Marcia Muller Papers

The Marcia Muller Papers are comprised of manuscripts, correspondence and miscellaneous documents dating from 1977 to 2014. The 19.5 cubic feet of manuscripts for her novels, short stories, and other writings form the largest segment of the collection. Thanks to the completeness of the manuscripts and accompanying files, one can trace the evolution of most of her works from proposal to publication and see how characters, plot and other elements of her stories were conceived and developed. Often she will include in the files the source of inspiration for perhaps a title or a character. In fact, the news clipping that spawned the title Leave a Message for Willie is included in the collection.

The correspondence comprises 6.5 cubic feet of the collection. Due to its completeness and detail, the correspondence offers even more specific insight into how Marcia Muller became a successful writer. Correspondence with her agent and publishers chronicles the business particulars of her projects. The general correspondence records Marcia Muller's interactions with editors, authors, fledgling writers, fans, booksellers and friends. In the correspondence one experiences the full breadth of what Muller does as an author, how she does her work, writes her books, promotes them, keeps publishing and connects with her fans and the booksellers. The interviews included in the collection are especially valuable for understanding most aspects of Muller's writing and personality. These interviews and a set of articles about the female detective phenomenon, reinforce the idea that Muller brings an original female viewpoint to her stories that has placed her among the ranks of the most highly admired and regarded women writers of mystery and crime fiction.