Deeper Mysteries

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 30 Mar 2014 03:54:00 +0000

One day.

You have one day to steal The Clouds Roll Away.

Tomorrow, this popular mystery ratchets back up to ten bucks. So grab it for $2.99 while you can.
Along with this screaming deal, I've been posting my Top Ten Reasons for writing this third (of many) Raleigh Harmon mysteries. But this week, Life refused to cooperate with my plans (and why should it?).

So today--your last day to steal this book--I'm posting the remaining reasons, from Number Six to Number One. Ready?

Richmond, Virginia. I love this southern town so much that I dedicated The Clouds Roll Away to it. Go see America's unique historic gem.
Homesickness. In the previous book, The Rivers Run Day, Raleigh's transferred to Seattle, nicking her heart with longing. Now, returning to Richmond she gazes out at her hometown and realizes: "For all its troubled history and racial strife, this place was home. And few things ever feel as good as coming back to where you belong, and realizing the place waited for you."
Christmas. World's best holiday. Period. Gifts, food, joy, song--who hates Christmas, except stingy curmudgeons? And the holiday can even change them, as Dickens proved. While I enjoyed writing all Christmas scenes in The Clouds Roll Away, one gutted me: the scene where Raleigh watches the Charlie Brown television special surrounded by crack addicts. It wrecked me for days. "And that's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."
Romance. Yep, Raleigh's in love. Only she doesn't know it, and this predicament might be one reason why The Clouds Roll Away was named among Booklist's Top Ten Romances of that year. Reluctant romance, it makes great reading.

And all of those reasons bring me to Reason One for writing this mystery:

Love.

Readers know Raleigh Harmon is strong.
Capable, smart, funny.
And desperately in need of love.
Of course, the whole world desperately needs love, and while writing this book, the words of Christina Rossetti were on my mind. In particular, her Christmas poem, "Love Came Down."I'm certain that poem informed many scenes of this book.
So, while I've closed each of these Top Ten posts with a quote from The Clouds Roll Away, is there really any conceivable comparison between me and Rosetti?
That's a rhetorical question.
Here's the full poem. And frankly, I don't care if it's March right now.
Merry Christmas, everyone.

Love came down at Christmas,

Love all lovely, Love Divine,

Love was born at Christmas,

Star and Angels gave the sign.

Worship we the Godhead,

Love Incarnate, Love Divine,

Worship we our Jesus,

But wherewith for sacred sign?

Love shall be our token,

Love shall be yours and love be mine,

Love to God and all men,

Love for plea and gift and sign.

-- Christina Rossetti

Unreasonable Acts

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 22 Mar 2014 03:57:00 +0000

Sometimes a story flows onto the page so smoothly a writer feels like they're receiving dictation, straight from heaven.
The opposite also happens.
The Hell of a writer's own making, this version begins with a lot of pounding on the keyboard, hitting Erase, pounding some more, and then, some eight hours later, walking away from the computer vowing to never-ever-ever write another word.
Ever.
The following day (because all working writers have self-inflicted amnesia), the process begins all over again. Only now it's even more horrible. Like some trip to the dentist where every tooth gets a root canal.
I've had two novels give me serious trouble, beginning on Page One all the way to The End. It was as if the stories were simultaneously daring me and trying to assassinate me.
Although written years apart, these two books bear some similarities.
Most crucially, they're both adored by readers.

The Clouds Roll Away, for instance, was named by Booklist a Top Ten read of the year. But writing that book made me realize why Hemingway put that bullet into his head. Not. Joking. When I finally turned in the manuscript, the editor sent back some suggestions. Five pages of "suggestions." Single-spaced. Here, let share with you one exact sentence: "I don't like anything about this book."
She gave me three weeks to fix it.
And I did.
Because the story was begging me to tell it.
My latest release, Stone and Spark, hit me with another gruesome writing experience. I nearly quit but for two things: a nurturing editor and, like Clouds, a story that pulled me to the computer.
My second son "died"while being born. Twice, in fact. Thirteen years later, his neck still carries the red marks left by the umbilical cord that tried to strangle him. That kid fought his way to get here, and came out howling.
Now he's got the spunk of ten warriors. If you tell him something can't done, it'll get done--his way. I love that about him. I admire his spirit.
We're human. We always hope things will go easily. But they rarely do. I'm even certain thing aren't supposed to be easy. Especially the most important things.
If right now you feel like giving up--abandoning some project, a business, a book, a person, a new workout, a new idea--don't.
Keep going.
And yes, I do realize how unreasonable it all is.
That's the point.
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world," wrote George Bernard Shaw."The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man."
Which brings me Reason #6 for writing The Clouds Roll Away:
It was totally and completely unreasonable.

For a very limited time, Amazon's offering The Book That Almost Killed Me--otherwise known as The Clouds Roll Away--for just $2.99.
It won't last long.
So steal my book. Please.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 20 Mar 2014 19:43:00 +0000

Here's the deal. And I do mean deal.

Amazon is offering The Clouds Roll Away for $2.99. That's an 81% discount.

But it ends March 30. So steal my book. Now.

I'm also posting my Top Ten Reasons for writing this third Raleigh Harmon mystery that Booklist awarded a starred review.

Reason #7:

Winter

Despite preferring flip-flops to shoes, I still say winter's my favorite season, perhaps because a childhood in Alaska.
But the reason could run deeper. As painter Andrew Wyeth once said: "I prefer winter and Fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape--the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show."

In The Clouds Roll Away, winter plays a starring role, and it was captured by the book's cover who illuminated the magic of the season and the mystery it brings to Raleigh Harmon.
Here's an excerpt where our formidable forensic geologist reflects on the Virginia winter :

Winter rode into Richmond on the chattering breath of the Atlantic. Each year the season blew itself into existence. The ancient elms crystallized and frost crocheted the birches into lace doilies. On this particular December morning, with a bright sun overhead, I drove out New Market Road past fields that glistened like crushed diamonds. For this moment, my hometown looked cryogenically frozen, preserved for future generations to discover Richmond's wide river, verdant soils, and the plantation lifestyle forged through generations--gone tragically, humanly awry.

P.S. The Stones Cry Out, the first Raleigh mystery, is just $3.99. And so is the NEW young-adult mystery, Stone and Spark, featuring teenage Raleigh Harmon. Don't miss it!

Forward Back

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 17 Mar 2014 19:16:00 +0000

Readers, here it is! The new Raleigh Harmon mystery:

Stone and Spark.

I'm thrilled about this book. Not only does Raleigh once again prove herself full of fire and spunk, Stone and Spark answers some questions bandied about by readers ever since the first Raleigh mystery, The Stones Cry Out, appeared more than five years ago.

Specifically: Raleigh's dad.

Readers want to know about David Harmon. What was he like? Will Raleigh ever solve his murder? (Man, I hope so!) And what was her life like when he was alive?

After I finished writing The Stars Shine Bright, those questions started percolating in my mind. I didn't push them away because as my favorite Englishman (Winston Churchill) once said: "The farther back you can look, the farther forward you can see."

And as so often happens with writing, my imagination knit itself to "real life"as a beautiful and brilliant 13-year-old girl came to live with us.

Now, I'm a Tomboy-mom with only sons. So having a teen girl around the house was quite the adventure, especially a girl who was so smart and so ready to tell me when I was full of . . . you know. (I love this girl. She's now family).

But the whole experience reminded me of how teen girls struggle to find their way, to forge an identity, to figure out where they fit in this great big world.

That's when Raleigh, age 15, appeared on the page. She began telling me about her growing up years--her dad's alive, her mom's still nuts, and Raleigh's just beginning to understand geology is the coolest thing in the entire universe.

Stone and Spark grew from that seed of wonder. And this new Raleigh mystery launches the parallel teen series that will run alongside the adult Raleigh series. We'll get to follow Raleigh through high school and into college, right up to the point where The Stones Cry Out begins. The second book in the teen series will come out this fall.

And yes, I'm working on the next adult book, the one that follows The Stars Shine Bright. Don't worry. (And yes, Jack will be returning for an encore performance--who could expect anything less from the Alpha Agent?)

I hope you enjoy Stone and Spark. Let me know your thoughts. Better yet, leave a review and let the whole world know: Raleigh's back!

