Cheryl Kaye Tardif's Blog (115)

Canadian Author Cheryl Kaye Tardif wants to know-

What’s Your Book Club Looking For?

As a suspense author, I’m often asked whether any of my books are suitable for book clubs, and I usually answer with: “Definitely! But which one depends on what your book club is looking for.” So what can I offer to a book club?…

Things I've heard at a signing, dressed professionally and standing behind a table with a banner on the front that reads: "Meet bestselling author Cheryl Kaye Tardif"

(And what I sometimes wish I could say in response...but don't)

*Can you tell me where to find the book: Political Warfare and Toxicology...blah..blah

(because I so obviously look like not only a bookstore employee…

I was asked this question recently and it really got me thinking about the authors I've been compared to and the authors who have inspired me in the past.

This was my answer:

Since each book I’ve written is different, it’s very interesting to see the variety of writers I am considered most like, but I have to agree with people who have made these comparisons.

For…

*THIS ARTICLE BY JEFFREY A. TRACHTENBERG HAS BEEN EXCERPTED. It recently appeared in Jerry D. Simmons' newsletter - TIPS for WRITERS from the PUBLISHING INSIDER. It has been reprinted here with permission from Jerry D. Simmons, http://www.writersreaders.com, and the author.

Borders Group Inc. has decided you can sell a book by its cover.

In a radical move aimed at jump-starting…

If you're an aspiring or published author looking for some great resources, I highly recommend the following books. Some will be genre specific as this comprises a large part of my own library.

• Writer's Market (the holy grail for writers)
• The Canadian Writer's Market (ditto for Canadian writers)
• The Canadian Writer's Guide
• The Writer's Digest Guide to Manuscript Formats
• Self-Editing for Fiction…

"Another one bites the dust." For the last two years, I've watched Canadian independent bookstores fight to compete with the 'big boys'--major big-box outlets and Internet retailers, but it seems like a fight to the death. As a Canadian, I cheer them on, hoping they'll succeed. As an avid reader, I mourn their loss. As an author, I feel their…

UPDATE: I received so many wonderful entries for my 'Create a Corpse' contest that it was very difficult to pick one name for one corpse. So I decided to pick 3 winners--3 corpses!

(I guess that kind of makes me a serial killer...)

"Deirdre Dailey" is the corpse named by...who else but Deirdre Dailey! Yes, I did have a few brave people who…

When I was 14, we moved to Bermuda. My father was in the Canadian Armed Forces and this was the best posting we'd ever gotten. We were all very excited. We packed up only the stuff we really needed and put everything ielse nto storage. And I said goodbye to my best friend Cathy. For those of you who have read Whale Song, you'll recognize this scenario.

I was sad to leave behind my best friend but…

Last night I had the pleasure of attending a book club meeting in Edmonton. The ladies had selected Whale Song to read. Karen, the host, didn't tell her friends that the author was going to be there until I got there. I thought that was kind of fun. All of the gals were so welcoming.

When they talked about Whale Song, I heard comments like "I couldn't put it down" and "I loved it". It's hard to describe how rewarding it feels to hear these things. But even more, I got the reaction…

I have decided to blog a series of articles titled 'Blast From My Past', so that you have a chance to really get to know me, maybe have a laugh or two. I'm going to dig deep on some of these, and dates may be off somewhat because we moved around a lot.

So here's the first Blast From My Past...

I'm not sure how old I was, but it was in elementary school--Tahayghen Elementary in …

"A powerful, moving family drama that spans the generations! Beautiful writing! The title of this book leaped out at me from its striking cover, but when I started reading, I was captivated by how meaningful the title was to this very moving story. Cheryl Kaye Tardif's words, scenes and characters flowed through the pages so smoothly I almost forgot I was reading. I felt as though I were in Canada with the characters.



This is a story about an eleven-year-old…

There are times in my life when I have to stop and take a moment to just listen to that "still, small voice". Some of you may know what I'm talking about. That voice that says, "Hey! Listen up! You're meant to do something here. But you won't know what unless you stop and...breathe."

There are times when I am so glad I stopped. This is one of those times.

I've told you about the girl in Newnan, Georgia, who asked for a few things on the Alliance for Children's…

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…

In the book world, Canadian prices have always been absurdly high, compared with US prices. It's always been a common complaint, and believe me, as an author who puts herself out into the frontlines by doing book signings in bookstores, it isn't always easy to listen to customers complain, berate staff or even me, or walk out angry.

With the strong Canadian dollar comes some huge savings for Canadians buying American goods or traveling to the States, but it also comes with a…

After the recent success of my latest novel Whale Song, and after achieving bestsellers' status on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca with the title that I call "my heart book", I am happy to announce that both Divine Intervention and The River have made the…