Barbara's Back Page News

I haven’t written a blog in quite some time and I know you’ve been waiting with bated breath for my next entry. So, relax and breathe. I’m back.

Since I just finished writing and publishing my second Fredrickson Winery novel, Crushed, I haven’t really been keeping up on the news.

Sure, I’ve heard about all the Arab countries rioting and starting wars, I saw the horrible devastation in Japan from the earthquake and resulting tsunami, and then days later watched news stations cut into the less important news of Libya to announce the very, very important “breaking news” of Elizabeth Taylor’s death.

I guess what I’m saying is that I haven’t kept up on my trivial pursuit of interesting news tidbits that always make me laugh or scratch my head. So, today I’m sharing a few of my most recent favorites:

Lindsay, or as some people still refer to her–Lindsay Lohan– is dropping her last name and becoming yet another one moniker celebrity. (That doesn’t mean “open to mocking” but I’m going to do it anyway) Apparently she believes she is so awesome and unforgettable that no one would mistake her for the girl down the street, the lady at the grocery store, or the woman that cuts your hair. If anyone could be considered famous enough to have only one name it would be Elizabeth Taylor, yet she refrained from such nonsense. Maybe because there are a billion people named Elizabeth, just like there’s probably a billion more named Lindsay. But lets not burst little Lindsay’s bubble of importance. After all, she’s probably going to jail again and will be called, Hey you, or #412. If she really wants to be recognized, I would suggest she do a “Joan of Arc” type name. Lindsay of Hollywood or Lindsay of Alcatraz. Something like that.

I also heard today that our ex-governor Pawlenty has moved up from thinking about running for President and acting like he’s running for President, to actually launching a presidential “exploratory committee.” Wow, huh? Now I’m waiting with bated breath. Tell me when I can breathe again.

In Texas, Baby Jessica is now 25 years old. I guess that means she’s no longer a baby. I still remember the story all those years ago when she fell into a well and was stuck for days. It was a horrible experience that she has no memory of, but many of the people watching her ordeal apparently sent money. Now a wife and stay-at-home mom of two babies, she is allowed access to that money which was set aside into a trust fund at the time. She is now $800,000 richer. Just in time too, now that gas prices are soaring.

And last but not least, Republicans are pushing for photo I.D.’s at polling places to ensure that everything is on the up and up, but Democrats are against such a thing because they say it will disenfranchise the poor and minority voters. Well, today in Minneapolis, the IRS was allowing lower income people to come in and have their tax questions answered for free. The only qualification was a photo I.D. So–you can’t get tax questions answered without an I.D., but you can vote illegally. Sounds perfectly logical to me.

Have a great weekend!

"The Mountains Bow Down" by Sibella Giorello (Book Review)

About The Mountains Bow Down: Everything's going to work out. Time away always makes things better . . ..

That's what FBI Special Agent Raleigh Harmon believes as she boards a cruise to Alaska. A land of mountains and gems and minerals, The Last Frontier is a dream destination for this forensic geologist who's hoping to leave behind a hectic work schedule and an engagement drained of romance.

But when a passenger goes missing and winds up dead, Raleigh's vacation suddenly gets lost at sea. The ship's security chief tries to rule the death a suicide, but Raleigh's forensics background points to a much darker conclusion: Somewhere onboard, a ruthless murderer walks free.

Engulfed by one of her toughest cases yet, Raleigh requests assistance from the FBI and receives her nemesis-perpetual ladies man Special Agent Jack Stephanson. As the cruise ship sails through the Inside Passage, Raleigh has five days to solve a high-profile murder, provide consultation for a movie filming onboard, and figure out her increasingly complicated feelings for Jack-who might not be such a jerk after all.

And that's only her work life. Family offers even more challenges. Joined on the cruise by her mother and aunt, Raleigh watches helplessly as disturbing rifts splinter her family.

Like the scenery that surrounds the cruise ship, Raleigh discovers a situation so steep and so complex that even the mountains might bow down.


About Sibella: Sibella Giorello grew up in Alaska and majored in geology at Mount Holyoke College. After riding a motorcycle across the country, she worked as a features writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Her stories have won state and national awards, including two nominations for the Pulitzer Prize. She now lives in Washington state with her husband and sons. Find out more about Sibella and her other books at her website. www.sibellagiorello.com

My Review:

I have read all of the Raleigh Harmon novels and in my opinion they just get better and better. This fourth one in the series was so good I didn’t want it to end, but although it is the longest book so far, I knew that Raleigh had to eventually solve the case and get off that cruise ship. 

Raleigh and her mother are along for the ride on a cruise with her Aunt Charlotte and Charlotte’s crazy psychic friend, who just happens to grate on Raleigh’s last nerve every time she’s in the room. Raleigh has taken a job as a consultant for a Hollywood movie, and plans to do some rock hunting and hiking on her “sort of vacation.” But as you’d expect, someone ends up dying and Raleigh is pulled into solving the murder before the cruise ends and all the suspects get away.

