Fans of Cheryl's novels can now earn a cut of sales they generate

Over the years, so many readers have read my novels and referred them to their friends and families. Many of you have written reviews (I can ALWAYS use more reviews!) or blogged about my books or interviewed me. THANK YOU! Through your kind words and recommendations to friends and family, my novels have traveled the world.

But now it's time to reward my fans!

If you choose to promote Whale Song, The River, Divine Intervention and Lancelot's Lady (once it's published), you can now earn a cut of the sales you generate when sending people to Smashwords.com to buy my books.

If you're blogging about me or my work, interviewing me, hosting me on your blog or reviewing my novels, I highly recommend you sign up for the free affiliate program. Because I value my fans so much, I've upped the ante from the standard rate (11%) to 20%.

All you have to do is sign up as an affiliate at:
https://www.smashwords.com/account/smashwords_affiliate_signup/1

You'll find more information about the Smashwords Affiliate Marketing Program at:
https://www.smashwords.com/about/smashwords_affiliate_documentation

If you decide to promote my novels and join my affiliate program, please let me know in the comments and leave your blog/site URL. I plan to link to my affiliates' sites/blogs on my website.
~ Cheryl Kaye Tardif

Love talking about books? Help me promote mine and you'll earn money

Ever read a book that was so good you just had to share it with your friends? I know I have. And have any of those friends then gone out and bought the book you'd been talking about? And did the publisher or author give you a little cut of the sale? Probably not. But you deserved one, and I'm willing to do that for you.

Over the years, many of my readers have told their friends about my novels, who in turn have gone out and purchased them based on this word-of-mouth-advertising or endorsement. I have truly appreciated readers who have helped me get my name out there, especially since it's a daunting task on my own. THANK YOU!

I am happy to announce that readers who enjoy my work will now be able to earn some income when they refer a friend who buys one of my novels via Smashwords.com. There is an affiliate program available that allows you to promote my Whale Song, The River and Divine Intervention ebooks.

The affiliate program is simple and free. Just sign up as an affiliate at Smashwords and complete the form.

You can advertise any books Smashwords offers through the affiliate program, and I hope you'll continue to promote mine. I can use all the help I can get in this competitive industry.

To create affiliate links, add your referrer code to the end of a URL of a participating book. I'll give you some examples of my books, but keep in mind the referrer code would be replaced by your own specific Screen Name. The basic referrer code to add to the end of a URL is /?ref=yourScreenName

WHALE SONG http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/15512/?ref=yourScreenName

THE RIVER http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/13708/?ref=yourScreenName

DIVINE INTERVENTION http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/13677/?ref=yourScreenName
 
You may also use my book covers and embed the link in them so that people only have to click on the covers. You can save my book covers from my website or blog by right clicking on them and clicking on "Save Picture As..."
 
Smashwords offers multiple file formats for nearly every kind of ereader out there. There are also files available for viewing ebooks on your PC or laptop.
 
Earn real money and watch your affiliate sales grow. The standard affiliate rate is 11% of the sale price of books purchased via your affiliate links. However, I felt that was too low for my readers. I wanted to reward them for helping promote my novels, so I raised the affiliate rates on all my novels.
 
Divine Intervention and The River are paying 15%, but that will change to 20% in July.
 
Whale Song is already at 20%.
 
Occasionally, I may raise the affiliate rate. My books may also go on sale.
 
This is a respectable way to earn a bit of money on the Internet and I am very happy to be able to offer it to you. Don't forget, it's free to sign up and you can start earning a commission from books sold through your links right away.
 
If you decide to become an affiliate and you choose to promote my books, please let me know by leaving me a comment below with the URL to your site/blog. Or send me an email. I'll be happy to tweet about you, maybe even blog about your participation. :-)
 
https://www.smashwords.com/account/smashwords_affiliate_signup/1
 
Thank you, dear readers.
 
~Cheryl

Fan mail from a teenaged boy in BC who loved The River

Every now and then I get a piece of fan mail that really tugs on my heart and fills me with gratitude. This morning I received one such email, and I've received permission to post it here.

Dear Ms. Tardif,

Hello! My name is Cliff. I am 15 year old and live in Nanaimo, BC Canada. I just finished your novel "The River" and wanted to tell you that i really loved it. I think you are an awesome writer and can't wait to read more of your work. I'm honestly not much of a reader and it normally it takes me a long time to actually finish a novel, but I read "The River" in only five days. That is a record for me! Your writing really grabbed my attention and made me want to continue reading. I'm actually kind of shocked that I could get so much enjoyment out of reading. I want to thank you for that!