Also for a limited time, Amazon is offering the third Raleigh mystery The Clouds Roll Away for $2.99. That's 81% off the regular retail price. So steal my book. Please. I don't know whether this deal will happen again because I don't set these prices--I just celebrate with readers when it happens.

Real Racism

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 16 Mar 2014 20:08:00 +0000

Here's the deal--and I do mean deal. For a limited time, Amazon is offering The Clouds Roll Away for $2.99. That's 81% off the regular retail price. So steal my book. Please. I don't know whether this deal will happen again because I don't set these prices--I just celebrate with readers when it happens. But with the forehead-smacking deal, I'm posting my Top Ten Reasons for writing this third Raleigh Harmon mystery.

Today is Reason #8:

Slavery, Rap, Lott Cary and the source of racism

Yeah, that about covers it.
The Clouds Roll Away swirls with conflicts arising from the history of a small but significant place in Virginia: Charles City.

Bordered by the James River just east of Richmond, Charles City is the home to America's most historic plantation homes, a seed pod for several US presidents, and the first colonial settlement outside of Jamestown.

But there's also storied black history here:
One of America's first free black communities.

The nation's third-oldest free black church.

Birthplace of Lott Cary.

Who was Lott Cary? We ought to know his name. He was the first black missionary to Africa and the founding father of Liberia-- the west African nation founded in 1820 by freed American slaves, most of them from Virginia.

The idea of Liberia sounded great: free African Americans sailing back to the mother land, sponsored by white abolitionists. They planned to build schools, businesses, even colleges, repatriating what was taken from them by force.

But good intentions often pave the road straight to Hell. And Liberia might be one such construction project.
As I was researching Charles City for The Clouds Roll Away, I stumbled upon Bitter Canaan: Story of the Negro Republic by Charles Spurgeon Johnson. His 1930 book ought to be required reading, particularly by people who constantly scream about racial inequality, but you'll be hard-pressed to find a copy. Johnson's manuscript was rejected by every publisher he approached; nobody wanted to print the acrid truth about Liberia. ( Bitter Canaan was finally published in 1987 by an obscure house. It's now out of print).

Johnson, who was black, writes with both compassion and disgust as he documents the grand social experiment. Everyone had high hopes--from the freed slaves to the white abolitionist Christians. But when the abolitionists returned to Liberia to check on the progress, they were horrified.

Denver News, public domain

The former slaves now had their own slaves--and were proud of it. Even more appalling, these freed slaves were treating the human property worse than anything experienced in the American South.

Johnson, writing without defense or apology, recognized that what gave birth to American slavery had nothing to do with skin color. But it had everything to do with the evil residing in the human heart.

To this day, encyclopedias will skim right past Johnsons' authorship of Bitter Canaan, choosing instead to highlight the scholar's many other worthwhile achievements. But it makes me wonder if simply can't handle the truth about the human heart. About ourselves.

And it's why I love writing about Raleigh Harmon. The girl's honest, to the bone.

In The Clouds Roll Away, she comes up against everybody from black separatists and white supremacists to the descendants of former slaves and slave owners. Here's an excerpt, as she's driving through Charles City looking for a woman connected to the Ku Klux Klan.

On Wednesday, December 13, I drove down Lott Carey Road -- named for the Liberian founder who grew up here -- and searched for a driveway that DeMott assured me was here.

I finally found the dirt road. It was covered with dry walnut shells that exploded under my tires. The sound made the lowland plain seem even more timeless, as if the fallow fields might suddenly bloom with torn and ragged soldiers, staggering home from a lost cause, the air still acrid with an incinerated city. I passed wooden grave markers that looked watered by the blood of the dead, and a dilapidated plantation house stood empty, waiting for once-beautiful women to step inside, their faces etched with bitterness.
Out here, it could still be April, 1865.

PS Raleigh deals with many of these same themes in the first book of this series, The Stones Cry Out. That book's offered at $3.99, thanks to the cool folks at Cool Gus Publishing.

Virginia Is for (History) Lovers

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 15 Mar 2014 19:51:00 +0000

Here's the deal--and I do mean deal. For a limited time, Amazon is offering The Clouds Roll Away for $2.99.

That's 81% off the regular retail price.

So steal my book. Please. It might never get this inexpensive again (because I don't set these prices, I just celebrate with readers when it happens).

This forehead-smacking-good deal also means I'm posting my Top Ten Reasons for writing this Raleigh Harmon mystery.

Yesterday we covered Reason #10. Now for Reason #9:

Virginia's Historic Homes

Along Virginia's James River, the plantation houses date back as far as the 1600s. Elegant testaments to a bygone era, these homes are the birthplace of American history: Childhood stomping grounds of Presidents Tyler and Harrison; dinner parties for as many as eight presidents whose current events were the American Revolution and the Civil War.

Stepping into these homes--some of which are still occupied by descendants of original owners-- is literally to touch history. Oil lamps and Flemish-bond brickwork. Slave quarters and Union-forged cannonballs stuck in the dining room walls. Soldiers in blue and gray, buried in the graveyards.

For historical fiction, these places make ideal settings.

But they also work amazingly well for contemporary crime fiction.

In The Clouds Roll Away, FBI agent Raleigh Harmon gets called to "Rapland," a historic estate once known as "Laurel" because somebody's burned a cross in the groomed lawn. It appears not everyone appreciates the "improvements" being made by the new owner, a rich black rap star who goes by the moniker RPM. Among the remodeling choices? Pink stucco, aluminum windows, and heavy-duty sound systems.

Was it fun for me to write about this clash of cultures? Oh, yeah. It's my dream material.

At the same time, it was disturbing to explore just how invested people get in houses and history and lineage, and how that investment can twist their hearts and minds. In Clouds, an old classmate of Raleigh's named Flynn Wellington runs a B-and-B on the equally-historic property neighboring Rapland. Flynn's blind devotion to Virginia history sends her to the top of Raleigh's suspects for the cross-burning:

I drove down the oyster-shell road. A column of walnut trees reached for the blue sky like ancient black hands. It was mesmerizing land and I sympathized with Flynn's devotion to it. But as I pulled onto Wiliamsburge Raod, heading back to town, I wondered about the past's magnetic hold. Flynn clung to her history like someone afraid of perishing, someone drowning who succeeds only in taking the saving grace down with her.
But most of all I wondered about her statement and the question it left hanging in the conservatory's moist air.
She did not have time to terrorize an unwelcome neighbor, she said.
But if she did . . . ?

You can read the rest of the story for a mere $2.99.

At that price, consider it a steal.

P.S. The first Raleigh Harmon mystery, The Stones Cry Out, is also a screaming steal, courtesy of Cool Gus Publishing. The revamped book includes a dozen historic photographs from the Library of Virginia. Which means you can see these historic locations for yourself. Don't miss it.

Dirty Forensics

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 20:48:00 +0000

For a limited time, Amazon's offering The Clouds Roll Away as part of The Kindle Big Deal.

A very big deal. Readers get this Raleigh Harmon mystery for a mere $2.99. (An 80-percent discount!)

In honor of this screaming deal, I'm posting my Top Ten Reasons for writing this mystery.

First up, #10:

Forensics

My FBI sources often surprise me.

No. That's not right.

They always surprise me. But especially the bureau's geologists.

But outside of the FBI's materials analysis unit, the rock-hounds don't get much glory. Nothing even close to hairs-and-fibers. Or blood spatter. Even duct tape analysis is far more famous than mineralogy.

And that's odd. Because on any significant crime, forensic geologists are usually among the first-responders.

Sniper shoots at the White House?

FBI geologist and Special Agent Bruce Hall got the call. He was at a local mall, sped into DC, left his daughter in the White House kitchen eating cookies, and ran upstairs to check the window.

Why call a forensic geologist?

Because glass is made of silica. A good forensic geologist can study a window's fractures and get a good idea of a gun's caliber, sometimes even the location of the shooter.

Embassy blows up in Kenya? Again, call the geologists.

The FBI's forensic mineralogists pawed through the blown-up building because construction products contain everything from nickel and gypsum to marble and dolomite. Since each elements has a distinct melting point, geologists can sometimes determine a fire's temperature, which then leads to clues about which explosives might have been used.

When I was researching The Clouds Roll Away, I called that same agent who had bolted to the White House after sniper's shot. (By the way, in my little Black Book of sources this now-retired agent Bruce Hall is listed as "Batman.")

