Since she was 14, Vancouver-born author Cheryl Kaye Tardif has dreamed about breaking into the US book market. Her goal was simple: get a New York agent and get published by a major publishing house. The journey, however, was not so simple. Nevertheless she has finally succeeded with the first half of her dream. She now has a New York literary agent.A resident of Edmonton, Alberta, Cheryl Kaye Tardif independently published 3 novels: Whale Song in 2003, Divine Intervention in 2004, and The River in 2005, but distribution was severely limited by her small Canadian publisher.
In 2006, she was elated to find Kunati Books, a bigger, bolder, new Canadian publisher that accepts unagented queries. In 2007, Cheryl's debut novel Whale Song was re-published to critical acclaim as a special revised edition dedicated to her brother Jason Kaye, who was murdered in Edmonton in 2006. A percent of her royalties goes to 3 Edmonton nonprofits, including Hope Mission.
In October 2007, she resumed a focused agent search. She tried dozens of US agents and a few Canadian agents, of which there are approximately 30, according to The Writers' Union of Canada. Then she heard about a US writer who helped authors write successful query letters. Cheryl spent a day via email with this writer, then sent out her query letter.
"The response was absolutely overwhelming," Cheryl says. "I never expected such a short query to work the way it did. I actually had a choice in agents, and I chose the one who was enthusiastic about my work and my career and who came highly recommended by an author friend."
Cheryl signed with Scovil Chichak Galen Literary Agency, a literary agency based in New York. Her new agent Jack Scovil said he was "impressed" by her work, her book reviews and enthusiastic fans, and her promotional efforts. "I'm delighted we'll be working together on CHILDREN OF THE FOG," he says of Cheryl's latest unpublished novel. In fact, he'll be representing all of her novel-length works.
Cheryl's motto is: "Dare to Dream...and Dream BIG! And if that doesn't work, Dream BIGGER!" If her positive outlook and persistence is any indicator, then this Canadian author should see the culmination of all her dreams. Booklist already calls her "a name to reckon with south of the border."
While waiting for Cheryl's paranormal suspense Children of the Fog, please check out her published novels--Whale Song, The River and Divine Intervention--available at select bookstores and Amazon.com, Chapters.ca and more.
Read Cheryl's blog post about her new agent.
Cheryl Kaye Tardif's website: http://www.cherylktardif.com/
Cheryl's main blog: http://www.cherylktardif.blogspot.com/