Anyways I was wondering if it would be possible to get an autographed bookplate? Or would it be possible to send you my copy of "The River" and have you sign it? I'm not sure how it works, but I could send you a money order or a self addressed stamped envelope if you'd like. Just let me know. I'd truly consider it a great honor to have your autograph!

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Cliff

Anyone who has ever received fan mail before will be able to identify with how this email made me feel. It's one thing to write a novel that adults have embraced, but it's particularly meaningful to me to have written one that inspires teenagers to read--probably because it makes me think of myself as a teen writer dreaming about getting published.

Cliff is one of many teens who have discovered my work in the past few years. A while ago, I blogged about ESC Trillium high school students who used The River and Whale Song as a novel study project this year and last. The first batch of readers wrote me awesome reviews for The River that I also posted here.

And in case anyone's wondering, I feel honored by such fan mail. That anyone would take the time to email me about my novels is hugely rewarding and touching.

Cliff, I am very happy to send you a signed bookplate. I've also added a couple of bookmarks. :-) I am so honored to have written a novel that opened your eyes to the pleasures of reading! And thank you from the bottom of my heart for your email.

Cheryl Kaye Tardif talks about her new pen name Cherish D'Angelo and her debut romance Lancelot's Lady at the Author Island Tiki Hut

I'm a guest at the Author Island Tiki Hut today...

Call me Cheryl; I prefer first names. You could also call me Cherish, since that’s the name I’ve adopted as my pseudonym so that I can detour from writing mainly suspense and venture into the romance genre. Cherish D’Angelo is my flowery, romantic pen name. I selected it a few years ago when I started writing my first romance novel...

To read the full post, visit: http://tinyurl.com/ygkcovg

Pop on by & leave a comment & you could be a winner!

Canadian author Cheryl Kaye Tardif gives away her thriller The River for free at Shortcovers.com

For many months now, I've been working on a special promotion to give away electronic copies of my bestselling conspiracy thriller The River* for free on Shortcovers.com, an offshoot of Canadian bookseller Indigo Books & Music (and Chapters & Coles bookstores).

Over the next week or so, you'll see my critically acclaimed thriller advertised on Shortcovers in various ways. This free offer includes the complete novel, front and back matter too.

"Cheryl Kaye Tardif specializes in mile-a-minute pot-boiler mysteries, usually set in Western Canadian locales. Her latest, The River, is a whodunit centred around mysterious happenings on the Nahanni River up north." --Edmonton Sun

So what's The River about?

STEM CELL RESEARCH, CLONING, AND WORLD DOMINATION--WITH A TWIST...

The South Nahanni River area of Canada's Northwest Territories has a history of mysterious deaths, disappearances and headless corpses, but it may also hold the key to humanity’s survival―or its destruction.

Del thought her father was long dead. But someone from her past says otherwise. Now she and a group of near strangers embark on a perilous mission...

Seven years ago, Del Hawthorne’s father and three of his friends disappeared near the Nahanni River and were presumed dead. When one of the missing men stumbles onto the University grounds, alive but barely recognizable and aging before her eyes, Del is shocked. Especially when the man tells her something inconceivable. Her father is still alive!

Gathering a group of volunteers, Del travels to the Nahanni River to rescue her father. There, she finds a secret river that plunges her into a technologically advanced world of nanobots and painful serums. Del uncovers a conspiracy of unimaginable horror, a plot that threatens to destroy us all. Will humanity be sacrificed for the taste of eternal life?

At what point have we become...God?

"Mix some Michael Crichton with a touch of Dean Koontz..." says Amanda Richards, Top 100 Amazon Reviewer

"The River is a gripping combination of suspense, sci-fi and adventure...a cross between Michael Crichton's Timeline and Dan Brown's Angels & Demons."―Matt Scofield, a fan

You can read The River on your computer and on various reading devices, including the iPhone. There's even an app for Shortcovers that you can download for free.

Special thanks to Michael Serbinis, Michael Bowles and Ben Dugas, who have helped me get The River in front of more readers with this special, time-limited offer.

*The River is currently being considered by a film director for a major motion picture.

GET THE RIVER NOW!

Read THE RIVER on Shortcovers.com now.

Or download the ePub version of THE RIVER, which requires the free Adobe Digital Editions download first.

I hope you enjoy!

