Friday, November 30, 2012

Amazon Prime Members Can Borrow My eBooks with Kindle Owners' Lending Library

Did you know that if you have a Prime membership on Amazon and live in the USA or UK, you can borrow one ebook a month via the Kindle Owners' Lending Library.

You can choose from 180,000+ ebooks FREE, including over 100 New York Times bestsellers. And there are no due dates.

A Prime membership has other advantages too. For only $79/year or £49/year, you'll also receive free 2-day shipping on millions of items on Amazon, plus unlimited streaming of over 25,000 movies and TV shows. There are other perks too. You can learn more about Prime here.

You can borrow directly from your Kindle (e-ink versions and Fire):

1. On e-ink devices (regular Kindles & Touch), click on "See all categories" then scroll down to "Kindle Owners' Lending Library" to view titles. Find a book and click on it to either buy or borrow for free.

2. On Kindle Fire devices, the Lending Library is located in the bookstore. Browse books and look for Prime badge. Click on a title and you'll have the option to either buy or borrow for free.

3. You can also borrow and read on an app for your desktop, iPad and more. Download your borrowed books directly from Amazon.com by looking for titles that show the Amazon Prime icon.

Remember, as a US or UK Prime member, you're entitled to 1 free borrow a month. That's 12 free books each year.

Don't own a Kindle? Get yours now. If you're not a US Prime member, start your one month free trial today. If you live in the UK, start your one month free trial of Prime here.

Borrow Cheryl Kaye Tardif books! Look for the Prime icon.

Goodnight, Tweetheart by Cheryl Kaye Tardif is featured at the Twitter Fiction Festival

Yesterday, I participated in the inaugural Twitter Fiction Festival. I tweeted a short story I wrote live during the evening of this event. You can read the tweets by going to #goodnighttweetheart on Twitter, or you can read the short short below.

GOODNIGHT, TWEETHEART
A Myrtle Murphy Mystery by Cheryl Kaye Tardif

One tweet. That's all it took to send my life spiralling out of control. One goddamn little tweet on that magic social network pipeline. If I had only known it would lead to murder, maybe I wouldn't have tweeted it.

My tweet: Anyone out there live near the Starbucks in SE Edmonton?

The result: Six replies. Two from jokesters who lived in Edmonton, Kentucky. I'm in Canada. The other four I wasn't too sure about. Could be weirdos; could be lonely people. There are a lot of crackpots out there—and I've met a few of them online. Haven't we all?

I mean, I've had the "twalker" (tweet stalker) who has followed me, RTd my tweets…and then hit me up for a "favor," only to get all pissy because I wouldn't give them my first born. I've had the bashers who haven't liked my tweets. Aw, gee, too damned bad. It's a free tweet world!

But on that day last week, I had 4 tweeps. 2 turned into creeps. One ended up in Zimbabwe or some such country. The other…well, there was my mistake. The other convinced me to meet him at that Starbucks I'd tweeted about.

You ever get those weird fuzzy feelings? You know, when you know something's not quite right? Well, I did. I had all sorts of "warnings." But I was too stupid to listen to them.

I met him at Starbucks and my first reaction was: Holy ****! What a hunk! We went back to his place. "For a drink," he told me. But I had other plans.

I tried to reign in my urges, but as soon as he took off his jacket, my palms grew sweaty. I wanted him. Hell, did I want him! I imagined him naked, on the bed, wrists and ankles bound. 50 Shades of Grey, my ass. I'd give him a hundred, and he'd enjoy each one.

Before I tell you what happened next, you have to promise me you won't tell a soul. This is just between you and me—our little secret. And if you tell, I guess I'd have to kill you.

Now where was I? Oh yes…the hunk on the bed, naked, tied up. Sadly it didn't go quite as planned. The drug I slipped into his wine took too long to work and I grew impatient. Patience never has been one of my virtues. Just ask my husband. Oh wait, he's dead. Okay, ask my mother-in-law. Oh wait. She's dead too. Here's another secret: I killed them both.

And on that night, after a delicious chai tea latte date, I slowly undressed that hunk of a man, watched as he stretched out on the bed, his mind trying to comprehend.

