Gender: Female
Status: Married
Sign: Leo
City: Edmonton
State: Alberta
Country: CA
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Wednesday, July 23, 2008
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Update 5 on the suspenseful work-in-progress Remote Control
Category: Writing and Poetry
REMOTE CONTROL
"Be careful what you wish for," they say, but for forty-four-year-old Harold Fielding, who unfortunately isn't one to listen to such good advice, those words will come back to haunt him.
Harold―Harry―always rebels against the norm. In fact, he says, "Wishes are like saying grace―something to be said before every meal." So he wishes at least five times a day, while growing exceedingly fat.
However, good ole Harry has an excuse.
"If I wish hard enough," he tells his wife Beatrice, "my wishes will eventually come true."
Harry's a TV fanatic and, surprisingly, very intelligent. He spends about ten hours a day parked in front of his ten-year-old Sanyo television with the remote control in hand, while watching shows on just about everything. The next day, he can tell you all about it; his recall is nearly perfect.
He never once contemplates actually working a forty-hour week and earning money. He's already maxed out the VISA and MasterCard, plus a small bank loan that Beatrice knows nothing about. And now he's waiting for his fortune to fall in his lap. Sadly, there's no room there, so whatever good luck finds him usually ends up in a puddle on the floor.
Harry's good with puddles. He's a plumber by trade, when he bothers to do a job. The truth is, he's been having trouble maneuvering under kitchen sinks; his stomach keeps getting in the way. Six months ago, he was depressed, which made him eat more. He'd almost lost faith that there is something better for him…somewhere…out there, and then fate stepped in. After a chance run-in with an old classmate (Harry nearly knocked him down a flight of stairs when they passed on a landing), who happens to be very wealthy and who recommends one book, Harry's life changes forever.
The Secret sits on the shelf behind the toilet. Harry reads it every day while relieving himself of the pounds of food he's eaten that day. Since he's always there a while, he can usually get through five or six pages a visit.
"I've read it now from beginning to end at least five times," he boasts to his friends.
Of course, he hasn't quite figured out that one must work towards receiving the good things in life, whether by deed or thought. He just figures that if he wishes for something, he'll attract it. Eventually.
Be careful what you wish for, Harry.
... Read the work-in-progress so far.~ Cheryl Kaye Tardif, Canadian suspense author
8:06 PM
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Friday, July 18, 2008
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Storycasting.com awards author Cheryl Kaye Tardif with a t-shirt
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities
I opened an email today from Jeff Reid at Storycasting.com. He has given me permission to post part of it here:
You've helped us create a new way to discuss books (and potential movies), and we appreciate it. We'd especially like to thank those who told friends and relatives about the fun we're having, including the individuals and authors who promoted the site on websites and blogs. In the first 6 weeks of public operation, we had over 20,000 page views by 4,000 people from 72 countries, speaking 32 different languages - and they're still coming!
As I'm sure you can tell, several people have "join dates" from back in February. These were our original beta testers, and the most active and helpful of all was "Dano". We're getting some nice shirts made with the Storycasting.com logo on it, and Dano is getting one for his early, frequent, and useful comments. Thanks Dano!
Catherine Ryan Hyde was the first author to come on the site - on opening day, there she was, providing an "author's storycast" and then adding us to her MySpace page. Thanks, and a shirt, Catherine! Authors Cheryl Kaye Tardif, Tristi Pinkston, plus Stella and Audra Price, have also done a great job of advertising the site, and in bringing other authors to our attention. Ladies, a shirt to each of you!...
Again, we really thank you for your support and positive reaction to the site... Jeff Reid and the staff at Storycasting.com "for the movie in your mind"
You can imagine my surprise to be thanked by Jeff, and to be awarded a t-shirt. Thanks, Jeff!
Now for those who haven't checked out this site yet, 'just do it'. :) It's a lot of fun. The concept is easy and one I identified with as soon as I heard of the site. You know how when you read a book you sometimes picture an actor in the lead role? Maybe you picture actors for all the lead roles. Well, with Storycasting, you can have some fun selecting real life actors you think would fit the roles in your favorite books.
