Guest Post & Giveaway – Up the Creek by Shelly Marsh
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
Synopsis
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.
Amazon
Praise
“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
Sarandipity’s AUTHOR INTERVIEW with Shelley Marsh, author of Up the Creek
What is your favorite part of this book and why?
My favorite part of Up the Creek is the setting. The fictional Iyola River is inspired by the Guana River near my home in northeast Florida. The Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Reserve is a place I love. Writing this book gave me a chance to share that love with readers. The landscape is central to the mystery, and I wanted readers to understand why Amanda cares so much about protecting it.
If you could spend time with a character from your book, who would it be? And what would you do during that day?
I’d spend the day with Kaylee, Amanda’s cousin. She’s the funny one in the book. Amanda can be intense, but Kaylee keeps her grounded and helps her find something to laugh about, whatever the situation. We’d probably spend the day on the water, maybe in a tandem kayak. Beautiful scenery and someone who makes me laugh—that sounds like a pretty good day.
What books/authors have most inspired you?
Carl Hiaasen, for sure. I love his humor and how he combines his observations about Florida’s craziness with his concern for the environment. That combination particularly inspires me as someone writing a Florida mystery with humor and environmental stakes.
Sue Grafton also influenced my writing process. I read about her habit of beginning and ending each writing session with a journal entry about what she planned to do and what she accomplished. I tried it when I began Up the Creek. My first journal entry began with, “If this worked for Sue Grafton, maybe it could work for me.”
Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
My characters are entirely imagined. I start each book with brainstorming sessions and journaling, playing with ideas for the main character. Then I develop supporting characters who will act as foils or bring out different aspects of the main character’s personality.
For Up the Creek, I began with a few character types: an environmentalist, a developer, and a politician. As I developed Amanda, I thought about the experiences that would have shaped her into the person she is. That led me to her family history: a mother who was always moving from place to place and left when Amanda was in her early teens, and an aunt, uncle, and cousin who took her in. Those relationships helped me understand her attachment to home and the people and places she wants to protect.
What made you want to become a writer?
A love of books and reading made me want to become a writer. As a teenager, I loved getting lost in a book, and I wanted to create stories that could give someone else that same experience. I also enjoyed writing, and my teachers encouraged me, telling me I was good at it. Their encouragement helped me believe it was something I could pursue.
About the Author
Shelley Marsh writes laugh-out-loud mysteries set along Florida’s sun-splashed coast. Her forthcoming debut, Dying to Live Here (Feb 10 2026), launches the Estate Sale Mysteries series, pairing clever puzzles with a hint of romance. When she isn’t prowling estate sales for story fodder, Shelley combs beaches and bookstores, searching for treasure.
