap up around 5:30.
4. What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
If I really like a joke, I will keep it in the manuscript no matter what. I will write a whole scene, just so I can use that joke.
I also talk to myself in my journal and sometimes complain about my past self. An entry might start, “Thursday, 9:30 a.m.: Wednesday Shelley really left me a lot to do today.”
5. How do books get published?
There are different paths, including self-publishing and traditional publishing. My books are traditionally published, so I can speak to my own experience.
I sign a contract with a publisher and submit my manuscript by an agreed deadline. The publisher assigns an editor, and we work through several rounds of revisions and edits. The book then goes through proofreading, formatting, and cover design. The whole process can take several months to a year or more.
6. Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
Ideas come from all sorts of places. Sometimes I start with an image in my head. That’s how Up the Creek got started. I had an idea of a kayaker discovering a body in the marsh. Other times, something in real life inspires me, such as a news story. Since I write mysteries, an idea can even begin with a murder method, like a poisonous plant I’ve heard about.
7. When did you write your first book, and how old were you?
I wrote little books in elementary school, but I didn’t finish a full-length novel until I was nearly forty. I wrote another one during NaNoWriMo in 2018. Neither was very good, because I didn’t know about story structure yet. At forty-five, I started taking continuing education writing classes at my local college. That’s what really kickstarted things. Through the course of a couple of writing workshops, I completed what would be the first book in the Estate Sale Mysteries, Dying to Live Here. That was 2019, and Dying to Live Here didn’t get published until 2026.
8. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I love to read, walk on the beach, ride my bike, and crochet.
9. What does your family think of your writing?
They’re very proud and supportive. My sons, who are twenty and twenty-three, think it’s cool that I’m an author, but they don’t read my books!
10. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
How much of writing happens before you start the first draft. People think you just sit down and type “Chapter One,” but you are much more likely to finish if you have at least an idea of the main plot points.
11. How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
I’ve completed nine novels, although three will never see the light of day! Four have been published, and a fifth, Planted Evidence, is scheduled for June 2027. Another is out on submission to agents. I also have a tenth novel in progress.
I can’t pick an overall favorite. That would be like choosing my favorite child! I will say that, of the Estate Sale Mysteries, More Than She Bargained For is my favorite. In a trilogy, you can have the most fun with the second book. You have to set things up in the first and wrap them up in the third. In the middle, you get to play!
12. Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they?
Take creative writing classes and learn about story structure. Participate in workshops, let other people read your work, and be open to feedback. Joining a writing organization in your genre can also help. For me, Sisters in Crime has been a wonderful community of mystery writers.
13. Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
I do hear from readers sometimes, and so far they’ve had lovely things to say. It’s encouraging to know that someone has spent time with my characters and enjoyed their company.
14. Do you like to create books for adults?
Yes! I write mysteries for adults, with humor, complicated relationships, and characters who have a few things left to figure out.
15. What do you think makes a good story?
A satisfying story arc and writing that keeps you turning the pages. I want a story to pull me in, give me a reason to care about what happens, and deliver an ending that feels earned.
16. As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
A writer. Those little homemade books were an early clue!
17. What would you like my readers to know?
A book is the cheapest vacation you can buy. I write mysteries meant to take you on a Florida vacation with beautiful surroundings, plenty of trouble, and no mosquito bites.
You can find out more about my books at ShelleyMarsh.com.
Facebook: Author Shelley Marsh
Instagram: A1ABeachWriter https://www.instagram.com/a1abeachwriter/
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@BookTokBelle
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@A1ABeachWriter
BlueSky: @shelleymarsh.bsky.social
Purchase Link: Amazon
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