/ en-US Wed, 06 Mar 2019 20:20:35 -0800 60 / 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg /author_blog_posts/6722121-nbsp-nbsp-nbsp-thank-you-jim-denney-for-inviting-m Mon, 28 Jul 2014 07:46:00 -0700 /author_blog_posts/6722121-nbsp-nbsp-nbsp-thank-you-jim-denney-for-inviting-m Ìý Ìý ÌýIf you're not familiar with Jim's work, you live in a bunker. The guy's written 198 books. Or maybe only 98. Fiction (the Time Benders series), non-fiction (many with Orlando Magic founder Pat Williams), and his latest books on craft--Ìýis anÌýabsolute MUST for writers.Ìý
Ìý Ìý ÌýJim's also got a couple of cool websites:ÌýÌý²¹²Ô»åÌý. Check the dude out!


Now for the blog-hop questions:

1. What am I working on?

Raleigh Harmon.ÌýShe's the nexus of my fiction universe. Fortunately I really love her company. Nothing like a forensic geologist who can't stay out of trouble.

I'm finishing up the second novel in her Young Adult adventures, the sequel toÌý. And since readers keep whipping me with chains, I'm working on the sequel to her adult life mysteries, afterÌý.Ìý
Ìý Ìý The YA will be out this winter.Ìý
Ìý Ìý The adult mystery will appear . . . no, wait. No promises.Ìý
Ìý Ìý When you write books, making promises will only get you in trouble.
Ìý Ìý Or, more trouble.Ìý
Ìý Ìý But soon.Ìý
Ìý Ìý I promise . . . .
ÌýÌý
2. How does my work differ from other works in its genre?
Ìý Ìý ÌýMy hope is my work doesn't differ all that much: Great mysteries all carry the same elements of tight plot, ripping story, great characters and a setting that puts you right-there.Ìý
Ìý Ìý But Raleigh's a forensic geologist who believes in God.Ìý
Ìý Ìý And that's probably why readers like to tell me how this series differs from other mysteries: Ìý

"The day I found your bookÌýThe Rivers Run Dry, I thought 'Geology and mystery. . . together? What could be better?'

Ever since then I've enjoyed reading your books. Raleigh's charm and view of the world is refreshing." -- Ashley G.
Ìý Ìý ÌýÌý
"You are the kind of author who writes books that make people like me let everything else go because Ìýwe have to read til the end. ÌýIt's a sweet addiction . . . . The fact that Raleigh just can't leave things alone is totally in character with the rest of her persona. ÌýAll the information about the rocks is good too." -- Patricia H.Ìý


"I am an avid mystery reader and have read just about everything from Dick Francis to Agatha Christie to David Balducci (and the list goes on, and on, and on) ÌýSo I have a pretty good feel for what is out there.Ìý Ìý "Your books are so refreshing. They are every bit as suspenseful without being graphic. You have a beautiful way with language and your stories are well crafted and lyrically written." -- Marianne G.
ÌýÌý
Ìý Ìý So, there you have it. Must say, these letters are like wind in my sails; I can't thank readers enough.Ìý
Ìý ÌýBut, world being what it is, there's always one person who feels obligated to dump the one-star review on Amazon just because Raleigh's a Christian. On the one hand, it cracks me up--somebody going to all that cantankerous trouble to rag about a fictional character who has a hopeful view of the world.
Ìý Ìý Ìý On the other hand, I wish these cranks would just go back to reading the delusional Richard Dawkins and leave Raleigh alone.
Ìý Ìý ÌýThe girl's got enough problems.

3. Why do I write what I do?
Ìý Ìý ÌýMysteries: From the minute fell into my eight-year-old hands, I've loved mysteries. My dad later fed me a steady diet of Dash Hammett, Ross Thomas and James Crumley.Ìý
Ìý Ìý Ìý Nothing -- in my mind-- compares to reading a good mystery. Suspense, colorful characters (even those playing secondary roles), wrapped around one big fat Whodunnit.
Ìý Ìý ÌýBut mysteries are also among the most difficult books to write. Some genres allow for loose ends. Every element in a mystery must tie together, and only be revealed at the just-right moment.ÌýIt's like walking a tight-rope, and the answers are all waiting on the other side.

