Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Shadow of Innocence - Synopsis

"The Thin Man" meets "Pulp Fiction"
In a unique mystery set amid the drugs-and-music scene of the sixties. When a friend is charged with murder, Viet Nam vet Mick McCarthy and brainy Irish partner Bridget hop on their motorcycle and swing into action. Tough but sensitive Mick and cute but hard-as-nails Bridget quip, banter and make love as they match wits with the mob and a shadowy psychopathic killer. Groovy collides with square in affluent Newport, Rhode Island, home of the famous folk festival.

Shadow of Innocence has it all: adventure, sleuthing, humor, DSM (drugs, sex, music), and a perverse, shadowy secret that threatens to tear apart the posh Newport town. Don't miss the McCarthy family in action.

Ric Wasley - Author
Shadow of Innocence - Kunati

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Meet the McCarthy Family

Hello Readers:

I've been getting a lot of requests for additional information about the McCarthy clan so I thought it might be kind of fun to let them introduce themselves and say a few words about their roles in their latest adventure, Shadow of Innocence.

The immediate and extended McCarthy family is headed by the 'old man' himself, 'Big Mike' McCarthy, former Boston PD patrolman, Sergeant and Detective grade cop. Now due to a forced early retirement, he's out on his own as a private detective working out of a small office in Harvard Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Then there's his wife, the former (and now again through divorce) Miss Felicity Parker Prescott of the Beacon Hill Prescotts, who on a whim back in 1938 married the big, good looking Irish cop who rescued her from a mugging on the Boston Commons. The culturally mismatched marriage was doomed from the start but as Miss Felicity is fond of saying, "It did produce three lovely and talented children." Francis, Bronwyn and Michael Jr.

Francis McCarthy (Frankie to his father and Franklin to his mother) is a Harvard graduate and junior partner in the venerable Boston law firm of Hayward, Elliott & Delbert. Next, there's kid sister Bronwyn, a freshman at her mother’s Alma Mater, Radcliffe. And last but certainly not least, the middle child Michael Jr.…Mick. Oh, and we can't forget about the extended McCarthy family and Mick's two wild cousins from Southie, Kevin and Danny McCarthy.

But let’s have them say a few words about themselves and Shadow of Innocence. And of course that means starting with the 'stars' of the novel, Mick and Bridget. Although they may be liberated products of the swinging sixties, Mick is just old fashioned enough to insist on 'ladies first', so we'll start off with Bridget. Now Bridget isn't technically a McCarthy―­yet. (Oops, she's blushing―­­­and tapping her foot. Not a good sign, so I'd better get on with this.) Like I said, she's technically not a McCarthy but she and Mick are a team in every sense of the word and as close as two people can get spiritually, emotionally, physically and…ah, yeah…well, I'll just let Bridget tell you in her own words.

Bridget: Well then, to get right to it. I was christened Bridget Ann Connolly in St. Mary's Church in Ballykill, County Cork, Ireland. I've got five brothers and I'm not ashamed ta say that my Da' and oldest brother Colin are fightin' fer Ireland's freedom in the Irish Republican Army. There are some as call 'em killers and such but they're wrong, they're patriots is all, and…ah, sorry, I get a bit carried away sometimes. Let me leave that lie.

About me. As I said, I grew up in County Cork and was educated by the Sisters at St. Thomas School who made sure we knew our Latin and Greek and never hesitated to use the ruler if we didn't. But I can't complain because when I was seventeen I was entered into an international scholastic contest by the school and wound up winnin’ a four-year scholarship to one of the most prestigious women's colleges in America―Radcliffe College.

That's where I met Mickey―I mean Michael. His mother hates it when anyone calls him Mickey. That probably explains her 'feelings' for me. But I'm ramblin’ then, aren't I? Anyways, I guess I fell fer the big darlin' fool the moment I laid eyes on him. It was in the Club 47 down on Mt. Auburn Street just off Harvard Square. A few of us were collectin' money to help the children up in Belfast that had been orphaned by the 'Troubles', and he was there with his two rowdy cousins, listenin’ to the music.

