New release: SHADOW MASTERS: An Anthology from The Horror Zine

Imajin Books is proud to release SHADOW MASTERS, a new horror anthology by some masters of suspense, along with some new talent in the genre. I am especially excited about this release as it includes all original, never-before-published shorts stories, including mine, DREAM HOUSE.

Featuring a haunted house cover designed by cover artist extraordinaire, Ryan Doan, SHADOW MASTERS has released to rave reviews, including a major plug from NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD co-writer, John Russo, who says, “This anthology is chock-full of wonderfully horrific stories from noted authors as well as talented unknowns.”

Fear casts a long shadow, and shadows take many shapes…

From award-winning editor, Jeani Rector, who brought you the terrifying anthology, WHAT FEARS BECOME, comes a wicked brew of spine-tingling fiction. Featuring never before published works from best-selling authors such as Bentley Little, Yvonne Navarro, Scott Nicholson, Melanie Tem, Elizabeth Massie, Earl Hamner, Simon Clark, Cheryl Kaye Tardif, Ronald Malfi, Lisa Morton, Jeff Bennington, JG Faherty and many others, this chilling collection of works also includes a foreword from Joe R. Lansdale.

From classic horror and exciting suspense to Twilight Zone-type speculative fiction with twisted endings, SHADOW MASTERS: An Anthology from The Horror Zine delves into the darkest corners of our nightmares and delivers the shivers.

And here's a sneak peek at my short, DREAM HOUSE...

The day we moved into our dream house was the beginning of our nightmare. And it all started with five fortuitous words…

“I want my dream house,” I told my husband.

We stood in the poor excuse of a kitchen in our rundown Boston bi-level. I was stuck between the open oven door and a cupboard on the other side, while Ray unloaded the dishwasher and tried not to bump into me.

“This kitchen is ridiculous,” I said. “Whoever designed it must have been a size zero anorexic who lived on her own.”

I was neither a size zero, nor an anorexic. I wasn’t willing to give up my bacon cheeseburgers and DQ Blizzards. So the scale tipped a little further—not in my favor. Oh well.

“Two weeks, Christine,” Ray said. Then his psychiatric training kicked in. “Are you sure you’re not substituting the new house for something else?”

“I just want space. If that makes me crazy, then…” I shrugged, “so be it.”

Fact is, I’d fallen in love with the idea of buying and renovating an old home. You know, one of those period mansions with hefty wooden doors and arched hallways. Where the ceilings are ornate...

* * *

SHADOW MASTERS: An Anthology from The Horror Zine, edited by Jeani Rector, is now available in ebook and paperback editions.

The Kindle edition is ON SALE for a limited time for only $0.99 USD. 

The trade paperback is $17.99 USD.

Amazon.com - ebook
Amazon.com - paperback

Amazon.ca - ebook
Paperback coming soon!

Amazon.co.uk - ebook
Paperback coming soon!

Createspace - paperback

Special Guest: Robin Leigh Morgan talks about "Changing Genres"

Today's special guest is debut novelist Robin Leigh Morgan, author of I Kissed a Ghost, a paranormal, time travel romance. Robin is sharing her writing experience and what she has learned along the way. Welcome, Robin!

Some of us who have chosen to write fiction come from a variety of places. And by “a variety of places,” I’m not referring to a physical location; I’m referring to our writing experiences.

There are some of us who have enjoyed writing since we were children, and each year, by writing something in school, it improved. For some of us, it continued until we graduated college and began working. Some of us entered the work force taking jobs, which required us to write, whether it was procedures, handbooks/manuals, or news stories. But all of these are non-fiction, and each one has a set of “rules” that need to be followed to write something well enough to be acceptable.

As for myself, while my regular job did not require me to write, for eleven years I wrote articles [commentaries/viewpoints] of what was happening in my community and my feelings about it. When I started to write these items, my writing skills were not honed. I didn’t have my ideas organized in a tight manner, although my writing had been informative. By the time I’d written my last item, I’d become quite adept at it.

When I started to write fiction, I somehow drifted to writing a contemporary romance story with a paranormal element running through the storyline, but after almost 9 years I still hadn’t completed it. That is, until someone suggested I should write for a much younger audience, which is what I did, cumulating in my first YA Paranormal/Time Travel/First Kiss romance novel entitled I Kissed a Ghost.

Anyway, making the transition from non-fiction to fiction, I’ve had to learn a new set of rules on how to write. Most of these involved dialogue, showing not telling, where before I just told. I now had to learn about the use of tags. I had to learn not to be overly descriptive of something, but allow my reader to create the image for themselves in their minds. In the beginning I found it hard to break my old writing habits. Now I’m finding myself with these habits essentially gone. The biggest issue I still have and am trying to get a good handle on, is POV [Point of View]. Regardless of what’s happening or being said it has to be in one character’s perspective, and you can’t flip-flop between two characters within a scene. There needs to be a transition from one character to another.

