Cool Book Of The Day

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Question: Who is the intended audience?
Answer: Mystery lovers, horse lovers, romance and suspense and lovers.

Q: What is the book about?
A: When the death of a racing stable’s prize horse and his trainer is blamed on the stable’s owner; his son, Adam Blakely, goes undercover convinced that the trainer’s partner, Maggie McGregor is the killer.

Determined to leave the tumultuous world of horse racing, Maggie returns home to try and find peace. When a handsome horse owner moves his horse into her father’s boarding stable and asks Maggie to train his horse, family finances dictate that Maggie accept–and that’s when the accidents begin.

Drowning in deception and lies, Maggie and Adam search for a killer and uncover an insurance scam so insidious, it threatens to rock a horse racing empire and bring the killer to their doorstep.

Q: Why are you the best person to write this book?
A: The seed of this story came from a scandal that happened in Northern Illinois about a decade ago. (The Horse Mob) Race horses and show horses were being murdered for insurance money, then the heiress, Helen Brach, disappeared. I had horses up in the same area and knew some of the people who were involved. In the Arms of the Enemy is an entirely different story, none of the characters even remotely resemble any of the people involved. This is a work of fiction. But, I thought the premise of the story needed to be told.

Q: How is this book different from other books on this topic?
A: The only books I know that come from this situation are non-fiction works. I’m sure there are mysteries that have similar themes, but I’m not familiar with them.

Q: Is there anything else we should know about this book?
A: This book is dedicated to those horse lost to man’s greed and inhumanity and to those humanitarians who make it their mission to serve and protect them.

This is my first published novel.

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Question: Who is the intended audience?
Answer: The intended audience is definitley not children. It’s no more violent or “in the gutter” as, say, a Stephen King novel, and the book’s aimed toward that audience. I’d say 18 and up can give it a go. But I had no “intended audience” in mind while writing it. If people think it sounds like a good read, then that’s the intended audience.

Q: What is the book about?
A: The novel is all about hope. Yes, there’s a wide-spread power outage, mass hysteria and what can best be described as zombies running around (there’s your gore), but that’s just the story. It’s all about how these people in this one small town find hope during a situation when there appears to be none.

Q: Why are you the best person to write this book?
A: I’m neither the best nor the worst person to tell this story – I just happen to be the one that jotted it into my computer and put it out there. I wrote it not seeking fame or fortune – something like that happens very seldom for an author.

I wrote it because I’m a storyteller and always have been. I tried this story as a screenplay for years, and that just never worked. If you want to see examples of some bad writing, you should see those pages. Not good. Luckily they’re long gone. But once the idea hit me to give it a try as a novel, everything fell into place.

Q: How is this book different from other books on this topic?
A: I don’t know if it’s different, but rather an extension of disaster and zombie movies/stories, a different take on those two genres slammed together. The “zombies” aren’t zombies – I don’t really care for that term myself – but they are indeed part of the undead family. They think, they plan, they’re really just the characters that end up being the undead in a different light: the worst of people. And within their heads, we get to see what they’re thinking. Some of them fall into the trap of violence and hate while others fight for the hope that is the soul of the book. It’s actually through some of these undead folks that we see the best of people.

Q: Is there anything else we should know about this book?
A: This book was a labor of love, as is the one I’m working on now. Although the ending seems open for a sequel – and I’ve been asked about one – there will be no sequel. Those characters have been through enough, I think they deserve to live out the rest of their lives in a good way. Plus, I have too many other stories I want to tell before I end up in a grave. There’s also the fact that I simply have no idea what would happen in a sequel. I think Moonlight ended up being a real good thing, and I do my best to not screw up a good thing.

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Question: Who is the intended audience?
Answer: Adults and young adults, specifically young adult women.

Q: What is the book about?
A: Protection specialist Natasha Chamberlain thinks guarding an English rock star while she tours the Southern states should be easy and loads of fun but a bullet in her leg after the first concert changes her mind. Join Natasha and the dynamic dual Pit and Bigun as they chase a cyberstalker while trying to guard a rock star with a penchant for drugs, sex, shoplifting, and sweets.