Of course I acted like I didn't even notice him, even though he gave me every last dollar in his wallet. I knew he was watchin’ me the whole time until we left and I was more than a little perturbed that he didn't even ask for my name. But what I didn't know then was that he was pretty good at findin' things out, and a few weeks later who should I see sittin’ at one of the tables I was waitin’ on in the Blue Parrot where I worked, but himself. I was pretty cool to him at first, I gotta admit. I mean, after all, there he sat with some blond chippy at his side, starin’ at me with this big foolish grin on his face.

But...well, I guess that's just somethin’ about Mickey. He can make me mad and sure does it often enough but I can never stay mad at him for long. And just between you and me, it's the makin' up as makes it all worth while. And...and well, that's all I'm gonna say about that. But if ya really want ta know why I'm so perishin’ besotted with the lad, I guess yer just gonna have to read Shadow of Innocence. Well, and it's been nice chattin' then and thank you very much.


Thank you Bridget for your candid comments and after that, I'm sure we're all looking forward to finding out more about you and Mick in Shadow of Inocence.

And if you'd like to see more interviews with the McCarthy's I'm going to be posting a new one every week on this site.
Next week Mick is up and I can guarantee that you won't want to miss his take on Bridget, his parents and the events in his new mystery (now available for pre-order) Shadow of Innocence.
See you next week!

Ric Wasley - Author
Shadow of Innocence - Kunati

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Self-Marketing

SCHOOLS:
My first two books were non-fiction books on the Holocaust, written as mysteries that defy logic. My third book was a children's fully illustrated hard cover book on the Holocaust using metaphors. My fourth was a detective murder mystery novel, my first novel, nominated for the Arthur Ellis Award in 2002. My fifth was an anthology of 18 previously published short stories in several magazines, newspapers or anthologies. My sixth was the beginning of a three-part trilogy that won the International BookAds Award in 2005. My seventh was the second part of the trilogy, presently being judged for consideration for the Jewish Book Awards for 2006.

The non-fiction and the children’s book has made me a yearly attraction with elementary and secondary schools in the GTA and north. I get calls to participate in either writing programs or to relate stories from the Holocaust. I'm dealing with children and as such do not attempt to sell my books. My fee to the school is that they must stock all books in their library at a cost of $125. This has on a number of occasions resulted in orders coming from the school for my books because several of the students want to buy one. I have had some schools buy as many as 20 copies and made one of the books a part of the curriculum. I am not referring to Jewish schools but to schools that have a predominantly non-Jewish population. The attraction for buying the books is that they are about children.

So I am marketing to children who go home and tell their parents about me. This connects me with adults. I have received many, many letters from children telling me about the impact of my stories. This had to have carried over to the parents. In some cases I have received orders for the other books I've written. Marketing is to make ones self known. The most successful and least expensive method is word of mouth.

I have been asked to speak on the writing game at OISE College. This has resulted in the teacher student who heard me, calling me up later when they are working in a school to ask me to come to their school and talk about writing. Word of mouth leads to speaking at Reading Groups.


READING GROUPS and SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS
I canvass neighbourhood newspapers for reading groups and send a brochure and resume.
I send my brochure and resume to non-profit organizations, churches and synagogues informing them of my background and ask if they would like to have me as a speaker.

I don't charge but require permission to sell my books at the end of meeting. If I have more than 25 in attendance I will sell about $150 in books. Over 40 – more than $250. Over 65 – $400. I have had more than 100 such speaking engagements since 1998. Do this enough times and word of mouth replaces cold calls.


PUBLICIST
I asked KP if they would finance a mid-western book tour. I had two inquiries: Saskatoon and Calgary to come out and do a reading and be interviewed. They said it wasn't practical. I needed more engagements. I made calls to some organizations that knew me and called KP and said that I now had Edmonton and Regina booked. KP said it wasn't in the budget.