All these things have helped me mold myself into the author I’m today. I’ve also learned there are additional rules within a genre, depending on the sub-genre you’ve decided to write in. These rules apply to the dialogue spoken, which needs to be true to the time period you’re writing in, as well as how your characters are dressed, and their titles, if any, as is the case with the regencies sub-genre of romance novels.

So as you can see, writing is not merely a string of words you put together. There are rules that need to be followed if you’re to be well received by your readers.  

If you have any questions, I’d love to hear from you.

I’m a retired NYC civil servant who has been married for 19 years with no children. We have two cats, a senior Maine Coon with diabetes, and a 10 year old calico. For my second romance novel I’ve returned to writing the Contemporary romance I wrote about in my post.

I Kissed a Ghost is available on Amazon at:

http://www.amazon.com/Kissed-Ghost-Robin-Leigh-Morgan/dp/1480030031  

The Kindle version should become available around April 24, 2013.

If anyone would like to read several UNEDITED SNIPPETS from the book you can find under the category of “GHOSTLY WHISPERS” on any my blog sites:   

http://www.mypennameonly.blogspot.com or http://www.mypennameonly.webs.com  

You can also find me on:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mypennameonly               

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mypennameonly                    

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/RobinLeighMorgan

The fast lane to the publication of SUBMERGED

The journey to the publication of SUBMERGED has been one of excitement. Nothing has gone quite as planned...and that's been a good thing!

SUBMERGED is a story that was inspired by the battle a friend of mine had with addiction. At first, I just wanted to write a book with a main character who was an addict, but my friend shared so much of his own experiences that my character, Marcus, grew before my eyes. Conflicted by the past and submerged in grief and guilt, he believes he's where he should be--a sort of punishment of sorts, for past transgressions. But a phone call from a woman trapped in a vehicle changes his life forever.

My agent, Erica Spellman-Silverman from Trident Media Group, and I discussed the options for SUBMERGED. We could approach publishers with it, but after careful consideration, many phone calls and weeks of contemplation, we both felt that wasn't the best plan for the book. And here's why...

If we pitched SUBMERGED to the big publishers, we would have to wait anywhere from 1-2 years before the book was published. And I'm not interested in pursuing smaller publishers because they just wouldn't have much to offer me.

After my huge success last year with CHILDREN OF THE FOG, I know what I want career-wise. And after hearing what one publisher thought she could get me as an advance, I realized that I needed to aim high and continue doing what I've been doing until someone thinks I'm worth what I want out of a deal. After all, an author can't take lightly the aspect of giving away her rights to one of her books. It has to be worth it.

Erica's concern was also for my readers. She knows how hard I've worked to get my books out there, to connect with readers worldwide, and she understands that my fans want another book. Today, not in 2 years. So we came up with a plan. I won't go into all the details, but suffice it to say, I was excited once I got the ball rolling.

SUBMERGED is now available in Kindle ebook and trade paperback, and providing I do well with sales, Erica is going to take both CHILDREN OF THE FOG and SUBMERGED to a major publisher, armed with sales data, and we'll go after a 2-book deal and foreign rights. And...we may pitch a third book that would also have a tie-in to these books.

An audio book deal is already in the works for SUBMERGED and CHILDREN OF THE FOG, with Audible. And I couldn't be more excited!

SUBMERGED is a standalone thriller with a hint of paranormal. It is not part of a series.

But it does have a cool tie-in to CHILDREN OF THE FOG, and vice versa.

"Submerged will leave you breathless—an edge of your seat, supernatural thrill ride."

—Jeff Bennington, bestselling author of Twisted Vengeance

Get SUBMERGED today.

Learn more about me at http://www.cherylktardif.com and follow me on Twitter.

Enter my March Giveaway – 60 Prizes! http://www.cherylktardif.blogspot.com

And click on my tour banner to follow me on my Blog Tour...

Amazon selects CHILDREN OF THE FOG for a special promotion

Just over a week ago, a representative from Amazon contacted me to ask if I'd consider putting CHILDREN OF THE FOG, my bestselling supernatural suspense, in a special promotion. So after a few emails back and forth, I of course said YES. I'd be foolish not to take them up on some free advertising and exposure.

For the month of July, CHILDREN OF THE FOG is listed on the 100 Kindle Books for $3.99 or Less page on Amazon, in the Deals section and under the Mysteries and Thrillers category.

So for all of July CHILDREN OF THE FOG is on sale for only $0.99 (list price: $3.99).

YOU HAVE 10 SECONDS TO MAKE A DECISION:

Let A Kidnapper Take Your Child, Or Watch Your Son Die.

Choose! 