To find out what inspired me to write THE RIVER, please visit: http://www.cherylktardif.com/the-river-excerpt

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif

Lancelot's Lady September Giveaway

This contest is very easy to enter. But make sure you follow all the rules or you'll be disqualified.

By now, you've probably heard that my debut romantic suspense Lancelot's Lady has been entered in the Dorchester/Textnovel "Next Best Celler" contest. I need more votes and subscribers to have a chance at winning, and I'm willing to give you 2 things in return--a great free read and the chance to win one of my other novels.

The prizes? Three lucky winners will win a signed copy of one of my novels (The River, Divine Intervention and Whale Song), plus some extra goodies.

Rules:

1. You must sign up as a member of Textnovel.com (free, easy & no spam).


2. You must vote for Lancelot's Lady by clicking on the thumbs up icon at the top of my novel's page: http://www.textnovel.com/stories_list_detail.php?story_id=928


3. You must subscribe to receive a notice about future chapters by clicking on the cell phone icon.


4. And leave me a review comment on any chapter page at: http://www.textnovel.com/stories_list_detail.php?story_id=928


5. Contest ends at midnight (MT) on September 30th, 2009.

Prizes will be awarded in early October. No cash value, no exchanges. Please note: you MUST vote, subscribe and comment.

If you have already voted for Lancelot's Lady, please take a second to make sure you've also subscribed (blue circles will be gray if you have) and leave at least one comment.

If you were entered in the preceding monthly giveaway and did not win, you're name will be entered again. One giveaway prize per person.

If you have already voted, subscribed and commented, you'll be automatically entered.

Thank you so much for your support. I truly appreciate it. :-)

~Cheryl

Enter my Lancelot's Lady August Giveaway

This new contest is very easy to enter. But make sure you follow all the rules or you'll be disqualified.

By now, you've probably heard that my debut romantic suspense Lancelot's Lady has been entered in the Dorchester/Textnovel "Next Best Celler" contest. I need more votes and subscribers to have a chance at winning, and I'm willing to give you 2 things in return--a great free read and the chance to win one of my other novels.

The prizes? Three lucky winners will win a signed copy of one of my novels (The River, Divine Intervention and Whale Song), plus some extra goodies.

Rules:

1. You must sign up as a member of Textnovel.com (free, easy & no spam).
2. You must vote for Lancelot's Lady by clicking on the thumbs up icon at the top of my novel's page:http://www.textnovel.com/stories_list_detail.php?story_id=928
3. You must subscribe to receive a notice about future chapters by clicking on the cell phone icon.
4. And leave me a review comment on any chapter page at: http://www.textnovel.com/stories_list_detail.php?story_id=928
5. Contest ends at midnight (MT) on August 31st, 2009.

Prizes will be awarded in early September. No cash value, no exchanges. Please note: you MUST vote, subscribe and comment.

If you have already voted for Lancelot's Lady, please take a second to make sure you've also subscribed (blue circles will be gray if you have) and leave at least one comment.

If you have already voted, subscribed and commented, you'll be automatically entered.

Thank you so much for your support. I truly appreciate it. :-)

When is your next novel going to be published?

Ok, first I have to admit, a good writer friend of mine Karen Harrington posted the video below on another blog, but the topic resonated with me so much that I had to write about it and post the video here.

As a writer, I feel my responsibility is to turn out good solid reads so that my fans won't be disappointed. I also feel it's my responsibility to not make people wait too long for my next book. However, this is not completely in my control.

I know people mean well when they ask: "When is your next novel going to be published?" They're excited and they can't wait to read my next book. And I can't wait for them to read it! :)

Like my friend Karen, I have some well-meaning friends and family members who keep asking the dreaded question, and I sure wish I had a better answer...



Ok, ok, I would never do this to my family or friends. Well...unless they ask me that question too many times...then, uh...I might.

Cheryl Kaye Tardif
http://www.cherylktardif.com/

Edmonton Event: Meet Cheryl at Starbucks on 50th St. this Sunday

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21st - SPECIAL STARBUCKS EVENT:

Meet bestselling author Cheryl Kaye Tardif at the new SE Edmonton Starbucks location

1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

4357-50th Street, Edmonton, AB

780-465-4173

Have your favorite coffee drink or my favorite Chai tea with 2 shots of Cinnamon Dolce and try some yummy samples.

Enter to win a fabulous gift bag filled with gifts and surprises.

No purchase required to enter. Just show up & bring your friends!!!

Come chat with me! I'm a bestselling Edmonton author who has been in the news a lot lately (I'm writing a novel on my iPhone 3G!). Pick up some personalized, autographed novels for yourself and for family and friends. All of my books make wonderful Christmas gifts.

