Giveaway: Review a Cheryl Kaye Tardif novel and receive free ebooks or your name in my next novel

August is my birthday month and anyone who knows me knows I love giving away books around my birthday. So for the month of August, I have a fun giveaway that rewards my favorite people--my readers.

Reviews are something that every author needs in order to compete in today's book world, and I don't always ask people to write them or post them. Now that I've branched out into ebooks, I really could use some fresh reviews from readers who want to share their thoughts and feelings about my work.

I appreciate honest reviews, so even if you don't think my work deserves 5 stars, if you follow the rules of this giveaway, I'll still give you your prize.

Here's how the giveaways will work...

• Read any of my novels, whether print or ebook (the text is the same). I have 5 titles available for you to buy and review: Whale Song, The River, Divine Intervention, Remote Control, and Skeletons in the Closet & Other Creepy Stories. The last 2 are not on every review site listed below.
• Write a short, honest review. It doesn't have to give a detailed account of the story plot. I really want to know what YOU thought and felt, what made you read it. I want to know why you'd recommend my book to your friends--or not.
• Post your review to any or all of the following sites: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, BarnesandNoble.com, Chapters.ca, Smashwords.com, Goodreads.com, Shelfari.com, and LibraryThing.com to gain points.
• Send me the links to your reviews once they've been published and by August 31st, 2010.
• You'll get 1 point for every review you post. Please note: you get 1 point per book title so though Amazon will post your review to multiple editions, you will only get the 1 point.

Prizes:

• 33-40 points - will receive an ebook of my upcoming new release Lancelot's Lady, plus your name as a character in one of my next novels (or a name of your choosing), plus an ebook of that book once it's published.
• 24-32 points - will receive 2 ebooks of your choosing from my current list, plus a special thank you on the Acknowledgement page of one of my new novels.
• 17-24 points - will receive 2 ebooks of your choice from my current list.
• 6-16 points - will receive 1 ebook of your choice from my current list, plus a special thank you on the Acknowledgement page of one of my new novels.
• 1-5 points - will receive 1 ebook of your choice from my current list.

Important notice: You can start reading and reviewing now--I'll give you a head start! Any existing reviews on the above review sites that you've already done will count towards this contest, but you must write and post at least one review in August 2010.

Everyone must email me with those links to reviews to qualify.

Prizes will be awarded in the first 2 weeks of September.

READ & REVIEW = REWARDS! :-)

"I’ve never had a book affect me the way Whale Song affected me"

Here is another critique from an ESC Trillium student. I've removed any major spoilers.

Friendship, death and love are just a few of the things that were portrayed out of the book I read in my grade 11 class with Mme Pam. It was a wonderful book and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a great book full of emotions.

Whale Song was an easy read so I believe we could have read it in grade 9 or 10, but I’m not complaining. The story was amazing, it’s wonderful how deep the emotion is behind the book. For example: When Goldie's brother was the boy who died trying to swim out to the island, the amazing friendship between Goldie and Sarah, Annie the bully, the friendship between Annie, Goldie and Sarah, the friendship between the Dixons and the Richardson’s.

I’ve never had a book affect me the way Whale Song affected me. Here are some examples of when the book affected me: ...when Adam came back in the story near the end of the book and when I found out why the book was called Whale Song.

I was so into the book that I finished it in 3 days. That’s a record for me because it usually takes me a long time before I finish a book. It was interesting from the beginning, that’s a good thing because when I find the beginning of a book boring, I probably wouldn’t read it. When you watch a really good movie, all the viewers will be “on the edge of their seat”, well that’s what I felt when I was reading Whale Song. The suspense was killing me, I just wanted to find out what was going to happen next.

For a long time, I imagined Sarah staying down for the rest of her life. So when Nana got into the car accident, I had mixed emotions, I was hoping that would help Sarah, but at the same time I was sad Nana was in a car accident. Nana was such a strong character...happy, loving and full of life even after the accident. Those are just a few of the reasons I enjoyed the novel Whale Song. --Katrina

Katrina's entry was a close second for the contest I held, in which the winning reviewer received a Chapters gift card for his or her review. Thank you, Katrina! I really enjoyed reading your critique.

Giveaway contests can result in free books and ebooks

One thing I've done since my first book was published was hold contests and giveaways. I often give away my books and ebooks.

During my upcoming Cherish the Romance Virtual Book Tour from September 27th to October 10th, I'll be giving away my books (print and ebooks), pendants, pens, and other items. I'll also be giving away free ebooks donated by some fabulous author sponsors.

For those of you who love entering contests, there's a great website you can visit that will offer you all sorts of giveaways. Check out http://www.giveawayscout.com.