Sadie O'Connell is a bestselling author and a proud mother. But her life is about to spiral out of control. After her six-year-old son Sam is kidnapped by a serial abductor, she nearly goes insane. But it isn't just the fear and grief that is ripping her apart. It's the guilt. Sadie is the only person who knows what the kidnapper looks like. And she can't tell a soul.

An international bestseller & Top 100 Amazon bestseller (was #4 under The Hunger Games trilogy).

Contest: Finish author Kelly Moran's sentence for a chance to win a signed copy of Divine Intervention

There's an exciting new contest over at author Kelly Moran's site. And it's very easy to enter. Simply finish the sentence she started there.

One winner will be selected and will win a signed copy of my paranormal thriller, Divine Intervention.

Prize: a signed copy of Divine Intervention by finishing her sentence.

Enter now at: http://authorkellymoran.blogspot.com/2009/10/contest-and-giveaway.html

An interview with author Michael F. Stewart

Today's special guest is Michael F. Stewart, author of an exciting supernatural thriller, 24 Bones. Welcome, Michael! Let the interrogation begin...

1. So, Michael, what’s 24 Bones about?

Every five hundred years the Phoenix returns to its home for rebirth. And every five hundred years the battle between Seth, Osiris, Isis and Horus is fought. The five hundred years is up.

Taggart Quinn is living in Toronto when he gets the call to return as a Companion of Horus. He refuses the call. Samiya Rush was abandoned to the Shemsu Seth as a child to be reared and trained for the coming confrontation in which she is to be Evil’s representative. She’s confused and alone. Two millennia before, the Companions and the Shemsu Seth stripped the Sisters of Isis of their powers – the Sisters want their powers back.

Competing interests, conspiracy, betrayal, and greed lead to humanity hanging in the balance of a final battle fought on Earth’s primordial mound.

2. Do you have a favorite minor character?

If I had to choose I’d pick Faris. Faris is a Watcher, one of those who wish to help the Companions of Horus, but didn’t pass the test to join. He’s pretty bitter about that, and this bitterness grows, ultimately making it difficult for him to love or be loved with disastrous consequences.

3. How would you describe your creative process while writing this book? Was it stream-of-consciousness writing, or did you first write an outline?

My writing usually stems from research. 24 Bones for instance required me to have a fair understanding of Coptic Christianity and Egyptology. This necessitated that I read a lot of the translations of the original documents, such as the Papyrus of Ani and Pyramid Texts. This, combined with travel to Egypt to get a better sense of atmosphere, was the foundation for 24 Bones.

I did the research first and followed the construct of the myths, weaving Coptic Christian beliefs and a healthy dose of Jungian thought into the Egyptian versions. I tend to outline one Act ahead. So by the time I’m done Act 1, I have Act 2 detailed. If my characters are surprising me, I can be fairly confident that I’ll surprise the reader too.

4. Where did your characters come from?

Both Samiya and Taggart evolved, but when I think about it, they are in part who they are because of the situation of their back story. Both have had horrible childhoods, one in the service of evil and torn from her mother’s arms, the other disciplined mercilessly, branded by the Companions and then abused by the church. They change into the sort of people we either hope we never meet or the best of what humanity has to offer.

5. What's inside the mind of the supernatural thriller writer?

At least in my case, it’s an exploration of myth. Myth can come in a lot of forms. I’ve written a book about the MS-13, a brutal gang, but one which has deep ritual and mythology. But religion, whatever your belief, contains an awful lot of humanity. And writing is a way to illuminate the human condition as shown through the arc of your characters.

6. What is the best writing advice you've ever received?

Suspend the belief of your inner circle and follow your natural enthusiasm.

7. Do you have a website/blog where readers can learn more about you and your work?

Yes, ma’am, http://www.michaelfstewart.com/. And here’s one to my publisher Drollerie Press where you can pick up many fine stories: http://www.drolleriepress.com/

8. Anything else you'd like to say about yourself or your work?

My proceeds from 24 Bones will go to help the people of Zimbabwe.

Michael F Stewart is an Ottawa, Canada based author whose latest work is 24 BONES, a supernatural thriller set in present day Cairo, Egypt. In addition, Michael has published THE CALIPHATE under the pseudonym Jack Stewart, and has four graphic novels, which will be published this summer by Oxford Canada Press, and a thriller titled HURAKAN due out with Overmountain Press this fall.

Thank you, Michael, and on behalf of all the authors at The Write Type, I wish you every success. ~Cheryl Kaye Tardif

"Divine Intervention captivated me"

"Para-psychic, Para-psychotic, Para-captivating! Ditto on the previous reviewers who loved the scenery, intricate plot lines with twists and turns...Divine Intervention captivated me and I think it will turn out to be better than the movie!"

--Yale R. Jaffe, author of Advantage Disadvantage

Read the entire review on Amazon.com.