"I thought you were just a sweet old lady looking for someone to talk to," he said.

I smiled. "I know, dear. I do look like the grandmotherly type, don't I?"

He didn't fight as I tied him to the bed. He couldn't. His drug-glazed eyes pleaded with me.

I held up my knife, its sleek blade glimmering in the dim light. "I have something for you."

Actually, it was more for me than him. I had missed my old friend Death. It had been too long.

Like Dexter, I have my own "dark passenger" that I just can't shake. Don't know if I want to. Some call me a monster. Others call me a serial killer. But most people call me Myrtle—Myrtle Murphy.

Want to get together for a coffee some day?

~ * ~

If you enjoyed this short Myrtle Murphy Mystery, you'll find longer stories featuring the serial killer you'll hate to love in SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET & OTHER CREEPY STORIES, available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle, and on B&N, Apple, Kobo Books and more.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Online Anonymous Tips to Police



Today, thanks to an RCMP media release, I learned what a Nodwell is and I also learned about  'tipsubmit.com'.  Apparently this online site uses special software to encrypt and make anonymous tips it receives on crimes.

 Here's some introductory information on this website:

For Citizens
Do you have information about a crime?

If so, submit your information here anonymously. You may be eligible for a cash reward!

Tips submitted through this website are encrypted, entirely confidential, completely anonymous and are immediately and securely transferred directly to the law enforcement agencies which use our TipSoft - Tip Management application.

After submitting your tip, you will be provided with your own unique ID number that you will use when checking the status of your tip or picking up your reward.  Never submit an emergency tip here.  Please call 911 if it is an emergency. 


 For Law Enforcement 

  TipSoft is the industry leading solution for guaranteed secure and anonymous web tips!

Discover how much additional intel you could be receiving from those who otherwise shy away from phoning you with information.

Our web tips are guaranteed secure and anonymous and are very easy to implement and use! Not only do you receive your tips as encrypted Adobe PDF files via email, but they are also seamlessly and securely delivered right into TipSoft, our industry leading tip management software. An incredibly effective secure and anonymous intelligence gathering tool for both Community and Student based Crime Stoppers Programs. 


 **************
 
For your added information and pleasure, a Nodwell is a large tracked vehicle ("tracked" as in having tracks rather than wheels.) 







Here's the news release on an unsolved arson case that started my steep learning curve:
"Swan Hills RCMP are investigating an arson that occurred on the late evening/early morning of September 27/28, 2012. A Nodwell was stolen from a site near highway 33 Southeast of Swan Hills and driven a short distance through the bush. The Nodwell was deliberately set on fire and was completely destroyed as a result. The estimated damage is $190,000.

Swan Hills RCMP are seeking any information that may lead to identifying any suspects in relation to this arson. You may contact Swan Hills RCMP or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or www.tipsubmit.com"

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FATAL ERROR

NEW RELEASE! Crime Fiction/Psychological Thriller




FATAL ERROR on Amazon.com
 
FATAL ERROR eBook in the UK


FATAL ERROR paperback in the UK


FATAL ERROR paperback in Canada

FATAL ERROR on Barnes & Noble 




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Thursday, November 15, 2012

Free Today

Blonde Demolition is free today on Amazon.
http://tinyurl.com/7olwvhs

Sunday, November 11, 2012

The criminal mind...

The criminal mind has intrigued me since the day I met my first psychopath. It was many years ago and the story of that meeting is the most popular page on my website.

I share with you, here, that story of the man who sparked my desire to write psychological crime thrillers:

I met a man with empty eyes...

Copyright © 2009 Eileen Schuh, all rights reserved

It wasn’t that his eyes were dull.  Oh, no!  Theysparkled. That shine, however, was not emanating from his soul, but was merely reflecting the world he was seeing.

I was a young girl, eighteen, straight off the farm. He was tall. Good looking with his dark wavy hair and tanned smooth face. Broad shoulders strained at his T-shirt. His IQ was slightly above 140. He was a genius. He was a psychopath. A sociopath.

He was a dangerous man.

