Sunday Salon: Criminal Minds at Work

Step into the minds of this group of talented, twisted, slightly psychotic crime novelists with a penchant for mystery, mayhem and murder. They write crime fiction or true crime that gets the heart pumping and the blood boiling.

These criminally inspired authors include:

• Juanita Rose Violini
• Austin S. Camacho
• Linda Merlino
• Terry Carroll
• Karen Harrington
• Arnold Wolf
• Cheryl Kaye Tardif

And they don't just talk about their own books; they often interview or write about other crime authors.

If you ever wonder how authors come up with their crimes--or their criminals--check out the multi-author blog Criminal Minds at Work.

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/

Sunday Salon: a place for avid readers

An author friend of mine, Karen Harrington, invited me to join Sunday Salon, a place where people read books and chronicle their journeys. It's not necessarily just for writing book reviews, but for commenting on what you like about the book, the author, the writing itself--basically anything book related.

As the site says, "Imagine some university library's vast reading room. It's filled with people--students and faculty and strangers who've wandered in. They're seated at great oaken desks, books piled all around them, and they're all feverishly reading and jotting notes in their leather-bound journals as they go. Later they'll mill around the open dictionaries and compare their thoughts on the afternoon's literary intake...."

So now my biggest challenge: remembering to post something every Sunday.

If you are an avid reader, then the Sunday Salon is perfect for you. Check it out!

Join me at the Sunday Salon.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
author of Whale Song, The River and Divine Intervention
http://www.cherylktardif.com/

Janeology is a mesmerizing read!

Janeology by Karen Harrington

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars

ISBN 13: 978-1601640208
Publish date: April 2008
Hardcover; 256 pages; $24.95
Fiction; Legal thriller; Paranormal

Janeology is a mesmerizing read!

Janeology is a unique and captivating blend of legal drama and paranormal suspense. Jane and Tom Nelson represent an average American family, with twins Simon and Sarah, and the family dog. But one incomprehensible act forever changes their lives: Jane attempts to drown her children and the dog—and only one survives.

What follows is unexpected. Instead of the courtroom drama with Jane in the hot-seat, we’re taken to a time when she is already committed to a psychiatric hospital, and Tom now stands trial in his own fight—the battle to prove that he was not responsible for his wife’s actions, that the charges of “failure to protect” will see him as innocent.

Starting off as a legal thriller, the novel takes an interesting detour when a psychic with family ties is brought in to provide an unusual and compelling genealogical defense—that Jane inherited her indifference and un-motherly qualities from generations of ancestors.

I found the flashbacks into Jane’s ancestors’ lives very intriguing, and some of the complexly drawn characters still linger in my mind. Karen Harrington expertly paints her characters with multiple layers, and with vivid imagery that quickly carries the reader through the pages. You won’t want to put it down.

Perhaps the author has touched upon a truth here. Having actually known and befriended a woman who, years after I’d lost touch with her, had abused, imprisoned and starved her young son to death, I have asked myself many of the same questions that Tom asked. What makes a mother kill her own child? Why didn’t I recognize the signs?

Janeology is a novel you won’t soon forget. I know I won’t. It delves into a highly sensitive topic that is sadly ripped from the headlines in nearly any given month and is never discussed in such detail. All in all, Janeology is a mesmerizing read! I can’t recommend this novel enough!

~ Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
author of Whale Song

View all my GoodReads reviews.

'Create a Corpse' Contest

"I kill people off for a living." That’s what I like to say when someone asks me what I do for a living. You don't want to miss reading the rest of this tongue-in-cheek post about mystery, murder, messages...and corpses.

Author Karen Harrington invited me to share a bit about my mystery/suspense novels and while visiting Karen's blog A Writer's Diary, I decided to hold an impromptu and ‘deadly’ little contest.

Check out Karen Harrington: A Writer's Diary.