I decided to make my own tour. I bought 100 books from KP at 40% off, packaged them into four lots and mailed them to drops in the four cities. I arranged an eight day tour using my air miles and hired a publicist in Regina where I was staying for three days. By the time I returned, I sold all my books and grossed $1,100. It cost me $300 for the publicist. I stayed in a hotel twice for two days. Two cities I was housed by the host. I was on TV, Cable, interviewed by four newspapers, spoke at six groups, two schools, signed books at two stores and met some terrific people. I returned exhausted and with money in my pocket.

Since then I have hired two publicists in Toronto for my last three books. It costs $1,500 for 30 days. I've been on TV in London, Hamilton, Kingston, Montreal and Toronto. I have been interviewed on radio more than a dozen times from several cities in Ontario from my office. I've been interviewed via e-mail and appeared in newspapers in Canada and U.S. I could have gone to Ottawa and Windsor for TV interviews but work got in the way. I've appeared on Mystery TV three times. Twice because of CW and once by personal contact. London TV has asked me back and all because I was introduced to the media by a publicist.

A couple of years ago I was on a Caribbean Cruise. I met by chance the same host from Regina where I spent the three days. I have been invited back to speak on my new book.


FREE BOOKS MAKE MONEY
Another way I make money is I give my books away to the libraries. I walk in to a library, introduce myself by asking the librarian to call up a book of mine on screen and then smile and say – that's me.

I started doing this six years ago. Are you aware books taken out in a library result in money for you? I go around the GTA dropping off my books. Most took them. The following February I received a cheque for $278.80 from Public Lending Right Commission. The following year, two libraries called and asked if I could replace a book. It had been stolen. I dropped off more books at other libraries. The next year I received $356.04. The following year I received a cheque for $538.75 and a similar amount thereafter. The average the authors receive is $620.00. I've sent my books to Winnipeg and Ottawa. I keep my books in my car so that as I pass a large library I can go in and make them an offer they can't refuse – I hope.

When you are a writer, it is time to set aside modesty and tell people who you are. To do otherwise will make success more difficult; like paddling against the current with only your hands. There comes a time when your arm will get tired and all the momentum will be backwards.

Author of:
The Light After the Dark
The Light After the Dark II
Why, Zaida?
The Unlikely Victim
Stories I Wrote
An Eye For An Eye
The Minyan

ALVIN ABRAM
bubbameinsa@yahoo.com

Thursday, November 23, 2006

What Makes Alvin Abram Run . . .

It’s a strange opening but I’ve never been able to figure out what I am or have become. I seem to be a lot of things. I believe I have evolved rather than grown up.

If there is any one person that motivated me to amount to something, it would have to be my father but for all the wrong reasons. My father was a barber by trade but never made a living. Not because he couldn’t but because he devoted himself to his left-wing cause. He was an intellectual who believed in socialism; a writer and an orator. I was born at the time of the Depression and my mother worked at Tip Top Tailors making pennies for every pad lapel she sewed into a jacket. She was the breadwinner of the family. My father’s time was devoted to improving mankind; not his family’s circumstances. He was full of anger and, he would strike out at my older brother Murray and me as a form of punishment, whether justified or not. He ignored our youngest brother Mort, the child who wasn’t supposed to be. Eventually, Murray ran away from home at age 16 and joined the air force.

I didn’t know at the time that I had A.D.D. – Attention Deficit Disorder. My grades in school were very poor. I was called a malingerer, a troublemaker and someone who would amount to nothing. My brothers and I were an embarrassment to my father. To him we were losers. None of us attained the academic heights worthy of his expectations. To my relatives we were known as “Annie’s kids”, a term that was derogatory, a put-down. My father, however, was not associated with our disgrace.

