News

Canadian Authors Association Annual Conference - CanWrite!

Cheryl Kaye Tardif — Wed, 07 May 2008 23:29:50 +0000

Don’t let your writing dreams take a vacation this summer! Grow them!

Find inspiration at the Canadian Authors Association Annual Conference - CanWrite! July 3-6 in Edmonton, Alberta.

Learn how to source new material, break into new markets, try new genres, polish your word gems and get your writing out there!

If you can’t attend the entire conference, invest in yourself with a day of professional development or take in a keynote address. Mingle and celebrate with publishers, agents, writers and readers who enjoy a good book at the National CAA Awards Presentations Gala. Listen to the National Literary Award winners at a reading at the Timms Centre.

Keynote speakers: Ralph Keyes - author and speaker; and Ian Ferguson - writer and humourist

Presenters include: Cheryl Kaye Tardif, Carolyn Swayze, Gloria Sawai, Jacqueline Baker, Richard Helm, Jay Bardyla, Susan Musgrave, Matthew Bin, Ted Bishop, Sharon Budnarchuk, Gloria Sawai, and many more.

Where will you find inspiration this summer? Learn more at: www.canauthorsalberta.ca/CanWrite

Whale Song wins 2007 Book Cover of the Year Award

Cheryl Kaye Tardif — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 23:47:22 +0000

Last May one of my very loyal fans entered my novel Whale Song in Erin Aislinn's Book Cover of the Month contest. Whale Song won for the month of May!

For the past 2 or so months, Whale Song has been competing for Erin's 2007 Book Cover of the Year award.

And now I am proud to announce that...
WHALE SONG has won the 2007 Book Cover of the Year award!

Thank you to everyone who voted. I wish I could take credit for this beautiful, haunting cover, but I can't.

It was designed by Kam Wai Yu, graphic designer for Kunati Books.

Operation Teen Book Drop

Cheryl Kaye Tardif — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 18:35:38 +0000

"Operation TBD" puts 10,000 books into North America’s top pediatric hospitals in celebration of Support Teen Literature Day on April 17

According to a press release sent out by readergirlz, an online book community for teen girls, "Teen patients in pediatric hospitals across the United States and Canada will receive 10,000 young adult novels, audiobooks, and graphic novels Thursday as readergirlz and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) celebrate the second annual Support Teen Lit Day on April 17."

I was hoping to "drop" copies of Whale Song to teens at the Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta, but they already had an event planned. So after some careful consideration of all worthwhile charities, schools etc, I decided to give my books to the Youth Emergency Shelter Society in Edmonton.

I was very pleased to go by their office this morning and drop off 4 copies of Whale Song for 4 resident teen girls and 4 copies of The River for 4 resident teen boys. These kids are in the SkY Program (Skills for Youth).

I also gave Y.E.S.S. two extra copies of each book to either give to new teens entering one of the programs or to place in the START House, a program is for 16-19 year olds who have no viable living alternative. These youths live at START House and attend school or work. .

I feel very blessed to have been able to do my part for Operation Teen Book Drop and I look forward to participating next year.

This afternoon, you'll be able to find me at the TBD Authors forum.

Today, from 6-8pm Pacific/9-11pm Eastern, I'll be participating at the Post-Op Party online. Lots of prizes, chat with me and other authors and more.

For more information on Operation TBD, please visit http://www.readergirlz.com.

Whale Song Myxes it up

Cheryl Kaye Tardif — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:03:16 +0000

Friend and fellow author Dave Diotalevi has one of the most creative blogs for promoting his new novel Miracle Myx that I have ever seen. He takes photos of his book in various places and settings and writes about it, with dialogue from him and Myx. It's really quite funny.

Today Whale Song visits his site and his main character Myx. And apparently, we need a referee between us. :)

I invite you to check out Dave's blog and read his post about Whale Song and his other posts. They're guaranteed to make you chuckle, if not laugh out loud.

Check out Where's Myx?

Translation rights

Cheryl Kaye Tardif — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:10:48 +0000

An email from my publisher created a bit of excitement yesterday. He told me that Whale Song is being seriously considered for translation rights in a foreign language.

I'm not going to say which language or country, but I can tell you this:

The language has the letter 'e' in it. :)

I will let you know when the deal is made. For now, I will lose myself in dreaming about picking up a copy of Whale Song, with a different cover and text in a language I can't read.

Cheryl Kaye Tardif - CTI's Spotlight Artist for March

Cheryl Kaye Tardif — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:04:15 +0000

I have been wading through thousands of emails after an awesome trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (pronounced "Meh-hee-ko" after a few pina coladas!) This was a long overdue holiday and the first REAL vacation my husband and I have had together in 21 years--the last one was our honeymoon.

While I am tempted to run out and buy margarita and pina colada mix and keep on holidaying, reality set in when I turned on my computer and opened up my email program, which took almost 10 minutes to upload.

I felt like I was wading through a swamp of emails without a bathing suit! I stepped ankle deep into a bunch of spam mail and quickly deleted it. Then knee high into business emails.

And that's when I found a hidden gem, amidst notices to send in book information and fanmail.

"Author Cheryl Kaye Tardif has won the attention and admiration of readers worldwide with her uniquely compelling suspense novels, including the celebrated “Whale Song,” “Divine Intervention,” and “The River.” Those who have noted her blogs at Creative Thinkers International and elsewhere know the author is not one to simply rest on her five-star literary laurels, but often shares quality communication with her readers and lends humanitarian support to the causes and issues that concern her. We are honored to present Ms. Tardif as the CTI Spotlight Artist for March 1-15, 2008, and invite you learn more about this gifted Canadian author at http://creativethinkersintl.ning.com/profile/CherylKayeTardif."