Raleigh is newly engaged, but still unsure of her feelings for the southern gentleman back home, even ignoring his calls and using work as a buffer against dealing with the truth. Her mother is mentally fragile and with all that is going on, Raleigh is not able to keep an eye on her like she normally would, shielding her with lies and evasion to the point that she doesn’t like herself very much.

Jack, an FBI agent from her past, flies in to help her with the case, further confusing her feelings about marriage to her fiancé, DeMott.

The Mountains Bow Down is a murder mystery on a cruise ship with self-obsessed Hollywood characters, laugh-out-loud humor, and beautiful descriptions of Alaska and the ocean that will make you want to take your own cruise there, but it also has an emotional depth that sneaks up and pulls at you like a riptide. The character development is awesome to behold, facets of Raleigh’s character revealed in the smallest of nuance. Whether tender scenes with her mother, or repartee with Jack–the agent she wants to dislike, we learn a little more about Raleigh and what makes her tick. 

(Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

Start the series fresh with this great deal! Pick up a copy of Book 1 for your Kindle or Nook for only $2.99! The Stones Roll Away is the critically acclaimed award winner that kicked off the Raleigh Harmon series.

Click Here   

Sibella’s celebrating the release of The Mountains Bow Down by giving away a Cruise prize pack worth over $500.00!

One Grand Prize winner will receive:
A $500 gift certificate toward the cruise of their choice from Vacations To Go.
The entire set of the Raleigh Harmon series.

Go here! ENTER Then tell your friends - the giveaway ends on 4/1! The winner will be announced at Sibella’s Raleigh Harmon BOOK CLUB PARTY on FB April 5th, 2011! Don’t miss the fun – prizes, books and gab!

About the Facebook Party: Join Sibella and fans of the Raleigh Harmon series on April 5th at 5:00 pm PST (6 MST, 7 CST & 8 EST) for a Facebook Book Club Party. Sibella will be giving away some fun prizes, testing your trivia skills and hosting a book chat about the Raleigh Harmon books. Please RSVP  and if you have questions you'd like to chat about - leave them on the Event page.

  

Read more reviews of Sibella's novel:

Blog Tour Schedule

Criminals Beware! Maybe I do and maybe I don't...

When liberal gun haters argue that guns should be taken from all citizens and melted into a lovely artistic expression of peace and goodwill, they never take into consideration that even the very thought of a gun in the hands of a law-abiding citizen can stop a criminal in his tracks and make him wet his pants in fear.

I’m all for criminals wetting their pants in fear and not the other way around. Law-abiding citizens should not be put in the position of being unable to defend themselves and their property because only rapists and crooks carry guns and knives. Because of course, our government can’t actually regulate the criminal world. They live a law unto themselves. Just consider Chicago politicians.

A story out of the liberal-leaning state of Oregon proves my point. A man breaks into a house to rob it. The owner shows up and confronts him, and the criminal runs, locks himself in the bathroom, and calls the police on his cell phone cause he thinks “maybe” the owner has a gun. The owner also calls the police to report the break in. 

In Oregon it’s sometimes hard to know which way it’ll go. I’m surprised the police didn’t arrest the homeowner for intimidating the man who broke into his house. But luckily he’s still free to roam his own home and yard without an ankle bracelet. Now if they can prove he made empty threats about having a gun, he’ll probably be sued for mental anguish. That poor twenty-four-year-old trespasser probably could use a little cushion money to get by until he has time to break into another home.

You probably thought I was going to talk about Tom Selleck as Quigley, didn't you? Nope, I just like to look at him dressed like a cowboy.   

Sneak Peak – "Crushed"

This is a sneak peak into my upcoming novel, "Crushed," Vol II in the Fredrickson Winery saga and the sequel to "Entangled."

Crushed will be available as an ebook in just a couple more weeks! So check out the blurb below for a taste of what's coming:

Crushed

It’s crush time at Fredrickson Winery and everyone is working feverously to get the grapes in and ensure a great vintage.

When Adam Fredrickson shows up at his sister’s California winery, footloose and carefree, looking for a temporary job and a chance to play his music, he doesn’t expect to meet the girl of his dreams. But the best things in life are usually unexpected.   

Margaret Parker, a single mom, newly hired as Chief winemaker at Fredrickson’s, finds her perfect world put to the test when her father is allowed an early release from prison, and her son’s absentee father shows up from Italy suddenly wanting to play daddy.

Leave a comment and tell me what you think about the new cover or if you think the blurb is catchy enough. I live for others opinions. I won't pay for them, but I appreciate them:)