While in my teens, I worked in a printing plant from 4:00 p.m. until midnight, Mondays through Fridays to supplement my mother’s income, and, on weekends I sold programmes at the CNE, Pinecrest and, on occasion at Ancaster. I wanted to be a journalist but high school was a dismal failure for me and I didn’t have the grades. When it came time to graduate, I was given my high school diploma on the condition that I not return. Two weeks after I graduated, my father died of a fatal heart attack and school was no longer an option anyway. I was 18.

My father’s friend, a printer, took me under his wings and taught me to be a typographer. I discovered I had a talent to create images from the visuals in my head. Because of my A.D.D. it was harder for me to focus but it was easier to cast aside the stigma of failure and try again. To accomplish anything, I did things the long way, not the efficient way. I learned to be a plodder. I never would allow myself the luxury of quitting. Quitting was not an option. Whatever I did, I had to succeed. And to me, success was determined by wealth. I needed to prove to my relatives that I wasn’t what my father once called me – a loser.

When I was 21, I met 15-year-old Marilyn Epstein, a short, overweight girl with bangs and braces, who stuttered. Three years later, in 1960, I married her. Over the years, I have discovered the swan inside the young duckling. A swan with foresight and direction.

The year we married, we formed The Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of Ontario. My cousin Pauline was afflicted with this illness, a life-threatening disease that robbed women of the ability to swallow. Pauline died shortly afterwards but I managed the Foundation for ten years raising thousands of dollars for research Fellowships. I joined the Grand Order of Israel, rising to Vice Noble Master and I received The Man of the Year Award for my volunteer work in the community before moving on to B’nai Brith where I refined my commitment to service volunteering.

Together we became volunteers for The Muscular Dystrophy Association. We were part of the first telephone canvassers for the Labour Day Telethon, in the days when we had to bring our own dinner with us to Sears in Hamilton where the telephones were located. Marilyn stayed with them for over 15 years but by 1970, I was drained both physically and mentally. Many of the friends I had made, patients with the illness, had died and each death took its toll on me. I arranged with Ruth Aziz of The Muscular Dystrophy Foundation to take over my work and to include my members as a Chapter within the Foundation. When I turned over all funds in my possession I also turned over another leaf in my life.

In 1963, I embarked on my own business. The printing industry was in flux. Technology was changing the method of typesetting. I built the largest linotype house in North York and I wrote several white papers on the changing technology that won International Awards. In 1972, I took a partner, Dennis Rowe, whose foresight changed the direction of the company. It became a forerunner in what would become known as a graphic studio using computers to create images. My focus was the Jewish community – non-profit organizations. Dennis left the company in 1979 to join the gay community. In his absence, my company maintained its position in the graphic field but no longer grew.

I became the President of Leonard Mayzel Ontario Lodge, B’nai Brith in 1978. That year, we were the first Lodge to raise in excess of $100,000 and the first Lodge to make a single donation to one group of $10,000 to Baycrest Home and the second largest contributor to Jewish National Fund. I received the Man of the Year Award from LMOL. It was the year I had my first heart attack.

In 1979, Marilyn and I became volunteers with Jewish National Fund, both of us becoming Directors and I continued on to be Vice President until I stepped down in 2005. I was awarded the Bernard M. Bloomfield Medal in 2002 for my work in the organization.

By the end of the 70s, Marilyn and I were also the parents of three children – two daughters and a son. I purchased other companies and sold some. In 1979, in agreement with a sale, I withdrew for one year from the graphic industry. I chose to become an art auctioneer during that time, travelling from Halifax to Edmonton selling art as a means of fundraising for Jewish non-profit organizations. I was responsible for raising a million dollars being raised throughout the Jewish community until I gave the business up in 1990.

At this time, my desire to be a writer never died. I continually scribbled down stories that were never published. I was self-trained which meant I was not trained at all. In the early 1980s I agreed to compile the writings of Rabbi Abraham Feffer: My Shtetl Drobin. My mother would ask me when I was going to put my dreams onto paper. That was her way of referring to the stories I made up but never wrote. I answered that I was too old to become a writer. To which her answer was, “It is never too late to dream.”

