Website counter shows important search term: what is Cheryl Kaye Tardif's religion

Today I was checking my stats on my website visitor counter. I like to know where people come from--both the previous link that led them to me and their country of origin. I use www.Statcounter.com because it shows me how many visitors I have each day, where they're from, what link they clicked on to get to my site (whether on another site or in an email). I also see what search terms people use to find me.

Today's interesting search term was: what is Cheryl Kaye Tardif's religion. I somehow doubt that person found their answer. So I'm going to put it here. Now I don't normally talk about religion--a habit left over from my hairstyling days when we were told not to discuss religion, sex or politics with customers. In the past I've blown all 3 rules.

So, here's the answer:

I am a spiritualist. I was christened as a Protestant but was never raised in any religion. I was told to explore and find my own. For a while I was a practicing Presbyterian. Although I practiced for many years, I never could get it right. There were things I liked and things I didn't.

In the end, I chose to find a new "church", and I did. In my heart. This is where I believe the true "church" resides, in each individual heart and soul. You don't have to go to a building to believe in a higher power. I don't need to have someone else preach to me in order to acknowledge this higher power either.

So I call myself a spiritualist--a spiritual person. I'm a deep thinker with strong beliefs in a loving power that wants us to do good in this world. Overall, I believe that we're each put on this earth to add value to others and to grow in spirit and learn the lessons that are important.

I hope this answers the question for whoever was looking.

Yes, it's amazing what you learn just by looking at the stats on your site counter. :-)

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

Twitter Contest!

I am holding my first ever Twitter Contest. This is how it works:

1. Follow me on Twitter (you'll need a Twitter account to do this).
2. By following me, you'll be automatically entered in my Twitter Contest.
3. Ask your friends to follow me. I will start giving away books when I have 750 followers (originally 10,000)!!
4. Give everyone you know my Twitter URL www.twitter.com/cherylktardif. You can send this out in your newsletters, ezines, emails etc.
5. Once I reach 750 followers I'll start giving out free books, and other prizes! Book prizes will consist of my own novels plus other authors' books.
6. Winners names will be posted here on my blog and website contest page. Good luck all!!

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif

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Author Cheryl Kaye Tardif is interviewed by a 10-year-old

Yesterday, at my favorite Starbucks, I was interviewed by a very smart young girl named Sarah. She just turned 10 in December and she's a very bright girl. For a school project she decided to report on how stories are made and her teacher gave her the idea of interviewing an author.

Sarah told me that she searched for the most famous childrens/young adult author. Well, that turned out to be J.K. Rowling--of course! The next search brought up another author whom I've never heard of. I think then she fine-tuned her search and maybe added "Edmonton" to the search, and that's how she found me. I joked that that made me the "third most famous". ;-)

Sarah came very prepared. She didn't have just a piece of paper with the questions she wanted to ask; it was more of a collage, and I think it was even laminated. Her questions were very smart ones: How did I think of my stories; what made a story a good one; and more. Six questions in all. Her mom videotaped the interview.

When Sarah was finished, I asked if I could ask her some questions. I wanted to know what she was writing. This little 10-year-old told me she was writing a novel--a fantasy adventure about a magical necklace that transported her characters to other worlds. Soooo cool! And she's 10 years old!!! She said this was going to be a series. Wow!

I've been interviewed by newspaper reporters, TV and radio hosts--in Canada and the US--and I have to say, this was my favorite interview. It's not every day that a child Sarah's age decides to interview an author. She told me in her email that she'd never met a "real author" before. I am very happy to be her first "real author", and I suspect this girl's going to meet many many more.

Oh, and of course I just had to give her a signed copy of Whale Song! After all, the main character is named Sarah. Thank you to Sarah and her Mom for giving me a very special day, one I won't forget. And thanks also to them for allowing me to post the picture of the youngest reporter I've been interviewed by!

Get Publishing writers conference in Edmonton

Writing Across Borders – A Get Publishing Event
May 1 & 2, 2009, MacEwan Robbins Health Learning Centre, Edmonton, AB

For a toolbox full of sage advice on getting your words in print across languages, genres, mediums and cultures, register today for Writing Across Borders, the latest Get Publishing event.

Set for May 1-2, 2009 in the Downtown MacEwan Robbins Health Learning Centre, this is an outstanding opportunity to rub shoulders with publishers, editors, an agent, grantors and other mentors in settings that invite you to ask the questions that most concern you.

· Keynote speakers: Annari van der Merwe (who has nurtured new voices at Random House South Africa) and Thomas Trofimuk (local writer whose work is crossing borders)

· Learning sessions on query writing, translation, online publishing, multilingual markets, marketing, copyright, taxes and more

· Instant feedback at fully interactive sessions: Pitch Camp, Mentor Café, Critiquing Circle, Grants Q&A, Marketing Your Book

· Marketplace, a lively space to meet publishers, writing groups and others of interest to writers

· Saturday celebration dinner with multicultural flair, food and fun

For more information or to register, go to www.getpublishing.ca.