"Batman," I said. "I'm kicking around this idea. Could forensic geology solve a cross burning?"

"Sure," he said.

As he laid out the possibilities, while I asked my usual stupid questions, I suddenly saw the crime unfolding. A crime so good, so bad, so deliciously evil, it could easily wrack Raleigh Harmon's brain for 300 pages, even if she is a geological genius.

"You see?" Batman said. "It always comes back to geology."

Forensic geology makes its first appearance in The Clouds Roll Away in Chapter One. More geology shows up later--everything from chemical weapons to diamonds.

It always comes back to geology.

Here's an excerpt from The Clouds Roll Away:

The cross had burned the back lawn like a branded emblem. The main beam seared twelve feet, four inches. The intersecting beam scorched almost five feet of grass.
Releasing my aluminum tape measure, letting it rattle closed, I wrote the numbers in my notebook and took several photographs. RPM stood to the side, quietly watching as I snapped on latex gloves, kneeled and pinched the soil. It smelled of soot and scorched minerals, like a doused campfire. But I pinched another sample and waved it back and forth under my nose, detecting something else.
It smelled bitter and acidic.

Hate didn't have a smell, I told myself. But maybe I was wrong.

PS. Cool Gus Publishing also another screaming deal: The first Raleigh Harmon book, The Stones Cry Out, complete with a dozen historical photographs from the Library of Virginia. Don't miss it.

Spring Forward

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 20:24:00 +0000

At some point I lost count of the emails that started with this question: "When is the next Raleigh Harmon novel coming out?"

My reply was always the same: Soon.

Of course, I said "soon" for months and months. Maybe even an entire year. But I felt it was true because Raleigh's next mystery flew from my fingertips, begging to be told.

My only obstacle was how to release the book.

Traditional publishing was an option. I've been blessed with good publishers and even larger publishing houses had voiced interest in picking up the Raleigh series. Plus I'd found a stellar agent.

So, what was the problem?

That traditional route would mean months--possibly years--before the book would be available for readers. That's how traditional publishing works: The manuscript travels down a long course of committees, editors, publicists, so forth, before the book eventually arrives in stores and online and by that time the author's completely forgotten what the book's about.

When I said soon, I meant it.

Some smart people suggested I self-publish this next book. And believe me, I'm digging all these hallelujah's from writers cutting their own paths straight to their readers. But I also know myself. My technical expertise runs right alongside plow horses.

So just when I was ready to give up (isn't that always the way?), opportunity walked in.

Better yet, opportunity was a Green Beret speaking my kick-butt language: "Hey! Are you ready to write--really write?!"

Oh, yeah. Literary love: Hit like lightning.

I'm ~~bouncing off the walls~~ pleased to introduce you to Cool Gus Publishing. It's the brilliant brainchild of best-selling author Bob Mayer and marketing wizard Jen Talty. (Read more about Jen's amazing work, including what she's doing with the Raleigh books here. The woman's seriously incredible).

Cool Gus will be partnering on the newest Raleigh Harmon mystery, Stone and Spark.

You readers deserve a huge shout-out. Because not did you keep asking When's-the-next-book, you also wondered about Raleigh's life before her dad was murdered.

Excellent question.

And the answer is: Stone and Spark.

This book is a prequel to The Stones Cry Out, with Raleigh's dad still alive and Raleigh just beginning to figure out how soil evidence can solve crimes.

But Stone and Spark also launches a new parallel series with Raleigh. Yes, there is book following The Stars Shine Bright. I'm working on it now. But personally I think teenagers are totally awesome (yes, seriously), and I've long wanted to write a young-adult novel.

When Stone and Spark opens, Raleigh's 15 years old. Her dad's alive. Her mom's still nuts. But her best friend has just gone missing. I loved writing this book.

More details are coming--soon! promise!-- so stay tuned. I'll be giving away copies and other goodies with the launch. You don't want to miss it (sign up for my newsletter, if you haven't already).

As always, I want to thank you readers.

Your questions made so much of this happen, and I'm so grateful to you all.

P.S. Cool Gus also picked up The Stones Cry Out!

Words, Words, Words

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 15 Feb 2014 20:30:00 +0000

Photo by robenmarie

Among the better gifts I've received was a quote journal. My friend Marge Anderson, a poet by temperament and taste, presented me with this journal after having launched its first pages with pieces by Emily Dickinson, bits from "The Hobbitt," and excerpts from T.S. Eliot's "Wasteland."

The rest of the journal she left empty, awaiting my choices.

For several years, the quote journal lay fallow. Lately I've been inspired to relaunch it since subscribing to Words for the Weekend, a terrific blog that not only dispatches soul-stirring quotes each week but includes images by great artists such Vladimir Kush (one of my personal favorites). Also, playlists to go with the quotes.

So the quote journal and the iPod get stocked. What could be better?

This week, with Valentine's Day, Words for the Weekend focused on Love. Plenty of great material, of course. But in light of losing a loved one, I particularly appreciated reading this:

“It isn’t possible to love and part. You will wish that it was. You can transmute love, ignore it, muddle it, but you can never pull it out of you. I know by experience that the poets are right: love is eternal.”

~E.M. Forster, A Room with a View

photo by cohdra

Being human, we tend to forget these important things, which is why books are so important. And why I recommend subscribing to Words for the Weekend. You'll be surprised how often some just-right quote slips into your life, exactly when you need to hear it.

And maybe it'll even inspire you to start a quote journal. If so, be sure to share what you find.

We need good words.

The Wind in the Door

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 20:15:00 +0000

Someone very very dear to me died yesterday.

Although he was given a good long run--98 years of robust life --I wished even longer for him.

Once again, I'm reminded that I'm not God. (Thank God).

For many years, I've prayed daily for this man's soul. In the last six months, my family and I prayed his heart would open to the truth, that he would renounce his adamant atheism; that God would have mercy on his soul (which at least one atheist now acknowledges is necessary).

But this side of heaven, I'll never know what my dearly departed decided during his last days on earth.

In my heartache, which is severe, my hope keeps returning to something like this:

A man on his deathbed turned to his physician and mumbled, "What is Heaven like, Doctor?"
How could the physician describe Heaven in such brief moments? As his mind searched for an answer for his friend, the doctor heard his dog, scratching at the door.
"Can you hear my dog, scratching at your door?" inquired the physician.
The sick man assured him that he could.
"Well," the doctor said, "Heaven must be like that. My dog does not know what is in this room. He only knows he wants to be with me. So it is with Heaven. Our Master is there. That is all we need to know!"
-- James Jeremiah, The Place Called Heaven

Say What?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 23:17:00 +0000

How do writers come up with dialogue?

Eavesdropping, that's one way.

But some genius just put together an entire break-up scene using only movie titles.

Brilliant and witty.

Here's the video.

Top 10 Reasons: #1

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 20:19:00 +0000

This is it.

This is your last day to grab The Mountains Bow Down for $2.99.

Tomorrow the price shoots up 81%. (Don't blame me. I can't set these prices).

I've been posting my Top 10 Reasons for writing this Raleigh Harmon mystery, the fourth book in this series. And now we've reached (...drumroll, maestro...) Reason #1:

ALASKA

In my last post, I mentioned my family's Alaska roots that reach back to 1885. Most pioneer families didn't manage to stay four generation because, frankly, Alaska's a tough place to survive. Winter sunlight hours can be counted on one hand; summer lasts about 70 days.

But yesterday, after the Seattle Seahawks won their first Superbowl (just had to get that somewhere), quarterback Russell Wilson said the team's guiding philosophy all season long was: "Why not us?"

I knew exactly what Wilson meant. Not because of football. But because I grew up among this country's tallest peaks, in the only rain forest in North America, eating the biggest fish, the hugest crabs, in the coldest temperatures, with the most colorful human characters.

Alaska owns the patent on superlatives. And that landscape inspires writers to push farther, aim higher, go beyond all limits. From John Muir to Robert Service to Jack London--even your humble mystery writer--we chose to write about this place because it's like nowhere else on earth. It must be told.

The Mountains Bow Down.

It's why I chose to open the novel with a favorite poem:

"There's a land where the mountains are nameless,

And the rivers all run God knows where;

There are lives that are erring and aimless,

And deaths that just hang by a hair;

There are hardships that nobody reckons;

There are valleys unpeopled and still;

There's a land--oh, it beckons and beckons,

And I want to go back--and I will."