I knew all this because I’d read his case file. I was meeting with him so I could get the little box beside “forensic patient” on “First Year Psychiatric Nursing Required Learning Experiences” record checked off. It was only my second month of hands-on training, so there were pages of little boxes left to go. Other than the ones beside ‘attending an autopsy’ and ‘making a bed’, ‘forensic patient’ is the only one I remember.

The ‘forensic patient’ was obviously enthralled by my presence. Life on the locked ward of a Psychiatric Hospital offers few thrills to those incarcerated there. I could tell by the way his empty eyes rested on the space between my white nyloned knees and the hem of my uniform, that I’d made his day. He didn’t rest his eyes there long, however. Just a quick glance, and then he was cocking his head, raising an eyebrow, and staring deeply into my eyes. A gentle smile lifted his lips and a dimple appeared on his chin.

I knew instantly, that like Dr. Hannibal Lecter when he met Jodi Foster in the movie “Silence of the Lambs”, this man was reading my soul. After 5 seconds of gazing into my eyes, he likely knew more about me than his entire thick file revealed about him.
________________


FATAL ERROR
Psychological Thriller

Amazon


Amazon UK 





________________




He knew I found him attractive. He knew I was naive. He sensed I was lonely and way out of my element in a place with barred windows, tiled floors, and dusty yellow brick walls. He likely even correctly guessed that I was a virgin.

I surprised us both by not blushing. I’d been warned. All of us female nursing students had been warned about the seductive lure of the psychopath. Despite the admonitions, not a year went by that a young nurse didn’t land in a heap of trouble over an illicit tryst with a ‘forensic patient’. I’d made up my mind early on, that I was too clever and wily to be that token young woman for my class.

I stared back at him, directly into his empty eyes. He was very much the textbook psychopath: male, brilliant, healthy, and handsome. He blinked and shifted uncomfortably.

The diagnosis on his chart was ‘psychopath’, although the preferred term coming into vogue was ‘sociopath’. ‘Psychopath’ suggests something is wrong with the ‘psyche’ or ‘mind’. Typically, there is very little wrong with a psychopath’s mind. They don’t suffer from hallucinations, delusions, or depression. In fact, they seldom ‘suffered’ from anything. They were generally very pleased with themselves.

Artistic rendition courtesy
Dave Brosha Photograph

Society, however, was generally not at all pleased with them. There was something dreadfully wrong with a psychopath right from birth. It wasn’t ‘wrong’ like something in their brain was miss-wired, misfiring, or damaged. But rather ‘wrong’, like something was missing from their basic human nature. Like a conscience. Like a soul.

Researchers discovered psychopaths often stand in front of mirrors and appear to be studying, or perhaps practicing, facial expression and body language. The researchers thought this behaviour suggested it was emotions that the psychopath lacked. Perhaps, they hypothesized, despite the fact that psychopaths were masters at reading other people’s emotions, they had to feign their own.

However, that suggestion was quickly dismissed. It isn’t emotions that psychopaths are missing. In fact, it is usually emotions that land them in trouble. Fits of rage, insane jealousy, love gone wrong. No, they obviously possess very intense emotions. However, those emotions don’t seem integrated with their being.

Unlike the rest of us, whose emotional nature is deeply tied to past life experiences, it appears the psychopath can choose whatever emotion suits the moment, with little regard for either the past or the future.

A normal mother loves her children intensely. Day after day, night after night, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. That intense love continually governs a mother’s behaviour and affects her choices. The psychopathic mother loves her children intensely--until she decides to kill them because her new lover doesn’t like kids.

My forensic patient’s discomfort lasted only a split second. He settled back in his chair. “How old are you?” he asked.

Warning bells went off in my head. I wasn’t supposed to let a forensic patient steer the conversation to a personal level. It was up to me to keep our meeting professional. I knew that he knew I’d been taught that. He’d spent hours in counselling sessions, knew all the ropes, all the buzz words, all the standard responses. His was a trick question.

From the length of hesitation before I answered, from the tone of my voice, from the flick of my eyes, from the movement of my hands--from my response to his simple question, he was going to learn reams about me. And, what he learned, he was going to use against me to get what he wanted.

