Guest author Eileen Schuh talks about intensifying suspense with secret codes

Today I'd like to welcome my good friend, author Eileen Schuh to my blog. Be sure to read to the end and enter her contest--you might win some fabulous prizes. Take it away, Eileen...

There’s nothing that intensifies suspense like a good secret code.

In my new release, DISPASSIONATE LIES, my heroine, Ladesque, is living that suspense. The mysterious markings that are stymieing her are splashed across the DISPASSIONATE LIES book cover—squiggles and lines that conceal the secrets to her past.

It’s no secret why codes are intriguing. Shrug, one of my beloved characters in the BackTracker series, tells those who listen that knowledge is power and at some deep level we all agree. Since a code implies someone is keeping knowledge from us, we can’t help but believe that if we decipher the code, special powers will be ours.

I’ve used codes in past novels; there are several in FATAL ERROR that Katrina, my genius young BackTracker series protagonist, capably solves. One involves an encrypted message between gang members and another, a password.

The most memorable fictional code for me is in the movie Close Encounters when the aliens begin their communication with humans using colours and music. In fact, I liked that code so much I mention it in DISPASSIONATE LIES.

Codes come in many shapes and sizes. Encryption is what supposedly keeps our secure internet transactions secure. Yes, I know, it doesn’t work too well and works even less effectively in 2035 which is why in DISPASSIONATE LIES Ladesque is battling to give the world an internet system that can’t be breached.

Although they say easily deciphering codes is one of the main benefit mankind would receive from a quantum computer (and there is a futuristic quantum computer in DISPASSIONATE LIES), the mysterious language Ladesque is trying to decode is unrelated to that. She’s trying to uncover the truth about the intrigue, conspiracies and perhaps even murder blemishing her past. Without that knowledge, she’s not prepared to face her future, even if it might hold the massive power of a quantum computer.

It would not just be human codes that a quantum computer could decipher, it might make short work of uncovering the history of the universe as encoded in the stars. It might reveal to us the true nature of gravity, time and space and perhaps even time-travel. It might be able to translate into English, the songs of whales and relics of the past.

Whoever is the master of that first quantum computer will possess unfathomable knowledge—a power that can all be Ladesque’s, should she choose. However, first she must decode the diary that contains the facts about her past.

DISPASSIONATE LIES - Official Launch price ONLY $1.99 July 13 -26, 2014 on Amazon and Smashwords (Use coupon code GS42H on Smashwords for the eFormat of your choice.)

SCHRÖDINGER’S CAT joins the celebration at only 99₵ on Amazon and Smashwords! Smashwords coupon JU57W

About Eileen:

Eileen Schuh has published two adult Science Fiction novellas, SCHRÖDINGER'S CAT and her new near-future release, DISPASSIONATE LIES. She also has authored three novels in her young adult BackTracker series, THE TRAZ, FATAL ERROR and FIREWALLS. THE TRAZ is also available in a School Edition.

Her new near-future release, DISPASSIONATE LIES explores female sexuality against a backdrop of high-tech science, governmental and pharmaceutical conspiracies, espionage, and perhaps even murder.

SCHRÖDINGER'S CAT, with its tangled relationships, weaves intense emotion into the science of multi-universes.

Schuh, born Eileen Fairbrother in Tofield, Alberta, lives in Canada’s northern boreal forests and draws her inspiration from the wilderness, her grandchildren, family and friends, and her adopted community of St. Paul, Alberta.

Visit her online:
Blog: http://eileenschuh.blogspot.com
Website: http://www.eileenschuh.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EileenSchuhAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/eileenschuh

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GIZEMLI NEHIR, Turkish translation of my thriller THE RIVER is now available in Turkey

Introducing the Turkish translation of THE RIVER...

A couple of days ago I found a package in the mail from the literary agency in Turkey that had handled the contracts for a Turkish translation of my techno-thriller, THE RIVER. Inside the package were two paperbacks of the newly released GIZEMLI NEHIR--my translation.

To say that I'm thrilled is an understatement! I had very much the same reaction as I'd had when my very first novel was published and in my hands. I was awed, excited, proud, and in disbelief. GIZEMLI NEHIR marks another highlight in my career as a writer--and in my life.

Though I don't know anyone other than the literary agent in Turkey, I can't wait to hear from a reader in Turkey who has read this translation. 

Thank you to Eftalya Kitap, book publisher in Turkey, for taking a chance on my novel.

And a special thank you to Filiz Karaman at Nurichan Kesim Literary Agency for making this deal happen.

GIZEMLI NEHIR...

Available at:

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& more

THE RIVER gets a new look

My bestselling techno-thriller, THE RIVER, will be released next month in a second edition trade paperback, priced to be more affordable than the older version. Nothing inside has changed much; it's the same action-packed story, same mystery, same chills and thrills. But as you'll see, the front cover now has a more ominous feel to it and there's a new publisher.