-- from "The Spell of the Yukon" by Robert Service

Top 10 Reasons: #2 and #3

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 01:03:00 +0000

Here's the deal--and I do mean deal.

Until tomorrow, February 3, Amazon is practically giving away my fourth mystery.

A mystery starred by Booklist. Rated 5-stars by nearly 40 reviewers. And you get to tour Alaska by cruise ship.

For $2.99.

Try buying a real ticket for that price.

In honor of this amazing Amazon deal, I'm posting my Top 10 Reasons for writing this Raleigh Harmon mystery.

We're now at duel reasons #2 and #3:

MY GRANDMOTHERS

When I was 16 years old, I rode up the ski lift with a complete stranger who gazed down at my skis, read my name, and said, "Sibella, I know your grandmothers. They're amazing."

Yeah, it was like that. All the time.

My grandmothers, Belle and Frances, also happened to be my best friends. A late child, I was the last of their ten grandkids. And the only girl.

Departing Juneau 10 pm, first week of May

Although my grandmothers appear in all of my books, one way or another, I fully reveal their importance to me in The Mountains Bow Down.

Without these two women, my family wouldn't be able to call Alaska its native country.

This novel is dedicated to these Alaska pioneers. In the acknowledgements I also reveal a bit of their remarkable lives:

"In 1885, a family of fierce Othodox Jews carved their way from Russia to Juneau, Alaska. That same year, the Goldstein family opened a mercantile on the town's muddy docks and welcomed their eighth child, Belle. That daughter would live one hundred years and see Alaska change from a distant US District into a Territory into our 49th state.

"In 1934, amid the Great Depression, a young actress and widow named Frances Kennan Connor sailed to Juneau by steamship. Classically educated, from an affluent mid-West family, Frances was completely ill-suited for the rugged atmosphere of a gold-mining town. And she stayed.

My grandmother's store on an Alaska postcard

"Perhaps more than anyone, Belle and Frances are responsible for [The Mountains Bow Down]. They were my grandmothers and they poured stories into me. Belle talked about her life, which was epic and included a kidnapping by Tlingit Indians when she was five years old and a thiry-year feud with her eldest brother, Charles, who rescued her from that kidnapping. (In Juneau the buildings that Belle and Charlie erected continue to glare at each other across Seward Street.)

"Meanwhile, Frances--ever private about her own personal tragedies--fed me books. A city librarian, she designated a shelf behind the front counter and left adventures there. Lloyd Alexander, Joan Aiken, C.S. Lewis, Madeleine L'Engle. Better still, she was eager to discuss them.

"Whether writers are born or made, I can't say. But it certainly helps if their tribe cherishes stories."

How much of the story began...

Reason #4

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 20:49:00 +0000

You have four days.

Four days to steal my fourth mystery.

Until February 3, Amazon is offering The Mountains Bow Down for $2.99.

That's cheaper than a gallon of gas. Cheaper than a cup of Starbucks' coffee. Cheaper than Raleigh's favorite meal of cheeseburgers and fries--with a side of mayo.

Those real-life prices bring me to Reason #4 in the Top 10 Reasons why I wrote The Mountains Bow Down:

REAL PEOPLE IN MY LIFE

Novelists get plenty of cathartic miles out of recycling annoying people into fictional characters--especially villainous characters.

But I've found even greater joy by doing the exact opposite: Honoring people I love within the pages of my books.

For instance, in Mountains I used the names of two adored friends: Bob Barner and Robert Stoller.

Readers get to meet Bob Barner in Skagway, when he races after a fugitive. In real life, I met Bob Barner in Virginia, when I was a reporter.

Bob was 34 years old, handsome, with a gorgeous wife, and four perfect children.

And he was dying.

He had a terminal brain tumor; hospice was called in.

With reportorial chutzpah (or, more accurately, rudeness) I asked Bob Barner if I could write about his hospice care. Long-term. Like move in with the family until, you know, whatever happened.

I know. But that's how God built me. Deal with it. Because I also asked to bring along uber-photogrpaher Dean Hoffmeyer.

After thinking about it for several days, Bob Barner agreed to my request. With one condition: "Make God famous." I really wasn't sure what he meant, but Dean and I did indeed spend months watching Bob die. It was one of the worst experiences of my life. And among the greatest blessings. The story did indeed make God famous: The Barners were Christians who walked the walk and the resulting story was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize after Bob died. Not because of me. It was because of this family, and Dean Hoffmeyer's tender yet unwavering way with a camera. Those photos still make me cry.

On a lighter note, the second real name in Mountains belongs to Robert Stoller. A brilliant attorney in Alaska, Robert Stoller was the first person to teach me Chess. I was about six years old and he was the second smartest person I'd ever met (my dad gets first-place).

Many years later, at my dad's memorial service, Stoller delivered a laughter-through-tears eulogy that landed on my heart like a healing balm. Later still. Stoller sent me some autobiographical sketches of his early years in the law. One story was about an attorney he met. The sketch was titled: "The Lawyer Who Pissed in the Sink." (Not Stoller, by the way).

In Mountains, Raleigh Harmon interviews the Alaska Medical Examiner about a suspicious death. (Aanother cool thing about writing fiction? I can hand out medical degrees--to lawyers!). Since I knew this fictional ME was super-smart, didn't suffer fools, and was funny, I chose to name him Robert Stoller.

Here's an excerpt, when Raleigh's speaks to Dr. Robert Stoller from the cruise ship:

“You continue to assume," [he said] "Haven’t you heard the saying?”

“I’m from the South, sir. I’ve heard quite a few sayings.”

“Indeed,” said Dr. Stoller. “But perhaps you need to hear this one. Though it sounds vulgar initially, it provides an unforgettable mnemonic device. Would you care to hear it?”

“Please.”

“You can remember how to spell ‘assume’ because it puts an ‘ass’ in front of ‘u’ and ‘me.’”

I almost laughed.

“Thus, assuming nothing, we cannot say how she was suffocated her. Only that I’m fairly certain she was suffocated.”

Top Ten Reasons: #5

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 02:44:00 +0000

Here's the daily preamble: For a limited time, Amazon is offering The Mountains Bow Down for $2.99.

That's an 81% discount! For a mystery starred by Booklist that also includes Alaska, priceless gems, misbehaving movie stars, and our ever-intrepid forensic geologist, Raleigh Harmon.

If you don't buy Mountains for $2.99, you're either cheap or crazy.

Or drunk. Which I can forgive.

To honor this fantastic deal, I'm posting my Top Ten reasons for writing The Mountains Bow Down.

We're now on Reason #5:

POETRY

That's right. I said it: Poetry.

Yes, I do realize my books are murder mysteries. But I love poetry. If you're not reading it, you're not living.

Alaska's Inside Passage

Readers constantly comment on these Raleigh Harmon titles, and the overwhelming majority really-really-really like the series' names. But every now and again someone feels the compulsion to tell me, "These titles don't sound like other mystery/thriller/romantic suspense novels."

My usual reply, in all graciousness: "Duh!"

I chose these titles for some good reasons (including poetry), and fortunately my publisher agreed. The Mountains Bow Down harmonizes with The Stones Cry Out, The Rivers Run Dry, The Clouds Roll Away and The Stars Shine Bright (and future books, coming soon-- promise!).

My hope is that these titles will tip-off readers, right from the start. Although the protagonist is an FBI agent, the Raleigh Harmon mysteries are not just-the-facts-ma'am. She's also a geologist with a keen eye for nature, and a struggling believer constantly pondering how earth-faith-good-evil can all coexist together.

Of the five titles so far, The Mountains Bow Down might be my favorite. It has what my scary high school English teacher called "internal rhyme." Can you hear it -- the "ou-ow-ow" progression of the words? I love it. (P.S. While I name these books, I can't explain from where the names come. They're more grace for an underserving scribe).

Ketchikan's version of Google Maps

Another poetic element in The Mountains Bow Down is the imagery, especially considering Alaska's towering peaks. It's an image vivid enough to capture the passion of various writers of scripture, each referencing how nature will "bow down" to God (hello, sweet Christian nitpickers: please check Nahum, Joel, Isaiah or the Psalms . . . .).