4. How does my writing process work?
Ìý Ìý ÌýI try not to look under the hood too often. In case I spook the machine.
Ìý Ìý But the closest answer would be to compare it to how my Thanksgiving meal gets on the table.
Ìý Ìý The planning stage consists of lists and shopping. Characters, settings, vague ideas that begin, "Wouldn't it be fun to write about . . . ?"Ìý
Ìý Ìý Ìý Then, sweat.Ìý
Ìý Ìý Ìý And sitting, which for me is the equivalent of water-boarded. Stand outside my office door, you'll hear me whining (and then some) about having to sit and write (yes, I tried the treadmill desk, thank you but I got nauseated. I also don't chew gun and walk at the same time).Ìý
Ìý Ìý Ìý So sitting and sitting until finally the story takes over and I completely forget that I'm sitting. Suddenly, nothing else exists but the story.Ìý
Ìý Ìý Ìý Carrying our Thanksgiving metaphor forward, this stage would be where I burn the turkey because I have completely forgotten it's even in the oven.Ìý
Ìý Ìý Ìý Crispy outcomes aside, few things compare with having a story sweep you into its telling. Those moment feel holy--and wholly undeserved by the likes of me.
Ìý Ìý ÌýWhich reminds me.ÌýBefore she would begin her day's writing Flannery O'Connor used to pray to St. Raphael. The Catholic faith calls Raphael the "angel of happy meetings."
Ìý Ìý ÌýI can't think of a better way to express the mysterious process of fiction: Happy meetings, both with the characters who come to bother Raleigh Harmon, and the readers who meet these people and love them just as I do.Ìý

So What's Next?


I've invited the lovely and talented to make this blog tour's next literary lap.Ìý
Ìý Ìý ÌýA true southern girl, with a wicked sense of humor, Christa writes women's fiction. Her debut Ìýprompted Publisher's Weekly to dub her "one to watch."Ìý
Ìý Ìý So, watch!Ìý
Ìý Ìý .Ìý





