We demonstrate the efficient excitation of high-Q whispering-gallery modes in near-spherical fused-silica microparticles in the size range 60-450 microm by the use of an eroded monomode optical fiber. When the sphere is placed in the evanescent field of the guided fiber mode, light is resonantly coupled from the fiber into the microparticle. We report a broadening of resonance modes and a shift of the resonance central frequency as the coupling strength is increased by reduction of the gap between the sphere and the fiber.