I do try -- really, really -- to keep "purple prose" away from these murder-mysteries. Nothing worse than too much description (except maybe too little). But geologists study the earth all the way down to grains of sand, and they tend to notice things -- things other people miss.

So:

That string of bruises across a victim's throat looks to Raleigh like "violet pearls." Hymnals left behind in an abandoned church have "the atmospheric damp of books stored in wet basements." And beams of sunlight are "translucent."

It's a big beautiful world, full of poetry. And Raleigh knows it.

So do her readers.

"The mile-wide tongue of blue-and-white ice stretched five miles back, reaching up to a mountain peak that pointed straight to God. I heard Jack gasp, then gasp again as the front of the glacier snapped and a falling block of ice the size of an office building plunged straight down into the water . . . . In the bright sun, the water glistened like jewels.
And the block of ice bobbed, already hiding how much lay beneath the surface."

Top Ten Reasons: #6

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 20 Jan 2014 19:42:00 +0000

Right now, The Mountains Bow Down is on sale for $2.99, thanks to Amazon.com. The ten-day sale (get it now -- the discount won't last) has prompted my Top Ten reasons for writing this Raleigh Harmon mystery.

I've already revealed reasons #7, 8, 9 and 10.

Today, Reason #6:

The Sheer Challenge

With every book, Raleigh Harmon raises the bar on me. For Mountains, she wanted to try solving crimes through geology, even though she's stuck on water.

"You're on," I said.

Not only do normal people not converse with imaginary friends, I also learned that geology positively riddles building products. Gypsum minerals in wallboard. Limestone in tile grout. Marble floors, silica in glass windows, granite countertops---the geology is everywhere.

Even on cruise ships.

So throughout The Mountains Bow Down, the redoubtable Raleigh exploits all her knowledge of land and solves several crimes committed entirely on water.

My research benefitted immensely from a wonderful textbook, Forensic Geology. Written by Ray Murray and John C.F. Tedrow, Forensic Geology is the bible of its field. I've been reading it since the Raleigh Harmon series began, and even absconded with Tedrow's last name in The Stones Cry Out, pinning it to a minor character. Which reader can find that character now . . . ?

Forensic Geology contains a particularly good section on earth-based products used to insulate safes. No spoilers, but here's an excerpt from The Mountains Bow Down where Raleigh Harmon uses her geology expertise to solve a crime committed on the high seas:

The powder-coated safe was roughly the size of a microwave. The stainless steel door was secured to a titanium baseplate, and I ran my eyes over the knob, searching for nicks in the striated surface. But there were no obvious signs of forced entry.

Bending at the waist, I stared at the baseplate from below. A fine-grained dust stuck to a tiny circle, no more than one-sixteenth of an inch, at the bottom of the baseplate. My fingers twitched, tempted to tap the ashen circle . . . . Whoever cracked the safe had done an excellent job cleaning up. But any high-speed drill spiraling into a safe had to tunnel through fireproof layers, flinging a dust into the air so fine it could remain suspended for hours, even days . . . .

Top Ten Reasons: #7

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 19 Jan 2014 23:05:00 +0000

For a short time, Amazon's offering The Mountains Bow Down for $2.99. Get it while you can -- the price will soon skyrocket about three-hundred percent (Don't blame me. I don't set these prices).

But in honor of ten good days, I'm posting my Top Ten reasons for writing this Raleigh Harmon mystery. We've covered 10, 9, 8.

Today is Reason #7:

CRUISES

Growing up in Alaska, I watched my hometown morph from a sleepy capitol to one of the busiest tourist ports in the world. In the spirit of Scarlett O'Hara, I raised my fist and cried, "So help me, God, I will never go on those ships!"

Of course, I also swore never to nag my kids. Or eat while driving. Or say things like, "There are two kinds of people in the world . . . ."

Heaven on earth, Summer at 10 pm

And so, there I was, sailing through Alaska's Inside Passage with two thousand strangers. Everyone oohed and ahhed at the view while I tried to figure out ways to kill them.

For the book, you know.

Anyway, I've seen Alaska from every possible vantage --ground, air, water, skis--and I can say with certainty that water wins. The mountains literally sparkle, the sky spreads out like God's throwing a surprise party.

I even appreciate what cruise ships offer. Specifically, I liked ditching my car for a week; skipping dinner reservations yet still eating delicious meals; and sleeping every night in the same comfy bed but waking every morning in a new place. Genius!

And, hey, it's not like my lonely boycott would stop these things from sailing into Juneau.

If you're planning an Alaska cruise, here's an inside tip. Consider traveling in May. Not only are cruise prices significantly lower, the crowds are less crushing and the weather can be glorious. When we landed in Juneau the first week of May, the temperature hovered around 75 degrees without a cloud in the sky.

Sawyer Glacier, also featured in Mountains

Raleigh Harmon enjoyed her Alaska adventure so much she's begged to return for more far-north geology--and juicy crime. I'm seriously considering it.

In the meantime, here she is on the cruise ship's upper deck, in the opening of The Mountains Bow Down:

With the trajectory of launched missiles, the mountains soared from the ocean. Smothered with evergreens, the steeps pointed to a sky so blue it whispered of eternity. Though it was June, snow on the granite ridges refused to melt despite twenty-four hours of daily sunlight. And where a liquid silver sea lapped the rocky shore, a bald eagle surveyed the cold water for fish.

First week of June: 5:00 a.m. in Ketchikan, Alaska.

It felt like falling in love.

Top Ten Reasons: #8

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 18 Jan 2014 21:18:00 +0000

For a very limited time, Amazon's offering The Mountains Bow Down for $2.99. After that, the price shoots back up to about ten bucks (don't blame me, I don't set these prices).

In honor of this ten-day special, I'm posting my Top Ten Reasons for writing this Raleigh Harmon mystery set aboard a cruise ship to Alaska.

You can read about reasons #9 and #10.

Today is Reason # 8:

MOVIE STARS

Some actors have my undying admiration. I can name three of them right off the top of my head: Robert Duvall, Clint Eastwood and Tom Selleck, who is perfection personified in those Jesse Stone TV movies.

But too many actors use scandal to build entire careers. Serial divorces, trips to rehab, drunk-and-disorderly behavior--it gets their name into the papers. And, like a lot of people, I'm sick of the meaningless "news" about insecure narcissists whose f-bombing mouths have nothing interesting to say. And please, don't get me started on their politics.

But.

Among the greatest pleasures of writing novels is the ample opportunity to channel annoyances into character portraits. Which is why The Mountains Bow Down brims with Hollywood people--from actors and producers to bodyguards and hangers-on.

Inspiration was always close at hand. As a reporter I wrote a lot of celebrity profiles, including one about an actress *cough-photo* who tried to get me fired because the story wasn't flattering. Unfortunately for her cause, the story was accurate.

When Raleigh Harmon's forced to work among preening "beautiful people," her threshold for baloney is higher than mine. But not much.

Here's an excerpt from The Mountains Bow Down. Raleigh is trying to interview the Hollywood people about a movie producer who was discovered dead that morning:

The thin woman who answered the door to the ship's penthouse had a pile of platinum hair. Her name was Larrah Sparks and her bikini was so small it could've belonged to the real Barbie, whom Mrs. Sparks closely resembled.
I showed my FBI credentials, reminding the producer's wife.
"Huh," she said. "Is this something with the movie?"
"No."
"Did I ever tell you I did two movies that had FBI agents in them?"
Three times. "Yes, you did."
"None of the agents was female," she continued, once more. "If I'd played the agent we would've made money."
I gave my official smile, an expression Quantico issued on graduation day. "Is Mr. Sparks available?"
"You know how to spell my name, right?" She spelled it. "Rhymes with 'Harrah.'"
"Got it." Larrah-Harrah. Scarrah.

Top Ten Reasons: #9

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 17 Jan 2014 21:30:00 +0000

In honor of Amazon offering The Mountains Bow Down for 2.99 over the next ten days, I'm posting my Top Ten reasons for writing this Raleigh Harmon mystery.

Yesterday I revealed Reason #10.

Today, Reason #9:
BENITOITE.

Researching a novel--particularly a mystery, particularly a forensic mystery, particularly a forensic geology mystery--creates such an enigmatic trail that the path doesn't resemble anything except Alice's trip down the rabbit hole.

So I can't say how I stumbled across benitoite, only that once this beautiful blue gem crossed my screen, I couldn't not write about it.