Then in 1989, my friend, Andy Reti, asked that I meet his mother Ibi Grossman, a Holocaust survivor. I thought I knew all about the Holocaust, about the Jews and Hitler. I wasn’t interested in the Holocaust and found many reasons not to meet her. Finally I relented. What happened at that meeting changed my life forever. I expected to hear a story of pain and death; about loss and anger. I was wrong. I listened as Ibi read to me love letters she had sent to her husband in a labour camp which were returned to her by mail, unopened, when the war ended. He had died and she had been unaware. When she read me those letters, I then realized that the Holocaust was not about numbers but about people and each one had a story that needed to be told.

I was born with Congestive Heart Disease and in 1990, I was advised that my heart had weakened and that my work pace had to be modified. I dissolved the art business and stopped buying companies, focusing on the original graphic design business. In 1990 and 1992 in anticipation of my health declining Marilyn and I went to Israel and found ourselves committed to the survival of this fragile country.

I also volunteered to assist the Survivors of the Shoah in videotaping Holocaust survivors in Toronto and heard stories of bravery and love. I realized there was pain but I also became aware that these people did something unheard of; they experienced something that set them apart from most of us. They had lived life second by second and that had changed them.

It was at this time that my values changed as well. I no longer worked a 15-hour day. Marilyn had insisted that I come for Sabbath dinner one Friday night. I had hardly seen my two daughters in weeks. When I came home, I was too tired to do more than eat and doze off before dragging my tired body up to bed. I had to be up at 5:30York University in September 1995 and I found myself enrolled as a day student in the Fourth Year Creative Writing Course. the next morning to begin my cycle again. In 1995, I had an almost fatal heart attack. If not for Marilyn’s insistence that I go the hospital I might not be alive. I was told I was beyond surgery. While sitting in the hospital waiting for the doctor, Marilyn asked if I had any regrets. I told her my secret of wanting to be a writer. I had stories in my head but didn’t know how to put them on paper. When the doctor came, he confined me to the house and non-work activities for three months. But Marilyn had other plans. Without my knowing why she drove me to

By the time I returned to work, I was torn between trying to run a business and being a student. I found myself contemplating quitting school because I found the two activities too much of a mental burden for me. Age does not lessen the effects of A.D.D. To live with this affliction, it is necessary to find a formula that allows the person to function at their peak. School and work were two problems that I had trouble formulizing. But one day, Dennis Rowe walked into my office. I hadn’t seen him in years. We discussed the ‘old days.’ He asked me where his old desk was. I told him it was in the plant. I asked him why he wanted to know and he said he was staying until I got better. He stayed until I retired five years later. I continued with my education. I graduated from York, went on to University of Toronto for a night course and then the following summer to Humber College.

In 1997, I wrote my first manuscript, The Light After the Dark; true stories of six children who survived the Holocaust by chance and circumstance and turned their lives into something positive. I was 61-years-old and unpublished. No one was interested. Marilyn insisted that I self-publish. She felt the stories needed to be told even if only to a handful of people. I self-published and sold more than a 1,000 books within six months and had to publish another run. Professor Irving Abella interceded on my behalf and gave Key Porter Books a book. They offered me a contract and published a further 3,100 copies. All together, more than 8,000 copies were published and almost all have been sold.

Three important things came about because of that book. A woman in Orlando, Florida read it and called me to find the address of Michael Rosenberg, one of the people in the book who she had thought had died in the war. Another woman in Miami, Florida was told that her long-lost friend, Faigie (Schmidt) Libman from the DP camp, was living in Toronto. She flew to Toronto and they were reunited.

Finally, I had promised the six people in my book that if the book every made a profit, I would donate the profit to Jewish Charities. In 2004, I invited the six to my home, and turned over $20,500 in royalties to several charities. Fifteen thousand went to J.N.F. to purchase a grove of trees in Israel in their names.

