Please welcome Robin Barefield, a bona fide Alaska wilderness guide and award-winning author. She’s graciously offering one of her books to all of my readers–see below. BUT ALSO, she’s giving away a signed print copy of one of her books to one commenter, so please leave her your thoughts.
Thanks for giving us a taste of your everyday life and your writing, Robin. Take it away…
My novels are set in the wilderness of Kodiak Island, Alaska and feature Dr. Jane Marcus, a fish and wildlife biologist. Jane is intelligent and strong, but she’s not afraid to acknowledge her insecurities. AlthoughJane and my other major characters, FBI Special Agent Nick Morgan and Alaska State Trooper Sergeant Dan Patterson, play key roles in my novels, the Alaska wilderness holds center stage, and I know this environment well.
My husband and I live in the wilderness on Kodiak Island, and our home is surrounded by the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge. Kodiak sits in the Gulf of Alaska, 250 miles southwest of Anchorage. It is a mountainous island with steep peaks rising from sea level and a shoreline carved by glaciers into deep, fjord-like bays. Kodiak is gorgeous, but its weather can be violent, change rapidly, and might vary considerably from one area of the island to another. Can you imagine chasing and catching a killer in such a beautiful but hostile environment?
The city of Kodiak is locatedat the northeastern tip of the island, and most of the 13,500 inhabitants of the island live in or near the city. My home is on the western side of the island, 65 air miles from town, and my neighbors are huge Kodiak brown bears, deer, foxes, eagles, whales, and sea otters.
Thirty-five-hundred bears live on the Kodiak Archipelago, so no fictional hike through the woods would be complete without at least seeing a bear. During the summer, my husband and I guide guests on wildlife viewing and fishing trips. We hike up small streams and sit on the bank to watch Kodiak bears chase and eat salmon. I both love and respect the wilderness.
In addition to my novels, I write a free, monthly newsletter about true murder and mystery in Alaska. You can sign up for my newsletter on my website: http://robinbarefield.com.
My latest novel, The Fisherman’s Daughter, was recently nominated as a finalist for the Silver Falchion Award as one of the best thriller novels of 2017. To thank Gail and her readers for allowing me to share a little about my books and my life, I would like to give away a signed copy of this novel to one of Gail’s readers.
Robin Barefield is the author of threeAlaska wilderness mystery novels, Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, and The Fisherman’s Daughter. To download a free copy of one of her novels, watch her webinar(http://bit.ly/2pcCOo6)about how she became an author.
Thank you, Gail, for inviting me to write a guest post.
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Mystery and Alaska – a wonderful combination! We were blessed to be able to visit Alaska a couple of years ago, and fell in love with the wild beauty and diversity of the state. Congratulations on your award, and I look forward to reading your books. lindasmatchett(at)yahoo(dot)com. I signed up for your newsletter too!
So good to see you here, Linda.
Thank you, Linda. Yes, the wild, dangerous beauty of Alaska makes a great backdrop for a mystery writer. Thank you for signing up for my newsletter. I hope you like it!
I really enjoy reading books that are not only interesting and exciting but ones which you know are factually correct. I have been to the places Robin writes about and really appreciate the degree of accuracy in her stories, so the readers can not only be entertained but feel as though they are learning something as well.
Absolutely! thanks for stopping, Dave, and congrats on having enjoyed all those amazing places!
Thanks, Dave! I greatly appreciate your support and friendship.
Hi Gail & Robin, I have always wanted to visit Alaska. Thanks for sharing about your adventures Robin.
Blessings!
Connie
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com
I’m with you Connie, have always wanted to go there.
Thank you, Connie. You will have to make a trip to Alaska. We have had a string of gorgeous autumn days the last two weeks, and since September is usually one of our rainiest, stormiest months, I have appreciated each and every one of these beautiful days. I work as a fishing guide at our lodge this time of year, and I usually find the September storms exhausting, so I feel as if every sunny, calm day is a gift!
