Wednesday, May 3, 2017

IWSG Blog Hop: Learning About the Darknet, Readers Circle Promo

Hello and welcome to the J.Q. Rose blog. 
Today is the monthly meeting of the Insecure Writers Support Group(IWSG) blog hop! 

Internet Writers Support Group Blog Hop
First Wednesday of every month.
What is IWSG? Founder of the  Insecure Writer’s Support Group and author Alex J Cavanaugh explains the group's purpose is "to share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!" You're invited to become a member of this supportive group.

The group blogs the first Wednesday of every month The list of bloggers is always available so you can hop around to the author blogs filled with humor, advice, and thought-provoking topics on writing and publishing. You can find the list of participants at Alex's IWSG page. I hope you'll take some time to visit the diverse list of bloggers.

IWSG Question for the Month

What is the weirdest/coolest thing you ever had to research for your story?


My weirdest research dealt with learning everything I could about the darknet. This criminal online system was the perfect answer for my character in my romantic suspense, Deadly Undertaking, to sell illegal drugs. As the son of a funeral director, he couldn't allow shady characters stopping at the funeral home to buy drugs during a visitation.

Their presence might tip off his dad he was participating in activities that could put him in jail. And let's face it, that would be bad for business. So he set up his computer in his bedroom and
mail-ordered drugs to customers.


The darknet is a secret internet for illicit activities such as selling and distributing drugs, planning protests, hiring a hit man or a hacker, sex trafficking and about any other "dark" activity you can think of. I had to learn about bitcoins too, a currency used for trading online. I still don't understand that very well. But suffice it to say, it's a way of doing business on the darknet.

Deadly Undertaking 
by J.Q. Rose
Researching this topic was an eye-opening experience for me. 
I had no idea such a huge web of crime existed online. Have you heard of the darknet?


🔶🔶🔶🔶

Interested in promoting your book? Be my guest at the Summer Readers Circle on Fridays this summer on the JQ Rose blog. You write a short article about your book or your writing, offer a giveaway, and bio and photos of you and the book cover. Contact me at jqrose02@gmail.com for more information.


The Readers Circle

24 comments:

emaginette said...

I bet researching the darknet was fascinating. :-)

Anna from elements of emaginette

J.Q. Rose said...

Yes, but I felt like the police would raid my house and arrest me for looking into the darknet!!

Pat Garcia said...

I have heard so many things about the DarkNet. Actually, I'm kind of frightened about dipping into it. Even the name sounds dangerous.

Shalom aleichem,
Pat G

Juneta key said...

I'd love to learn some of your resources for the darknet research. I am going to be looking at that too for a story and creation of plot.
' Juneta @ Writer's Gambit

Erika Beebe said...

I have never heard of darknet but now I am entrigued! Happy writing!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I'd heard of the Darknet before. Scary it exists, isn't it?

Susan Bernhardt said...

J.Q., did you actually go on the Darknet site?

Susan Bernhardt said...

J.Q. I just read that you did go on Darknet. Did you participate at all? Did you have a sign-in? Interesting!

Fundy Blue said...

Hi J.Q. I have heard of the darknet, but I've never researched it. It seems like a scary and dangerous place. I know more about Bitcoins, but they are hard to wrap my mind around. I'll take regular money, thank you! My limited knowledge of Bitcoins comes from CNBC. I'll have to check out the nbc article you linked to. Happy writing in May!

J.Q. Rose said...

Yes, Pat. It was scary and exciting all at the same time.

J.Q. Rose said...

Hi Juneta, Basically I googled darknet for the research. I worked on the story in a few years ago, and there wasn't a whole lot on google. But when I googled it for this blog, a lot of articles popped up. So there's plenty of info. I especially liked the one I cited in the blog post. Really helps to explain its purpose.

J.Q. Rose said...

Hi Erika, Well now you know, you'll be even cooler. Happy writing to you too!!

J.Q. Rose said...

Hi Susan, no I didn't actually try to sign in to the Darknet. You need special software to do that. Then I thought, what if I signed in and the police saw I was on it and they came to my house and arrested me for criminal activities and....whew. Nope, I stayed away from it and just did the research, not the actual participation!

J.Q. Rose said...

L.Diane, yes, it's scary to know it exists. It makes me wonder what we don't know exists online. Thanks for stopping in.

J.Q. Rose said...

Hi Fundy Blue, did I ever tell you I like that name? How did you decide on that? I don't understand Bitcoins either. I didn't do a lot of research on the currency since I really didn't need it for my story or in my life. I'm sure there are plenty of articles on it now.

Marsha said...

Hey, JQ. There was a CSI spin-off about the Dark Web. I don't think it ran but one season, but it was fascinating and scary! Loved your book, btw. Appreciate all you do for readers and authors. I've shared. :)

J.Q. Rose said...

Hi Marsha, Maybe the Darknet people scared off the CSI producers?? Sounds like a menacing place to try and crack. Deadly Undertaking was a fun book to write, once I figured out I was not the main character. It was pretty close to my life--not the crime--but her situation since I am a funeral director's daughter! Glad you liked it. Thanks.

Liesbet said...

I had never heard of the darknet - how intriguing, but scary at the same time. I have heard about bitcoin, and just like you, I do not see the merit in it... Paying with money that doesn't exist? What will they come up next? :-) Then again, so many banking transactions happen based on "fake money" or "money on paper" as well. Liesbet @ Roaming About – A Life Less Ordinary (May co-host)

Tamara Narayan said...

I'm not surprised that such crime occurs online, but I had not heard the term darknet before. Interesting.

Michelle Wallace said...

I haven't heard of the Darknet.
There are probably other horrifying criminal online systems that we're blissfully unaware of... *shudders*

J.Q. Rose said...

Hi Lisabet, I like real money--cash I can count and coins that jingle!
Thanks for co hosting this month.!!

J.Q. Rose said...

Hi Tamara, I asked my 16 year old grandson if he'd ever heard of darknet. Oh yeah, he just sluffed it off as if everybody would know about it. Hmmmmm....I have to be a cooler grandma, I think.

J.Q. Rose said...

Hi Michelle, I think your chose the correct words "blissfully unaware." It does give one time to wonder what else is there or will be...

Patricia Carter said...

Fascinating. I so want to learn about all things dark net.
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