Ìý ÌýÌý

posted by Sibella Giorello on March, 06 ]]> /author_blog_posts/6329620-nike-chillemi-first-showed-up-on-my-radar-screen-for-her Thu, 22 May 2014 12:23:00 -0700 /author_blog_posts/6329620-nike-chillemi-first-showed-up-on-my-radar-screen-for-her Nike Chillemi first showed up on my radar screen for her name--a name so cool I wanted to steal it for a character.
Ìý Ìý ÌýLater, we became pen-pals, and she taught me about behavior patterns in abused kids. Her wisdom helped with the latest young-adult Raleigh Harmon mystery, "Stone and Spark."
Ìý ÌýBut these days, Nike is among my go-to mystery reads whenever I want something honest that still has a redemptive storyline.
Ìý Ìý ÌýNike's term for it is "askance romance."
Ìý Ìý Ìý"I like the sound of askance romance," she says. "It rolls off the tongue."
Ìý Ìý Ìý Her latest romantic mystery is featuring Brooklyn-bred PI Veronica "Ronnie" Ingals. After her cheating husband of one year is murdered, Ronnie heads to west Texas to track the crime. But she quickly locks horns with former Army Ranger Dawson Hughes, who pegs Ronnie as the number one suspect in the murder.
Ìý Ìý I had a chance to talk to Nike about writing and life in general.ÌýLike her name, there's nothing ordinary about this woman. Be sure to check out her blog-- Ìý(Man, I love that name, too).
Ìý Ìý Ìý First: what do you mean by 'askance romance'?
Ìý Ìý ÌýNike:ÌýI needed a way to let readers know the romance between Ronnie and Dawson was sweet romance, but not tidy. Everything doesn't tie up neatly in a bow. Ronnie has severe issues as far as commitment goes. The fact that her recently murdered husband cheated on her doesn't help. But then she and that handsome deputy sheriff are going to have more than one book.
Ìý Ìý ÌýGood. How did you start writing novels in the place?Ìý
Ìý Ìý ÌýI started writing seriously for publication seven years ago. When I joined American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) I also had more characters than a Leo Tolstoy novel and I thought they were all important. At that time Harlequin offered an online writing course. I conscientiously studied and did the homework for every single lesson. I'm not sure who said this, Stephen King, maybe, but I agree with it and practice it: I try to read the top writers in my genre…and you Sibella, are one I read. I read J. Mark Bertrand, Nancy Mehl, Robert Liparulo. James Scott Bell. I also read general market crime fiction writers such as Michael Connelly, Robert Crais, Barbara Parker, and Lee Child.
Ìý Ìý Ìý I'm humbled by that company. Thanks. On a personal note, you lead a very full life, including fostering teenagers. Tell me more about that, and how it informs your writing.
Ìý Ìý ÌýMy husband and I were foster parents. Then we took a break for a year and after that signed on with an adoption agency specializing in the adoption of children from the foster care system. We adopted three girls, ages 6, 7, and 9. They had been seriously abused. If fact, we cooperated with the district attorney and one abuser received ten years in prison. I've come to realize that abuse (physical, sexual, mental, and verbal) cripples children. It stunts them, shames them, and makes them feel unworthy.
Ìý Ìý ÌýWhile they're deluged with feelings of inadequacy, they can't concentrate on school and fall behind. It also makes it difficult for them to form a relationship with God. They feel if their biological parents and grandparents didn't love and protect them, why should they believe their heavenly Father will? '
Ìý Ìý ÌýIt's taken me a while, but I'm now writing about the lifelong effects of this type of abuse. This new series, starting with "Harmful Intent," Veronica "Ronnie" Ingels and Dawson Hughes are the first of four "couples" in the series. At least one member of each couple, and sometimes both, will have been seriously damaged by parental abuse and/or neglect. It'll emerge as a subtheme and these issues will pop up at the worst of times to frustrate and confound the character while in pursuit of a killer. Each couple will have two or more novels.
Ìý Ìý Ìý This is going to be a long series.
Ìý Ìý ÌýDo you do a lot of research, aside from personal observations of damaged people?
Ìý Ìý ÌýI'm a research nut. started out as a writing prompt. The idea was to take a main character and place her in uncomfortable surroundings. I took Brooklyn-born and -bred Ronnie Ingels and put her in the hill country of Texas. That's disconcerting enough. But then I had her cheating husband murdered there, with Deputy Sheriff Dawson Hughes pegging Ronnie as the prime suspect. I thought I'd have a short story, but it morphed into a novel with plans for a series.
Ìý Ìý ÌýI had to research details such as the procedure for flying with firearms from one state to another, what the Texas countryside looked like, types of trees, etc. I also listened to hours of Kenneth Copeland sermons to get comfortable with the jargon, lilt, and cadence of Texas speech patterns. He tosses in all kinds of information and stories about Texas, some of which I used in the novel.
Ìý Ìý As an author, I don't always like getting this question, but here goes: Is there anything you want readers to take away from your novels?Ìý
Ìý Ìý First, I want readers to enjoy the novel. I want it to be an exciting murder mystery with likeable and engaging main characters and quirky secondary characters. I've thrown a lot of humor into the story. I'd like the story to thrill and chill, then turn on a dime and tickle the reader's funny bone.
Ìý Ìý And in the midst of that, I'd like the reader to think about the awesome responsibility of parenting.
Ìý Ìý I'd like the reader to ponder what the meaning and purpose of being here on earth is all about.
Ìý Ìý
Follow Nike on , and her website:Ìý

Ìý

posted by Sibella Giorello on February, 02 ]]> /author_blog_posts/6059932-kurt-vonnegut-cracked-the-mystery-of-creative-people-par Mon, 07 Apr 2014 09:06:00 -0700 /author_blog_posts/6059932-kurt-vonnegut-cracked-the-mystery-of-creative-people-par PS. Those of you in southern California, check out . They're doing good work, with joy.ÌýÌý Ìý ÌýAnd the door's open.



posted by Sibella Giorello on March, 17 ]]> /author_blog_posts/20700681-one-day-you-have-one-day-to-steal-the-clouds-roll-away Sat, 29 Mar 2014 20:54:00 -0700 /author_blog_posts/20700681-one-day-you-have-one-day-to-steal-the-clouds-roll-away One day.