Thank you Gail for the introduction to Robin Barefield and her writing. Alaska sounds like a beautiful area (so different from flat Ontario where I live) and I love mysteries – being one who always wants to solve a problem!! I would love to read Robin’s books – now that I know about them – and thank you for the opportunity to potentially win one!!
Thank you, Gail! Good luck on winning the book! I appreciate your comments.
Traveling to Alaska is on my bucket list of places I’d like to visit. I love the beauty of nature but would definitely want competent tour guides! Reading one of your books would be a great introduction to what life is like in the Kodiak area.
Hey, Irene – now we KNOW a tour guide!!
Hi Irene,
Yes, if you are heading out into the wilderness in Alaska, you definitely want someone who knows what he or she is doing, but it is easy to find competent guides in Alaska. If you do make it to Alaska, I suggest you plan at least one adventure off the beaten path. I guarantee it will be the highlight of your trip!
While reading Fisherman,s daughter, I had one sleepless nights! Egads such suspense! Knowing Robin,it boggles my mind that she could write such a scary book but I couldn’t wait to get to the end of this great who done it book!!!!
Boy, what a recommendation – thanks, Mary.
Ha! Sorry, Mary. It makes you wonder what goes on in my head, doesn’t it? We really enjoyed your visit this summer. You had the best fishing of the entire summer!
Was a great read!! the Fisherman s daughter but scary as all get out! Lost one night sleep while reading it! Scary. As all get out!!one wants to look around the corner before moving on!!! Great job, Robin!!!!
Thank you, Gail for introducing us to Ms. Barefield. I look forward to reading her book, even if the others say it s scary!
Thanks for stopping, Holly. Hope you win! (Well, I’m objective, I want everyone to win. (:
Thank you, Holly, and good luck. I want to mention that you can download my second novel, “Murder Over Kodiak” free if you watch my webinar about how I became an author. My publisher made the webinar, and its only purpose is to introduce me to new readers. It is about 20 minutes long, but at the end, you can download an e-book. The link for the webinar is http://bit.ly/2pcCOo6.
In the year 2000, my husband and I traveled to Alaska in an RV. Along the way we picked up our Canadian friends. Imagine 4 adults in a 28 foot long RV. We had a blast and would like to do it again.
Sounds unforgettable. And now you can read about what you viewed back then. (:
What a wonderful adventure and the best way to make memories!
Wishing you all the best in your writing, Robin. I’ve never been to Alaska, but I did buy a plane ticket to Anchorage once. The decision not to use said ticket changed the course of my life in ways I never could have imagined.
Will I ever buy another ticket? I don’t know.
But, thanks to authors like you, some visits are just a click away!
Jane, what an interesting story. Your comment sounds like a wonderful opening to a novel!!
Thank you, Robin (and Gail), for sharing this. I enjoy learning about authors and why they write what they write. Just knowing your background adds such credibility and believe-ability to the settings in your novels. Fascinating lifestyle! Maybe you’ll even write a memoir one day?
Thanks, Barbara. I think it is always interesting to learn why an author writes what she writes. For me, no matter what genre I chose, the setting would be the Alaska wilderness because the wilderness is where I’m comfortable and what I understand. When I move my characters into a town or city, the story is much more complicated for me to write.
I hope to someday write a book with stories from our lodge over the years. My husband’s parents started the lodge in the 1950s, so i’ve heard many interesting stories over the years.
I want to thank Gail again for the asking me to write a guest post. I have really enjoyed getting to know Gail and chatting with her friends and fans!
Robin, we had the pleasure of an Alaskan cruise a few years ago. Driving the Alaskan highway (from Texas) is still on my husband’s bucket list. We were thrilled by the beauty and views of its wildlife. I do hope to see Alaska again.
Hi Lee, Yes, you should come back and see other parts of the state! I hope you make it back up here soon!