Register by April 3 to take advantage of early bird rates.

To explore available bursaries or find out how to sponsor a writer, contact Cheryl Mahaffy, mahaffyc@shaw.ca, 780-479-3524.

Whatever you write – this is for you!

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/

Shooters go on gun rampage - March 11th

For years now, people have been discussing the gun issue and the "right to bear arms". Is it a God-given right? Or should guns for the general public be outlawed completely? How many innocent children and adults have to die before something is done to solve this epidemic?

On Wednesday, March 11th, at the Albertville school in Winnenden, Germany, a 17-year-old gunman dressed all in black brought a gun into his school and opened fire. He killed 2 boys, 7 girls and 3 female teachers.

The gunman, later identified as Tim Kretschmer, then killed a gardener at the clinic next door and hijacked a car, ordering the driver to take him 40K out of town. After the driver jumped out of the car, Kretschmer ran into a car dealership where he shot a sales rep and a customer. His final act? He turned the gun on himself.

Kretschmer had a murder list in his home, a list of people who had wronged him. He'd gotten the handgun from his father's collection. It hadn't been locked away with the others. It was left in a drawer where anyone could have access to it. And someone did, and look at the deaths it has caused. Should the father be charged?

On the same day, in Samson, Alabama, 28-year-old Michael McLendon, an ex-cop, set his mother's house on fire, killing his mother and her dog. Next he shot and killed five others, including the wife and 18-month-old baby of a local sheriff's deputy.

McLendon randomly shot at townspeople as he drove through the streets, then he killed his own grandmother. In the end, he killed 10 people before turning the gun on himself at the metals plant in the town of Geneva, where he had worked.

Some reports say that he, too, had left a murder list. It is suggested that his parent's bitter divorce caused McLendon to lash out at his own family. There are reports that he had issues at his former jobs, problems with some of his co-workers. Was he a victim of bullying? Did he suffer from depression?

Some questions will never be answered, but one thing is for sure in both cases: these two men were seriously messed up and no one noticed. Both men felt that others had done them wrong; neither of them got help for their depression. These are the common emotional elements in rampage shooters.

The other common element is that both men had access to guns. The handguns used in both cases were apparently registered legally. The assault rifles that McLendon also carried were illegal. This tells us that it doesn't matter if people carry permits; a weapon is a weapon.

I get why people in some countries and cities feel they need a gun to protect themselves. I get wanting to protect your family and children. I get why some people feel it necessary to have a gun in the house; it makes them feel safer. But at what cost, people? At the cost of innocent and young lives? How many more unnecessary deaths like these do there have to be before people start realizing how dangerous it is to have a gun in the house, especially one that is not locked up securely? And why is it that depressed or bullied people feel the necessity to get revenge by killing innocent people? Get help!

I was bullied as a kid, and in this day and age that seems to mean I can grab a weapon and gun down my enemies. Sure there were days in my youth where I imagined pushing my bully down a flight of stairs or smacking her in the head or worse. I am sure I even wished her dead at times. That's how kids think; expecially ones who are being bullied. Mostly I imagined the day I'd be able to stand up to her.

I never had to. Eventually she moved on to someone else, then I moved away. I bumped into her years later and she inspired only one emotion from me--pity. While my life had continually gotten better, hers had gotten worse. I heard rumors about her life and I began to understand why she had acted the way she had in school. She was actually the inspiration for "Annie", a character in my novel Whale Song.

My message to those who feel they're being bullied or mistreated: It WILL pass. Years from now you'll barely remember it. You'll get over it; yes, maybe with counseling or therapy, but you'll get over it. Years from now you'll realize that the school bully taught you something about yourself. Mine taught me to stand up for myself and not let people walk all over me. That lesson, while traumatic at the time, has come in handy over the past few years, and not once have I felt the need for a gun to solve my problems. Time and forgiveness heals all things.

Hysterical amnesia--or is that "historical"

I have to tell you this story...

A young girl read Whale Song a couple of years ago and decided to use it for her school book report. She made the most beautiful collage, with pictures and layers. There were blocks of text describing parts of the story.

In Whale Song, the main character experiences a traumatic event that left her with hysterical amnesia. Hysterical amnesia occurs after traumatic events and is short term memory loss related to that event.

Throughout the collage, this young fan called it "historical" amnesia.

I thought this was hysterical. LOL

What's in a name?

Okay, I'll answer this question: lots of letters. Check it out: Cheryl Kaye Tardif. Lots of letters. Looks simple enough though, doesn't it? But, boy, it's caused me some grief over the years.

First, I always have to spell my name for sound checks for radio and television interviews. My name is grueling to spell, especially my last name. When I say "f", people think I'm saying 's', so I always say: "'f' like Frank". They still put 's' (like Srank?)

I started off signing my books Cheryl Kaye Tardif, until my hand started to ache. No one seemed to notice when I started leaving off the Kaye.

