Growing Hope by Stephen T. Berg is now available

I am very pleased to announce the release of Growing Hope: The Story of Edmonton's Hope Mission by Stephen T. Berg. As the title suggests, this is a historical account of the creation of Edmonton's Hope Mission, a mission that has counseled men and women with addictions, housed the homeless and fed the hungry.

Growing Hope is published by Guardian Books, a division of Essence Publishing. Copies can be ordered from http://www.essencebookstore.com.

While most of us are writing about fictional crime, many of us have experienced it. Some of us are survivors of terrible tragedies. I am tied to Hope Mission in a very personal way. My younger brother used their services before he was murdered in 2006. I was honoured beyond words to be asked to edit this book and did so willingly. Some of the stories presented in Growing Hope brought me to tears. Some could have easily been my brother's story.

I hope you'll check out this book and read it. For those of you who are researching life on the street for a story, this book may be quite valuable. For those of you who don't know much about the homeless, addicted or poverty stricken members of your community, this may help you understand more, maybe see a different side. It is such a comfort to me to know that my brother had these services and these people in his life.

To learn more about Growing Hope, please check out:
http://hopemission.blogspot.com/

Cheryl Kaye Tardif
Canadian suspense author & book marketing coach
http://www.cherylktardif.com

Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cherylktardif

A Writer's Conflict

A fellow writer and great friend recently told me she was "conflicted" over parts of the novel she was working on. She told me she had to work nights because some members of her family were not that supportive. I am often asked by writers, "what do I do when this happens?" I'll tell you what I told her. If nights work best, you go for it! Whatever it takes! If you're feeling conflicted, take the first thing, the first sign, the first bit that makes you squirm....don't try to look at the entire book....or the entire part you worked on last night. If you're conflicted over the whole novel, then go back to the beginning. Everything has its roots from the beginning. Try to visualize it as a movie unfolding before your eyes. What do the actors do? What do they say? How do they say it? Read each chapter thoroughly, out loud! Listen to the rhythm, the beats. When you get to the end of each chap, ask youself: Do I feel good about this chapter? Is it 'strong'? If the answer is yes, move on to the next chap. (I even find that whispering the chap aloud helps. I don't distract myself with a loud voice. Regardless, out loud is better than simply reading it.) If the answer is no, then re-read it aloud. You'll pause, hesitate, squirm or go "this is crap" when you reach a part that bothers you. Fix THAT part. I always know which chapters need work when I do it this way. I hope it works for you too. Also, if you're conflicted because you're still wondering "should I do this?" "Should I add that?" "Should I change this?" then stop! Take a breath. Take a piece of paper, and in 1 sentence (no more) per chapter summarize your entire story. Keep it simple! KISS! Your story is a simple story. It doesn't need to be so complicated, really. Then as you go through the para's check back. If you write something that doesn't make your 1 sentence stronger, more clear etc, that's fluff. (PS, the sentence can be a long one!) Stick to the basics of the story, try not to get sidetracked into unimportant stuff. Everything you write from page 1 should ADD to the story, not detract from it. Everything you write should be important and should lead somewhere. Cut the fluff! Do a "crap edit". Read a paragraph. Visualize it not there. Ask: "If I cut it, would it still work without sacrificing some valuable info?" (If yes, then cut it!) I have learned to be very ruthless when editing my own work. I recently lost over 25 pages. You have to step aside and look at it in an unbiased, detached way. And no matter what, stick to your deadline. Don't cave in and give up now! IT gives you a goal to shoot for, and you'll get so much more done if you have it. What's the worst thing that will happen? You'll miss the deadline. NEXT!!!! You can do it! Just take that breath, and look at it chapter by chapter, page by page. Don't worry about the sighing, questioning people around you. Let them know that until you're done, your space is the "NO SIghing, NO Questioning, NO Complaining Zone!" Bribe them if you have to! Tell them you'll take them all out for dinner on your first royalty check (they don't have to know it may be $8.49!) I hope this helps other aspiring, emerging or established writers. ~ CKT

10 Silly Things You Didn’t Know About Canadian Crime Writer Cheryl Kaye Tardif

I was recently interviewed by Anthony Bidulka, author, interviewer and possibly professional stalker, and this interview wasn't your normal run-of-the-papermill type. Instead of asking me those questions I usually always get during interviews or ones I've answered a million times, he tried a more...um...unique approach.

