Join SFA and donate books to support international literacy

I recently became a member of Shadow Forest Authors (SFA), an organization that supports and promotes international literacy.

I am donating new and used books to SFA's various beneficiaries who then see that these books go to people around the world. What a wonderful movement to be involved in.

I invite all my fellow authors to consider doing the same. All that's required is a minimum 1 book donation. I've personally decided to donate more and will continue to do so throughout the year.

To readers, you can also get involved by sponsoring an author and purchasing their books to send to one of the beneficiaries. There is a list of authors on the SFA site.

I would be so pleased if you'd consider ordering Whale Song from Amazon. You can send it directly to any of the beneficiaries listed on SFA's site, including the Anthony Robbins Foundation and Book Aid International. Since Whale Song is already being used in schools and resource centres, I know it's the perfect book for helping those with lower reading abilities.

Please check out this awesome organization that donates books for charity and help us if you can.

http://www.shadowforestauthors.com/

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif

Cheryl is the Showcase Author in November's 'Fox and Quill Newsletter'

I was very pleased to be selected by John Wolf, the editor at Fox and Quill, to be the Showcase Author for the month of November. I am always honored when people think I'm worthy of any such status.

In his preview email to newsletter members, John says: "Cheryl is an author you should get to know, if you are not already reading her books. Very exciting award winning author. She gets into your head."

Thank you, John. Very kind of you.

To read the article, please visit Fox and Quill Newsletter.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
bestselling author of Whale Song, The River and Divine Intervention
(you can now buy all 3 on Amazon.com for a special deal; click on Whale Song link and scroll to Special Offers)

Edmonton Examiner talks to author Cheryl Kaye Tardif about her iPhone novel

Reporter Kevin Maimann interviewed Edmonton author Cheryl Kaye Tardif about her upcoming iPhone novel Finding Bliss, a novel that Cheryl is writing using the Notes application of her iPhone 3G.

Read the Edmonton Examiner article:
Established local author writing novel on cellphone

Six Seconds book video trailer

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the novel Six Seconds by fellow Canadian thriller author Rick Mofina. It is a 5 star novel and I highly recommend it.

Rick's book video trailer for the UK version of his novel is now on YouTube. Check it out and leave him some comments and votes. :)



Six Seconds is available January 2009 in the US and Canada and April 2009 in the UK.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
Canadian suspense author
http://www.cherylktardif.com

Cheryl is interviewed about iPhone novel in The Vancouver Courier

Mark Hasiuk from The Vancouver Courier interviewed me last week about my novel Finding Bliss, which I'm writing using the Notes application on the iPhone 3G.

The article was printed in the October 15th paper. This was one of the most interesting series of questions I've been asked, although Mark did leave out a couple of others I answered.

Read The Vancouver Courier article: Author will write novel on iPhone

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

Textnovel.com serializes REMOTE CONTROL by Cheryl Kaye Tardif

After news spread across North America about the novel I am writing on my iPhone 3G, I have had the pleasure of being interviewed for TV, radio, newspapers and websites, plus I was contacted by Stan Soper, the founder of Textnovel.com, a website devoted to cell phone novels or serialized fiction by phone.

Stan states: "I started Textnovel™ after I stumbled across an article in the New York Times on Japanese teenagers who were writing and reading fiction on their cellphones and publishing them on websites."

This fad has quickly spread across Japan over the past few years and resulted in a number of bestselling novels written mainly by teenagers with no previous writing or publishing experience. Many of the novels were written using cell phone lingo (LOL) and most are Young Adult (YA) novels.

Textnovel is the first English site to offer cell phone novels, which can be read on your computer or cell phone.

With my novel Finding Bliss I take cell phone novels to a whole new level. Not only am I the first person to attempt to write an entire novel using the Notes application on my iPhone 3G, it'll be written with my normal style (no cell phone lingo) and will feature a character who uses and iPhone 3G. This novel may one day find itself on Textnovel.com.

When Stan read about me in a recent press release, he extended a special invitation for me to check out Textnovel.com. That's when I decided to do a test run with my serialized novelette REMOTE CONTROL. I've been posting it on my website, but that will be on hold while I post it to Textnovel.com instead. Feel free to read it on Textnovel.com or you can subscribe and have new chapters delivered right to your cell phone. And don't worry, my chapters are short.

Read REMOTE CONTROL on Textnovel.com.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif
bestselling author of Whale Song

Sunday Salon: The Good Guy by Dean Koontz is maybe just a bit too good

I spent the past week in Las Vegas and actually had very little reading time, so I have not yet completed The Good Guy. I can tell you that the premise is very intriguing and I can't wait to see where the story goes.

Basically, you have the protagonist who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and is mistaken for someone else--someone who appears to be a contract killer. Someone wants a woman dead. The "good guy" takes it upon himself to insert himself between this woman and the real killer. And the chase begins. I'm not far enough in to predict much, but I have a feeling there may be a few twists along the way.

Dean Koontz has always been one of my top 2 idols. But I have to admit, I have a small complaint about this novel. Something seems off in the writing of The Good Guy. There is witty banter between the main protagonist and the bartender. Witty banter between the main protagonist and the woman. It is getting a bit tiring. It makes everyone seem too good, too nonchalant, too flippant.

I'm a fan of offbeat witty banter, if done in moderation. I don't believe everyone talks this way or responds this way all the time, so it must fit the characters. I use banter with some of the characters in my Divine series, but I try to keep it real, and it must be balanced by a character's deeper emotions, otherwise they appear flat and lacking in emotion. They can't joke their way out of everything.

I'm hoping that as The Good Guy progresses, the dialogue becomes more meaningful and deeper. That's what I want to see in the characters I read about. Show me their thoughts and emotions, and make me feel what they're feeling. I'm hoping The Good Guy will end up being a really GOOD read. I'll let you know. :)

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
bestselling author of Whale Song, The River and Divine Intervention

http://www.cherylktardif.com
Bookmark my blog: http://www.cherylktardif.blogspot.com