In 2005, the original cover was designed. The book retailed for $25.99 and was then reduced to $22.50. But to be honest, that price has bothered me and I've been trying to find a way to bring THE RIVER to everyone--with a lower price. And now I have!

In June 2011, the second edition trade paperback of THE RIVER will retail for only $9.99 on Amazon. Over the following month or two, the new edition will be distributed to other retailers.

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!

Check out the following covers:

2005 cover

2011 cover

What do you think? Do you like the new cover?

THE RIVER is available in ebook edition at Amazon, KoboBooks, Smashwords, B&N and more.

The River is available for Kindle readers

A while ago, my action-packed suspense thriller The River was available on Kindle via my publisher, but just recently I have taken control of my ebook rights and I've resubmitted The River. It is now available, and for a lot less!

The River (ebook) now retails for $4.99 US.

Kindle fans in other countries will see a $2 surcharge, bringing the price up to $6.99 US--which is still quite a bit cheaper than the original Kindle price.

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?

"Cheryl Kaye Tardif specializes in mile-a-minute pot-boiler mysteries." --Edmonton Sun

"Exciting and vivid. Tardif’s latest novel sweeps readers along into uncharted, wild Canadian territory.A thrilling adventure..."―Midwest Book Review 

Buy the Kindle of The River now.

A Gift of Chocolate, Coffee & Crime

For anyone living in Canada, you can now order a special gift at BuyBuyGiftBaskets.ca that contains your choice of my bestselling techno-thriller THE RIVER or my bestselling paranormal suspense thriller DIVINE INTERVENTION.

Also included is a mug and your choice of hot chocolate or coffee and your choice of biscotti or a chocolate spoon.

Chocolate, Coffee & Crime. What goes better together than these?

E.S.C. Trillium High School student says THE RIVER "kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it"

Over the past month or so, grade 12 students from E.S.C. Trillium High School in Chapleau, Ontario, studied my thriller The River. It's been a lot of fun for the teacher Pam Morin, her students and me, especially since we've kept in touch, were able to do video conferencing and I felt like I was part of the class. Thank you, Pam!

Over the next few days I'm going to post bits from some of the students' reports/reviews, and I have to say, these young adults really "got" what I was saying. The River is a techno-thriller, part Mission Impossible, part adventure, part history...and so much more.

Michel, one of the students, has this to say about The River:

"The River is a sort of thriller type novel that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it...the action starts right at the beginning of the novel, when Arnold Shroeder shows up and informs Del that her father’s still alive...cool how the author incorporates the character descriptions into the story without overloading the readers with useless information...I couldn’t believe how interesting she made their search through the Nahanni regions sound...I found the end of the novel very climactic. I seriously couldn’t put the book down...The River was an awesome book that I would recommend to my family and my friends."

Thank you, Michel, for allowing me to post your review! :-)

High School teachers: If you'd like to bring The River into your school as a novel study, drop me a line. I love interacting with students. I find it encourages students to read even more and it gives them an experience I hope they'll remember for a long time. I know I will.

*Purchase The River from Amazon (paperback & Kindle), Chapters, Barnes and Noble and many more online retailers. In Edmonton, please check your favorite bookstore.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif

"Plunge into "The River" for a thrilling adventure! Get carried away by the flow of Tardif's magical prose!"

I'm sick today, suffering from an awful flu bug that my daughter Jessica decided to gift me with. :) I've been feeling like crap for 2 days--until I checked my email and found a message from an Amazon Top 1000 Reviewer. She wanted to let me know she had posted a review for The River, my 2005 techno-thriller.

As always, I held my breath and went to the page to check it out.

I think Betty used up every possible awesome adjective out there. And trying to quote a bit from it has proved challenging, but I'll share part of it with you. You can go to Amazon to read the entire review, which I must admit left me wanting to read The River again.

"...Author Cheryl Kaye Tardif hooked me from the first sentence. I couldn't wait to read it. Having already read and raved over her later release, Whale Song: A Novel, I knew I would like The River, but didn't think anything could come up to Whale.

How wrong I was! This book is outstanding, too, and I'm learning that all of this author's works are brilliant.

The superb writing in The River flowed along smoothly, as naturally as the Mississippi River; then as the story progressed it picked up speed and energy like the turbulent white-water of the Colorado...There are thrills aplenty in this novel...Author Cheryl Kaye Tardif is a true wordsmith, writing fluently while making it seem easy. Her plot is well-paced, with characters so believable the reader cares what happens to them, and above all, her imagination soars. This is a true high-concept story.

I invite you to plunge into this intriguing story ... head-first or feet-first, it doesn't matter. You're in for an absorbing adventure--with more twists and turns than the Nahanni River itself--and a surprising, yet satisfying ending that leaves you gasping for more."

--Reviewed by Amazon Top 1000 Reviewer Betty Dravis, 2008, Millennium Babe: The Prophecy

To read the entire review, please check it out on Amazon and don't forget to vote it as "helpful".

Order The River online.