Benitoite is state gemstone of California, yet so rare that some professional geologists have never heard of it. I keep waiting for benitoite to pop up on the game show "Jeopardy." Example: "Alex, I'll take More Precious than Diamonds for $1000."

First discovered in 1907, benitoite was named by a gemologist who pinpointed its origin to the headwaters of California's San Benito River. (You can read the interesting history of its discovery, a story which offers its own intrigues--see what I mean about research?). To this day, that small portion of California is still the only place on the entire planet where gem-quality benitoite's ever been found.

And when it's gemstone-quality, benitoite can sell for as much as $1000 per carat. But it gets better. Benitoite occurs in two even more rare forms: a five-pointed star, and a six-pointed "star of David." Yes, it looks exactly like a star of David, as if carved by hand.

Only about 24 star samples have been found, although last year somebody (weirdly, related to Keith Carradine of "Grasshopper" fame--see what I mean about research?) found a five-pointed star, setting off an international sensation.

courtesy www.jewelryexpert.com

If you're ever in central California, be sure to stop by one of the mines that allow visitors to hunt for benitoite. During my research, I spoke with the nice folks at Whimsy Mine. There's also Capistrano Mining Company. If you can't get to California, some of these mines will ship you local gravel which you can mine in the comfort of your home. Find some benitoite, and you might score enough to pay that bill several times over.

I won't offer any spoilers, but suffice to say, beautiful blue benitoite played a starring role in The Mountains Bow Down, thus making it my #9 reason for writing this Raleigh Harmon mystery.

Here's an early excerpt, where the gem makes one of its first enigmatic appearances:

He looked into the drink again, then downed the rest of it. "That's all you need to know about my wife. The woman was a real saint."
"Did the saint leave a suicide note?"
He froze.
I wasn't his buddy. I wasn't interested in his charm. And somebody killed his wife.
After a moment, he shook his head, indicating she left no note, and I pulled the plastic bag from my pocket. With the room's intense illumination, the blue gems glowed like tiny gas flames. Hypnotic pilot-light jewels. "Did this bracelet belong to your wife?"

Top Ten Reasons: #10

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 16 Jan 2014 21:32:00 +0000

Raleigh heading for Juneau, Alaska

Readers often ask: "Which Raleigh Harmon mystery is your favorite?"

My answer? "The mystery I'm currently working on."

But one particular Raleigh Harmon book holds such a special place in my heart it might be my favorite: The Mountains Bow Down.

For the next ten days, Amazon is offering the e-book edition of Mountains for $2.99.

Don't wait -- operators are standing by.

And in honor of this special window of reader opportunity, I'll be posting my Top Ten Reasons for writing The Mountains Bow Down. You'll understand why I carry a burning torch for this book, and why anyone who doesn't nab it for $2.99 is nuts.

I'm kidding. Sort of.

Reason #10: AGATHA CHRISTIE

My serious Agatha Christie addiction screeched into the station with The Blue Train.

Published in 1928 -- when it retailed for $2 (ahem, see above offer) -- The Blue Train features Christie's singularly brilliant detective, Hercule Poirot, as he boards Le Train Bleu heading for the French Riviera.

Also boarding the train is Katherine Grey, an Englishwoman with a large inheritance. She makes the onboard acquaintance of Ruth Kettering, an American heiress stuck in an unhappy marriage who is planning to meet her lover. The folllowing morning, Ruth is discovered dead in her train compartment, a victim of strangulation. And the ruby which her father gave her-- the famous "Heart of Fire" jewel-- is missing.

The Blue Train captivated my imagination, from the compartmentalized setting and tight schedule to Poirot piecing together a murder and jewel heist most certainly committed by someone still onboard.

And that's when Raleigh Harmon jumped up and begged me to stick her in similarly challenging circumstances. Raleigh's request launched the cruise ship setting for The Mountains Bow Down.

Here's a short excerpt from Mountains where the redoubtable Raleigh Harmon reflects on her long day aboard a cruise ship heading for Alaska, with a dead woman onboard:

"I pulled the covers up tight and listened to the ship sliding through the Inside Passsage. The ocean brushed against the side, whooshing and splashing, and once again I thought of Judy Carpenter.

I wondered if she was completely dead when she hung there, or if her last moments were spent listening to this cold brush of sound, the silver splash of ocean as it escorted her to an end of days."

Tomorrow: Reason #9

The Horse Writer

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 04:34:00 +0000

Catherine...and friend

Even after months of hanging around race tracks researching The Stars Shine Bright, I didn't really "get" horses. Mostly they seemed too big and too temperamental and I was too far into the book to stop writing about them.

One day, while driving my forehead into the keyboard, an email arrived. A note from Catherine Madera, aka The Horse Writer.

She wanted to help me with my "horse problem."

Her note, explaining the wherefore and the why of horses, was filled with stories and insights and so much adoration for equines that I actually started to fall in love with horses. No joke.

Of course, that's what a good writer does: Alter your heart, change your mind.

From her farm near the Canadian border, Catherine writes an insightful blog (no topic off-limits) and novels-- heart-felt stories about "relationships, in all their messy detail, and the things that bond people together."

Her first novel, Rodeo Dreams was soon followed by Rain Shadow, which contains the only prologue ever to make me cry. Her third novel Rhinestones (check out that gorgeous cover) is garnering rave reviews and climbing the Indie publishing lists.

And yet, I still managed to lasso this busy woman--wife, mom, writer, editor, homeschooler, rider and pen-pal friend--long enough for a chat.

So come meet Catherine Madera, the Horse Writer:

You wear so many hats--I can't even count that high--but is there any psychic overlap between your time riding horses and your time writing stories?

I read somewhere that writing is listening and I think that’s true. Writers listen; they know how to observe. They are constantly turning things over to look for detail, connection, truth. Riding is the same way, if you are passionate about the horses themselves (as opposed to using them solely for entertainment). To be a good horseman/woman you must learn to quiet your busy self and notice the details. It’s a very intuitive art. Horses do not use language, but remain powerfully subtle in the way they communicate. As a writer, I find their language fascinating, beautiful and very truthful. Working with my horses hones my writing ear in that I practice listening. It also helps to fill my creative tank, the quiet companionship of them.

Catherine, I've heard you refer to yourself as an "accidental novelist." What's up with that?

I never wanted to be a novelist, or had it as a goal, even after I began to get published. I got my start writing for Guideposts Magazine—true, short, inspirational stories. I’ve had wonderful opportunities to interview amazing people and thought that was my place as a writer. I focused, quite happily, on magazine writing and various journalism opportunities. Then a few years ago I read The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. I loved that book! It made me laugh and cry and was just plain fun. I remember thinking, “If I ever wrote a novel I’d want to create something like this.”

Not long afterward, a basic plot about a barrel racing girl and her horse came to me. As a child and teen I devoured animal stories and novels about horses so this felt natural. But I wanted it to be a bit more grown up, not The Black Stallion repeated (though I loved those as a child). A story that dealt with deeper issues and challenges without losing that element of *fun.* One day a scene came to me for Rodeo Dreams so I wrote it down. It was completely intimidating to think of writing a full length novel so I wrote in chunks like this for a long time, stringing scenes together like one might piece a quilt. Eventually, the story was finished. There is now a sequel to that story, as well as a work of horse-related women’s fiction called Rain Shadow.

You write plenty of non-fiction, but what draws you back to fiction?

Fiction, good fiction, is subtle yet powerful. I think you can explore things in fiction that are much harder in nonfiction (without sounding preachy and annoying). I was drawn to the challenge of that. Though my books—especially Rodeo Dreams and Rhinestones—are “horse stories,” they explore deeper subjects like loss, truth, God’s “will” and forgiveness. They are stories about relationships, in all their messy detail, and the things that bond people together. That I also get to create supporting horse characters with personality and wisdom is incredibly fun.

Among the reasons I adore you -- aside from saving my bacon while researching The Stars Shine Bright -- is your wonderful honesty about your life. Readers must sense that in your fiction, too.

Like most writers, I’m not interested in shallow things or shallow ideas. That drives a certain transparency that I won’t compromise. Life is rich and complicated; I want to share something real with a reader and inspire them somehow. I have gotten wonderful emails and feedback from readers over the years. Rain Shadow has over a 100 reviews on Amazon now and some of them have made me cry. It was a story that touched on very personal emotions and experiences so it is a privilege to know readers were touched, too.

