One author’s journey from deadly suspense to steamy romance–Cheryl Kaye Tardif stops by for a visit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Tamela asked me to drop by her blog and chat with you about romance, I was very excited. You see, romance is new to me. No, I’m not a young teen just setting out into the romantic world of teen crushes; I’m a suspense author who has dared to cross over from the dark and deadly side to the steamy side.

 

My first novel was Whale Song, a novel with a hint of suspense and a sweet, innocent romance, but it was the powerful message behind this story that drove it on to solid sales and a possible movie deal (in negotiations). After Whale Song came Divine Intervention, a suspense thriller with a hint of romance. Then came The River, a techno-thriller with another hint of romance. None of these novels would be classified as romance because romance isn’t central to the plot. But I have a secret: I started a romance novel years ago.

 

I’ve always been a reader of romance novels, but for some reason suspense, mystery, crime and horror are the genres that my imagination seems to most often visit. Yet, a few years ago, I started writing a romance novel, which I titled Reflections. It was going to be a contemporary romance with steamy sex scenes. But something kept holding me back. Perhaps the thought that my mother would read said steamy sex scenes. Or the thought that my readers would be confused by the switch.

 

As a published suspense author, I had already gained a reading audience, a mix of adults and kids, some as young as 7 (because of Whale Song). I kept shoving Reflections back into the ‘vault’ of my computer because I couldn’t imagine my younger readers being interested in a romance novel, and if they were, I feared I’d have some parents who wouldn’t be too pleased. So I never finished it.

 

Later, an idea came to me. I would write my romance novel under a pen name. Well, the search was on for that perfect name. “Stephen King” was already taken, although we know he doesn’t write romance. “J.K. Rowling” was also taken, along with “Danielle Steele”, “Nora Roberts” and scores more. I needed my own name.

 

My first name is Cheryl, so I thought maybe I could do something with that. As a kid, I’d always wanted to be named Cherie. I typed it and stared at it. My name means beloved or dear one. Another word for that is cherished. Cherish! Yes, I would be “Cherish.”

 

My last name is Tardif, but I knew I needed one that was very different. For some reason the word “angel” came to me, maybe because I collect angels. From “angel” came the last name of “D’Angelo”. And my new author identity, my pseudonym, was born. Cherish D’Angelo―cherish the angels.

 

My debut romance novel Reflections has also gone through an overhaul and its own name change. It is now Lancelot’s Lady, and is in the romantic suspense genre, the perfect combination for Cheryl and Cherish. Lancelot’s Lady is available to read―for free―online, and you can follow along as I write each chapter. It is entered in the Textnovel/Dorchester “Next Best Celler” contest, and it’s my biggest desire to win this competition, since the prize is a publishing contract with Dorchester.

 

Thank you, Tamela, for allowing me to share my story with your visitors.

 

If anyone would like to read Lancelot’s Lady, please sign up so you can read it for free at: http://www.textnovel.com/stories_list_detail.php?story_id=928 If you enjoy my debut romance, please click on the blue circle with the thumbs up. I would greatly appreciate your support. If you’d like to receive future chapters, click on the blue cell phone. And please leave me a comment and tell me how I’m doing so far. Thank you! 

 

Please note: cover for Lancelot’s Lady is a mock cover, designed by Cheryl/Cherish for inspiration. It won’t be the actual book cover.

All the other books that Cheryl has mentioned are available for purchase at Amazon.

 

For more info on Cheryl Kaye Tardif, please visit http://www.cherylktardif.com and http://www.cherylktardif.blogspot.com