Sometimes I get people who call me "Cheryl Kaye", like my name is similar to "Billie-Jo" or "Mary-Anne". Is the "Kaye" part of my first name or an invisible middle name?

Neither.

Here's the story: Kaye is my maiden name. No, I didn't hypenate my two last names. I've used it only for writing--because I always said that it was the original Cheryl Kaye who is the writer, as opposed to the wife and mother Cheryl Tardif. Well, it made sense to me back then.

So now I'm considering pulling a Koontz. You know, a Dean Koontz. He's one of my favorite suspense authors, but when I first started reading him decades ago, his author name was "Dean R. Koontz". I guess he got tired of that "R" in the middle.

Out of curiosity, I'd like to take a poll. I'll post it next. Then you can answer my poll and tell me what my author name should be.

~Cheryl...or maybe CT Rowling...or Stephanie King?

Life's for sharing...and here's how T-Mobile does it

T-Mobile's latest ad, filmed at Liverpool Street Station in London, tells us "Life's for sharing". I believe that. Sharing joy, sharing love, sharing peace, sharing hope, sharing stories, sharing dreams, and sharing life. Only when we are truly sharing are we truly experiencing life.

After watching this video, I dare you to tell me you weren't affected by it. How many of you smiled while watching? How many of you danced in your chair or wanted to get up and dance? How many of you had tears in your eyes? And how many of you wished you could have been there to experience this live? I sure do.



Only the professional dancers knew what was going to happen.

How does this video make you feel? Remember, "Life's for sharing", so please share this video.

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

Citytv honors author Cheryl Kaye Tardif in "Outstanding Edmontonians" series

This past Tuesday, Associate Producer Reid Wilkins from Citytv (Edmonton) interviewed me for the Breakfast Television series "Outstanding Edmontonians". I am so honored to be chosen!

So Tuesday, after a flurry of what to wear other than my plush pink slippers (which you might see in the interview) and fighting with my hair, I prepared to be interviewed.

Also included was my wonderful publicist Rachel Sentes from OutRight Communications. Thank you, Rachel!! You are fab!

We talked about my novels, especially Whale Song. I even talk a bit about the movie deal that's in negotiations and progressing smoothly. Reid was also interested in the novel I'm writing on my iPhone--Finding Bliss.

Check out Breakfast Television on Wednesday, March 11th, at 8:10 AM for the series on "Outstanding Edmontonians".

You can also see this interview Wednesday evening on Citytv's 'Your City' between 6:00 and 6:30 PM. You might see me online at http://site.btedmonton.ca/video/.

Thank you, Reid and Citytv!!

Whale Song is "a magical journey"

Another 5-star review for Whale Song on Amazon:

"A powerful and mystical journey...From the talented author Cheryl Kaye Tardif we are given a poignant and haunting tale - a coming-of-age story of a young girl transplanted to an island culture that combined Native mysticism with the beautiful animal world of the whales...A powerful tale of mystery, drama, coming-of-age, and Native mysticism, Whale Song: A Novel was like a magical journey...I couldn't put it down!

--Laurel-Rain Snow, author of Web of Tyranny

Canadian stem-cell breakthrough meets The River

In a news story that sounds like it should have been included in a chapter of my thriller The River, it appears that a huge breakthrough in stem-cell research has been made between Dr. Andras Nagy of Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital and Keisuke Kaji of the Medical Research Council Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, and their teams.

Anne McIlroy from the Globe and Mail reports, "Canadian researchers have discovered a new way to turn skin cells into stem cells with fewer potential risks to patients...Dr. Nagy and his colleagues are the first to reprogram human skin cells to an embryonic state without using a virus..."

So does this mean that scientists are well on their way to finding something to slow the process of aging? I mean, if they can revert a cell to an embryonic state, what does that mean for those who are obsessed with staying young?

For now, they're looking at ways to use this technology to eliminate diseases like diabetes or Parkinson's. One day, this research might be responsible for curing cancer. Or this technology may end up repairing damaged hearts, kidneys, livers or even growing new organs. The possibilities are endless. That is exciting!

How interesting that something I wrote about is actually more of a possibility. Fiction becomes fact. Let's hope that the horrible atrocities that occur in The River as a result of such technology doesn't happen in real life.

You can read the Globe and Mail story HERE.

MSNBC also carries a story on this breakthrough. Read it HERE.

Want more info on my thriller The River? Here's a brief description:

Stem cell research, cloning, and world domination--with a twist...

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

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?

You can buy The River online at Amazon or Chapters, or ask your bookstore to order it for you.

Read an excerpt of Finding Bliss on Textnovel.com

You can now read the prologue and first chapter (unedited) of Finding Bliss, the novel that I am writing on my iPhone 3G with the Notes application.

Finding Bliss has been in the media over the past few months. Check out my website for more information: http://www.findingblissbook.com/.

Now sit back and enjoy reading a sample of Finding Bliss on Textnovel.com.

Don't forget to vote by clicking on the circular "thumbs up" button.

Cheryl Kaye Tardif

http://www.cherylktardif.com/