In 1998, I sold my first short story to Chicken Soup for the Parents Soul. I have had 30 stories published to date in such publications like Women’s World Magazine (New York), mystery anthologies, newspapers, short story collections and in-house publications. Between 1998 and 1999, I suffered three more silent heart attacks. Fortunately the damage was minimal but enough to curtail some of my involvement in community work.

Over the years, I have published a children’s book, Why, Zaida?, other short stories collections, The Light After the Dark II, and Stories I Wrote, a detective mystery, The Unlikely Victims, which was nominated for the Arthur Ellis Award in 2002, the first novel in a trilogy, An Eye For An Eye, which won the International BookAdz Award in 2005, and now The Minyan, part two of the trilogy. I am currently writing the third novel, In the Name of Justice – a story of anti-Semitism.

All my stories are about being Jewish. Many of the incidents I write about have been taken from my own experience or from the stories of those who revealed portions of their past to me and that I felt were significant enough to put into a story. I try to show those readers who may not be Jewish what a Jew is. My stories are character driven. They are about people. I use the Holocaust as the backdrop because I feel it is a subject that should not be forgotten.

I have had more than 100 speaking engagements. I try to focus on non-Jewish organizations and, especially feel it is important that schools in which English is a second language become aware of what the Jewish faith represents. The purpose is to destroy the myth that Jews control the government, that all Jews are rich, that Jews never fought in the war, and so on.

What makes me run?

Adrenalin. And the need to put onto paper what I see.



Author of:
The Light After the Dark
The Light After the Dark II
Why, Zaida?
The Unlikely Victim
Stories I Wrote
An Eye For An Eye
The Minyan

ALVIN ABRAM
bubbameinsa@yahoo.com

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Movie Interest in Whale Song, The River and Divine Intervention

Exciting news regarding possible books to movies!


WHALE SONG:
I've known for a couple of months now that two film companies were reading Whale Song, my new 2007 Kunati Books release. In fact, I have received emails from advanced reviewers who have expressed a great desire to see my novel transformed onto the big screen. And since I started writing it, I had always envisioned it as a movie...so much so that I can taste the popcorn.

Whale Song--the movie--won't leave a dry eye in the house! And that makes me strangely ecstatic. I hope it happens. :)

*Published by Kunati Books

THE RIVER:
I just received word that there is movie interest in The River, my action-packed suspense thriller that deals with nanotechnology and the search for longevity. I am so thrilled! A while ago, I was told by someone in the film industry that "The River has every element to make a major blockbuster". When I was contacted, I was told they were "looking for some good thrillers to adapt" and they ordered a copy of The River.

They went on further to say this about The River, "This sounds like an intriquing premise."

*Not published by Kunati Books

DIVINE INTERVENTION:
Divine Intervention, my psychic suspense thriller about a group of covert, psychic government agents, has also captured their eye, and they are interested in reading it too! Since Divine Intervention is the first in my Divine series, I'm thinking a possible TV movie, much the same as Gail Bowen's series. My first novel is complete on its own and would work well.

Divine Intervention or divine intervention? I am truly beginning to feel that my life is falling into place. And it's a place that feels extraordinary, wonderful and full of hope!

*Not published by Kunati Books
Anyone interested in pursuing possible movie/film rights for Whale Song must contact Kunati Books directly.

Anyone interested in film rights or options for The River or Divine Intervention should contact
the author directly.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Whale Song by Cheryl Kaye Tardif Now Available for Advanced Orders on Amazon.com


For those who may not know it yet, Whale Song was picked up by a hip and highly motivated publishing company. Kunati Inc. Book Publishers has been making waves in the publishing world for their innovative book trailers and their marketing expertise.

Whale Song will have major distribution across North America. There has already been some foreign rights interest as well, so we may see it translated soon into French, German, Spanish, etc.

Right now 2 major Hollywood film companies are reading Whale Song and considering it for a major motion picture.