Whale Song, The River and Divine Intervention will be ON SALE!

A percentage of all book sales will be donated to:

• Hope Mission
• Mustard Seed Church
• Bissell Centre
• and one Edmonton school

Come out and show your support! Bring your family and friends! The more the merrier!

ATTN. MEDIA:
I'm always open to interviews, so please drop by this event and set something up. OR email me if you'd like to do an interview before or after this event.

P.S. I really hope you all come out and have some fun celebrating this new Starbucks location and the Christmas season!

P.P.S. Please let your friends in the Edmonton area know about this event. I really want to pack Starbucks and keep them hopping! :)

Cheryl Kaye Tardif
author of Whale Song, The River and Divine Intervention
http://www.cherylktardif.com/
http://www.cherylktardif.blogspot.com/

Author Cheryl Kaye Tardif is interviewed by Chase Von from The Student Operated Press

My interview is now live on The Student Operated Press. Chase Von has dug up the dirt on me. :)

In this interview I talk about my life as a "military brat", how I researched the topics in my novels Whale Song, The River and Divine Intervention, my past job as a background actor for two popular (but NLA) TV shows, my serialized novelette Remote Control on Textnovel.com, the novel Finding Bliss that I'm writing on my iPhone, and so much more.

You can read the interview at:

Chase Von and Canadian Sensation Cheryl Kaye Tardif!!!

Textnovel.com serializes REMOTE CONTROL by Cheryl Kaye Tardif

After news spread across North America about the novel I am writing on my iPhone 3G, I have had the pleasure of being interviewed for TV, radio, newspapers and websites, plus I was contacted by Stan Soper, the founder of Textnovel.com, a website devoted to cell phone novels or serialized fiction by phone.

Stan states: "I started Textnovel™ after I stumbled across an article in the New York Times on Japanese teenagers who were writing and reading fiction on their cellphones and publishing them on websites."

This fad has quickly spread across Japan over the past few years and resulted in a number of bestselling novels written mainly by teenagers with no previous writing or publishing experience. Many of the novels were written using cell phone lingo (LOL) and most are Young Adult (YA) novels.

Textnovel is the first English site to offer cell phone novels, which can be read on your computer or cell phone.

With my novel Finding Bliss I take cell phone novels to a whole new level. Not only am I the first person to attempt to write an entire novel using the Notes application on my iPhone 3G, it'll be written with my normal style (no cell phone lingo) and will feature a character who uses and iPhone 3G. This novel may one day find itself on Textnovel.com.

When Stan read about me in a recent press release, he extended a special invitation for me to check out Textnovel.com. That's when I decided to do a test run with my serialized novelette REMOTE CONTROL. I've been posting it on my website, but that will be on hold while I post it to Textnovel.com instead. Feel free to read it on Textnovel.com or you can subscribe and have new chapters delivered right to your cell phone. And don't worry, my chapters are short.

Read REMOTE CONTROL on Textnovel.com.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif
bestselling author of Whale Song

iPhone novelist interviewed on CTV tonight

Check out CTV News tonight, for those of you who get it. I was interviewed for tonight's show. They were very interested about my idea to use my new iPhone 3G to write a novel titled Finding Bliss.

This cool idea was actually something my husband thought of after I told him how I was writing notes on a new novel on my iPhone and emailing them to my PC.

I'm on CTV News tonight. It may only be the Edmonton station.

6:00 pm (Mountain time) and 11:30 pm

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
bestselling author or Whale Song

Contest for Cheryl Kaye Tardif fans on Facebook

I just realized that I forgot to announce the winner of my last contest. I awarded one of my new fans on 'Cheryl Kaye Tardif novels' fan page with a gift bag valued at over $50.00.

The winner was Mike Nicolai. Congrats, Mike!

Thank you to two of the gift sponsors:

Alexia Melnychuk - who donated her new CD Hey Little Love

Sara Westbrook - who donated new her CD Freedom

An autographed copy of my psychic suspense novel Divine Intervention was also in the gift bag.

Become a Cheryl Kaye Tardif fan and you could win prizes too. :)

Join now:
http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/Cheryl-Kaye-Tardif-novels/29769736630

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,

Canadian suspense author

http://www.cherylktardif.com/

Sunday Salon: Honour Among Men

I apologize for being a day late in writing my post for the Sunday Salon. I'm fighting a bout of tendonitis in my right arm, and was ordered to take it easy. (Sure...) My doctor said, "Don't do anything for a few days. (Yeah, right.)

