What if you were given 10 seconds to either let a kidnapper take your son or watch your son die?

YOU HAVE 10 SECONDS TO MAKE A DECISION:

Let A Kidnapper Take Your Child, Or Watch Your Son Die. 

Choose! 

Sadie O'Connell is a bestselling author and a proud mother. But her life is about to spiral out of control. After her six-year-old son Sam is kidnapped by a serial abductor, she nearly goes insane. But it isn't just the fear and grief that is ripping her apart. It's the guilt. Sadie is the only person who knows what the kidnapper looks like. And she can't tell a soul.

This is the premise of my international bestselling thriller, CHILDREN OF THE FOG.

Just over a week ago, a representative from Amazon contacted me to ask if I'd consider putting CHILDREN OF THE FOG, my bestselling supernatural suspense, in a special promotion. So after a few emails back and forth, I of course said YES. I'd be foolish not to take them up on some free advertising and exposure.

For the month of July, CHILDREN OF THE FOG is listed on the 100 Kindle Books for $3.99 or Less page on Amazon, in the Deals section and under the Mysteries and Thrillers category.

So for all of July CHILDREN OF THE FOG is on sale for only $0.99 (list price: $3.99).
An international bestseller & Top 100 Amazon bestseller (was #4 under The Hunger Games trilogy).

Kidnappings in Canada

While working on my latest thriller, Children of the Fog, I had to delve into an area of crime that no parent ever wants to go into--the abduction of children. Author Amanda Hocking also blogged about missing children today.

I have to tell you, there are a couple of parts in my novel that I had a hard time writing. Not because of writer's block. Not because I couldn't think of what I wanted to say. I knew exactly what I wanted to write, but I wasn't prepared to be hit emotionally with these scenes.

Choking back tears, I waded through Sadie's awful journey, her grief and guilt. I believe Children of the Fog is my best work to date, but I'll let readers judge that when it releases next month in ebook edition, with a paperback edition to follow afterward.

Here are some stats on kidnappings in Canada:

In 1992, Canada was reported to have over 1200 kidnapping victims.

According to The Eighth United Nations Survey on Crime Trends and the Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (2002) (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Centre for International Crime Prevention), Canada had the third highest incidence of abductions out of over 35 countries polled for the survey.

In 2006, Juristat/Statistics Canada reported 535 abductions in Canada.

In 2009, Statistics Canada reports 429 cases of abduction in Canada.

With the implementation of Amber Alerts and a more educated public, the rates of abduction have been steadily decreasing in Canada, and I hope it continues to do so. No parent wants to imagine this scenario, and no parent should ever have to.

YOU HAVE 10 SECONDS TO MAKE A DECISION:

Let A Kidnapper Take Your Child, Or Watch Your Son Die.

Choose!

Sadie O'Connell is a bestselling author and a proud mother. But her life is about to spiral out of control. After her six-year-old son Sam is kidnapped by a serial abductor, she nearly goes insane. But it isn't just the fear and grief that is ripping her apart. It's the guilt. Sadie is the only person who knows what the kidnapper looks like. And she can't tell a soul. For if she does, her son will be sent back to her in "little bloody pieces".

When Sadie's unfaithful husband stumbles across her drawing of the kidnapper, he sets into play a series of horrific events that sends her hurtling over the edge. Sadie's descent into alcoholism leads to strange apparitions and a face-to-face encounter with the monster who abducted her son--a man known only as...The Fog.

Available in ebook edition this March! Watch for it...and keep your windows and doors locked.

In Children of the Fog, I really wanted to dig deep into a flawed character who has to make a very tough decision, one that some readers won't agree with. Does she let the kidnapper take her son, or does she put up a fight and watch him kill her son before her eyes?

What do you think YOU would do in her situation?

