Whale Song by Cheryl Kaye Tardif

Today we'll talk to Cheryl Kaye Tardif. She is a Canadian author and she is going to share some details with us about her novel Whale Sone. She has some surprises within the interview for you. Read on for more details.

Nikki - Tell us a bit about how Whale Song came to be.

Cheryl - Whale Song arrived as a simple idea: ‘What if your mother died when you were young, a pre-teen?’ It then evolved to: ‘What if there was a mystery surrounding your mother’s death?’ And of course, these ideas took shape, joining with a native legend I had heard years ago about killer whales being the reincarnated souls of loved ones who have passed on.

The plot for Whale Song literally ‘haunted’ me for two years, but I was jaded by the writing business, and wasn’t sure if I wanted to go through writing something, sending it out and getting back another stack of rejection letters. And then one day, I was visiting with a friend and for some reason started telling her the story of Whale Song. The tears in her eyes made me realize I was really onto something. And then she gave me some very wise advice. She said, “Cheryl, don’t worry if it gets published. Just write it for yourself. Write it because you have to.”

Within a week or two I started writing. My friend was right. I had to write it. That’s why it is so different from anything else I’ve written before or after. It’s a heartwarming, gut-wrenching, life-changing story that will change the way you view life…and death.

Nikki – Whale Song takes place mainly in Bamfield on Vancouver Island. Tell us why you chose that particular location.

Cheryl - Well, I did have a few people ask me why I didn’t set the story in Edmonton where I am living now, and other than the obvious answers (we have no ocean, therefore we have no killer whales), I needed a setting that was isolated, small, and near the water. When I was doing research online, I discovered there was a marine station in Bamfield, a small town on Vancouver Island’s northwest side. Bamfield proved to be perfect for what I needed. The weird thing is, I have never been there and wasn’t familiar with the town. Now I am surprised at the number of people I have met who know Bamfield quite well.

I also needed access to Victoria and Vancouver, but I didn’t want it to be easy access. Again, Bamfield works because it is very difficult to get to and takes many hours from Victoria. Of course I did need an area that killer whales were often seen, and so the island works very well for that.

Selecting this setting in Whale Song adds an almost exotic flavor. The wilds of nature, wolves and whales, plus the prevalent native culture of that area enriches the story. It took me back to a time when I was young, growing up on the Queen Charlotte Islands, which are north of Vancouver Island and just as isolated and wild.

Nikki – Your website mentions native myths – can you share an example of a native myth that is woven into the book?

Cheryl - Nana, the wise native grandmother, tells many fascinating stories to Sarah, the main character. In the beginning, Nana does this to share the native culture, but later she tells her stories to help Sarah deal with a terrible tragedy in her young life.
Here is an excerpt of one of the legends—The Bridge of the Gods:
Long ago, the Great Spirit gave the people of the land everything they needed. No one was cold or hungry. But soon two brothers began to argue over the land. The Great Spirit told the brothers to shoot an arrow in opposite directions.
“Wherever your arrow falls, that will be your land.”
One brother aimed his arrow high and shot it southwards into the valley. The other brother shot his arrow north into the Klickitat country.
Then the Great Spirit built a bridge over the river that divided the brothers’ lands.
“This will connect you,” the Great Spirit said. “It will be a sign of peace, so that you and your people may visit those on the other side. As long as you remain friends, the Bridge of the Gods will remain.”
For years, the two brothers remained peaceful. But gradually, they became selfish, greedy and wicked. The Great Spirit punished them by withholding the sun’s warmth. Soon, the rains came and the people were very cold.
They begged the Great Spirit, “Give us fire or we will die!”
There was an old woman on one side of the bridge who still had some fire left in her lodge. The Great Spirit, softened by the people’s pleas for warmth, asked the woman, “What do you want most, in exchange for sharing your fire?”

Of course, when you buy a copy of Whale Song, you’ll find out how this legend ends, and how Sarah’s life is forever changed by one horrifying but loving act.

Nikki – What prompted you to write a book about assisted suicide?

Cheryl - Again, it was the ‘what if” factor. What if your mother was dying a horrible, painful death and she asked your father to help end her life? Would he do it? Would she do it on her own? Would they find someone else to do it? And how would that affect a child left behind?