Q: Why are you the best person to write this book?
A: It’s the third in my series; about an independent, contemporary woman trying to cope with a traditional world. It takes place in Knoxville, TN, my home town.

Q: How is this book different from other books on this topic?
A: My bodyguard experienced date rape and because of this seeks to be stronger, mentally and physically, so she will never be this vulnerable again. She also sees herself as protector of the innocent, animal and human, who cannot fend for themselves.

Q: Is there anything else we should know about this book?
A: Professional reviewers are comparing it to Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series, although my series is Southern. It features a Weimaraner, and proceeds from the sale of the book are donated to a local Weimaraner rescue as well as the local animal shelter. I try with each book to call attention to the abuse and neglect and unnecessary euthanization of animals across America, and encourage readers to adopt or rescue a pet.

Chasing Secrets – available 10/08!
The Bodyguard and the Rock Star – “I just want to know if I can nominate it for some kind of award.” – LAS Reviewer
The Bodyguard and the Show Dog – 2006 Reviewers’ Choice Award, DWAA Fiction Finalist
The Bodyguard - Best First in Series 2005
Chasing Demons – published in USA and Japan
Wayne’s Dead – Myshelf’s Top 10 Reads for 2002, published in USA and South Korea
Chasing Horses – Madcap Award for Best in Romantic Comedy

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Question: Who is the intended audience?
Answer: Since the span of the main character’s life takes you from 11-26, Whale Song appeals to virtually anyone who enjoys reading. The audience is general–young adults (even as young as 10) and adults. Book clubs and schools (particularly schools in Vancouver, Canada and Seattle, USA) will appreciate Whale Song because of the beautiful Pacific Ocean setting and the interesting yet somewhat controversial elements that can be discussed in a group setting.

Q: What is the book about?
A: Whale Song is the story of Sarah, a young American woman who moves to Vancouver Island, Canada, when she’s eleven, and is thrown into a strange new world of native customs, fascinating legends and simmering racial discrimination. When a terrible tragedy takes away someone she deeply loves, Sarah is left with partial amnesia, and only a wise Indian woman’s stories can help her heal. Whale Song is ultimately a story of love, family, tragedy, sacrifice and forgiveness, a story that will change the way you view life…and death.

Q: Why are you the best person to write this book?
A: Sarah and I are very similar. I grew up on two different islands in BC, Canada, and I’ve always felt the ocean’s magnetic pull. As a child, I would go to the Vancouver Aquarium every summer and see Skana the killer whale. I was fascinated by her and loved to watch her grace and beauty as she swam. Like Sarah, I know what it’s like to move around, to be thrown into a different culture, and I know what it’s like to live in a world of racism and bullying. Yet, I too was mesmerized by native legends about Whale, Wolf and Eagle. Sarah “came to me” two years before I ever started writing Whale Song. And she’s stayed with me ever since.

Q: How is this book different from other books on this topic?
A: Whale Song is different from other books on this topic because I have managed to take the scenes, smells and flavors of Vancouver Island and weave them into the pages. People who read my novel tell me they can visualize everything so clearly, that it feels like they’re right there on the beach or driving through the trees.

And it is not simply an entertaining novel. Whale Song has a powerful healing message of forgiveness and letting go, and I’ve been amazed and moved by emails from people who have told me Whale Song has changed their lives. Just recently, a young woman emailed me with her story, which you can read on my blog. Aynsley Nisbet was so changed by Whale Song that she created a brilliant painting–titled “Whale Song”. Please read: How Whale Song inspired artist Aynsley Nisbet and changed her life.

Q: Is there anything else we should know about this book?
A: Whale Song is dedicated to my brother Jason who was brutally murdered in January 2006. A portion of my royalties for EVERY SALE of Whale Song goes to 3 nonprofit organizations–Hope Mission, Bissell Centre and Mustard Seed Church, to help combat poverty, homelessness and addictions. Whale Song makes such a wonderful gift–for mothers and daughter, in particular–so please order extra copies, and help me help these nonprofits.

My sites:
http://www.whalesongbook.com
http://www.cherylktardif.com

My main blog:
The suspense is lkilling me!