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

Serial killers, child murderers, the Canadian Armed Forces and book deals

If you haven't heard recent news, let me say that it's one of the most shocking murder cases in Canadian history--especially in military history. Colonel Russell Williams, a Canadian military man who has commanded thousands and piloted presidents, has been accused in the brutal murders of two Ontario women. Charges of forcible confinement, sexual assault and break and enter of two other Ontario women have also been filed against Williams.

Random House Canada announced that they've signed a book deal with Timothy Appleby, a reporter for the Globe and Mail, just days after charges were laid. The book will detail the court case and presumably the accused will be interviewed, as in most true crime books. Will it give readers insights into the mind of a killer? Or sensationalize what is a terrible and horrifying tragedy for the victims and their families?

The book will be titled: Betrayal in Uniform: The Secret Life of Colonel Russell Williams

On a personal note:
I was recently contacted by the survivor of 2 murder victims, someone I've come to care for as a friend and admire for her strength. She asked me if I'd consider writing a book based on the trial, conviction and horror that was done to her loved ones. As her friend, it was very hard to say no. As someone wanting to see justice, that decision was even more difficult. As an author, I'll admit that too made it difficult. It's a horrific but compelling story.

Why did I decide not to write a book about a murderer and his victims? I don't believe I'm the kind of writer who could report only the facts, although I once was a reporter for a small BC newspaper. Facts don't appeal to me as much as emotion. And I cannot imagine being the one to rip the proverbial bandage off my friend's heart and expose her to more torture.

Did I make the right decision? I honestly don't know.

I don't judge any writer for jumping on an opportunity, but being that the Colonel Williams case is so fresh, I have a hard time wrapping my mind around this book deal. I only hope that the truth comes out in court and that the victims' families find a sense of justice and peace afterwards. But I know from personal experience that being a survivor of a murder victim can be a grueling journey.

Colonel Russell Williams will be joining Steve and Lorelei Turner, formerly stationed at Canadian Forces Base in Chatham, NB. The Turners were convicted of torturing, starving and murdering their three-year-old son John. They were both sentenced to 16 years but have been paroled--early. According to the Canadian Press, "The boy had not eaten for weeks and may have refused food. In the final days of his life at Canadian Forces Base Chatham, N.B., John was restrained by a harness and gagged with a sock to muffle his cries. He died on May 29, 1994."

I had the misfortune of knowing Lorelei and Steve Turner. My husband and I were stationed at the same base. My baby and baby John played on a blanket in their living room. I can't even begin to tell you how it makes me feel to know I was in the home of brutal murderers. I wish I'd known and stopped them.

Links of interest:

Book deal signed for story of Colonel Russ Williams

Random House Canada signs Globe and Mail crime reporter Timothy Appleby to write a book on Colonel Russell Williams

Colonel Russ Williams's biography

Profile: Colonel Russ Williams charged with murders of Jessica Lloyd, Marie Comeau

"Ontario woman convicted of son's starvation death granted full parole"

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

A Gift of Chocolate, Coffee & Crime

For anyone living in Canada, you can now order a special gift at BuyBuyGiftBaskets.ca that contains your choice of my bestselling techno-thriller THE RIVER or my bestselling paranormal suspense thriller DIVINE INTERVENTION.

Also included is a mug and your choice of hot chocolate or coffee and your choice of biscotti or a chocolate spoon.

Chocolate, Coffee & Crime. What goes better together than these?

Divine Intervention is being considered for a TV series

I have 3 film deals in the works. Nothing guaranteed yet--but then again there aren't any guarantees in the film industry.

My novel Divine Intervention is being considered by a well respected director who has many current hit TV series to his name. I believe he could have a hit as there's nothing quite like it on TV now. It would be like combining Medium, CSI and Ghost Whisperer.

If you haven't read Divine Intervention, it's about 3 psychic government agents (PSIs) and a fireman (Chief of Arson Investigation) and their search for a deadly serial arsonist. The team's covert base is a tiny mountain town called Divine, named after the head of the PSI division.