I might not have blogged, but there are some things that just have to be done--like steam cleaning the carpet after our new puppy decided to do her bizness there.

So what else have I been doing? Reading, for the most part. Yay!

I recently finished Barbara Fradkin's Honour Among Men. Like me, Barbara is a member of Crime Writers of Canada. I've seen her name and read her email posts to our group, but we've never met.

Here's my review:

Honour Among Men is a smorgasbord of mystery, appealing characters and twists and turns!

4 stars

ISBN 13: 978-1894917360

Publish date: Spetember 2006

Trade paperback; 347 pages; $13.95 US

Fiction; Mystery; Crime

Recommended for: Those who like a traditional 'whodunnit mystery' set in contemporary times.

Honour Among Men brings back Fradkin's interesting protagonist, Inspector Green. This time he's called to a case involving the death of a mysterious woman whose body was dumped on the shore of the Ottawa River. The first order of business? To uncover the woman's identity. The second? To find out why she had a military medal for bravery in her hand.

This fascinating novel takes you from Ontario, Canada, to Croatia via a soldier's missing diary, and it gives you a look into the hearts and souls of soldiers and the atrocities they face every day when they're at war. It also exposes the raw inhumanity of war and how people are forced to make choices 'over there', ones they have to live with afterwards...if they can.

Honour Among Men shows us that politics are often cloaked by past misdeads. Everyone has a past. Some don't want theirs in the limelight, and they'll do anything to keep their secrets. If you enjoy a great mystery novel with vivid scenes, realistic dialogue and a well researched plot, check out Honor Among Men.

~ Cheryl Kaye Tardif, author of three novels set in Canada, including the “compelling “ and “beautiful” Whale Song, the high-octane thriller The River and the sizzling psychic suspense Divine Intervention.

Tips for Plotting Your Novel – Part 2: Ferment the Plot

In Part 1 I talked about percolating a novel plot, coming up with the ‘bubbles’, the ideas that form the skeleton of your plot. To write an engaging novel, you have to dig far deeper. That’s what fermenting helps you do.

What do you think of when you see the word FERMENT? Picture a vat filled with young wine; it needs time to soak in all the subtle flavors that will make it distinct and delicious. A novel needs time―and more importantly, deep thought―to gather in all the richness that will make it a novel worth reading.

One thing I’ve learned as a writer is this: thinking is underrated. We’re so programmed to be active and busy, that we forget that pausing every now and then actually allows us to process more information. To the human brain, writing a novel is a huge ‘information dump’; we need that pause to acknowledge our ideas, then sift through all of them to find the precious gems that will become our plot, characters, setting, and ultimately a bestselling novel (we hope).

During the fermentation stage, I’ll think more about the characters, one character and one question at a time until I have a solid answer for each. Who is she? What are her strengths and weaknesses? What is her goal? What suspenseful challenges will she face? What relationships are found or lost? Who is she up against and why? How does she proceed in the investigation or journey or quest? How does she finally reach her goal? What scene most comes to mind when it’s time for the final chapter or epilogue?

Often at the fermentation stage I’ve already started writing the actual novel. At different times throughout, I’ll pause and have what appears to be a break. But really I’m fermenting my novel plot. Someone watching me might think I’ve fallen asleep with my eyes open and head upright. You may even see the occasional wisp of smoke from my ears, or I might talk out loud or nod. I’m sure I must look weird when I do this at my favorite Starbucks, but each time I ferment my plot, the dialogue, action and characters grow stronger and deeper.

The next time you decide to write a novel, think about percolating and fermenting your plot. When I clicked on the word “percolate” and went to the synonym check in MS Word, the following words came up: seep into, infiltrate, permeate, penetrate, get into, infect, drip, filter. I think they perfectly describe what we need to do to create an engaging plot.

So percolate an idea. Let it seep into your mind and infiltrate your thoughts. As these ideas permeate your daily routine, they’ll penetrate further into your mind so you won’t forget them. They’ll get into your blood, infect you, until you can’t wait to sit down at the computer. The key then is to allow the thoughts to drip, one at a time, from your mind to the keyboard, so that in the end you become a filter and the perfect novel plot will finally emerge.

©2008 Cheryl Kaye Tardif

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif is the author of 3 Canadian suspense novels (Whale Song (published by award-winning Kunati Books), The River and Divine Intervention).

Visit her website: http://www.cherylktardif.com./