I’d been taught the answer I should give was, “We are here to talk about you, not me.” He’d probably heard that response a million times. He was expecting those words from me, a young naive female. He likely had his next move already planned.

I needed to outwit him. Do the unexpected. Let him know that I knew where he was coming from and was unafraid. “How old am I?” I echoed. I crossed my legs and my uniform rode higher up my thighs. “Old enough to know better.”

My words seemed to please him as much as the new length of leg I’d exposed. I believe he actually chuckled. He was thinking how lucky he was that not only did he have a beautiful nubile woman engaging him in conversation, but he had someone with whom he could match wits--and he never lost such matches.

Although I wished my answer had not been so pleasing to him, I was grateful that at least the conversation had moved to an intellectual level. I figured losing to him at mind games was a much more desirable outcome than losing to him at games of the heart.

I let him stare into my eyes. I had nothing to hide--no secrets, no misgivings, no fears. At least that is what I was telling him. He kept studying my face, well aware that I was challenging him to find my silent lambs. I stared back into his eyes, not that I could see anything there other than the reflected squares of light from the window behind me. He finally gave up looking for lambs.

As there is no known cure for psychopathy, no effective treatment, no souls available for transplant, there was no need for me to attempt to counsel him. Just as society’s only recourse when dealing with dangerous psychopaths is to keep itself safe by locking them up, my sole intent was to shield myself from becoming this murderer, philanderer’s, fraudster’s, soulless being’s, next victim. It was the only victory available--aside from getting a check mark in that little square box.

I was determined to ensure both victories would be mine.

I uncrossed my legs and opened my notebook on my lap. I clicked my pen and peered across at him over the top of my glasses. “Is there anything you’d like to talk about?” I asked.

This time he did not chuckle. There was no smile, no dimple. He pulled his lips into a straight line and bared his teeth. Before I had time to gasp, the magazines on the end table were flying across the room.

“Bitch!” he hissed, as he stormed from the room.

A burly aide poked his head in the door. A giant ring of keys jangled from his belt. “Are you okay?” he shouted, looking quickly from me to the forensic patient marching down the hall.

I closed my notebook. Took off my glasses and folded them. I stood.

The aide’s name was Jim and there was worry in his blue eyes. He wasn’t all that tall, but he was taller than I was. I liked his blond curls. Not only were his shoulders stretching the seams of his short-sleeved white coat, but his biceps were straining against the cuffs. There was no ring on his finger.

“I’m fine,” I said demurely.“Thank you...Jim.”

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If the psychopathic mind intrigues you, check out my psychological crime thrillers:

THE TRAZ on Amazon.com

THE TRAZ in the UK

FATAL ERROR on Amazon.com

FATAL ERROR in the UK

And here are the Amazon links to my SciFi psychological mystery:

Schrodinger's Cat

Schrodinger's Cat in the UK

All my books available in eBook and paperbacks and THE TRAZ also comes in a School Edition with a Discussion Guide. They are also available on other fine online bookstores. You can ask your neighbourhood bookstores and libraries to bring them in for you if they're not on the shelves.

Friday, November 09, 2012

Review: No Body

NO BODY by Nancy Pickard ISBN 0-671-69179-1 pb by Pocket Books, 255 pages

Jenny Cain must surely have a unique profession among amateur puzzle solvers. She’s the director of the Port Frederick, Maine, Civic Foundation. The foundation, somewhat unusual in itself, was founded by leaders of this small coastal Maine town to do good works where other sources of money are no longer viable.

Unfortunately, her job and her natural curiosity frequently lead Jenny Cain into odd places and difficult situations. Many of those situations are life-threatening. In this book, Pickard, who has won or been nominated over the years for ten writing awards, weaves a story out of news stories that appear from time to time, about disappearing bodies. In this case, a visitor to the historic cemetery in Port Frederick discovers that the grave of one of her ancestors is empty. Jenny is a native of Port Frederick and in her concern for the woman who fell into the empty grave, she discovers that a great many graves in that cemetery are empty.

Curiosity more than piqued, Jenny Cain starts an investigation. The closer she gets to the answers, the more dangerous becomes the situation. And then there is the murder of an employee of the one funeral home in town. Was she killed to keep her from revealing fraud? Are there other reasons? What happened to the 113 missing bodies?