Go check it out! Whale Song is listed there. Did I select good actors? Do you have someone else in mind? Jasi and the team from Divine Intervention are on there too. And just look who I see playing Brandon Walsh or Ben Roberts. And the gang from The River are there--probably my most favorite casting. Any Johnny Depp Fans out there?
Check out http://www.storycasting.com/, sign up as a member (it's free!) and feel free to cast all my books and others with your favorite actors. I'd love to see who you envision!
Now I'll just check my emails, blog on my gazillion blogs, work on my next novel, and wait for my t-shirt...
~Cheryl Kaye Tardif
http://www.cherylktardif.com/
8:39 PM
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Author Cheryl Kaye Tardif invited to Red Hat Society event in Edmonton
Category: Fashion, Style, Shopping
 I just love days like today--days when I open my email and find all sorts of lovely emails and bits of "gold". (It sure beats the other days when I get 500 bits of junk mail and sp-m.)
Today, I received an email from Queen Ursula. Okay, she's not a real queen--well, not in the true sense of the word, but she's a queen at heart. Ursula is a member of the Red Hat Society; that's that wonderful group of women found sporting red and purple hats and scarves and pins...
Queen Ursula (okay, I just really like calling her that) is organizing an authors' event in November, and I'm quite honored to be one of the authors invited to attend. She asked me to sign my novels and tell the ladies what great Christmas gifts they make. And they do!
I am sure that Whale Song, in particular, will do very well since it's the perfect gift for any woman, 8-108. So her emails today were all very exciting to read, and I can't wait.
~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
author of Whale Song, The River and Divine Intervention
8:34 PM
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Hot Trends, Hot Markets - Part 4: Optimizing True Social Networks Like MySpace, Facebook & Ning
Category: Writing and Poetry
I recently spoke about marketing books via online social networking at the CanWrite! Conference in Edmonton, Alberta, on the Hot Trends, Hot Markets panel. It was a popular topic and I was bombarded (happily) with questions afterward. If you're a writer who is looking for innovative ways to market yourself and your books, please keep reading. :)
Please read Part 1, 2 &3 before proceeding to Part 4.
Part 4:
When most people hear the words "MySpace" and "Facebook", they're most likely to think of these in terms of their teenage kids. But times have changed, and these 'just ain't for kids anymore'. I've spoken to entrepreneurs, including writers, about using these two social networks to promote their various products and services. Some look at me as if I've completely lost my mind. Some of them, I'm sure, think I've spent far too much time locked away in my office while writing my next suspense novel. Most wonder or ask how MySpace or Facebook could possibly be anything but a waste of time.
MySpace has revolutionized the social world of marketing. Gone are the days when MySpace was just for kids, a place to talk about music and share photos. Remember those days--back when you were afraid to let little Johnny post his profile and picture? Well, YOU are little Johnny now, and MySpace holds far more opportunity than danger to you.
And what about Facebook? When it first started out, it was similar to Classmates.com--only FREE. People were able to reconnect with long lost friends, school mates, lovers, and a few birthmothers were able to reunite with their children.
And now there's Ning, social networking that is grouped into specific targets: Bookmarketing.ning.com is for book marketing; Canadianauthors.ning.com is a group for Canadian authors and those who love books by said authors. You can search http://www.ning.com/ for groups that might interest you, book reviewers, librarians, people etc. Or you can start your own Ning network.
Now that the rest of the world has caught on, in particular the adult community, you'll now find that a wide variety of smart, savvy entrepreneurs, business owners, authors, artists and performers are using MySpace, Facebook and Ning to promote their business, work or name. Think of it this way, if you have something you want to sell or promote, you'd want to reach the most people in the fastest and least expensive way.
These social network sites become a "vehicle" for you, a vehicle that will take you from point A to B. Yes, you CAN waste a lot of time and energy with these sites if you aren't sure of how to do things and why you are doing them. So I urge authors to set a timer, if you must. Allow youself 1/2 an hour to promote on each site. And do this once a week, more if you have the time.