You can now order advanced copies of the new Whale Song, which won't see bookstore shelves until April 2007...but keep in mind, this is a PRE-ORDER. This means you won't receive your copies of Whale Song until sometime in April after my novel is launched.

The new Whale Song has a stunning and mysterious cover designed by an award winning graphic artist, and it features extra scenes (20% more text) from an existing screenplay and a very special dedication you'll want to read.

If you order now, you'll accomplish 3 things:

  1. You can give a copy of Whale Song as a Christmas gift (give them a card that says their gift will arrive in April and that it is a very special edition of Whale Song).
  2. You can give a copy as an Easter gift (order now and it'll arrive close to Easter)
  3. You'll help me achieve one of my life goals, which is to make a best sellers list. :)
    One other note: Kunati is also considering taking Divine Intervention and The River. If they see fantastic advanced orders of Whale Song, they will be more inclined to take the other 2. It's always risky for publishers to pick up a previously published book. But I intend on proving that my novels are worth that risk...that they DO and WILL sell, even a couple of years after the first printing!

Advanced pre-orders are now open for Whale Song on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Chapters.ca and soon BarnesandNoble.com, plus you can pre-order from your favorite bookstores, so please consider ordering copies now. Don't wait!

The best news? The cost is ONLY $12.95 US!!! Far less than the $26.00 Cdn that my other books go for.

So if you're looking for a great gift item, especially for the females (9 to 109) in your life, order the new Whale Song NOW. Heck, order 3! :)

I invite you all to check out my haunting book trailer on my publisher's site, and don't forget to order your copy of the new Whale Song (ISBN:1-60164-007-2 or 978-1-60164-007-9) right away.

You should receive your order around Easter (April) 2007, so order extra copies to give as Easter gifts! Whale Song also makes the PERFECT Mother's Day gift for Moms of all ages!

Whale Song by Cheryl Kaye Tardif is a haunting story about love, betrayal and secrets. Order your copies now!

Please order advanced copies through the link below.
http://www.amazon.com/Whale-Song-Cheryl-Kaye-Tardif/dp/1601640072/sr=8-3/qid=1163782594/ref=pd_bbs_3/002-1549114-3042410?ie=UTF8&s=books

ORDER TODAY! :)

Please tell your friends! And tell your public libraries too!

Sincerest thanks,
Cheryl Kaye Tardif
Author of Whale Song
View the sensational book trailer!

Cheryl on Kunati
http://www.cherylktardif.com/
http://cherylktardif.blogspot.com/

Thursday, November 16, 2006

These are a few of my favorite things...

Cheryl Kaye Tardif's Favorite Addictions:
  • All-Time Favorite Books: Misery by Stephen King, Outlander (series) by Diana Gabaldon, ...In Death (series) by J. D. Robb
  • Most Recent Book Favorites: The Game by Derek Armstrong, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
  • All-Time Favorite Movies: Sleeping with the Enemy, Titanic, Lord of the Rings (all 3), Speed, Trapped
  • Most Recent Movie Favorites: Crash, Crash, Crash!
  • All-Time Favorite TV Shows: CSI (all 3), Law & Order (all), Survivor, House, Medium, Prison Break, Ghost Whisper, Lost...ok, yes I'm a TV addict!
  • Most Recent TV Favorites: Heroes, Bones, Brothers and Sisters
  • All-Time Favorite Soap: Days of Our Lives
  • Most Recent Soap Favorite: cocoa butter...HA!
  • All-Time Favorite Actors: Halle Berry, Dakota Fanning, Charlize Theron, Diane Lane, Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Jim Carrey, Denzel Washington
  • Most Recent Favorite Actor: Sally Field
  • All-Time Fast Food Favorites: Chinese Food
  • Most Recent Favorite Fast Food: Quizno's Subs
  • All-Time Favorite Color: purple
  • Most Recent Favorite Color: aquamarine
  • All-Time Favorite Pet: dogs
  • Most Recent Favorite Pet: Royale, a fluffy white Miniature American Eskimo (named for the toilet paper because she's a sh*t disturber!)
  • All-Time Favorite Book I've Written: Whale Song
  • Most Recent Favorite Book I've Written: Whale Song! :)

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

Friday, November 10, 2006

Si, Si, Senor! One of Cheryl's Articles is Now in Spanish!


