The Holidays

Well, for many of us the hoildays have come 'round again. Time for presents, decorations, food, drink, and being merry... but c'mon, as crime writers we know of the dark moods, impulses, and even deeds that come along with the fruitcake and mistletoe. Personally, I love the holidays. It's a great time to get reacquainted with family, friends, and if you're lucky that magical, childhood feeling of hope, awe, and even peace. Traditions play a big part in that, and many of us that may have become homogenized over the decades, find ourselves turning to or pining for holiday traditions of times past... remembering our parents and grandparents as they kissed our apple cheeks, filled our little grasping hands with gifts and food, and regaled us with stories of the holidays "back in the old country" or wherever... or whenever. But let us remember that there are those out there that serve a darker purpose, and they look forward to the holidays too. There are those that envy our peace during the holidays... those that would steal our joy, along with the noodle pudding, the mince pie, the turkey, the new IPods... lethal grinches lying in wait to make our holidays times of mourning and fear, as well as times of fun and joy. How many times haven't we heard about some poor soul found lying in a reddening snowbank surrounded by his or her pitiful array of gaily wrapped gifts? There have been some mystery novels written about the holidays, but c'mon, shouldn't YOU be writing one? The holidays are grist for the crime writer, a chance to foray into the safe lives of innocents and introduce murder, mayhem, righteous indignation and crime-solving... just in time for Christmas!

Canadian crime writer Cheryl Kaye Tardif invites horror author legend Stephen King for dinner

A Canadian crime writer friend, Anthony Bidulka, has suggested a silly blog interview to Crime Writers of Canada members, which he'll be posting on his blog at a later date. In '10 Silly Things You Didn’t Know About Canadian Crime Writer Cheryl Kaye Tardif', I got a bit carried away with my answer for question #1, and I decided to share it with you...

1. If you could invite any famous person, dead or alive, for dinner, what would you serve?

I'd invite Stephen King for dinner. And of course he'll say yes!

He'll arrive at my Black House, two blocks east of The Bone Church and not too far from 'Salem's Lot and the Pet Sematary. In Desperation, I'll serve him The Devil's Wine and get out the Firestarter. Then we'll sit by the Blaze of the fireplace eating assorted appetizers and other Needful Things. Next, we'll move onto some Children of the Corn on the cob and a salad The Color of Evil; got the recipe from Kathy Bates (I'll put away my hobbler bat). Then we'll bite into Cujo steaks until all that's left of It is a Bag of Bones.

Just After Sunset we'll leave The Dark Tower, take a long walk in The Mist and talk about writing until the Cycle of the Werewolf passes. When the Night Shift is over, Stephen King--The Man in the Black Suit--will use the Rest Stop before Riding the Bullet home. In Misery, I'll watch him leave out my Secret Window, then After Four Past Midnight, I'll slip into Nightmares & Dreamscapes and wait for my Dreamcatcher to gobble up Fear Itself, though I do suffer from Insomnia.

I'm the Survivor Type, so when he's gone, I'll just go back to writing Under the Dome of Silence. The Shining of the sun will greet me and I'll call my friends on my Cell and say, "I just had Stephen King for dinner." To which they'll reply with Chattery Teeth, "Carrie (not sure why they call me that), you must be doing the Danse Macabre." And I smile in response.

I'll let you know when Anthony posts my other answers. Cheryl, aka "Carrie", aka "Cherish", aka "Stephen King's #1 Fan".

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif, http://www.cherylktardif.com

Canadian Police Chase

This is pretty funny. Cleverness in advertising. At least if people are trying to sell you something it's nice to get a smile out of it. Enjoy a few seconds of this high speed chase.