"'The River' is so much a part of my life"

"Cheryl,your book 'The River' is so much a part of my life, I grew up on stories of the Nahanni (including the headless part), my father trapped there and was the main source of all the stories I heard. How uncanny that your story involved the love from a father. I look forward to reading your next book and hopefully there will be many more for us avid readers." --Roseann

ESC Trillium student wins a Chapters gift card with her Whale Song review

ESC Trillium is a high school in Ontario that has been incorporating two of my novels--WHALE SONG and THE RIVER into their English novel study curriculum. This has been a very rewarding experience for me. I've been able to speak with the students during Skype conferences and read their critiques or reviews. From what I hear from their teacher Pam Morin, this has been a great experience for the students too.

Last year, students studied WHALE SONG and I decided to hold a contest. The winner would receive a Chapters gift card. Students would submit their critique and I was the judge. It wasn't easy picking a winner from all the great entries, but in the end I had to give the prize to the one student whom I thought really got all the messages and themes in WHALE SONG.

And the winner is...JULIE. Here is her entry (I have edited out all spoilers)...

After reading the novel Whale Song, I can safely say that I loved the book. I liked the way every character played an important part in the book, no matter how often they appear. I also loved the native legends that were mentioned, because they can be applicable to everyday life. A perfect example of one of the native legends I really like, would be the legend of Seagull, because it applies to everyday life and helps to deal with difficult situations, such as death. 

This novel stirred up a lot of emotions, I laughed, I cried, I got angry, I could feel what Sarah felt. Whale Song is certainly a good novel to read in an 11 grade English class, because it deals with issues that we are old enough to comprehend, and we are not to old to no longer understand all of Sarah’s feelings. As you age, you tend to forget how you felt as a youth, but when you are closer to that age, you tend to remember the feelings you felt, such as Sarah’s crush on Adam, Sarah’s strong friendship with Amber-Lynn, Sarah’s friendship with Goldie, etc. Adults tend to put less emphasis on their friends and more on their life and jobs. 

Another thing I like in the novel would be the love of a parent... My favourite character in Whale Song would certainly be Nana, because of her spiritual beliefs and powers. She really would be a fascinating woman to meet. She helped Sarah get through the loss of her mother, by telling her multiple native legends. She always knew exactly what to say and when to say it. 

Finally, I love the way we find out [the] big secret in the end...[which] adds an unexpected twist to the story.  I was not in any way expecting that. Whale Song is a great novel, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read a good book.   --Julie

Congratulations on winning my contest, Julie. Thank you for sharing with me and my readers how you felt when reading Whale Song.

"I read Whale Song in one day"

"I am an avid reader and am sometimes frustrated that my favourite authors' don't write more books. It is so exciting to find a new, competent and interesting author! Cheryl Kaye Tardif has a writing style that is so refreshing - she has the confidence to leave some of it to the readers' imagination - I love it! I read 'Whale Song' in one day." --Roseann

Add a little fantasy to your life with SACRIFICE by Kelly Komm

When a good friend, writer Kelly Komm, asked me to read her fantasy novel, I was thrilled. I read SACRIFICE: Book One of the Last Forever in one sitting, unable to put it down. When I was done, I wanted more.

I am so pleased to announce that Kelly Komm's novel is now available as an ebook in multiple formats. So if you own a Kindle or other ereader, or you want to read it on you PC, laptop or smartphone, you can now do so.

Though this novel is classified as a Young Adult Fantasy, SACRIFICE appeals to adults too. Many have fallen in love with the characters and the fantasy world of Cantro.

This novel is adventurous, suspenseful, intriguing and complex. There is magic, danger and a hint of romance.

Allow me to introduce you to Nell, who is about to embark on an exciting but dangerous journey...

In a land called Cantro, the Goddess Saros created eight races. One has been wiped out by another. Or so it is thought…

Nell has been raised in solitude by her Elf guardian. Her world is turned upside down as she is told she is in fact Human, a race thought to have been destroyed by the savage Garshu. She discovers these creatures murdered her parents and ruined any hopes she had for a normal life.

Lachlin and Liam are twin Humans on the run with the last of their kind: A kindly elderly couple, strong Treyton and young Bean. Lachlin hides a terrible secret about the vicious Merfolk and fears for the time her secret will come out.

Nell must now join forces with these last Humans, as they fight to take back their right to exist.

Winner of Premier Book Awards Best Fantasy Novel of 2008!

Check out the trailer for SACRIFICE: Book One of the Last Forever:




You can learn more about Kelly Komm and her fantasy novels at http://www.kellykomm.com. And in the interest of full disclosure, I have another reason to promote Kelly's new ebook (other than it's a fabulous read by a wonderful friend). She dedicated it to me! Thank you, Kelly. I am sooo honored!

Pick up a copy of SACRIFICE at Amazon's Kindle Store or Smashwords. I've heard rumors that book two is on its way shortly. I can't wait!