Name Some Favorites: Books, movies, daydreams, horses--whatever you're thinking about.

It’s hard to pick a favorite book, impossible really. A few of my top picks for fiction are Peace Like a River and Like Water for Elephants. And the Raleigh Harmon series sold me on Christian fiction—dead honest here. I have referred many, many people who would normally not pick up “Christian fiction” to the series because it is entertaining with real depth and excellent writing. [NOTE: Catherine, I promise, the $20 I owe you will be there soon.-- Sibella]

Non-fiction that I love, love love include: Unbroken, Sea Biscuit and A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. Also I love real life drama done well like A Perfect Storm and Into Thin Air.

It wouldn’t be right to not mention my favorite horses that provide so much inspiration. Currently I have a young mustang taken out of the desert in south east Oregon named Mateo who is intriguing. He provided inspiration for my most recent work, Rhinestones. My horse of a lifetime though is my 11-year-old Arabian stallion Eli. He is a beautiful introvert with remarkable dignity. He notices everything and is sensitive, proud, and kind. He has spurred me to better my horse language, put my ego away and just listen. He always tells the truth. When I get overloaded with life and need to find that quiet place in my soul I take him out in the mountains for a ride. The best kind of therapy!

The Next Big Thing

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 16:35:00 +0000

My novelist-buddy Rachel Hauck tagged me for The Next Big Thing blog hop. Ten questions. Then I tag some authors, asking the same ten questions. Then they tag . . . and so on, and so on.

Since I've got three projects going simultaneously, I'm choosing to talk about the book flashing in the immediate foreground. And off we go:

What is the working title of your book? "Here Not Here."

Where did the idea come from for the book? Readers of the Raleigh Harmon mystery series have often asked me to write about her early life, what it was like before her father was murdered. I was considering a prequel to "The Stones Cry Out," the first book in the series, but then my creative husband suggested something better: When did Raleigh get hooked on geology, and what if that hook came at a price?

What genre does your book fall under? Young adult mystery.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? As someone who doesn't watch much TV and whose movie library is still on VHS, I keep picking actresses who are now too old to play Raleigh. But. Still. I like them: Rene Russo in "Lethal Weapon 3" and Janine Turner in "Cliffhanger."

If only they could be cryogenically frozen.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

When 15-year-old Drew Levinson goes missing, everyone thinks she ran away - except her best friend Raleigh Harmon, who sets out to discover what really happened.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
That question feels like the cart is getting before the horse. Right now, I'm just enjoying the story.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? Seven months. I tend to write-and-edit simultaneously, which slows down the sprint to the finish line.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I'm inspired by some great mysteries from my youth, such as "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase," and more recent mysteries such as "The Silence of Murder" by Dandi Daley Mackall.

Who or What inspired you to write this book? Touch-stones. Road markers. Those elemental moments of youth where our pasts become braided with challenges and blessings and meaning. I'm fascinated by those things that happened to you that now make you, You.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? Don't we all remember what it feels like to be fifteen, and nobody understands you? Now throw in a life-and-death situation that's going to define the rest of your days.

Okay, that's my Ten.
Now check out the next round of The Next Big Thing with these fabulous authors:

Kristin Billerbeck

Tamera Alexander
Dandi Daley Mackall

Dandi Daley Mackall

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 03:34:00 +0000

Not sure why, but it's become difficult to find great young-adult mysteries. Here's hoping that will change in the future, but right now "The Silence of Murder" fills the gap in a big way.

Apparently the people bestowing America's highest award in mysteries agree: Dandi Daley Mackall's novel won this year's Edgar Award in the young-adult category.

"The Silence of Murder" centers on the tough-but-tender Hope Long and her brother Jeremy who has been accused of killing the town's beloved baseball coach. Hope is the only person who believes Jeremy is innocent. But since Jeremy hasn't spoken a word in 9 years, he's unable to defend himself. Hope sets out to find out what happened to the baseball coach, and why.

I adored this novel. The plucky protagonist wasn't annoyingly snarky. The challenging mystery played fair with the reader. And not once was I pulling back from the page by the depressingly prevalent shock-factor that ruins so many otherwise good YA books.

Dandi Mackall dropped by Deeper Mysteries for a chat about book, kids, reading and writing. And on writing, she's an esteemed veteran. Over the course of 20-plus years, she's produced dozens of articles for mainstream magazines and around 400 books (yes, really) for children and adults, with sales of over 4 million. A frequent guest on radio and television talk shows, Dandi lives in rural Ohio with her husband, three children, horses, dogs, & cats.

I'm curious, did the idea for "The Silence of Murder" come to you over time, or in one thunderbolt-aha! moment?

And the answer is…YES! I have a habit of playing with words the day after I turn in a big manuscript. I let myself write for fun, being free because I’ll never try to turn it into a novel. So, about 10 years ago, I wrote the entire first chapter of what would eventually become THE SILENCE OF MURDER. I placed it in a file on my computer: “Play.” Every year or so, I’d pull it up and mess with it a bit. But I couldn’t see where it was going, so back into the file it went. Then about 2 years ago, I pulled it up and decided I would write the next chapter, no matter what. The first words I typed were: “Your honor, I object!” And I realized that the whole first chapter was an account by Hope, who occupied the witness box in a courtroom, where her brother was on trial for murder. After that, the story unfolded for me.

Have you written mysteries before? And what kind of research was necessary for "The Silence of Murder"?

I love mysteries. I’ve always read mysteries right before going to bed. I write a lot of teen and pre-teen books, and I do sneak in a mystery whenever I can. Each series I write has at least one mystery: Midnight Mystery in Winnie the Horse Gentler series; Dark Horse inStarlight Animal Rescue. Degrees of Guilt, Degrees of Betrayal. But SILENCE is my first honest-to-goodness murder mystery. I interviewed (read, “hounded”) a local district attorney, a judge, a prosecutor. I observed trials. And because I wanted to recreate courtroom scenes, I read transcripts of murder trials. I had to research Ohio law since the story takes place in Ohio. I don’t think I’ve ever done so much research for a book—but I loved it…most of the time.

I tend to vacillate about the term "special needs," partly because as a Christian, I think every one of us is considered "special needs" one way or another. But, for the sake of clarity, we can say one of your main characters in this book is truly "special needs," in the physiological sense. Did you consciously choose to write about that subject, or did that character just appear in the process of writing the story? By the way, he's a great character.

Thanks—and I’m glad you asked. I don’t have a problem with the term “special needs,” and we do have a daughter who fits into the category. I didn’t set out to write about a special needs character; I never do. And yet, they keep popping up in my fiction. The first time I realized this, I was doing a school visit, giving an author’s assembly, followed by Q and A. One fifth-grade student asked me why I wrote about special needs characters. I thought she had me mixed up with someone else, but I didn’t want her to feel silly. “Well,” I answered, “I really don’t write about special needs characters, but that’s a great idea. I’ll have to think about it.” She didn’t say a word. But after the workshop, she came up and handed me a sheet of paper with 14 of my books written on it…and the special needs characters that appeared in each book—a little sister, Special Olympics, a friend, a classmate, etc. Our daughter Katy is on my mind a lot. I guess we write what’s on our hearts, even if we don’t intend to.

You're a believer, but your book isn't explicitly Christian, which is one of the book's terrific strengths. The story contains many unstated themes (which, of course, are the best kind of themes) concerning sacrificial love. Can you talk a bit about how your worldview informs your writing -- or doesn't?

I’m so thankful that I’ve been able to write what I want, more or less. I do have books that are more openly Christian. But I love it when those unstated themes are integral to the whole. I guess it’s like writing about special needs characters. If Katy is on my mind, I should expect parts of her to appear in my writing. And if Christ is on my mind, in my heart, I should expect to see evidence pop up in natural ways—a “church lady,” who surprises us by not being judgmental, a moment when characters simply know that God is in the courtroom, a character who makes the right and wise choice to wait until marriage to have sex because she wants it to be fantastic.

