Thank you to my followers. I'm sure you'll be shocked when you see a feed come through for me. It's been awhile. While Spring is the time of blooming for most people, I think I'll be most prolific during the months of Fall and Winter.
Today, I have the privilege of talking with a lovely lady of mystery, Cherish D'Angelo. She'll be talking about writing in general and her new book, Lancelot's Lady.
* What inspired you to write Lancelot's Lady? Where do you get your story ideas?
I always wanted to write a romance novel, ever since I was a teen and got hooked on Harlequin romances. I can't say that anything really inspired me to write this particular story. I had a glimmer of an idea, a "what if". It went something like this...
"What if a woman was stranded on a beautiful tropical island? What if it was a private island owned by a reclusive, mysterious man? What if only a couple of other people lived on the island and there was no way off until a boat came in a month or so with supplies? What if the radio was broken? What if this recluse wasn't happy to find a beautiful woman on his island? What if they slowly found they were attracted to each other? What if...?
* Do you have a favorite scene?
One of my favorite scenes is where Jonathan follows Rhianna to the waterfall pool. She's swimming in it, oblivious to the fact that he's watching her. Then she sees something in the water. The scene is quite comical. And it says a lot about the two characters.
* You've published in a couple of different genres, do you have a favorite genre/book?
I've published a romantic suspense (Lancelot's Lady), a general fiction/young adult with a hint of mystery (Whale Song), a techno-thriller (The River), a paranormal suspense thriller (Divine Intervention), a supernatural suspense novelette (Remote Control) and a collection of horror/supernatural/suspense stories (Skeletons in the Closet & Other Creepy Stories).
I don't have a favorite genre, other than everything I write to date has an element of mystery or suspense. My favorite book is Whale Song. It's my "heart book". When you read it, you'll understand why.
* What plans have you got for the future? Any other books on the drawing table?
I plan to have some major bestsellers and some movies based on my novels. ☺ I have a list of 50+ novels I want to write. Currently, I'm working on a couple of novels. One of them is a novel titled Submerged, a hold-your-breath suspense thriller about choices, loss and redemption.
I'm also working on a new paperback edition of Whale Song, which has been out of print for almost two years (though available as an ebook). This edition should release before Christmas 2010. Lancelot's Lady and Skeletons in the Closet may see paperback editions in 2011.
* Who are your favorite authors? What do you read when you're not writing your own work?
I have many favorite authors: Stephen King, Dean Koontz, JD Robb, Rick Mofina, Andrew Gross, James Patterson, Daniel Kalla, Lisa Unger, Lisa Jackson, Luanne Rice, Nora Roberts, Danielle Steel, Kay Hooper, Kathy Reichs, Iris Johansen, Lisa Gardner…the list goes on…and on…
* What advice would you give aspiring authors?
If writing is really what you dream of doing, then write. If publishing a novel is one of your biggest dreams, then learn everything about the business of writing and publishing. Dare to dream and dream BIG. And if that doesn't work, dream BIGGER. Take risks. Anything worth having is worth a risk or two. BE a professional author.
* What do you see as the future of books?
I believe the print book is on its way out―and much faster than anyone predicted. I believe that ereaders and smartphones will become the preferred method of reading a book because they are convenient. Ebooks will come down in price and students in schools, colleges and universities will convert all textbooks so that ereaders become part of regular school supplies.
I think agents will work more on foreign rights and film rights as more authors take on ebooks themselves. I believe publishers will find creative ways to offer better incentives to authors―higher royalties, lower advances, better marketing.
Bookstores will have to become creative to stay in business. They'll have to find unique ways to incorporate ebooks. Many will close down. More libraries will offer ebooks until every library in North America has them.
I also believe that although the industry will be flooded with ebooks, authors who take the time to learn their craft and the business will rise to the top. The future of books is ebooks. It's that simple.
Lancelot's Lady ~ A Bahamas holiday from dying billionaire JT Lance, a man with a dark secret, leads palliative nurse Rhianna McLeod to Jonathan, a man with his own troubled past, and Rhianna finds herself drawn to the handsome recluse, while unbeknownst to her, someone with a horrific plan is hunting her down.
Lancelot's Lady is available in ebook edition at KoboBooks, Amazon's Kindle Store, Smashwords and other ebook retailers. Help me celebrate by picking up a copy today and "Cherish the romance..."
You can learn more about Lancelot's Lady and Cherish D'Angelo (aka Cheryl Kaye Tardif) at http://www.cherishdangelo.com and http://www.cherylktardif.blogspot.com. Follow Cherish from September 27 to October 10 on her Cherish the Romance Virtual Book Tour and win prizes.
Leave a comment here, with email address, to be entered into the prize draws. You're guaranteed to receive at least 1 free ebook just for doing so. Plus you'll be entered to win a Kobo ereader. Winners will be announced after October 10th.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
My Internal Garden
This is an older post from my defunct LiveJournal account, but it's a favorite and I thought I'd share. It tells a lot about me.