So my husband got to thinking the other day...He wondered what the title of the television series would be.

He came up with PSI Canada.

I came up with PSI Divine.

Of course it'll probably be something very different. But it was fun wondering.

If you've read Divine Intervention, what do you think a series should be called?

A Salute to ALL Fallen War Heroes

When I was a child, I knew a lot about military life; I was a military 'brat', born and raised. My father served in the Canadian Armed Forces, as had his father before him. I grew up surrounded by army green or camouflage uniforms and the smart looking dress uniform I saw on special occasions. My father retired years ago after a long stint and trips to faraway places. My husband and his father also served their country. They are heroes.

My brother Derek is the next generation of military men in our family. He, too, is a hero. I find it very hard to think of what he does, what he could be doing, where he could end up going. It's harder because he's the only brother I have left, since our younger brother Jason was murdered in 2006. I don't think I've ever told Derek how proud I am of him, for representing our family, his family and our country. I am very proud, Derek.

Today Derek sent me a link to a news story in Britain, where fallen heroes are not given the respect they so deserve. While the article made my heart ache for the fallen soldiers in that country, I also felt pride for my country--Canada. I've been 'away' from military life now for about 18 years, but I always think of the men and women overseas who are fighting for freedom--maybe not Canada's freedom, but they're helping those who are too weak to fight for themselves.

I salute and honor all fallen heroes in all countries, particularly Canada, Britain and the US. I think it is tragic and criminal that war heroes are not welcomed with ceremony and honor in Britain. But we can honor them now. I invite you to take a few minutes right now and read the article posted today in This is London and honor ALL fallen heroes.

The article begins with:

"They serve the same Queen, fight the same foe and lay down their lives with equal valour and sacrifice. But when the fallen heroes of Canada and Britain come home, the welcome is very different."

Pictures that should shame us all reveal the shabby way Britain treats its fallen heroes

There is no place to comment directly at this link, so I welcome your comments here after you read the article.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,

former military 'brat' and former military wife

Canada loses "oldest bookstore", The Book Room

Something very criminal is happening in Canada. Our charming, quaint, steadfast independent bookstores are closing their doors, one by one. Over the past two years, I've watched Canadian independent bookstores fight to compete with the 'big boys'--major big-box outlets and Internet retailers, but it seems like a fight to the death. As a Canadian, I cheer them on, hoping they'll succeed. As an avid reader, I mourn their loss. As an author, I feel their disappearance is sadly inevitable. Business, after all, means survival of the biggest and most powerful. It's like watching a giant game of Pac-Man. Something is gobbling up our independent bookstores one at a time, and now we're about to lose "Canada's oldest bookstore"--The Book Room in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The Book Room is expected to clear out inventory and close its doors for the final time at the end of March 2008, about eight weeks from now. Eight weeks...and then we'll have to say goodbye to a Nova Scotian icon. Founded in 1839, The Book Room has survived two World Wars, the Halifax Explosion and the Great Depression, and it will be a great loss to Canadian booklovers and to its local community. Charles Burchell, president of The Book Room, is justifiably disappointed. "The Book Room has been an institution in Nova Scotia."

The explanation given for its imminent closure? Increased competition, deep discounting from big-box and Internet retailers, as well as dual pricing issues. In Canada, books have traditionally been printed with two prices--Canadian and American. Canadian prices have always been quite a bit higher, but the recent strength of the Canadian dollar has put much pressure on the entire book industry. Canadian customers want US pricing, with that price on the back cover of books; publishers can't afford to discount their books to US pricing when they've based everything on a higher Canadian price, and booksellers are forced to either lower prices and take a loss or lose their customers and their business.

"Out with the old, in with the new" might be an exciting way to ring in the New Year, but in the book business, the saying is a painfully discordant reminder to make way for the "big-boys", at the expense of tradition.

Farewell to The Book Room. Booklovers across Canada will miss you.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif, bestselling author of Whale Song