Authors, here is the how and why for MySpace, Facebook & Ning:
- Set up your profile. Sign up, add your photo, or better yet the book cover of your latest book. Add your bio info and make sure you add links to your sites and blogs. Add photos, book trailers, etc. This let's people know who you are and what you do.
- Add friends. Plan to add 10-50 friends a week, especially in the beginning. When you have 500 or so, add 10/week. Friends are the backbone of any social network and you need them. More on how to add 'good' friends in Part 5.
- Write every week in your MySpace or Ning blog or import a blog into Facebook. I import my Blogger blog into my Facebook page. Write about anything. Blogging regularly attracts more visitors to your page. Search engines love blogs because they are always being updated.
- Comment on your friends' pages. Visit their page and leave a comment, including your signature, which should include your name, book title or 'Canadian suspense author' and your website URL. This brings you more traffic. Not only will the friend visit, but so will people who are checking out their page and reading their comments. It's free advertising. But be genuine; comment on something they've said/done, something you like about them etc.
- Post a bulletin on MySpace. This is great when you have a lot of friends. They will all automatically receive your bulletin. Use this for breaking news, events or to announce a blog post. Make sure you add your signature line and URL.
- Ask some of your friends to read and review your book. You have access to book reviewers...and people who love to read. Plus big name authors have pages on MySpace and Facebook. You can message them and politely ask if they'll consider reading your book and writing a review blurb (for the cover) or a review for Amazon.com or Chapters.ca, etc
- Connect with other writers/authors and get involved in multi-author events--like online book fairs. Ask to guest blog on their blogs and send them an article about your book or an interview or an article on writing.
- Invite friends to events, real life or virtual.
- Ask your friends to spread the word about an event or piece of news. Offer to blog about them in exchange.
Social networking is a two-way street. Don't be the kind of person who always asks and takes; learn to give in return. There are often unexpected rewards in being genuine, in taking an interest in someone else's life and gifts. When you focus on 'what can I also do for someone else?' you'll find that great connections will 'happen', and success is one step closer.
MySpace, Facebook and Ning can help you achieve success by connecting you to people who are willing to help you. There are wonderful, awesome people out there. I know; I've met them. So now it's your turn. Be bold, step out of that box and into the world of online social networking.
Stay tuned for Part 5.
~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
author of Whale Song
http://www.cherylktardif.com
8:32 PM
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Tuesday, July 08, 2008
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From a fan: Whale Song "changed my life... forever"
Category: Writing and Poetry
I first heard of Aynsley Nisbet when an acquaintance of hers came up to me during the 2008 CAA CanWrite! Conference in Edmonton, Alberta. This friend told me that Aynsley had created a painting after reading Whale Song and being inspired. I hadn't seen the painting until yesterday. I tracked Aynsley down online and the story she told gave me goosebumps, and I'm not too embarrassed to say that I had to wipe away the tears. She has given me permission to share this story with you, in her words.
This is Aynlsey's story...how Whale Song "changed my life...forever"
"It was I think last summer, or maybe spring ( I really hate keeping track of time) and I was on my way home the morning after a really long night. It was windy and I felt miserable... I got off the bus downtown and walked past Audrey's bookstore. Something in the window made me stop..."
Please read Aynsley's story on my blog:
http://cherylktardif.blogspot.com/2008/07/how-whale-song-inspired-artist-aynsley.html
Be sure to leave a comment and email addy. I'm giving away a signed, matted, framed print of her painting at the end of July.
~Cheryl Kaye Tardif
http://www.cherylktardif.com
11:03 AM
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The novel ’WHALE SONG’ is changing lives
Category: Writing and Poetry
For a few years I've been referring to my novel Whale Song as "my heart book". I tell people it's because I am connected to it personally and emotionally. There is so much of me in that book. Sometimes I share the story of my brother Jason and how Whale Song was the way the police found me after his death. At signings, I'll sometimes share a story that a fan shared with me about how Whale Song affected him or her--how it sometimes changed a life.
It humbles me to realize that the words between the pages of Whale Song--MY words--could ever affect someone so deeply. It's changed people, brought family closer together, healed old wounds and changed the course of someone's life from destructive to constructive.