(Note: No movie deal at this time. Film rights are available; email Cheryl.

Medium premiere - "And Then"...snooze time!

Last night I sat down to watch the highly anticipated season premiere of Medium, one of my favorite shows. My first reaction to the episode titled "And Then", was: "Good God, what did they do with the writers?" I am not sure if this was the product of the writers' strike or if it was taped earlier, but the episode was flat, predictable and...in one word, BORING. Sorry, NBC.

Spoiler alert!

In the premiere, we are given a recap of what happened last season and left with a depressed cast who should all go on some meds.

Allison (Patricia Arquette) was depressed because no one would take her calls or listen to her dreams and she was having money problems.

Her usually witty husband Joe (Jake Weber) was depressed because he was out of work and his mother wouldn't lend him money.

Their teenage daughter Ariel (Sofia Vassilieva) was depressed because she realized that another girl sang better than her (and maybe she was depressed because the writers made her do something nice instead of act like the spoiled brat that we have all come to want to smack).

Detective Lee Scanlon (David Cubitt) was depressed because he has been demoted to playing with puppets instead of being an active crime investigator.

His girlfriend (what's her name) was also equally depressed (and depressing) as she waded through her few lines as if reading off a cereal box. Though maybe her depression is justified--NBC doesn't even see fit to acknowledge her role in the cast, even though she's been in many episodes.

Allison's former boss D.A. Devalos (Miguel Sandoval) was depressed because someone else has his job and now he'll have to go back to being just a...sigh...lawyer.

Then there's Academy Award-winning Anjelica Huston who plays Cynthia Keener, an investigator for "Ameritips". I'm sure that she was depressed because her role was so minute. I hope they develop her character better in future episodes.

Let's see...who else was depressed? Oh yes, let's not forget the millions of viewers who watched, predicted every step and tried to keep from dozing off. Pass the Valium!

As for plot, it was equally as depressing: a kidnapped boy, a pointless side-story about Ariel auditioning for a school musical, a dream of the kidnapper's feet (he likes to dance) and another dream of mice, a scene where Scanlon finds the dead boy packaged up in a doll box and mice running around.

At this point I thought, the killer is a young man who likes to dance and he's an exterminator. And lo and behold, it seems that maybe I should take over for Allison Dubois. What's disappointing is that there's no real investigation. The killer just conveniently shows up, let's himself into the scene of the crime (dancing to music, of course)...

"And Then"?

The show is over. (Thank God!) Talk about anti-climactic. A visit to your dentist for a root canal would be more suspenseful and less painful.

So please, NBC...get some good writers! I loved this show! I love the cast! But hey, there are other new shows on now, so give us some credit here and write for the intelligent viewer. We deserve better.

By the way, my paranormal suspense novel Divine Intervention is often compared to Medium (and CSI and Ghost Whisperer) and will definitely appeal to fans of the show. And I can promise you there are no flat characters and the story line is anything but predictable or boring. So while you're waiting for Medium to get back on track, feel free to pick up a copy of Divine Intervention at Amazon.

Last day of Cheryl Kaye Tardif's virtual book tour: read chapter 2 of Children of the Fog

Today marks the end of my month long virtual book tour, and I will confess, I am exhausted! It's been a long time since I've written these many articles and answered these many interviews. :) But I had so much fun visiting all of my hosts' wonderful sites, getting to know them and answering questions from visitors via email or comments.

Thank you! You have all made my 'Touring the World' virtual book tour a success! And I look forward to doing it again.

For today's stop, and because I had so many email requests, I have given you chapter 2 of my new unpublished novel, Children of the Fog.

You will notice a "book cover". This is something I designed to inspire me and it is not intended to be the actual cover. In fact, I'm hoping my publisher will come up with something even more eerie and creepy and foggy. :) On the back of my mock up cover is the following text:

Would you let a monster take your child?

A mother's descent into alcoholism and madness leads to strange apparitions and a face-to-face encounter with the monster who abducted her son--a man known only as...

The Fog.

Sadie O'Connell is a bestselling author and a proud mother. But her life is about to spiral out of control.

After her six-year-old son Sam is kidnapped by a serial abductor known as The Fog, she nearly goes insane. But it isn't just the fear and grief that is ripping her apart. It's the guilt.

She is the only person who knows what The Fog looks like. And she can't tell a soul. For if she does, her son will be sent back to her in "little bloody pieces".

When her unfaithful husband stumbles across a drawing of The Fog, he sets into play a series of horrific events that sends Sadie hurtling over the edge. Unable to deal with her pain, she drowns her sorrow the only way she knows.

"Tardif specializes in mile-a-minute pot-boiler mysteries." --Edmonton Sun

Read chapter 2 of Children of the Fog by Cheryl Kaye Tardif

Read the prologue and chapter 1 first!