So here it is, folks! The complete list of...

10 Silly Things You Didn’t Know About Canadian Crime Writer Cheryl Kaye Tardif (with a teaser introduction from Anthony.)

Authors, check your books on Amazon for unauthorized Kindle editions

I spent the past two days speaking with a representative of Trafford.com, the publisher of the original 2003 novel Whale Song, about how the old edition could have mysteriously been converted to a Kindle version without my authorization--or Trafford's.

Let me start from the beginning...In 2006 traditional publisher Kunati Books (now closed down) bought the print and digital rights to Whale Song. The older 2003 print edition was removed from Amazon after some time. This was the ONLY edition available at that time; no Kindle version had been created.

Whale Song was then published by Kunati in 2007 as an expanded special edition with new scenes and revised text. Again, no Kindle was created. In mid-2009, after the 2007 edition had gone out of print and Kunati was closed, I discovered there was a Kindle version on Amazon--of the original 2003 edition.

It's a good thing I wasn't with Kunati at the time as most publishers would want the digital rights. I wasn't sure what to make of the old version now in Kindle, so I did what comes naturally--I promoted it. I tweeted about it, feeling happy that Whale Song wasn't completely out of circulation. I get emails every week asking where this novel could be found.

In the back of my mind, something bothered me though. I didn't recall being paid for Kindle sales. However, logic told me that Trafford must have been paying me and that I just hadn't noticed, that somehow when I pulled my title from them back in 2006 they left the Kindle, which may have still been processing.

So new year, new organization hits me. I contacted Trafford and mentioned Whale Song and when they confirmed their records, it was indeed removed from their system and cancelled. They had not authorized a Kindle version. The gal at Trafford contacted someone at Amazon and was told that "the author" had sent in a copyright page with no references to Trafford as the publisher.

I'll admit, part of me felt kind of stupid because I didn't recall doing that. Was I sleep-Kindling? Had I actually reactivated the OLD edition? And why would I do that? The special edition was far better. I cringed, wondering if I'd slipped into early Alzheimer's. But as I told the gal at Trafford (which incidentally was taken over recently by US publisher Author Solutions), I really didn't remember authorizing the Kindle.

Today I received an email from my contact at Trafford (great customer service, by the way!). As Amazon investigated further, they discovered that Amazon had authorized my Kindle version--without MY permission. And I have NEVER been paid a dime from any sales.

So what now? Well, Amazon has to check their sales data and pay me for any sales owed. And this particular fellow won't speak with authors directly, so all of this has been funneled through a publisher that no longer handles Whale Song. But thank God Trafford checked into this! Otherwise I never would have known about Amazon posting an unauthorized Kindle.

While I understand mistakes can happen and since I do value Amazon as a major bookseller and I read Kindle books on my iPhone, my intention here isn't to bash Amazon or their Kindle department but to encourage authors to check their book pages on Amazon and make sure that no unauthorized Kindle editions have been created.

Now I will wait for my millions from Amazon. lol (Ok, millions of grains of copper for all the pennies I probably made.) To buy Whale Song on Kindle, you'd better do it now. Amazon will be removing it soon.

P.S. If you read this and you've purchased the Kindle of Whale Song--now or in the past--, please leave me a comment and let me know.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
Canadian suspense author
http://www.cherylktardif.com/

Authors: How do you find the right audience for your book?

Finding your audience isn't as difficult as some writers may think, though sometimes you have to think outside the box. 

The first thing you have to determine is who would read your book...


Visit Market My Novel to read more and to find out what 3 authors say about this.