Wow...I am humbled.
I recall the story of the young woman who emailed me saying that she and her mother weren't talking anymore, too many past hurts. And then she bought Whale Song for her mom and everything changed. There was forgiveness and healing. They are now talking, sharing, laughing, crying and living with love in their hearts for each other.
Wow...I am blessed.
I remember the woman who bought Whale Song just before Mother's Day. She'd told me her mom had just passed away a few days before. I felt awful for her and talked her out of buying the book. I didn't want her to feel more pain and I thought she wouldn't be ready to deal with a book about mothers and daughters. She agreed. A few minutes later she came back to my table and said Whale Song was all she could think about. So she bought it. She was ready. She emailed me weeks later to thank me for helping her find closure.
Wow...I am awed.
And just this weekend, I heard from a young woman who told me her life had changed after reading Whale Song, and that it had inspired her to paint again, and the painting she created is unbelievably beautiful. In my next post I will tell you how Whale Song changed Aynsley Nisbet's life, and I'll share her words (with her permission) and a photo of the painting, which are the most amazing gifts anyone has given me.
Wow...I am honored.
For this and so much more, Whale Song is and always will be "my heart book".
~Cheryl Kaye Tardif
http://www.whalesongbook.com
11:01 AM
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Tuesday, July 01, 2008
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REMOTE CONTROL - a suspenseful ’work-in-progress’
Current mood:  blessed
Category: Writing and Poetry
I've added a "work-in-progress" to my site. I'll be posting additional paragraphs to it as I have time, up to the conclusion. I hope you check back every week or so.
Ironically, a TV game show came out in '87. It was called 'Remote Control'. I never heard about it until today when I did some research. Also, in 1988, a movie was released with the same title. I never saw that either. There's also another movie--one that is more current and probably better known. I'm sure you'll think of the title when you read my story. Keep in mind, I had this concept and wrote about it in 1987.
The story you're about to read was originally written in early 1987 by Cheryl Y. Kaye, in the small town of Chatham, New Brunswick, now known as the Miramichi. It was written as a 2700 word short story. However, it looks as if it will be closer to a novelette, about 10,000 words, when finished. This story was never published.
I am cleaning it up now, adding to it, changing the tense and tone and I quite like where it's going. It's not the exact original--I think now it's even better. I welcome your thoughts, so feel free to leave me a comment.
I can't recall what made me write the original story, but it has always been a favorite of mine. Perhaps it was inspired by that old saying...
"Be careful what you wish for."
And now....
Remote Control
9:08 PM
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Friday, June 27, 2008
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Book Trailers: Do they sell books?
Category: Writing and Poetry
There's been a lot of discussion about book trailers on this blog and elsewhere on the 'Net, and the question is: Do book trailers sell books?
As an author who has no access to knowing where book buyers come from or whether they bought because of a trailer, I am very interested in the answer to this question...
To read my article on book trailers, please visit Books on the Brain.
~Cheryl Kaye Tardif, suspense author
5:38 PM
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Friday, June 20, 2008
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“What’s Your Book Club Looking For?”
Category: Writing and Poetry
Canadian Author Cheryl Kaye Tardif wants to know-
What's Your Book Club Looking For?
As a suspense author, I'm often asked whether any of my books are suitable for book clubs, and I usually answer with: "Definitely! But which one depends on what your book club is looking for." So what can I offer to a book club?
Check out my guest post at Books on the Brain for the answer.
5:00 PM
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Thursday, June 19, 2008
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Book clubs: looking for next month’s pick?
Category: Writing and Poetry
On Friday, June 20th, I'll be guest blogging over at Books on the Brain. Since it's the first time I've been a guest there, I decided to introduce myself, my books and cover the topic of book clubs, as they relate to what I have to offer.
I hope you'll check out my post, especially if you're in a book club that is looking for their next picks.
Check out Books on the Brain on June 20th.
~Cheryl Kaye Tardif, suspense author
http://www.cherylktardif.com
10:45 PM
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