Pickard has in Jenny Cain a bright, chipper and credible young woman who can’t resist trying to help people with their difficulties and thus getting into trouble. Written with a sure hand, Pickard has provided a small cadre of intriguing characters who help give the novel texture, substance and positive pacing. They’re the kind of people we meet every day. They’re all people with secrets they don’t wish revealed. And some of the secrets we’d prefer not to learn. An enjoyable novel of the genre.


-- Carl Brookins www.carlbrookins.com http://agora2.blogspot.com,
Case of the Great Train Robbery, Reunion, Red Sky

Wednesday, November 07, 2012

Alerts from K division





COLEMAN, Cyle James (1988 August 05)

5’9”; 165 lbs; tattoo left side of neck script writing

COLEMAN is serving a 3 year sentence for three armed robberies and break & enter. He was released into the community on Statutory Release on October 19 2012. Almost immediately after being released he disappeared and his parole supervisor has lost all contact with him. A Canada wide warrant was issued for his arrest on October 25. If located do not approach, call police.
 
 
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EVANS, Clifford Francis (1971 March 24)
6’0”; 235 lbs; tattoo’s: dragon with skulls right calf; skull right upper arm; R.M.R. right elbow
 
EVANS is serving a 2 year sentence for possession stolen property; operate motor vehicle while disqualified X 2; fail to appear and motor vehicle flight. He was released on Statutory Release on August 18 2012. EVANS parole supervisor has lost all contact with him and his whereabouts are unknown. On October 12 a Canada wide warrant was issued for his arrest. EVANS has an extensive criminal record with over 50 previous criminal convictions. If located do not approach, call police.
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Posted by:
 

The very best in Crime Fiction and Pyschological Thrillers

 



Sunday, November 04, 2012

Mystery Plot Points - MOTIVE

Plot Point #4 - Everyone Has a Motive
           In murder mystery entertainment every suspect has a motive. For every motive you need a piece of evidence. I write mystery entertainment so that some of the evidence is spoken dialogue, some of the evidence is hardcopy clues and much of the evidence is covered both ways, just to make sure no one in the audience misses anything.
          If the clue is verbal only then it must be included in a 'scripted' scene. All scripted scenes must be on microphone. There is nothing so detrimental to murder mystery entertainment as the audience not being able to hear what the characters are saying. Except a boring script. My scripts are never boring.
          The actor who is giving out the 'verbal only' clue must also make sure it is relayed to every group of people as he 'works the tables'. Mingling should take place between the scripted scenes as well as at the beginning of the evening.
          Included in this posting are the motives for three of the four suspects; Nadia, Shyster, and Samira. The fourth piece of evidence, although addressed to Samira is a clue to something that Shazam is trying to hide. His motive is covered in the dialogue with the other characters during the scripted scenes.

Thursday, November 01, 2012

WANTED Posters from the RCMP



PRYSTAY, Ryan James (1983 April 24)

6’0”; 220 lbs; tattoo: “soldier” left arm; dragon left calf; $ right hand

PRYSTAY is serving an 8 year 8 month sentence for numerous property; violence and non compliance related offences.  He was released on Statutory Release on 2012 July 05. On 2012 October 9, a Canada wide warrant was issued for his arrest after he fled from an Edmonton halfway house and his parole officer lost all contact with him. PRYSTAY has accumulated in excess of 30 criminal convictions in the past 10 years many for violent related offences. He has gang ties. If located do not approach, call police.
 
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LALONDE, Rochelle Jacqueline (1983 August 05)

5’3”; 145 lbs;tattoo: “love or hate” right arm; “ROCH” RLTK” right hand

LALONDE is serving a 5 year 11 month sentence for manslaughter. She was released to an Edmonton halfway house on Day Parole.  She fled from the halfway house on 2012 October 10. Her whereabouts are unknown. There is a Canada wide warrant for her arrest. If located do not approach, call police.
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THE TRAZ

 
 
Free on Amazon 1,2 November 2012
 
Crime Cops Computers...gangs & murder