Assisted dying is such a controversial issue, especially with the June release of Jack Kevorkian, the retired pathologist who made headlines for helping an alleged 130+ people end their lives. There is a clinic in Zurich, Switzerland, called Dignitas that helps provide lodging, care and counseling for those who wish to end their lives but cannot do so in their own countries because of laws. Dignitas is the last stop for some people and I’ve read descriptions of their patients’ deaths that can only be described as peaceful and perhaps even beautiful.

We are taught from an early age to fear death, to forestall it, sometimes at a terrible cost. I am not saying I condone assisted suicide or assisted dying as a commonplace service, but I believe there are some people in certain situations (those who are dying from disease and suffering while they wait) who should be given the choice. It is such a tough issue. No one wants to even think of it. But in the end, I believe it comes down to the right to choose. People who smoke are choosing something that jeopardizes their lives and it’s not illegal. Why can we not choose how we want to leave this world? Why do we have to rely on medicines and machines to extend our lives unnaturally because science says it can? Choice. Isn’t that our God-given right?

Nikki – I like books that have an element of mystery woven around a family. I do that in one of my series and readers have said great things about it. I feel this draws the reader into the mystery even more because it affects the family I want them to care about. How do you think this combination works with readers?

Cheryl - I have always been drawn to writing stories of horror, suspense and mystery. Whale Song is very different from a lot of my other work. It has a softer, sweeter side, one that is realistic and heartbreaking, yet makes you feel good when you’re done reading it. But the key for me is the people who inhabit each story.

I want my characters to “drive” the story. I want readers to care for them, love them, hurt for them, cry with them, even hate them. The interesting thing that I think appeals to most of us is that families have a history, and that means they have secrets. Dig deep enough and you’ll find lies, tragedies, deception and more in your own family tree. And that’s what makes any story about family exciting.

In Whale Song, I have a more typical family-- the father Jack, the mother Daniella, and the daughter Sarah. This leads to a very emotional story that anyone can identify with, and I believe that’s its charm.

In Divine Intervention, I have Jasi and her team of psychic agents who are very much like a family since they work closely together and must rely heavily on each other for their very lives.
In The River, the main character Del assembles a team to go with her to the Nahanni River in search of her father. They slowly become like family, making some of their deaths hard to bear.

Nikki – Did you research whales for the story?

Cheryl - They seem like fascinating animals and since whale songs are beautiful, it gives an interesting mental image when your book title is mentioned.
I spent a lot of time researching, reading and even listening to material on killer whales. Since Sarah’s dad is a marine biologist, I needed to know about echolocation, killer whales in general and their habits. I found it most interesting to read about whale adoption, and I’m not talking about people who adopt a whale but how occasionally an abandoned whale is adopted into a pod. It’s rare, but it does happen.

While researching, I learned many interesting things that were very useful in broadening the story. I also contacted various experts, something which I enjoy doing for all of my novels. Even in fiction, I believe research is vital if you want readers to believe what you’re telling them. I see every reader as an intellectual being, so I never want to talk down to them or fluff something over. For me, research is a definite must.

The interesting thing about the title is that it came to me crystal clear, without any hesitation or forethought. I knew what the story was about, and I saw the words--WHALE SONG—flash before me. When you read the novel, you will see why it fits perfectly.

Thank you so much for inviting me here. This month I am giving away free books at some of my virtual book tour stops. And this is one of them!

*I am happy to announce that one of your site visitors will win an autographed copy of Divine Intervention. All they have to do is email me with the correct title of the legend or myth that I discussed here on this site. I will do a draw today and notify the winner. Email Cheryl at
cherylktardif@shaw.ca. Be sure to check my schedule: http://www.whalesongbook.com/virtual-tour-2007.

Please note: A portion of my royalties for Whale Song is going to 3 nonprofit organizations to help combat social issues like poverty, homelessness and addictions, in honor of my brother Jason who was murdered last year.

To order Whale Song, please order from Amazon.com this month. If you order on my birthday, August 12th, you may qualify to win one of 44 prize packages. For more info on this special contest, please see 44 Prizes. Also, if you order Whale Song plus two other Kunati titles, you can qualify to enter Kunati’s Great Summer Reads Contest.

~ Cheryl Kaye Tardif, bestselling author of Whale Song
http://www.whalesongbook.com/

SPECIAL NOTE--- JUST IN:

TONIGHT, August 8th, at 6:00 PM Eastern, Cheryl will be interviewed on ArtistFirst Radion Network. You can listen online at http://www.artistfirst.com/ ("Click 2 Listen Live").