What was it like to win the Edgar Award? (Editorial aside: ???!!!! )

I LOVE this question! All the clichés work—unbelievable, dreamlike, surreal. When I found out SILENCE was a finalist, I thought it was mistake. I mean, Harlan Coben was a finalist! But my hubby and I got to go to NYC for the big awards banquet, and I knew I’d get to meet all the authors I’ve read for years. I remember sitting at the Random House table, with my Knopf editor, my agent, and everyone at Random who’d worked on the book. And I thought, All these people gussied up and are here…for me. I felt God’s love and grace at that moment as strong as I’ve ever felt it. They actually open an envelope and read the name of the winner. When they read my name, Joe and I just stared at each other…until my agent shoved me to go and get my award. I hadn’t prepared a speech because I never thought I’d win. I’m not sure what I said, but Sandra Brown, the MC, later told me my first two words were “Holy Cow.” Now, whenever I think of that night, I picture God grinning at me because he knew I never thought I’d win, and he knew I was the happiest person there, win or lose.
What are you working on next -- another mystery? Will the vivid characters from "The Silence of Murder" return again?

I think I’m the ADD or writers. I’m working on another mystery, and mostly I’m loving writing it. But the next novel to come out is a coming-of-age novel set in rural Missouri in the sixties. I’m also working on a WWII novel, using my parents’ letters, which they wrote for nearly 2 years during the war (3 times a day for 2 years). My dad was an army Dr., stationed in France and Germany, and Mom was an army nurse in England and France. They met in boot camp, married 8 weeks later, had about a week as husband and wife, and then Mom got shipped out, followed by Dad—but never to the same place. I’m also working on several rhyming children’s books and a Bible story devotional for toddlers and….

What's a typical writing day look like for you, Dandi?

I travel, speaking at conferences and doing school visits. But when I’m home, I get up early, usually by 5 am (I know, I know…my writing friends hate that.). I have a quiet time, then do my fresh writing and first drafts in the morning. In the afternoon, I rewrite and research. Most days, I walk around our lake (5 miles) with my mini-tape recorder and talk in scenes and dialog and ideas. My neighbors often refer to me as “that lady who walks and talks to herself.” They don’t see the recorder.)

Writing for young adults: How is it different from writing for adults? What are the challenges/pitfalls/joys?

I love writing for young adults, and in many ways there are few differences in writing for YA or for adults. The biggest difference is perception and what’s important. For example, when I first wrote MY BOYFRIENDS’ DOGS (Dutton/Penguin), the climax took place on the main character’s wedding day. But my editor asked me to change it to a prom for YA audiences. I thought she was wrong, so I visited high schools and asked young women which would interest them more—prom or wedding. Wedding won.

Here's your Get-Out-of-Jail-Free Card: Talk about whatever you want to say or wherever you want to go on any topic:

I just want to say thanks—thanks for letting me ramble, Sibella.

Dandi's book is available for sale at Goodread's website.

Scavenger Hunt Guest Melanie Dickerson!

noreply@blogger.com (Sibella) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 02:33:00 +0000

SCAVENGER HUNT STOP #17

Follow the clues, win prizes --including a Kindle Fire, free books and more!

Don't you adore gathering clues and solving a mystery? That love of the hunt partially inspired the Raleigh Harmon mystery series. But it's also why I'm over-the-moon about this Fall Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt. It's thrilling to see readers not only find clues but new authors -- and win awesome prizes to boot.

The Scavenger Hunt's starting gun goes off at noon MDT on 10/25. The hunt stays open until midnight MDT on 10/28 —plenty of time to collect all the clues. With 31 stops, you'll be meeting some cool authors. New novels. Soon-to-be-released novels. And at each stop, exclusive content. Is this awesome or what?

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to collect all the clues in RED on each blog post, beginning at Stop #1, the home of our hunt's leader, author Lisa Bergeren. Then proceed through to Stop #32 where you'll fill out a Rafflecopter form. Provide the completed clue quote -- all the RED words you gathered from all 31 stops -- and have that ready within 24 hours of email notification of winning, or else another winner will be randomly drawn. Don’t let that happen to you! (Of course, if you’re not notified on 10/29/12, don't email or submit anything else. Just rejoice in the experience of playing. Nobody goes home a loser in this hunt, since each stop offers exclusive content found nowhere else.)

The Grand Prize is a new Kindle Fire, plus 31 new novels!

Second and Third Prizes are $50 Amazon, Barnes and Noble, CBD or BookDepository.com gift certificates (And here's the fine print few of us read: Contest is open to international entrants. If the winner lives outside the United States, they shall win the equivalent in gift certificate funds to the prize in US dollars.)

Now, on with our guest!
Please welcome my friend Melanie Dickerson. Would you look at that smile? The woman should be on a toothpaste commercial. But she's too talented for that.

Melanie is the author of The Healer's Apprentice and The Merchant's Daughter, both Christy Award finalists. She's also the winner of The National Reader's Choice Award for 2010's Best First Book, and winner of the 2012 Carol Award in Young Adult fiction.

With all that great talent, she still lives out of a servant's heart. After earning her bachelor's degree in special education from The University of Alabama, Melanie taught special-needs children from Georgia and Tennessee, in addition to teaching English to adults in Germany and Ukraine. These days she spends her time writing and taking care of her husband and two daughters near Huntsville, Alabama.

Yep. A southern gal. She's got everything.

Melanie's latest release is The Fairest Beauty. In this Snow White fairy tale retelling, a woman arrives in Hagenheim claiming the young woman betrothed to the duke’s son, Valten, is still alive. With Valten injured, his younger brother, Gabe, defies his family to find Sophie himself. Meanwhile, Sophie desperately wants to get away from her stepmother’s jealousy, and plans to escape. Then a young man named Gabe arrives from Hagenheim Castle, claiming she is betrothed to his older brother. This could be Sophie’s one chance at freedom---but can she trust another person to keep her safe?

It's a great premise, and just for you Scavenger Hunters, Melanie's offering this EXCLUSIVE MATERIAL, a scene that was deleted from The Fairest Beauty. First, from the perspective of Sophie. Then from Gabe's viewpoint.

A kind face, and handsome too. Sophie didn’t like to think what would happen to him if Duchess Ermengard disbelieved his story. He wasn’t like anyone she had met before. He was courageous, having stood up to Lorencz, refusing to leave when she warned him about Duchess Ermengard, and yet he didn’t have the swagger and bluster of a fighting man—a knight or guard—or a hunter.

She reclined on the ground, propping her back against a small tree, and watched him do the task.

“Will you tell me about them? About your mother and father and brothers and sisters?”

A gentle smile edged his lips and he sighed slightly. An unfamiliar feeling of contentment and safety came over Sophie. She nestled on the ground and pillowed her head on her arm as she stared up at him.

~ ~ ~

Gabe could see she was exhausted, but Sophie still had a radiant beauty. He felt her eyes on him as he stuffed the mattress. Her question about his family surprised him. An orphan, she was curious about his family. The thought pricked his heart, and he knew if his mother were here, she’d adopt Sophie on the spot and lavish her with love. Finding out whether she was the daughter of Duke Baldewin would be a lesser priority.

“My mother’s name is Rose. She is very beautiful, with long red-brown hair, brown eyes and a big smile. My father fell in love with her when he wasn’t allowed to marry her. He said she was the most beautiful, sweet, virtuous maiden in the region, and he was determined to marry her, no matter what he had to do . . . ."

Melanie Dickerson's The Fairest Beauty is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, CBD, or your local bookstore.

But before you leave, write down this STOP #17 clue: LIVING.

Your next stop is Melanie's own blog. Have fun -- and keep reading!

Oh, and if you want a chance to win ANOTHER PRIZE, sign up for my (fun and 100 percent spam-free!) newsletter. You'll be entered to win an audio CD of one of my books, and a copy of my latest release The Stars Shine Bright.
Thanks so much. And I hope YOU win!

noreply@blogger.com (Sibella) — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 14:24:00 +0000

Dear Readers,

I must confess my sentimental human heart wishes "winner" could be plural in the contest for the Kindle Fire+Raleigh books.

Plural, as in "everyone."

But Jennifer Lucas of Ohio -- come on down! YOU won that Kindle Fire and all five Raleigh Harmon novels. We would say you're a lucky girl, but it would offend our intrepid forensic geologist who says luck doesn't exist (and I agree with her).

My sincerest thanks to everyone who entered this contest. We'll have more -- name the next Raleigh book? Name some characters? With prizes, of course.

Thank you for being the best readers a writer-girl could hope for.

Your humble scribe,

-- Sibella