Connecting at Christmas

Some connections may seem tenuous at best. But others appear from nowhere, like the fellow who emailed me out of the blue to ask if we were related. I believe we are all connected. We're connected by past, present and future, by nature, spirit and energy, by hopes and dreams, by fate and faith, by love and light...and caring.

And yesterday, I was reminded again that this world we live in may seem unbelievably large--infinite even--and yet, the smallest of actions can set into motion something that spreads across land and sea, from one country to another, from one heart to another.

It all started with a wish list I saw online. No, wait! Let's go back further.

It started with an organization in Newnan, Georgia. The Alliance for Children's Enrichment (ACE) is responsible for helping the less fortunate families and children of the Newnan-Coweta area. Every year, ACE makes a wish list, with names, ages and gift wishes of children who live at poverty level. The hardest category to fill is the teens. Their needs are sometimes more expensive and they are often overlooked as many people want to help the younger children first.

This saddens me. I have a 17 year old daughter. Christmas is just as important to her now as it was when she was a child. And every child deserves to have something beautiful and colorful to unwrap on Christmas morning. That is the excitement, the thrill of Christmas.

So how did I find out about this organization and their kids?

Read the entire story here.

Cheryl Kaye Tardif, bestselling author of Whale Song (Kunati Books)

Short story: Sweet Dreams

©2005 Cheryl Kaye Tardif

I always hated camping—the strange lurking noises in the woods, the bloodsucking mosquitoes that voraciously drilled for blood…the thin canvas of a tent that could be so easily slashed by a bear. Then there were the shadows, pervasive and malignant, hovering in every corner. Of course, peeing in the woods wasn’t my idea of a good time either.

When Justin, my husband, decided we were going on a camping trip with three other couples, I groaned and whined like an errant child. But I knew that I couldn’t escape fate. So reluctantly I packed up our tents, sleeping bags and Coleman coolers stoked with more beer than food. Then we headed for the mountains and Lac de Rëverie.

Justin told me that meant Lake of Dreaming.

During the monotonous drive our newest friends, Margie and Burton, were ensnared in a deadly lip-lock. After ten minutes I avoided glancing over my shoulder and decided that they just weren’t interested in the antique store we passed. Or the three elk grazing in the ditch. And Margie and Burton certainly didn’t give a hoot about the dead skunk lying in the middle of the road.

For a fraction of a second I thought about interrupting their spit-swapping contest.

Instead, I slept.

It was pitch black when we arrived at Lac de Rëverie...

Read the rest of the story HERE.
_________________
Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
bestselling author of Whale Song, The River and Divine Intervention
http://www.cherylktardif.com

Author K.S.R. Kingworth says Whale Song is "a wonderful, wonderful story"

K.S.R. Kingworth, author of The Mysteriel, has this to say about Whale Song:

"I just finished Cheryl Kaye Tardif's book, Whale Song. What a wonderful, wonderful story. It read smoothly and the progression of events was well done. As in much of literature, a good book takes you to a place you know nothing about with characters that you come to know as friends, and by the time you're finished you feel as though you have moved in. That's how Whale Song is. It's a book that makes it possible for you to move in and set down roots."

She recommends Whale Song to: "Young adult to adult readers. In particular, those who may have lost a loved one."

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_________________

Cheryl Kaye Tardif,

bestselling author of Whale Song, The River and Divine Intervention http://www.cherylktardif.com/

Whale Song "keeps you interested and turning pages"

Whale Song was reviewed at But You Don't Look Sick? magazine.

Reviewer Christine Miserandino says, "I love books that are a quick read, but don't feel "short"...The story keeps you interested and turning pages."

Read the entire review at ButYouDontLookSick.com.

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For contest rules, go to the Love of Reading.com Online Book Fair.

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For contest rules, please go to the

Love of Reading.com Online Book Fair.



Winner announced!

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif, bestselling author


http://www.cherylktardif.com/