Publisher’s Weekly Reviews Derek Armstrong’s The Game!

Publisher’s Weekly reviewed Derek Armstrong’s forthcoming novel, The Game, commenting on The Game’s “promising premise: having a murderer stalk the cast and crew of a top-rated reality TV series, Haunted Survivor , which is set in a spooky mansion in the Vermont mountains. Alban Bane, the Scottish-born, Burlington, Vt.-based detective assigned to the case, is alarmed by the copycat style of murder, which mimics that of his longtime nemesis, serial killer Tyler Hayden. The perpetrator can’t be Hayden himself, though; Bane recently witnessed-and was unnerved by-his execution at San Quentin in California. (Moments before the lethal injection, Hayden whispered that he knew the identity of the man responsible for making Bane a widower.) The detective’s psyche is further rocked when he finds several people linked to the Haunted Survivor case who also figured in the Hayden investigation. Suspicion is briefly cast on the program’s ambitious, sexy producer, Abbey Chase. ” Publisher’s Weekly noted that “[G]enre fans will be surprised by the mystery’s … resolution.”

Publisher’s Weekly Raves about TK Kenyon’s forthcoming novel, RABID: "Impressive Medical Thriller"

“When a New England woman discovers her research scientist husband is cheating, she appeals to the clergy for guidance and unleashes high drama that pits religion against science in Kenyon’s overheated debut novel. After finding pink panties in husband Conroy’s suitcase, Bev Sloan seeks spiritual guidance from young replacement clergyman Dante (parish priest Father Nicolai has disappeared after allegations of sexual misconduct). Heavy-handed marriage counseling sessions and a few innocent dinners with Bev lead Dante, smitten with lust for Bev and battling a drinking problem, into a crisis of faith. Meanwhile, Conroy takes a mad scientist turn in his campaign for a promotion. Bev and Dante’s courtship unleashes some serious bodice-ripping, and when Conroy remains unrepentant about his dalliances, jealousy and anger erupt in a murder, a tense jury trial and the discovery of a lethal, lab-cultivated aerosol rabies virus. [T]o her credit, Kenyon manages to rein her characters in nicely at the conclusion of this … impressive medical thriller.”
— Publisher’s Weekly
10/30/06

Read all of the reviews of RABID at www.tkkenyon.com.

Whale Song Goes to Hollywood!

My new April 2007 release, Whale Song, is currently being read by two Hollywood film companies. And they are not the first to consider it for movie potential.

Just over a year ago, I approached Mind’s Eye Productions, a Canadian film company. They asked for a screenplay, which I then wrote with a fellow writer, Alison Neuman. After careful consideration, they turned it down, I believe due to budget constraints.

And now Hollywood has Whale Song!

Since the day I started writing this haunting story, I have ’seen’ it unfold like a movie. And I am thankful that my new publisher, Kunati Books, saw the potential as well.

I have envisioned the emotional impact on the audience and can taste the popcorn. I have dreamed of watching the premier, with a case of Kleenex on hand. And I have imagined potential young stars as the possible main character, like Mackenzie Rosman or Dakota Fanning for the younger Sarahs.

Whale Song has also garnered some foreign rights interest, so keep your fingers crossed. One day you may see Whale Song on the BIG SCREEN and read a copy of it in Spanish while visiting Spain.

Fans have begged me for a movie, and even Writer’s Digest had this to say:

“A wonderfully well-written novel. Wonderful characters [that] shine. The settings are exquisitely described. The writing is lyrical. Whale Song would make a wonderful movie.”

So, send Hollywood some Whale Song energy!

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif, author of Whale Song, a 2007 Kunati Books release.

6-Word Short Stories

Ok…a friend of mine, a fellow writer Kelly Komm, sent me this fascinating (and addictive) link to some 6-word short stories. When you read the premise, you’ll get it.

I posted my own contribution at the bottom…but, oh heck…I’ll post it here as well!

To hell and back. Refund, please!

Check out the link…what do you think, should I have won?

http://wired.com/wired/archive/14.11/sixwords.html

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif, author of Whale Song (2007 Kunati Books)

Atrophy ~ a short story by Cheryl Kaye Tardif

Sometimes an obsession overtakes the mind and heart. Sometimes an obsession can be deadly.

Aggie was stuffed.
She was so full that she couldn’t digest even a single thought.
Homer stroked her hair lovingly while she stared at him, speechless. Her mouth stretched into a slight smile and he leaned forward, gently kissing her lips.
“Happy anniversary, honey. You’re the love of my life, Aggie. Always have been, always will.”
When a tear trickled from her eye, he wiped it away with a tissue.
“I’m not very good at this, but I want you to know that you look almost as lovely as the day we met.”