My article Attitude is Contagious - Would Anyone Want Yours? has been translated into Spanish! Check it out, if you can read Spanish. :)

If you can't, you can view the article in English at:
www.bookadz.com/attitude.htm

My Spanish amounts to being able to read and understand some of it and speaking a few words and one sentence. My one sentence is this:
Hay dos banos en mi casa.

(I am sure that will get me far when I go to Mexico or Spain! lol)

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif, author of Whale Song (2007 Kunati Books), Divine Intervention and The River

Thursday, November 09, 2006

101 Heads Are Better Than 1

Here's a review for the book, 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2, which I co-authored with 100 self-improvement experts, including the highly acclaimed Jack Canfield, Dr. John Gray, Dr. Richard Carlson, Alan Cohen, and Bob Proctor.

Personalized autographed copies are available via my site at http://www.shirleycheng.com

101 Heads Are Better Than One


Reviewed by Dr. Alan Gettis, author of The Happiness Solution, and, Seven Times Down, Eight Times Up


David Riklan has done it again. He managed to get 101 self-improvement gurus to collaborate and share their collective wisdom. The result is '101 Great Ways To Improve Your Life - Volume 2'. The stories will improve your relationship with yourself, others, and the universe. Covering an enormous array of topics, the common denominator of the stories is that they will help you think more positively and feel and function better.


Shirley Cheng's chapter entitled 'Dance With Your Heart: How To Befriend Your Heart And The World Around You' is my favorite. She provides clear guidelines on how to not only dance with your heart but on how to become a dancing heart. It is a beautiful and instructive chapter written by this young woman who is a blind and physically disabled poet and author. I learned more about her by visiting the website shirleycheng.com.


The book is filled with many other stories to help you discover countless ways of feeling better and improving your life. Enthusiastically recommended.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Picture Perfect by Cheryl Kaye Tardif...Now an Amazon Short!


Cheryl's chilling and suspenseful short story, Picture Perfect, was selected as an Amazon Short.

When my sister, Belle, vanished back in 1956, I lost more than you could possibly imagine. And in the last forty-eight years, I've never told anyone what I saw. That summer day, I lost a part of my family, a piece of my heart…and I think I lost my soul as well...

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

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Updates: Site Award + Radio Interview



My site http://www.shirleycheng.com has received the Preditors and Editors' Author's Site of Excellence award! Needless to say, I am honored and delighted, especially because of the fact that I am a blind webmistress.




On November 7 at 12:15 p.m. EST, I will be the guest on The Namaste Show with host Jennifer Clark on CKCU-FM 93.1 FM, Ottawa, Canada, and it can be heard locally within a 200 kms radius and on http://www.ckcufm.com



Saturday, November 04, 2006

I LOVE Book Signings!


Ok, here's a quick recap of what I've been doing this past week. I had 3 signings this past week at Edmonton, Alberta, bookstores. Now that the exciting news is getting out to my fans about Whale Song being released in April 2007 (and about 2 Hollywood film companies reading it), word is spreading fast.

Today, I had four people stop by my table to tell me how much they loved my books! And that is music to an author's ears. When a Chapters employee asked me if I was getting tired after my third hour, I said "No! I love signings. I love meeting people." A minute after that someone stopped by and told me she cried when she read one of my books. My reaction: I smiled with glee and clapped my hands. YAY! I made someone cry!!! :) Note: this is only a good thing if you want people to cry when reading your book (which I did.) Now, aren't I mean?

I write because I am compelled to write. It is my passion.

But I also write to impact others. And there is no greater reward than hearing back from a fan!

~ Cheryl Kaye Tardif, author of Whale Song