Just who IS Sarah Richardson?

In a recent Q&A session over at I Love Canadian Authors on Goodreads, I was asked if I drew upon personal experience for my critically acclaimed, bestselling novel Whale Song. Here's my answer...

I definitely drew on parts of my life for this story. I often say there is "more of me in Whale Song than in any other of my books". And it's true.

The main character in Whale Song is Sarah, a young girl who moves to an isolated town on an island in BC. When I was young, we moved to Masset, a small town on the Queen Charlotte Islands, north of Vancouver Island. It was very isolated, very different.

Sarah is thrown into a different culture--the native indian or First Nations cutlure. I had the same experience, but the culture was that of the Haida indians.

Sarah is introduced to racism and is bullied in school. I experienced the same thing.

Later, she becomes attached to the native customs, rituals etc and is fascinated by them. She begins to see their value instead of the differences. It took me much longer to find the value, but eventually I did and I'm glad for all the wonderful stories, the dance, the art from the Haida nation I grew up with.

Sarah learns an important lesson. At the time I wrote the novel, I was working through some personal tragedies and changes and I also learned the same lesson that Sarah does. That, I believe, is the key to why this novel is so popular.

To discover this life-changing lesson, read Whale Song by Cheryl Kaye Tardif. It'll change the way you view life...and death.

Available in ebook format at KoboBooks.com, Amazon.com and Smashwords.com.

Whale Song - "One of my favourite Christmas gifts this year"

Before Christmas, a longtime friend of mine ordered a copy of Whale Song for his sister Sue. We all had grown up in the small, isolated town of Masset on the Queen Charlotte Islands, which is just north of Vancouver Island, BC. Whale Song was partially inspired by my life there, and by my favorite Haida legends.

Today, I heard back from Sue, whose own blog is filled with wonderful, talented writing. She wrote about Whale Song and she's allowed me to quote her here...

"One of my favourite Christmas gifts this year was a novel entitled “Whale Song”. It’s written by Cheryl Kaye Tardif, who, in addition to being fantastic writer, is also an old family friend. She went to high school with my older brother Mike, and I’ll always remember, even though I was the bratty, tag-along little sister, that Cheryl was always so sweet and kind to me.

The book is, in my opinion, a must-read for anyone who loves stories that combine coming-of-age, heartwarming family stories, the tragic realities of life, and a little mystery (and I’m not just saying that because I know her!). The story is about a young girl who is displaced with her family from Wyoming to the west coast of Canada. She meets and befriends an Aboriginal family and they teach her about their culture and their way of life. As tremendous adversity befalls her, she uses what she’s learned about native spirituality to guide her through difficult waters.

I devoured this book in a little under 2 days - and for me, that is some kind of record. I couldn’t put it down! For me, it was more than just a story..."

Please read Sue Murphy's full post on SuzeMuse. It is inspiring and really makes you think about the past and how our pasts have made us who we are today. Thank you, Susan, for this reminder.

Why Where You Come From Is Important

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

Blast From My Past: Cheryl's acting and singing debut

I have decided to blog a series of articles titled 'Blast From My Past', so that you have a chance to really get to know me, maybe have a laugh or two. I'm going to dig deep on some of these, and dates may be off somewhat because we moved around a lot.

So here's the first Blast From My Past...

I'm not sure how old I was, but it was in elementary school--Tahayghen Elementary in Masset, Queen Charlotte Islands, BC, to be exact. For those who are geographically challenged, the Charlottes are on the West coast, north of Vancouver Island. Beautiful, wild and isolated...
One year, we had a school play. Winnie the Pooh.

I was Eeyore.

Okay, stop laughing.

You're probably saying something like: "So that's why she likes to make an a$$ of herself."

Yes, I was the donkey....heehaw!

And I had a great role. We did the story where Eeyore lost his tail, so I was very important to this play. Oh, and I forgot to mention, it was a musical. I had to sing in a very low, bored sounding voice. It's funny--I actually remember that part. I even remember some of the words...

"Christopher Robin is coming. When? Nobody knows, but he is coming..."

My costume was a very warm (I think flannel) one piece outfit. Then there was a cap with long droopy ears and a tail held on by a safety pin. Thank God I have no pictures!

The musical was a success.

So even in my younger years, I had a passion for telling a story. And to this day, I still make an a$$ of myself on occasion. And I've found my tale--in writing.

I invite you to check out a multi-author blog I am involved in...more voices, more tales.