In the summer of 1968, Homer Duggan’s life changed forever at the Klondike Days fairgrounds in Edmonton. That was the year he had met Agnes McFadden.
Aggie.
She was in line ahead of him, her long coppery hair covered with wisps of pink cotton candy. Noticing the sticky mess, Homer reached out a scrawny hand and plucked at her hair.
“Hey!” Aggie scowled, outraged that some tall, skinny kid with freckles splayed across his nose would have the audacity to touch her.
Homer grinned. “Well, aren’t you a sweet thing?”
Over the summer he followed her everywhere. He was in love. Well, as in love as any sixteen year old could be. Aggie was his dream girl, and he knew they were meant to be together…forever.
When she finally gave in and rewarded him with a date, Homer was in ecstasy. Two days later, Aggie―with hair the color of a shiny new penny and eyes as blue as the cloudless sky―became his girlfriend. A week after his nineteenth birthday he married her.
“I’ll love you forever,” Aggie whispered that first night.
The next morning Homer told her that he refused to have children. He loved her so much that he didn’t want to share her with anyone. Aggie reluctantly agreed, and their life together was perfect.

Until last month, when Matthew Patterson moved in next door.
Homer took a steadying breath.
“It’s all Patterson’s fault, Aggie.”
He leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. Some things just had to be said, he realized. Hell, if their relationship didn’t have honesty and trust, how could they possibly last?
“For better or worse, Aggie. That’s what you promised. Remember?”
When she stubbornly refused to answer, he crossed his arms and glared back at her.
“If it wasn’t for Matthew Patterson, none of us would be in this predicament.”
Ten years younger than Homer, Patterson operated a business out of his basement. People would drop by at all hours of the day or night, carrying large packages that they left behind.
At first, Aggie and Homer suspected he was a drug dealer. Then late one night, Homer saw Patterson carrying a garbage bag out to the curb. He decided to investigate, and what he found made his stomach heave.
Immediately stomping over to Patterson’s door, he pounded furiously until the man opened it.
“Homer? What are you do―”
“Explain this!” Homer growled, shoving the bag in the man’s hands.
Patterson stared at it, uncomprehending. Then a slow smile crept across his face.
“What the hell’s so funny?” Homer demanded.
“You must be wondering if I’ve slaughtered someone in here,” Patterson said with a chuckle. “I can assure you, it’s all quite innocent. Come inside.”
Homer shuddered as he entered the pitch-black house. An unpleasant, coppery chemical smell lingered in the air. It reminded him of a hospital.
He paused at the basement door, suddenly terrified. “W-what’s down there?”
“Follow me. I’ll show you my masterpiece.”
In the basement, Patterson flicked on a light, and Homer saw two worktables lining one wall. Over twenty glass jars were neatly labeled and stored on a nearby shelf. But it was the thing in the corner that made his heart skip a beat.
A large Doberman sat upright on the floor, its tongue lolling lifelessly to one side.
“H-he’s dead!” Homer sputtered.
“Rejuvenated,” Patterson corrected as he tenderly stroked the dog’s shiny coat. “I’m a Pet Rejuvenator. What you found in that garbage bag came from Mrs. O’Brien’s dog. Max was hit by a car yesterday.”
He explained how he had preserved the dog by draining the fluids, removing its organs, then filling the body with material to maintain its shape.
Homer had to admit that the dog was mesmerizing. Almost lifelike.
“But why?”
Patterson smiled. “I’m like GE. I bring good things to life. Mrs. O’Brien told me she’d wither away to nothing if she was left alone. She couldn’t stand to be separated from Max. He was all she had left. Lots of people feel that way about their loved ones.”
Homer left Patterson’s house feeling slightly relieved.
When he told Aggie about their neighbor’s strange business, she shrugged. “He’s not doing anything illegal.”
Nothing illegal, maybe. But was it right?

Homer swallowed hard.
“I should have known something was up when you started staying out late, playing cards with the girls.”
He knew that she was going to deny it, so he shushed her. “There’s no point in lying to me. Not now. I saw you go into his house.”
He had confronted Patterson four days ago, knowing without a doubt that his neighbor had been messing with his wife. The man actually had the nerve to deny it, to say that it wasn’t what Homer thought.
“You were sleeping with him, Aggie. And you were going to leave me for him.”
Homer’s throat began to burn as his anger simmered.
“Do you want him now?” he sneered, turning Aggie’s head toward her lover.
Matthew Patterson’s twisted atrophied body was a nightmare.
It was obscenely fastened to the basement wall with hooks and long spikes. The man’s motionless eyes stared at them, unseeing. His temple was caked with crusted skin and congealed blood, and the stench of death oozed from every pore.
Almost perfect, Homer thought.
Except Patterson’s stomach was deflated and he looked…dead.
“Practice makes perfect,” he muttered. “I tried to remember what he showed me. I should have paid better attention when he did Max.”
Of course, having a body kicking and screaming on the worktable didn’t make it easy. Homer had to take a hammer to the man’s head, knock him out a bit and tie him up with duct tape.
Red Green would be proud!
“I’ll do a better job with you, Aggie. I promise.”
He smiled at her. A trophy bride.
Aggie was stuffed. And almost completely drained. Tears poured from her horrified eyes and she made raspy mewing sounds that grew fainter with each dying breath. Her deceitful mouth was glued shut, but a few pieces of stuffing had escaped.
“I’ll have to clip these,” he murmured. “I’ll glue your eyes shut too, my love. So your tears won’t ruin your makeup.”
Suddenly the doorbell rang.
Hurrying upstairs, Homer was greeted by a young courier who was holding a small box. Perplexed, he signed for the package and brought it inside. He opened it slowly, then wheezed in a gulp of air.
A stuffed squirrel was nestled in the bottom of the box.
A card was attached to it. It read:

My dearest Homer,
Matthew found Rocky stuck in the tree. He was dead.
I know you loved watching and feeding little Rocky so I had Matthew stuff him for you.
Happy anniversary and all my love.
Forever yours,
Aggie.

Homer sucked in a breath and struggled to slow his hammering heart.
Forever was a very long time.

~*~

Copyright © 2006 by Cheryl Kaye Tardif
Previously published in the March 2006 issue of Silver Moon Magazine.

ForeWord Raves about Derek Armstrong’s Novel The Game

ForeWord Magazine, a journal that reviews books, raves thusly about fellow Kunati author Derek Armstrong’s The Game:

“Derek Armstrong writes with tremendous force and self-confidence. The co-author of a book of nonfiction, The Persona Principle (Simon & Schuster), he has another book of fiction, a historical thriller, in the works at Künati. The Game promises to be the first in a series of Alban Bane thrillers. Gruesome, suspenseful, and rich with dark humor, Armstrong moves the reader through time and space with a keen sense of momentum and dash. His characters are diverse, bold, unforgettable, from the detective’s adolescent daughters to the Renfield-like doctor on the set of Haunted Survivor. Armstrong’s swashbuckling Scotsman is a welcome addition in the thriller tradition of Weisman and Connolly.”

Congratulations to Derek on a great review!

Films and Books features an interview with TK Kenyon

FilmsAndBooks.com has posted an interview in which I discuss the religion and science in RABID, my forthcoming novel. It’s pretty controversial stuff, and they did an excellent job of making it clear. Thanks to FilmsAndBooks.com for doing a great job!

FilmsAndBooks.com’s interview with TK Kenyon: http://www.filmsandbooks.com/meet-an-author-interviews

Thanks,
TK Kenyon

TK Kenyon’s RABID to be reviewed by Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus Reviews

My upcoming novel RABID has been tapped for reviews in Publisher’s Weekly (Nov.1) and Kirkus Reviews (Nov.15.)

I’m scared to death at what they will say but grateful that they chose my book at all. When I wrote RABID, I really did write the novel of my heart, my dark, bitter, twisted heart. I was afraid that everyone would hate it, and maybe they will, but at least they’re not ignoring it. My biggest fear was silence, and that, at least, won’t happen.

TK Kenyon
Author of RABID, published by Kunati Books in April, 2007
TK Kenyon’s website

‘Snowballing’ an interview

About a month ago I did an interview with an Ezine which got posted and indexed by Google.
As I am the author of a mystery series that features a detective and his girlfriend who are also musicians, much of the interview touched on musicians, famous and otherwise, that I’d met over the years.
Within days it was picked up by dozens on music websites and then indexed and passed onto more featuring some of these musicians and so on, and so on.
Valuable lesson learned? Never pass on any opportunity to promote you and your works. In todays wonderful world of the internet, it’s amazing how far a few words will go!

Ric Wasley
Author – McCarthy Family Mysteries

Watch for:
Shadow of Innocence
Coming from;
Kunati – April 2007

Films and Books Features a Review on The River by Cheryl Kaye Tardif

Films and Books, a magazine that reviews–uh, films and books–is currently featuring a review of…The River, “a Must Read thriller”.

Reviewed by Christina Francine, who writes for Midwest Book Reviews:

Cheryl Kaye Tardif skillfully balances scientific intrigue, and the human desire to retain a youthful body, with tantalizing sexual tension, and vivid characterizations in this engrossing romantic thriller.The plot steps beyond reality, but by how much? Science grows in its knowledge more every day. One thing is for sure, and history shows it to be true, greed and absolute power taint fabulous discoveries and inventions…

Read the entire review at http://www.filmsandbooks.com/book-chronicles-reviews-of-old/

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif, author of The River, Divine Intervention and Whale Song (2007 Kunati Books)