IWSG and an Excerpt from Yolanda Renee's Latest!

Posting the First Wednesday of every month, the Insecure Writer's Support Group, is the brainchild of Alex Cavanaugh. YOU can sign up HERE to participate.

Every month a question will be posed that may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Remember, the question is optional. You can write about anything that relates to your writing journey.

Let's give a warm welcome to our co-hosts,  Nancy Gideon, Tamara Narayan, Liesbet @ Roaming About, Michelle .Wallace, and Feather Stone!




This month's question is: What is the weirdest/coolest thing you ever had to research for your story?

Well... For my historical fantasy novel about Tibet, A PIECE OF THE SKY, which took -- off and on --about ten years to research, I ran across a lot of cool stuff. One of the more interesting things was the epic oral poem about King Gesar of Ling. It's believed to date from the 12th century and is considered the longest poem in the world. To date the stories of the massive epic have been compiled in 120 volumes, more than one million verses! And this is just from Tibet. Stories of King Gesar can be found from Nepal to Mongolia and are as varied as the people.

King Gesar is the original superhero, come to do battle against the demons and evils of the world. He spends his life as a great and fearless warrior bringing hope to all, teaching love and compassion. His birth is miraculous and, at his death he is lifted into heaven. It is believed, he will come again one day to save humanity from itself. 

I read a "shortened" version THE SUPERHUMAN LIFE OF GESAR OF LING compiled and translated by the astonishing Alexandra David-Neel, the first European woman to visit Lhasa in 1924 disguised as a beggar-monk. Alexandra is a story unto herself, a most remarkable explorer and Buddhist who traveled all over the Orient and India, spent several years as a hermit in a cave, and wrote many books about Tibet and Buddhism.

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It’s a pleasure to be participating in author Yolanda Renée’s THE SNOWMAN Blog Tour through MC Book Tours today.

At one time Alaska called to me, and I answered. I learned to sleep under the midnight sun, survive in below zero temperatures, and hike the Mountain Ranges. I've traveled from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez, and the memories are some of my most valued. The wonders, mysteries and incredible beauty that is Alaska has never left me and thus now influence my writing.

Despite my adventurous spirit, I achieved my educational goals, married, and I have two handsome sons. Writing is now my focus, my newest adventure!

You can connect with me here:

Blog    *     Facebook     *     Twitter     *     Pinterest     *     Email

A prequel to the author’s Detective Steven Quaid Mysteries, THE SNOWMAN tells of Steven's first case as a rookie detective. It takes place 10 years before the events in MURDER, MADNESS & LOVE, the first book in the series.

The author is offering a tour-wide giveaway featuring both print and eBook copies from her series. More information on the giveaway is listed below.

It takes a true artist to pursue his victims in the art of seduction, and Stowy Jenkins is no exception, especially with blood as his medium.

          Stowy Jenkins, aka, Stone, and as Alaskans refer to him, the Snowman, is a true artist. His muse, Gigi, is the ultimate inspiration for his painting. Her rejection inspires him to use a very unusual medium...blood.

          While art may be his passion, the taste for blood is his obsession, and multiple murders, the result.

          Rookie, Detective Steven Quaid, is no fan of the Snowman’s murderous exhibitions. A twisted and deadly relationship bond the two men and neither knows who will come out of it alive.

An Excerpt from THE SNOWMAN

Chapter II

Dead Weight

June 10th

Although the morning was frigid, Stone knew summer would soon arrive. Always grateful for the reprieve from the darkness, he took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Good riddance to winter: the gloom, the extra-thick clothing, icy streets, and biting winds. “God, I hate Alaska. Damn you, mother. Keeping me in this frozen tundra because of a stupid job. I need the warmth. I want to go home. This is June, and I’m still freezing.”

Stone grunted when he threw the body over his shoulder. “Shit, Maggy, for such a tiny thing you suddenly weigh a ton.” After placing her body on the bed of the truck and covering it with a tarp, he slammed the tailgate. The sound echoed in the stillness.

The drive back to Anchorage took an hour. Singing along to his favorite country tunes, Stone made it to town without any trouble. “Who would know the difference between a dead animal and a dead woman in the back of my truck anyway? Especially this early in the morning.”

The park was empty. In the distance, the tide pulled away from the shore, but the subtle splash could barely be heard. No cops were in the area. Stone’s police radio scanner informed him they were busy working a hit-and-run near Merrill Field. He checked for intruders, and then took the body to the exact spot he'd scouted a week earlier.

◊ THE SNOWMAN
◊ by Yolanda Renée
◊ Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
◊ Publisher: TRACE Enterprises
◊ Series: Detective Quaid Mystery
◊ Novella
◊ Print & eBooks
◊ Contains explicit sex & violence

You can find out more about the author and her other books by following the tour HERE.

This tour-wide giveaway features both print and eBook copies of the four books in the Detective Quaid Series. The giveaway will end at 12 a.m. (EST) on Tuesday, June 6.

The prizes include:

* Grand prize - Winner receives a print copy of all four books in the Detective Quaid Series (U.S. and Canada only).

* First place - Winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift certificate.

* Second place - Winner will receive eBook copies of all four books in the Detective Quaid Series.

* There will be 3 runner-up winners and each will win an eBook copy of THE SNOWMAN or one of the other books in the series (winner's choice).

To enter the giveaway, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to load so please be patient. If the widget doesn’t show up, just click HERE and you’ll be directed to the widget.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to follow Yolanda on her month-long tour. You never know what you might find out.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Ever heard of King Gesar? Of Alexandra David-Neel? Doesn't Yolanda's books sound spooky scary? What's the most interesting/weird thing you've researched for a novel?