Just finished C. E. Murphy's Coyote Dreams and the book is the best so far in the Walker Papers. Murphy has definitely found her voice and it's wry, witty, and well worth reading.
A major point in the novels is the 'interior garden.' Everyone has them--even those not horticulturally inclined. The gardens reflect a person's character, perhaps even their souls.
Joanne, the protagonist, has a very orderly garden with a waterfall.
Gary, the 73 year old cabdriver, has a lush jungle--and he looks like he did when he was in his prime, dressed in Army uniform.
Morrison, the police captain, has a rugged landscape reminiscent of the Pacific Northwest.
I wonder what my garden would be like? I sat for a few quiet moments and just breathed to see if I could have my own vision quest on the start of a hero journey of my own.
The first thing that came to mind is the desert. Mom's wedding dishes were the Desert Rose and that typifies so many of the women in her family. Grandma Mac, Grandma, Aunt Florence--all these women lived in semi-arid Western Oklahoma and somehow managed to bring blooms from a terrain of the stiffest red clay with one scrubby wind-shaped piece scrub about every mile and wide swatches of black from cigarette burns occurring even more frequently.
By Jove, I think I have it.
It's hot and dry as hell most of the time. The soil is red clay and sand, not much good for anything. Geckoes, spiders, snakes all live there--and chiggers that leave their painful little stingers in your flesh, mosquitoes that suck the very life out of you. The only crown in that place is thorns and brambles.
The scrub that grows is deep rooted. Wind's whipped it into shapes that quite often represent agrarian renditions of Edward Munch's "Scream."
Rusty cries from crows carry for miles. Redtails preside over the skies with roadrunners and scissortails scurrying near the ground.
Nighttime, the eerie Devil's Choir of coyotes' song offers tribute to the endless strings of stars in winter and the blue-velvet summer skies.
Then, occasionally it rains and the desert blooms with a fragrant profusion of wild flowers. The colors are riotous and it's a sight you don't often see. Yet, even those delicate blooms are warded. Sage, the great cleanser, lives next to Datura and Jimson weed, the deadly dreamweavers.
This is home and it's good. The place is littered with bleached bones bearing the echoes of the life they once caged. Life's not easy, but once in a while it's glorious and you live for those days.
Just finished C. E. Murphy's Coyote Dreams and the book is the best so far in the Walker Papers. Murphy has definitely found her voice and it's wry, witty, and well worth reading.
A major point in the novels is the 'interior garden.' Everyone has them--even those not horticulturally inclined. The gardens reflect a person's character, perhaps even their souls.
Joanne, the protagonist, has a very orderly garden with a waterfall.
Gary, the 73 year old cabdriver, has a lush jungle--and he looks like he did when he was in his prime, dressed in Army uniform.
Morrison, the police captain, has a rugged landscape reminiscent of the Pacific Northwest.
I wonder what my garden would be like? I sat for a few quiet moments and just breathed to see if I could have my own vision quest on the start of a hero journey of my own.
The first thing that came to mind is the desert. Mom's wedding dishes were the Desert Rose and that typifies so many of the women in her family. Grandma Mac, Grandma, Aunt Florence--all these women lived in semi-arid Western Oklahoma and somehow managed to bring blooms from a terrain of the stiffest red clay with one scrubby wind-shaped piece scrub about every mile and wide swatches of black from cigarette burns occurring even more frequently.
By Jove, I think I have it.
It's hot and dry as hell most of the time. The soil is red clay and sand, not much good for anything. Geckoes, spiders, snakes all live there--and chiggers that leave their painful little stingers in your flesh, mosquitoes that suck the very life out of you. The only crown in that place is thorns and brambles.
The scrub that grows is deep rooted. Wind's whipped it into shapes that quite often represent agrarian renditions of Edward Munch's "Scream."
Rusty cries from crows carry for miles. Redtails preside over the skies with roadrunners and scissortails scurrying near the ground.
Nighttime, the eerie Devil's Choir of coyotes' song offers tribute to the endless strings of stars in winter and the blue-velvet summer skies.
Then, occasionally it rains and the desert blooms with a fragrant profusion of wild flowers. The colors are riotous and it's a sight you don't often see. Yet, even those delicate blooms are warded. Sage, the great cleanser, lives next to Datura and Jimson weed, the deadly dreamweavers.
This is home and it's good. The place is littered with bleached bones bearing the echoes of the life they once caged. Life's not easy, but once in a while it's glorious and you live for those days.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Greetings and Salutations
Welcome to my new blog! Thanks for stopping by. I have several reasons for creating this blog:
1. To publicize my own writing
2. To offer writing tips and connect with other writers
3. To discuss books others have written
4. To discuss any other topic that might strike my fancy (Yes, I'll take requests)
1. To publicize my own writing
2. To offer writing tips and connect with other writers
3. To discuss books others have written
4. To discuss any other topic that might strike my fancy (Yes, I'll take requests)
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