You have one day to steal .

Ìý Ìý Ìý Tomorrow, this popular mystery ratchets back up to ten bucks. So grab it for $2.99 while you can.Ìý
Ìý Ìý ÌýAlong with this screaming deal, I've been posting my for writing this third (of many) Raleigh Harmon mysteries. But this week, Life refused to cooperate with my plans (and why should it?).ÌýÌý Ìý ÌýSo today--your 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 Ìýto it. Go see America's unique historic gem.Homesickness. In the previous book, , 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.ÌýAnd 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.ÌýGifts, 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 inÌýThe Clouds Roll Away, one gutted me: theÌýscene where Raleigh watches the Charlie Brown television special surrounded by crack addicts. It wrecked me for days.Ìý"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 whyÌý Ìýwas named among Ìýof that year. Reluctant romance, it makes great reading.
And all of those reasons bring me to Reason One for writing this mystery:

Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý ÌýLove.

Ìý Ìý ÌýReaders know Raleigh Harmon is strong.Ìý
Ìý Ìý ÌýCapable, smart, funny.
Ìý Ìý ÌýAnd desperately in need of love.
Ìý Ìý ÌýOf course, the whole world desperately needs love, and while writing this book, the words ofÌýÌýwere on my mind.ÌýIn particular, her Christmas poem, "Love Came Down."I'm certain that poem informed many scenes of this book.
Ìý Ìý ÌýSo, 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?
Ìý Ìý That's a rhetorical question.
Ìý Ìý Here's the full poem.ÌýAnd frankly, I don't care if it's March right now.Ìý
Ìý Ìý Merry Christmas, everyone.
Ìý Ìý



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.

Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý-- Christina Rossetti



posted by Sibella Giorello on December, 10 ]]> /author_blog_posts/13367325-one-day-you-have-one-day-to-steal-the-clouds-roll-away-n Sat, 29 Mar 2014 20:54:00 -0700 /author_blog_posts/13367325-one-day-you-have-one-day-to-steal-the-clouds-roll-away-n One day.

You have one day to steal .

Ìý Ìý Ìý Tomorrow, this popular mystery ratchets back up to ten bucks. So grab it for $2.99 while you can.Ìý
Ìý Ìý ÌýAlong with this screaming deal, I've been posting my for writing this third (of many) Raleigh Harmon mysteries. But this week, Life refused to cooperate with my plans (and why should it?).ÌýÌý Ìý ÌýSo today--your 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 Ìýto it. Go see America's unique historic gem.Homesickness. In the previous book, , 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.ÌýAnd 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.ÌýGifts, 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 inÌýThe Clouds Roll Away, one gutted me: theÌýscene where Raleigh watches the Charlie Brown television special surrounded by crack addicts. It wrecked me for days.Ìý"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 whyÌý Ìýwas named among Ìýof that year. Reluctant romance, it makes great reading.
And all of those reasons bring me to Reason One for writing this mystery:

Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý ÌýLove.

Ìý Ìý ÌýReaders know Raleigh Harmon is strong.Ìý
Ìý Ìý ÌýCapable, smart, funny.
Ìý Ìý ÌýAnd desperately in need of love.
Ìý Ìý ÌýOf course, the whole world desperately needs love, and while writing this book, the words ofÌýÌýwere on my mind.ÌýIn particular, her Christmas poem, "Love Came Down."I'm certain that poem informed many scenes of this book.
Ìý Ìý ÌýSo, 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?
Ìý Ìý That's a rhetorical question.
Ìý Ìý Here's the full poem.ÌýAnd frankly, I don't care if it's March right now.Ìý
Ìý Ìý Merry Christmas, everyone.
Ìý Ìý



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.

Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý-- Christina Rossetti



posted by Sibella Giorello on December, 30 ]]> /author_blog_posts/13367327-unreasonable-acts Fri, 21 Mar 2014 20:57:00 -0700 /author_blog_posts/13367327-unreasonable-acts
Sometimes a story flows onto the page so smoothly a writer feels like they're receiving dictation, straight from heaven.
Ìý Ìý ÌýThe opposite also happens.
Ìý Ìý ÌýThe 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-everÌýwrite another word.
Ìý Ìý ÌýEver.
Ìý ÌýÌýThe 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.
Ìý Ìý ÌýI'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.
Ìý Ìý Ìý Although written years apart, these two books bear some similarities.
Ìý Ìý ÌýMost crucially, they're both adored by readers.
Ìý Ìý Ìý, 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."
Ìý Ìý ÌýShe gave me three weeks to fix it.
Ìý Ìý And I did.
Ìý Ìý Because the story was beggingÌýme to tell it.
Ìý Ìý My latest release, , hit me with another gruesome writing experience.ÌýI nearly quit but for two things: a Ìýand, like Clouds, a story that pulled me to the computer.
Ìý Ìý ÌýMy 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.ÌýThat kid fought his way to get here, and came out howling.
Ìý Ìý ÌýNow he's got the spunk of ten warriors. If you tell him something can't done, it'll get done--his way. ÌýI love that about him. I admire his spirit.
Ìý Ìý ÌýWe'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.
Ìý Ìý Ìý 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.
Ìý Ìý Ìý ÌýKeep going.
Ìý Ìý Ìý And yes, I do realize how unreasonable it all is.
Ìý Ìý Ìý That's the point.
Ìý Ìý Ìý "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."
Ìý Ìý Ìý Which brings me for writing :
Ìý Ìý Ìý It was totally and completely unreasonable.

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






posted by Sibella Giorello on February, 25 ]]> /author_blog_posts/20700682-here-s-the-deal-and-i-do-mean-deal-amazon Thu, 20 Mar 2014 12:43:00 -0700 /author_blog_posts/20700682-here-s-the-deal-and-i-do-mean-deal-amazon Ìý Ìý Ìý Here's the deal. And I do mean deal. ÌýÌý
Ìý Ìý ÌýAmazon is offering for $2.99. That's an 81% discount.ÌýÌý Ìý ÌýBut it ends March 30. . Now.ÌýÌý Ìý Ìý I'm also posting my Top Ten Reasons for writing this third Raleigh Harmon mystery that Booklist awarded a .Ìý Ìý Ìý ÌýReason #7:
Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Winter
Ìý Ìý Despite preferring flip-flops to shoes, I still say winter's myÌýfavorite season, perhaps because a childhood in Alaska.Ìý
Ìý Ìý ÌýBut 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."Ìý Ìý ÌýIn The Clouds Roll Away, winter plays a starring role, and it was captured by theÌýbook's cover who illuminated the magic of the season and the mystery it brings to Raleigh Harmon.
Ìý Ìý ÌýHere's an excerpt where our formidable forensic geologist reflects on the Virginia winter :Ìý Ìý ÌýWinter 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. Ìý,Ìýthe first Raleigh mystery, is just $3.99. And so is the NEWÌýyoung-adult mystery, , featuring teenage Raleigh Harmon. Don't miss it!


posted by Sibella Giorello on December, 10 ]]> /author_blog_posts/13367329-nbsp-nbsp-nbsp-here-s-the-deal-and-i-do-mean-deal Thu, 20 Mar 2014 12:43:00 -0700 /author_blog_posts/13367329-nbsp-nbsp-nbsp-here-s-the-deal-and-i-do-mean-deal Ìý Ìý Ìý Here's the deal. And I do mean deal. ÌýÌý
Ìý Ìý ÌýAmazon is offering for $2.99. That's an 81% discount.ÌýÌý Ìý ÌýBut it ends March 30. . Now.ÌýÌý Ìý Ìý I'm also posting my Top Ten Reasons for writing this third Raleigh Harmon mystery that Booklist awarded a .Ìý Ìý Ìý ÌýReason #7:
Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Winter
Ìý Ìý Despite preferring flip-flops to shoes, I still say winter's myÌýfavorite season, perhaps because a childhood in Alaska.Ìý
Ìý Ìý ÌýBut 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."Ìý Ìý ÌýIn The Clouds Roll Away, winter plays a starring role, and it was captured by theÌýbook's cover who illuminated the magic of the season and the mystery it brings to Raleigh Harmon.
Ìý Ìý ÌýHere's an excerpt where our formidable forensic geologist reflects on the Virginia winter :Ìý Ìý ÌýWinter 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. Ìý,Ìýthe first Raleigh mystery, is just $3.99. And so is the NEWÌýyoung-adult mystery, , featuring teenage Raleigh Harmon. Don't miss it!


