Want to review books for WritersReaders.com?

Do you like to read? Want some free books in exchange for writing a review?

WritersReaders.com is looking for people who love reading to review the stacks of books that are pouring in to a new book review program.

If you enjoy reading, don't mind getting a free book (or 2...or 5) and like to write reviews, then this is for you!

From the newsletter TIPS for WRITERS:

We have tons of books and not enough readers to review them...if you know someone that would love to read and review books please send them my way. It’s easy, they can pick what they want, there is no timeline, the book is free, all we need are interested readers. Your help is appreciated.

For more information, please contact Jerry D. Simmons.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
Canadian suspense author

Random Acts of Divine Intervention

Over the past few months I've been participating in small Random Acts of Kindness. I love leaving behind a novel for someone, and I've found my favorite RAK place at the new Starbucks at 39th Ave and 17th St in Edmonton, AB.

I go there often to write. I sit in the far corner with my laptop.

It was after my trip to Mexico last February that I realized how much fun it can be to leave a book for someone. So I started occasionally leaving a book on the table by the cream/lid/stir stick display table at Starbucks.

I have left a copy of each of my books, each on a different day over a period of a couple of months. Sometimes I put it on the table as soon as I get there to write. Sometimes I have left a copy right before I leave.

I started off writing a note inside the cover that explained to the finder that it was a gift--to take it and read it. Every now and then I'd look up from what I was writing and check the table. Darn! The book's still there! I'd go back to work.

I found that the novel was sometimes there over night and that people were too timid to open the book, so they missed reading my message.

Recently, I tried a new tactic. I put a copy (I think of Divine Intervention) on the table, with a post-it note right on the cover. Throughout the day, I glanced at the table. Sometimes I held my breath when I saw someone standing nearby.

Ironically, I have NEVER actually seen the people who have accepted my gifts. Never seen them, and never heard from them--until a few days ago...

Moe gave me permission to post this email online:

Hi Cheryl,

I walked into a Starbucks one day and as I was stirring my tall dark roast I noticed a novel sitting on the table next to me with a note on it. I read the note and you know what it said. I was with my brother and we were both moved by it. Needless to say I took the book home with me. I have read about half of it now and am enjoying it very much. I would like to thank you for your kindness and would like to know where I could get a copy of Whale Song and any other works that you have published. Again thank you for your generosity and I will pass the word along that you tell a great yarn.

sincerely Moe

I have to say that receiving this email made me smile. (Thanks, Moe! You made my day!) Although the idea behind Random Acts of Kindness is to give, not receive, I have to admit that it is really nice to know that the person who accepted my gift actually enjoyed it. It also felt great to know that the right person had found my novel.

Now that's what you call...Divine Intervention!

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
author of Divine Intervention, Whale Song and The River

Update #5 on the suspenseful work-in-progress 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

Libraries: Are you looking for a new novel to add to your book collections?

Why not choose a novel that has impacted many people's lives--WHALE SONG (published by Kunati Books).

Libraries worldwide will benefit from including Whale Song in their collection for the following reasons:

• Whale Song appeals to adults and young adult readers (7-108).
• Whale Song offers a unique cultural experience with a west coast, Canadian flavor.
• Whale Song reveals an inspiring message of hope that has already changed people's lives.
• And Whale Song gives readers an escape from the "every day" and characters you'll love and remember.

Book information for ordering:


Title: WHALE SONG
ISBN: 9781601640079
Author: Cheryl Kaye Tardif
Publisher: Kunati Books
Publish date: April 2007
Trade paperback
Adult Fiction; YA

You can order Whale Song from IPG in the US:
800) 888-IPG1 (4741)
orders@ipgbook.com

Or from Canadian Manda Group in Canada
(416) 516-0911

general@mandagroup.com

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif, author of Whale Song

Librarians LOVE Whale Song!