I also received an email from Aberjhani at CTI:

"It is our pleasure at Creative Thinkers International to inform you that in recognition of your outstanding literary accomplishments, inspiring interaction with your reading audience, and participation at CTI, you have been selected the CTI Spotlight Artist for March 1-15, 2008. We hope this token of recognition helps in some way to further enhance your individual creative vision and marketing efforts."

I invite you to check out my page at Creative Thinkers International.

And please check out CherylKTardif.com and sign my guestbook and sign up for my monthly newsletter.

Hasta Manana...

Vote for WHALE SONG for 2007 Book Cover of the Year!

Cheryl Kaye Tardif — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:17:49 +0000

IT’S TIME FOR THE BIG VOTE!

The voting page for 2007 BOOK COVER OF THE YEAR at erinaislinn.com is now ready, and WHALE SONG is awaiting votes.

Every voter will be entered in a drawing for the winning title.

Voting is simple, and the instructions are on the voting page at:

http://www.erinaislinn.com/BookCoveroftheYear2007.htm

Whale Song was May's Book Cover of the Month, so just scroll down to hit and click on Vote for Whale Song!

Voting will run through APRIL 15^th!

Good luck and thank you!

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,

author of Whale Song

Canada to lose "oldest bookstore", The Book Room

Cheryl Kaye Tardif — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 07:12:02 +0000

Over the past 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 disappearance is sadly inevitable. Business, after all, means survival of the biggest and most powerful. It's like watching a giant game of Pac-Man. Something is gobbling up our independent bookstores one at a time, and now we're about to lose "Canada's oldest bookstore"--The Book Room in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The Book Room is expected to clear out inventory and close its doors for the final time at the end of March 2008, about eight weeks from now. Eight weeks...and then we'll have to say goodbye to a Nova Scotian icon. Founded in 1839, The Book Room has survived two World Wars, the Halifax Explosion and the Great Depression, and it will be a great loss to Canadian booklovers and to its local community. Charles Burchell, president of The Book Room, is justifiably disappointed. "The Book Room has been an institution in Nova Scotia."

The explanation given for its imminent closure? Increased competition, deep discounting from big-box and Internet retailers, as well as dual pricing issues. In Canada, books have traditionally been printed with two prices--Canadian and American. Canadian prices have always been quite a bit higher, but the recent strength of the Canadian dollar has put much pressure on the entire book industry. Canadian customers want US pricing, with that price on the back cover of books; publishers can't afford to discount their books to US pricing when they've based everything on a higher Canadian price, and booksellers are forced to either lower prices and take a loss or lose their customers and their business.

"Out with the old, in with the new" might be an exciting way to ring in the New Year, but in the book business, the saying is a painfully discordant reminder to make way for the "big-boys", at the expense of tradition.

Farewell to The Book Room. Booklovers across Canada will miss you.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif, bestselling author of Whale Song

'Create a Corpse' Contest Winners Announced!

Cheryl Kaye Tardif — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:45:54 +0000

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 volunteered to "kill themselves off" for the benefit of my novel Divine Justice. Congratulations, Deirdre!

"Monty Winkler" is the corpse named by M.F., who says this "grade school bully knocked my glasses off one time after school" Bad Monty! Kudos, M.F.!

"Porter Sampson" is the corpse named by T.L. and I'm not sure if there's a story behind that name or if T.L. just likes making up names. T.L, feel free to tell us the story in the comments section!! And congrats!

These names will be characters in Divine Justice, a new paranormal suspense and book 2 in the Divine series. No publish date as of yet.

http://www.cherylktardif.com/contests

Matsqui prison riot mimics one in Whale Song

Cheryl Kaye Tardif — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 00:58:40 +0000

Matsqui prison, located in Abbotsford, BC, went into lockdown today. Apparently, a woman with a baby stroller tried to pass through security, but the stroller tested positive for cocaine and guards stopped her. AOL News reports that the woman was allowed to continue with her visit but that she was reported to the B.C. Ministry of Children and Family Development.

So the inmates retaliated.

170 inmates set fires in the yard and refused to return to their cells. Why? Because they think their privacy is not being respected. They believe they deserve privacy.

Reading this reminds me of a similar situation in which guards set fires at Mastqui. In fact, I used the situation fictitiously in Whale Song. For those of you who've read my novel, you'll recall there is a scene where a fire breaks out at Matsqui and prisoners had to be airlifted off a roof. It happened back in the 80's.

Reading today's Globe and Mail story, made me think of 2 things: Whale Song and the fact that these inmates should count themselves lucky they get to have visitors. Or time out in the yard in the fresh air and sunshine. These people have been convicted of crimes. They are paying for their crimes in a locked facility. That's what they deserve, and they are lucky that they are still alive and being fed, clothed and sheltered.

What I find even more disgusting is that the guards were able to find traces of cocaine on a baby stroller. What the--? Any mother who would use her child as a drug mule needs a good smack in the head...and her kids should be taken away.

Read the Matsqui story on Globe and Mail.

Read the Matsqui post on AOL News.

If you pick up Whale Song, you can read about the earlier fire in Matsqui prison. Some is truth and some is fiction. :)

And please feel free to leave a comment about this story. Do prison inmates deserve to have privacy? Was this a fair call by the guards?