The Snowman Blog Tour & #Giveaway - guest post by Yolanda Renee

I'm excited to host the talented Yolanda Renee on my blog today. I love her books, and she helped me when I had a million questions about living in Alaska. It's where her mysteries are set too!

1. Setting: How do you bring out the most in your setting; and tension? 
   
   Alaska, at least to me is, in itself an exciting setting, but this time my antagonist uses the weather to create his horrific art. The Snowman, Stowy Jenkins, originally from West Virginia, hates Alaska and winter, but he decides to embrace circumstance. I not only describe the snowstorms before, and during his killings, I describe the weather in almost every chapter. With each new blizzard, the tension rises. 
   
   I also use real places, street, parks, and clubs. Although a few are fictional. However, when I lived in Alaska, the window of my bedroom looked out over 4^th Avenue and this description is quite accurate: 
   
   On Fourth Avenue, the busiest street in town, flashing neon signs crackled and whirred in the bitter cold, proclaiming the number of nudes dancing in each risqué establishment. Loud music streamed from the dark interiors of clubs almost in synch with the patrons weaving in and out. Bumper-to-bumper traffic crawled up and down the street as men, eager to blow their wad on booze, drugs, and loose women, searched for a place to park.
   
   
   2. Tension - How do you keep it taut throughout the plot?
   
   
   My goal in The Snowman, was to keep the story moving. Emotions run high, killings happen frequently, and Stowy becomes more and more sadistic as he tries to outdo himself with each murder or as he calls it, artistic expression. 
   
   Steven Quaid, newly promoted to detective, is determined and yet stymied by the Snowman’s changing MO (modis oprendi) killing habits. Racism and vengeance are also part of the equation and the ultimate question is, can this killer be caught?
   
   I think it meets the challenge as a page turner. I’m sure the readers will let me know.
   
   Thank you for hosting me for the The Snowman tour.
   
   
   Buy the book!
   
   
   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.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   About the Author: 
   
   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
   
   
   Giveaway!
   
   
   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

Wicked Wednesday - Critiques (part 4)

This is the final part of my critique series. I'm talking about critiques because we're giving some away to the lucky winners of the MORE THAN JUST A KISS blogfest on September 9 - 15. You can win some awesome ebooks too! You can check out the other posts in this critique series here: part 1, part 2, and part 3.

Once I've gone over the details, I look at the overall story. All the chapters could be fine on their own, but everything needs to fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. A story can have all the technical parts correct with everything in its right place and still fall flat.

Here are some of the things I take into account:
- does the story engage me and hold my interest?
- are all the loose ends tied up neatly at the end?
- am I satisfied with the ending, or does it need something more?
- is the voice consistent throughout the manuscript? If there is more than one POV, does each one have a unique voice?
- does the tension build realistically and reach its height at the climax?
- the plot should have its ups and downs, but are there any places it drags? Or perhaps goes too fast?
- does the conflict(s) add to the plot or are they there simply to entertain?

Remember that critiques are subjective. Everyone is going to feel differently about the various aspects of the story. I've had my critique partners tell me two different things about the same part of a story. In the end, it's up to you to decide what you want to change if you want to at all. The critiques make suggestions. They are not follow-by-the-letter orders. You are the author. You must do what feels right for your story.

How do you wrap up your critiques?

Wicked Wednesday - and action!

One of my favorite parts to write in paranormal romances is the action scene. It plays out like a movie in my head and my fingers fly over the keyboard to bring it to life. It's not that easy, though. There are some important factors you have to remember while writing action scenes.

They're fast-paced. Things are going to happen faster than your protagonist can process them, especially with beings who have supernatural speed. Use short sentences and dynamic verbs. They will convey the urgency and intensity of the situation. No big descriptions. Only key details.

Know where all the characters are at all times. Blocking is vital. Don't try to describe everything. Tighten your POV. The action must be mechanically believable and written with precision. Your reader can easily lose track of what's going on if they can't visualize where the characters are in the scene.

There's a lot of witty banter in paranormal romances. Don't let the dialogue take away from the narrative tension. The less the better.

Make sure you use the psychological tension to your full advantage. How is your protagonist feeling? The panic, surprise, and horror. How do they react to the pain? Keep the stakes high. There's also a heightening of senses when the adrenaline starts flowing. Use them to your advantage in crafting a gripping scene.

Remember that every action causes a reaction. (Newton's third law of motion!) There must always be a follow-through on every level.

Not all action scenes need be fights. There's the chase, the challenge, and the infiltration scenes.

How are you with writing action scenes? What do you do to help you write them?

Wicked Wednesday - sexual tension

One of the key elements to a good paranormal romance is creating sexual tension. This doesn't mean the act of "making love" itself. In fact, sexual tension may never lead up to that point. This is about feeling a spark of something, that irrational pull to someone, the sizzling energy that makes your stomach flip. Sometimes it feels there are no words to describe this. Yet as writers, we have to find those words.

Tip #1: Use the senses. Make it subtle. A faint whiff of spicy cologne or the twitch of a dimple in his left cheek. Her voice might sound a little hoarse when she's aroused or her lips might taste like cherry lip gloss with that first brief kiss. Sometimes a brush of her hand against his can create a great jolt of sensation. In paranormal romances, you have the possibility of using other senses as well. A flaming up of his aura or reading his mind to know he thinks she's sexy in that dress.

Tip #2: Strong internal conflict. Use a lot of emotions here. She recently lost someone she loves and can't open her heart again for fear of getting hurt, but she can't deny her powerful attraction to him. He loves his job reaping souls and has seen too many people in love torn apart, but he can't stop thinking about her.

Tip #3: The internal conflict is made worse with the external conflict. Someone is trying to hunt her down and kill her. They're on different sides of the apocalyptic battle.

Tip #4: Put the characters in situations that require them to spend a lot of time together and a lot of time close together. Fighting, spying, exploring the ducts of an evil corporation's headquarters. These situations will fire up the internal conflicts and give you ample opportunity to torment, I mean, let your characters flirt with their hidden desires.

Tip#5: Delay gratification. Okay, yes, here you're tormenting them!

Do you have any tricks you use in creating sexual tension?