Kobo Books - Kindle - Smashwords: the ebook and ereader revolution is on the rise!

If you've been following my tweets and blog recently, you'll notice I've really jumped on board the ebook wagon. Instead of only having ebooks availabe on Amazon (Kindle), as I had for a couple of years, I now have them available via Kobo Books and Smashwords. Here are my thoughts on each...

Kobo Books - First, let me say that I'm only just a bit too proud of this company. They originally launched as Shortcovers, a Canadian spin-off from Chapters (Indigo Books & Music) that really seems to like hiring guys named Michael. :-). That they're Canadian makes me very proud. That I was one of the first Canadian authors to get involved makes me even prouder. My novel The River was offered for a while as a free novel on Kobo.

Kobo now has their own eReader, and I can't wait to see it. I've heard awesome things about it. And for those of you who have smart phones (iPhones, Blackberries and others), as opposed to dumb phones like my old LG, you can download the Kobo app (I have it on my iPhone) and read books on your cell phone. You can also read them on your PC or laptop. Versatile, clean looking, easy to use, the app is awesome. I am sure the eReader is even better!

http://www.kobobooks.com/ and follow them on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/kobo

Kindle - Amazon's eReader is sleek and easy to use, or so I've been told. I've only seen one in captivity in Canada so far; Amazon was a bit late on getting them across the border, which didn't score any brownie points with me--as an author or potential eReader customer. But I did get to hold one (I asked a stranger I met at Starbucks if I could see his Kindle...no, I wasn't being naughty!) And I was impressed. Lightweight, easy to read...and easy to buy books.

I have the Kindle app on my iPhone (okay, I'm a bit of an app addict, I'll admit it) and I find it works great. My only beef with it is this: as a Canadian customer I have to pay a $2 surcharge on every e-book I order. WhisperNet, they call it. Um...let me whisper this...I don't think it costs any more to send me the file than anyone in the US. And $2? I could see $0.50 maybe. Again, not scoring brownie points with me--and I have a LOT of Canadian fans. So guess where I'm sending them? KOBO!

Smashwords - Now here's a site that offers readers a wide assortment of ebook titles, some of them at reduced prices and a large number for free. Readers can download the ebooks they buy in multiple formats, making them readable on an assortment of devices. You can read online or offline. One of the best advantages to authors promoting their books via Smashwords is that we can control special sales by issuing coupon codes; this way we can give our readers discounts whenever we want to. Right now and until April 30th, 2010, my thriller Divine Intervention is available at 50% off the ebook price of $4.99. Just go to and be sure to use the coupon code: KQ82F.

No matter whether you choose an ebook or print edition, Kindle, Kobo or Smashwords, I wish you happy reading! :-)

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

My thriller THE RIVER shows up with Richard Castle's HEAT WAVE on home page of Shortcovers.com

I received an email today from my friends at Shortcovers.com, a branch off of Canadian bookseller Chapters.Indigo.ca. They let me know that my thriller THE RIVER is now featured on the home page. What an honour!

Of course, I had to go look, and there it was, tucked in between PURSUIT OF HONOR by Vince Flynn and HEAT WAVE by Richard Castle.

If you recognize the latter book title and author, you'll know that Richard Castle is the name of the character starring in the hit TV series "Castle", a cop show about a female cop who is paired with a famous author who helps her solve crimes. I'm a huge fan of the show! And now there's a book out--brilliant idea!

And Nathan Fillion is perfect in the role of Castle. He never fails to make me laugh, and his portrayal of a writer, with all the quirks, is dead on. You can follow Nathan on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nathan fillion.

Now, if you'd like to read an exciting thriller for free, please check out THE RIVER.

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...

Download a free copy of THE RIVER at http://www.shortcovers.com. This offer is good until the end of November only. So get it now while you can.

You can read these ebooks on select cell phones and on your PC or Mac. If you have an iPhone, Blackberry, Palm Pre or Google Android, download the Shortcovers app so you can read ebooks on your phone.

iPhone novelist in Las Vegas in hopes of 'Finding Bliss'

This is Cheryl Kaye Tardif, now known as North America's first iPhone novelist, reporting live from Las Vegas. :-)

After a great flight here yesterday morning, we arrived at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino and were able to check in early. My first idea was to scope out the lay of the land, so to speak, and of course in Las Vagas this means checking out the casino. Our travel agent suggested we get a Player's Card, which is a points card that'll give you rewards later on--things like free buffets and more. We played some slots and roulette, then decided to check out the entertainment.

We've met some very nice people along the way--like the guy who sat next to me on the plane and told me about his fishing expeditions aound Vancouver Island (brought back lots of BC memories for me); and the very nice cab driver originally from Guam who drove my husband and I from the airport to the hotel; and the super nice woman originally from Wisconsin whom we talked to who was very honest about approaching us about time shares (talked to her a lot about Edmonton, Canada and I gave her a bookmark when I found out she enjoys reading); and the bartender at iBar in the Rio Hotel who's originally from California...hmmm...wonder if we'll actually meet anyone here who's originally from Las Vegas. :-)

Last night we saw Penn and Teller. We've watched their BULL show and some of their other shows on TV. At the end of a very entertaining show, they needed two volunteers who were familiar with guns. I expected a lot of hands to go up, including my husband's since he's ex-military. One guy at the far end put up his hand. He was in the army. I prodded Marc and said, "You should do it."

Much to my surprise, he did. He went up on stage, inspected a bullet, wrote his initials on the tip, drew a chubby heart on the shell casing and inspected a glass plate. He stood with Teller and inspected the gun. Everything appeared to be real for both volunteers so Penn and Teller proceeded to aim at each other's faces and shoot the guns. Throughout this I never saw them touch or make contact. The bullets ended up between their teeth. Penn spit the bullet into Marc's hand. Teller showed Marc the gun, which had the casing. Hmmm...how'd they do that?

One thing I always do when watching any kind of magic or illusion show is try to figure out how it's done. I've figured out quite a few, and some are obvious when you think about it. I enjoyed that Penn and Teller actually show you HOW some are done. But the gun thing? I don't have a clue.

Being here in the middle of such a vibrant, busy and exciting city really sparks the ideas for how I can incorporate Las Vegas into my iPhone novel Finding Bliss. The Mandalay Hotel may find its way into my novel too.

Well, we're starting our day and I'll try to blog tomorrow morning and fill you in on all the details. For now, I wish you the very best. That's all, folks!

Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
bestselling author of Whale Song

Watch for an article on Cheryl and her iPhone novel Finding Bliss in the Edmonton Examiner

Today I was interviewed by Kevin at the Edmonton Examiner and we discussed my latest endeavor--writing a novel titled Finding Bliss on the new iPhone 3G.

Japan was the first to start a cell phone novel craze, with mainly teenage girls text messaging their novels in bits and pieces. The novels were then created into files that people could download and read on their cell phones. This resulted in many bestsellers.

I'm taking this concept to the next level. I'm writing a chapter at a time on my iPhone 3G, using the Notes application. Then I'm emailing it to myself so I can save it to my PC and edit from there. Plus, one of my characters will actually use an iPhone 3G in the story.

While many authors keep a notepad in their pocket or purse to capture their thoughts, all I need is my iPhone. So far, I've written the first chapter and have started on the second.

When I'm finished, Finding Bliss will be given to my agent in New York. I expect it will be first published in book form, although I am hoping to see an e-book version as well.

The Edmonton Examiner article should be in Wednesday's paper (October 22, 2008).

Read more about Finding Bliss, the first novel written on an iPhone 3G.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif
bestselling author of Whale Song