Two recent reviews came in for Whale Song, both from librarians--one from Canada, the other from the US--proving that Whale Song is well loved on both sides of the border.

Jen, a reference librarian at an academic institution in Canada, has this to say about Whale Song:

"I really enjoyed the story...It was moving...it's definitely a recommended read."

Read Jen's full review.

Glenda York, Assistant Director of Russell County Public Library in Kentucky says Whale Song is:

"A well written young adult coming of age tragedy thats appeal transcends the teen audience and encompasses anyone that would enjoy a tale well told...this novel is a haunting tale of choices made and how the repercussions of those choices can tear a family apart. It is an enchanting and uplifting tale that combines the optimistic spirituality of native myth with the hard realities of modern existence. The characters and descriptive setting will enthrall you."

Read the full review on Glenda's blog.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif, author of Whale Song

Hot Trends, Hot Markets - Part 5: Adding Friends to Social Networks

This is the final segment in my Hot Trends, Hot Markets online social marketing section.

Please read Part 1-4 before proceeding to Part 5.

Part 5:

Friends are gold; they'll promote you just because they know you. And if they read your work, they'll promote you even more. Friends connect you to strangers without you having to do anything. They tell two friends and so on...and so on...

Build up enough friends in your networks, and you'll build momentum. The next thing you'll know, you'll have people messaging you and asking to be friends.

In every online social network, the friends you add are very important. These are people who will be interested in you and your books for a variety of reasons. Not only do you want fans of your work and close friends and business acquaintances you already know, you want to invite complete strangers. Again, having a genuine interest in meeting new people and getting to know them is a huge plus. Learn to love your friends, even the ones you haven't made yet.

Ask yourself: Who would I like to know personally (famous authors, famous people, famous actors & singers, etc)? Which industry people would be beneficial (agents, publishers, etc)? What kinds of people will help sell my book (librarians, booksellers, etc)?

Search for:

• authors
• writers
• literary agents
• publishers
• librarians
• editors
• teachers
• book reviewers
• publicists
• booksellers

And search for friends who:

• love books
• love reading
• are fans of authors you like and ones you've been compared to
• are fans of books like yours, titles your books have been compared to
• live in your city, town, province, state, country

Now think completely outside the box--think movies, TV shows, films based on your books, and invite:

• actors
• film producers
• directors
• music composers
• musicians
• singers
• songwriters
• film companies
• screenwriters

Now think of your book. What topics are discussed? Now search for friends who relate to your book's topics (ie. if your book--fiction or nonfiction--is about a character with Alzheimer's, use that search term and you'll find groups, support groups, associations etc--all great contacts for you)

The last way to search for friends is what I think is the most fun. I recently experienced this, and I have to say it's opened up opportunities but also there's something both weird and exciting in it. This last tip is for fiction authors. And this is what you do...

Add your characters as "friends":

1. Make a list of all the main characters in every novel or short story (published or unpublished) that you've written.
2. Then make a list of secondary characters--ones that are interesting and important to your story.
3. Search for your characters' names on all of the online social networks, especially MySpace and Facebook.
4. Invite your "characters" to be your friend.
5. When they accept, leave a comment on their page (for ALL to see). Let them know that they have the same name as your character. Tell them a bit about this character and your book. Invite them to order it online--leave the link--and offer to send them an autographed bookplate or bookmark. You can do this in stages--replying to the friend.

Recently I've had the pleasure of sending many bookplates to people with my characters' names. They're all quite thrilled at the idea, and many are very curious. So am I! Again, it's an opportunity to promote your work, but a rare opportunity to connect with a "character" and this can lead to some interesting conversations. I love it! More and more, I've been blessed by meeting wonderful people from all over the world. These are my readers--actual and potential. And I value each and every one of them.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
author of Whale Song
http://www.cherylktardif.com

Author Cheryl Kaye Tardif Awarded a T-Shirt from Storycasting.com

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.

Then the next email I opened was 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/