Special Guest Post by Author CHERYL KAYE TARDIF

The Fine Line Between Fear and Inspiration


One of the most common questions I hear as an author is: "What inspired you to write this novel?" If I were to answer 100% truthfully, my answer is: "Fear." As a suspense author, my goal is to tap into the deepest of fears and make them one hundred times more terrifying. I am always asking, "What are you afraid of?"

In Whale Song, I tapped into the fear of a child dealing with bullying, racism and an unhealthy parent and their subsequent, heart-wrenching death. I believe most people can relate to at least one of these issues. Whale Song's effect on readers has exploded beyond my wildest dreams, and I've received so many emails thanking me for writing it. Dealing with fear is very cathartic.

In Divine Intervention, I deal with the fear of not being accepted for who you are. I also explore the fear of being hunted by a serial arsonist. I'm sure most of us can identify with the first fear.
In The River, I deal with the fear of discovering that a father you thought was dead was actually alive...and in danger. It also touches on the fear that the world as we know it may end much sooner than we think.

In Lancelot's Lady, my contemporary romantic suspense written under the pen name Cherish D'Angelo, Rhianna fears that she will never find true love and that she'll only have her horrific past and no future. I know too many women who have that same fear.

In Remote Control, my novelette, the fear is simple. The grass isn't always greener on "the other side", so be careful what you wish for. You might just get it. And you might not like what you get.

In my collection of short stories, Skeletons in the Closet & Other Creepy Stories, I explore many fears, including the fear of being overshadowed by someone prettier or brighter, the fear of dabbling with the occult, the fear of bees and more.

And in my latest supernatural thriller, Children of the Fog, I explore every mother's worst nightmare―the fear of losing a child. What's more, I take this to a more terrifying level by delving into the fear of having a child abducted and of having to make a terrible choice:

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.

Read an excerpt from Children of the Fog.

Now available on Amazon.com as a Kindle ebook, which you can read on your computer, smartphone or Kindle ereader. It's also available on Smashwords in a variety of formats for other ereaders. The trade paperback edition will be available later this month.

And now I have an important question to ask you. If you answer it in the comments section and leave your email address by April 7th, you'll receive coupon for a free ebook edition of Divine Intervention.

Question: What are you afraid of?

WOW! Thanks for your guest post, Cheryl! Come back anytime. =) Okay guys...ready? For a chance to win a copy of the AMAZING book, DIVINE INTERVENTION, answer Cheryl's question. I'll start:

Chynna is afraid to show people she can be weak sometimes. People can prey upon that...

YOUR turn...