posted by Sibella Giorello on March, 13 ]]> /author_blog_posts/5926521-forward-back Mon, 17 Mar 2014 12:16:00 -0700 /author_blog_posts/5926521-forward-back Readers,Ìýhere it is! The new Raleigh Harmon mystery:



I'm thrilled about this book. Not only does Raleigh once again prove herself full of fire and spunk, Stone and SparkÌýanswers some questions bandied about by readers ever since the first Raleigh mystery, , 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 writingÌý, thoseÌýquestions 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 aÌýbeautiful 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 whereÌýThe 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 enjoyÌý. 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 mysteryÌýÌýfor $2.99.ÌýThat's 81% off the regular retail price.ÌýSoÌý. Please.ÌýI don't know whether this deal will happen again because I don't set these prices--I just celebrate with readers when it happens.Ìý



posted by Sibella Giorello on March, 10 ]]> /author_blog_posts/5926522-real-racism Sun, 16 Mar 2014 13:08:00 -0700 /author_blog_posts/5926522-real-racism Ìýfor $2.99.ÌýThat's 81% off the regular retail price.ÌýSoÌý. Please.ÌýI don't know whether this deal will happen again because I don't set these prices--I just celebrate with readers when it happens.Ìý But with the forehead-smacking deal, I'm posting myÌýTop Ten ReasonsÌýfor writing this third Raleigh Harmon mystery.ÌýToday is Reason #8:Slavery, Rap, Lott Cary and the source of racism
Ìý Ìý ÌýYeah, that about covers it.Ìý
Ìý Ìý Ìý The Clouds Roll Away swirlsÌýwith conflicts arising from the history of a small but significant place in Virginia: Charles City.ÌýÌý Ìý ÌýBordered by the James River just east of Richmond, Charles City is the home to America's most , a seed pod for several US presidents, and the first colonial settlement outside of Jamestown.Ìý Ìý Ìý But there's also storied black history here:
Ìý Ìý Ìý One of America's first free black communities.Ìý Ìý Ìý The nation's third-oldest free black church.Ìý Ìý Ìý Birthplace of Lott Cary.Ìý Ìý ÌýWho was Lott Cary?ÌýWe 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.ÌýÌý Ìý 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.Ìý Ìý But good intentions often pave the road straight to Hell. And Liberia might be one such construction project.
Ìý Ìý Ìý As I was researching Charles City for The Clouds Roll Away, IÌýstumbled uponÌýBitter 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, butÌýyou'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 finallyÌýÌýby an obscure house. It's now out of print). ÌýÌý Ìý ÌýJohnson, 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 whiteÌýabolitionist Christians. But when the abolitionists returned to Liberia to check on the progress, they were horrified.Denver News, public domainÌý ÌýThe 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.Ìý Ìý 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.ÌýÌý Ìý ÌýTo this day, Ìýwill skim right past Johnsons' authorship of Bitter Canaan, choosing instead to highlight the scholar's many other worthwhile achievements.ÌýBut it makes me wonder if simply can't handle the truth about the human heart. About ourselves.Ìý ÌýAnd it's why I love writing about Raleigh Harmon. The girl's honest, to the bone.Ìý Ìý 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.ÌýHere's an excerpt, as she's driving through Charles City looking for a woman connected to the Ku Klux Klan.Ìý ÌýÌý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý ÌýOn 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.Ìý 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.Ìý 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.
Ìý Ìý Ìý Out here, it could still be April, 1865.


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





posted by Sibella Giorello on March, 09 ]]>