The Story Behind the Book

There are actually two stories behind my new thriller, SUBMERGED. It was inspired by my fear of being trapped in a submerged vehicle and also by a long-time friend who dealt with drug addiction while on the job as a paramedic.

I've traveled a lot by car, even coast to coast across Canada, more than once. I've also lived near water, whether an ocean, river or lake. Ever since I was young, I would grow tense if our vehicle drifted too close to an embankment that separated us from a body of water. Even to this day, I tense up when the car I'm in gets too close to water. Having a wild imagination isn't always a good thing; I often envision the car jettisoning into the water and then slowly sinking. Drowning has been a deep fear of mine and I have often wondered how I'd get out if I found myself in that situation.

Marcus's character grew from a high school friend, who shared very personal details about his life, his former paramedic career and his addiction challenges. I am inspired by him because he managed to turn his life around. He now has a wonderful wife and family, and a new career. His story reminds me that we CAN change. We CAN make our lives better. And it starts with a choice. He chose not to let addiction rule or define him. I admire that.

From Cheryl Kaye Tardif, the international bestselling author that brought you CHILDREN OF THE FOG, comes a terrifying thriller that will leave you breathless…

SUBMERGED

"Submerged reads like an approaching storm, full of darkness, dread and electricity. Prepare for your skin to crawl."

—Andrew Gross, New York Times bestselling author of 15 Seconds

Get SUBMERGED today.

Learn more about Cheryl Kaye Tardif at http://www.cherylktardif.com and follow her on Twitter.

Enter Cheryl’s Kindle Fire HDX Giveaway: https://www.facebook.com/cherylkayetardif

Recipe for a Bestselling Novel

Wouldn't it be great if there was a recipe for making a bestselling novel and if all a writer had to do was gather the ingredients and mix them in, and voila!―a bestselling novel is created? The reality is there are combinations of ingredients that can either get your name on a bestseller's list or fall flatter than an airless cheese soufflé. However, there are some common ingredients that have helped authors achieve bestseller status.

Ingredients for a Bestseller:

·         1 cup of well written novel

·         1 cup of professional editing

·         1 cup of professional layout and interior design

·         2 cups of professional book cover, including gripping back cover text

·         1 cup of decent distribution via major online retailers

·         2 cups of book launch, tours and other events, plus advertising

·         3 cups of contests and giveaways by author, publisher or both

·         Countless hours of organization and time

·         Generous dash of excitement

Method:

Take the well written novel and beat in professional editing until light and readable. Add professional layout and interior design, then stir in professional cover art and back cover text until well combined. Sprinkle in decent distribution until coated and roll mixture out with book launch, tours and events. Top with contests and giveaways, and fold in countless hours of organization and time before adding the finishing touch―a huge dash of excitement. Share with everyone and enjoy!

Reality Check:

While the recipe above may seem kind of silly, these ingredients can lead to a bestselling novel. I know because I've used them all successfully. My novels have made bestsellers lists multiple times on Amazon. Some of my novels are international bestsellers, some are national bestsellers, all have made multiple Top 100 genre lists on Amazon, and a couple have made the coveted prize of Top 100 bestsellers overall on Amazon. That's out of nearly 2 million ebooks.

Check out my hold-your-breath thriller, SUBMERGED. It is a tale of guilt, fear, greed, addiction and redemption, and I know you're going to love it.

"Tardif once again delivers a suspenseful supernatural masterpiece."

—Scott Nicholson, international bestselling author of The Home

Get SUBMERGED today. On sale for only $0.99 US.

Learn more about Cheryl Kaye Tardif at http://www.cherylktardif.com and follow her on Twitter.

Enter Cheryl’s Kindle Fire HDX Giveaway: https://www.facebook.com/cherylkayetardif

The Call (movie) vs. Submerged (novel)

I was very intrigued when I first saw the teaser trailers for Halle Berry's new movie, The Call. For one thing, she plays a 911 dispatcher, the same occupation as Marcus Taylor, the main character in my new thriller, SUBMERGED. And like Marcus, she decides to jump into the action rather than just be the voice on the other end of the phone.

The Call is described as being an "intense," "high concept" thriller. You could use a similar description for SUBMERGED.

Here's a brief description of the movie, The Call:

Halle Berry plays a veteran 911 operator who takes a life-altering call -- but when she makes a fatal mistake that costs a young girl her life, she has one chance to redeem herself when the serial killer strikes again.

This is how I'd describe SUBMERGED:

Marcus Taylor is a 911 operator who takes a life-altering call -- after making choices that resulted in the tragic deaths of his wife and son. And now he has one chance to redeem himself when a killer runs a woman and her children off the road.

In The Call, Halle Berry's character must confront a killer from her past, while in SUBMERGED, Marcus must confront his past--period.

Check out the trailer for The Call:

Now check out the trailer for SUBMERGED:

So here's my final analysis:

I love the thrill of being in suspense, of the ticking clock, the race to salvation, the redemption of a flawed character. If you do too, and if you have seen The Call and enjoyed it, pick up a copy of SUBMERGED, a thriller that will leave you breathless.

Pre-order today for only $0.99 US and receive it on March 2nd via:

Barnes and Noble (Nook):http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/submerged-cheryl-kaye-tardif/1114677237

Kobo Books (Kobo): http://store.kobobooks.com/en-CA/ebook/submerged-6

iTunes (iBooks):https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/submerged/id701307628

And don't forget to enter join my SUBMERGED Army at https://www.facebook.com/events/462777760511016