We are delighted to welcome author Richard Edde to Omnimystery News today.
Richard's new novel of suspense is Yeti (Black Opal Books; December 2015 trade paperback and ebook formats) and we recently had the opportunity to spend some time with him talking about it.
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Omnimystery News: How would you characterize your new book, Yeti?
Photo provided courtesy of
Richard Edde
Richard Edde: Yeti is difficult to pigeonhole as to category. It's definitely an action thriller with a scientific bent. The protagonist, Harry Olson, is a paleoanthropologist searching for early human fossils in the remote mountains of Mongolia. His assistant, Dixie, is a graduate student. But Harry has problems. Early in his career he did something unethical and he hopes a discovery will reclaim a career he thought was finished. Julius Kesler is Harry's boss and supervisor of the expedition. He helped Harry salvage his career when Harry made his big mistake. I like having a broken hero. It makes for a richer, more human story.
OMN: Is this a stand-alone novel?
RE: Actually, Yeti, is the first of a three-book series. It happened quite by accident. After writing the first book, I fell in love with the characters and as I was playing the what if game in my mind, it just naturally fell that the story wasn't quite finished. Fortunately, the way Yeti ended, I was able to pick up the story for the next installment.
OMN: How much of your own personal or professional experience have you included in the book?
RE: I spent a good part of my professional career in academic medicine. I drew on those experiences to formulate some of the sub-plots and dialogue. Being familiar with the pressures of the academic professor to make discoveries and publish in professional journals made it easier. I used this experience to weave an atmosphere that I hope was successful.
OMN: Tell us a little more about your writing process.
RE: I am pretty much a free flow writer. I do not begin with an outline although I have a vague idea of the overall story I want to tell and who the main characters are going to be. But this can certainly change as I write. Now and then I have to outline a certain subplot action sequence or the like to see if it makes sense but usually I let the characters take me where they will within the confines of my original story. Its quite exciting, actually, especially when one of your characters does something you didn't expect! I know a lot of writers would cringe at this approach but it seems to work for me.
OMN: How true are you to the setting of the story?
RE: Yeti is set in a real place, the Altai Mountains of Mongolia. I have tried to remain true to the geography, landscape, culture, and people of the region. Actually, it's simpler than trying to make it all up. But I have always enjoyed faraway places and my books usually take place in an uncommon or unfamiliar locale. It's just something I enjoy researching and writing about.
OMN: What is the best advice you've received as an author?
RE: Just write and keep writing. In writing that first draft, don't worry too much about it, just get it all down on paper. Once you do that you can go back and revise. Writing is like any other skill — you get better the more you do.
OMN: What's next for you?
RE: I have a book coming out this summer about an American teacher caught up in the contra wars in Nicaragua. It's titled Blood of Brothers. After that, the next two Yeti books will be published. Currently, I am writing a suspense thriller about a nuclear power plant.
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Richard Edde was born and raised in Oklahoma. After graduating from Central State College, he attended the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, where he earned his medical degree in 1971. After spending a few years in family practice in two rural Oklahoma towns, he completed a residency in anesthesiology. Following a long career in academia and private practice, he retired to devote time to writing. Dr. Edde resides in eastern Oklahoma with his wife.
For more information about the author, please visit his website at RichardEdde.com and his author page on Goodreads, or find him on Twitter.
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Yeti by Richard Edde
A Novel of Suspense
Publisher: Black Opal Books
Deep within the remote Altai Mountains of Mongolia there exists a heinous mystery, one the locals have attempted to keep secret for generations. Now, Harry Olson, an American paleoanthropologist, is in the area excavating for early human fossils.
What his team discovers threatens to turn modern scientific knowledge on its head and disrupt the peaceful harmony of the largely superstitious country. It is a discovery so appalling, so sinister, that the lives of the expedition members are at risk from a determined fossil pirate who learns of their discovery and vows to make it his own. Harry and his research team fight to outwit the man who is out kill them and steal their find, but first they must escape the terrible evil they have uncovered …
— Yeti by Richard Edde. Click here to take a Look Inside the book.
