Suspense author Cheryl Kaye Tardif's new office...and the office boss

 Now that we're settled into our new home, a custom build by Coventry Homes in Edmonton, I've been able to unpack everything and get to the fun stuff--decorating--and my office is finished, for the most part. Now I finally have some pics to show you. If you want to enlarge any photo, just click on it. I apologize that the quality is a bit poor--these were taken without a flash, with my iPhone. :-)

My new office has a huge picture window that faces a quiet street.This gives me a lot of light during the day.

The room is huge, like an oversized bedroom with 2 large closets that have shelves across the entire wall. I have managed to hide all my packing material, book-keeping books, paper and supplies etc in these closets, something my husband didn't think would be possible. It's amazing how much stuff an author needs! I have one bookcase in the room. It holds the paperbacks of my books--the ones I have available for sale. The walls are painted a periwinkle blue, though my photos don't really do the color justice.

One day I'll replace my office furniture with a custom wall of cabinets and built-in desk, but for now, here's what that wall looks like. I will be switching my laptop with the PC as I prefer sitting at the bigger desk while using my laptop. The PC is my backup.

Above the furniture are 3 gorgeous prints by one of my favorite artists, world-renowned artist David Miller. You'll recognize the painting on the left as the one used in the background of the cover for Whale Song. All three prints are personalized with my name and signed by David. One day soon I hope to purchase two of his paintings--My Polynesian Dream and Key to Paradise. I'm also hoping to visit David and his lovely wife Nancy in Florida one day.

On the other side of the window is my "Zen Corner". This is the place where I can de-stress, unwind, think, let my characters "speak" to me and basically meditate. The small waterfall gurgles quietly over pebbles and shells, adding to the ambiance. The "Dare to Dream" saying above the plush armchair is something I've been saying for years. It's my motto, and a very good friend and fellow author had this specially made for my new office. Thank you, Kelly!

I bought the print above the chair from one of my other favorite artists--Aynsley Nisbet. The painting is called "Whale Song". Yes, it's the same name as my novel; that's because she was inspired by my novel to paint it. If you read the new trade paperback edition of Whale Song, you can read her full story. I promise you, it's very inspiring.

I have two other prints by Aynsley, plus a painting that I commissioned her to paint specially for our new home. In this painting, Aynsley painted our family--represented by zodiac signs, with the exceptions of the two dogs in the upper corners. I'm the woman in the upper center and if you look carefully, you'll see a regal lioness within--I'm a Leo. The salmon represents my husband Marc who is Pisces. The boy and girl represent my son and daughter, who were both born in June--Geminis, sign of the twins. The white dog represents our longtime family dog, Royale, a miniature American Eskimo who died a couple of years ago. The other dog is Chai, our Pomeranian princess.

Chai has many nicknames. Chai-Chan is her official name, though I like to tell people her name is really "Venti Chai tea latte with two shots of cinnamon dolce". Yes, she WAS named after my favorite Starbucks drink. lol Chai is never far from me. She follows me everywhere and has to be where I am.

Though she has a bed on the floor, she prefers the armchair.

Chai likes to think of herself as my "Overseer" or "Boss".

She may be right...

The NEW cover for my Whale Song e-book, coming soon to Kindle and Kobo

If you read yesterday's news about Whale Song, you'll know that my bestselling novel now has a new cover for a brand new e-book edition that will soon be available as an Amazon Kindle and a Kobo e-book. So if you were disappointed that Whale Song was taken "out of print" last year, you'll be happy to hear you'll soon be able to read Whale Song via a Kindle eReader, Kobo eReader, on your smart phone using a Kindle or Kobo app, via other readers and on your PC. I'm hoping iPad will sell it as well, since I'm an avid iPhone user.

I searched everywhere for inspiration for the new book cover, but kept coming back to the same piece of art--the one that started it all--world-renowned artist David Miller's inspiring painting, Sanctuary. Yesterday, I learned that the license has been granted to me to use it once again for the cover of Whale Song, and I couldn't be more thrilled.

Here is your first look at the NEW e-book cover for Whale Song (left). I hope you like it. If you want to see a larger version, just click on the cover.

I'll let you know when the e-book is available, but until then, please visit David Miller's website and check out all of his amazing paintings.
http://www.mauiarts.com

~Cheryl

The rebirths of my bestselling novel Whale Song

Anyone who has followed my career knows that author life for me started with one plot and one title--WHALE SONG. It was my "baby", my debut novel back in 2003, and oh the wonderful journey it has been on ever since.

People were immediately drawn in by the mystical allure of the original cover, which featured stunning artwork by world-renowned artist David Miller. His painting Sanctuary grabbed my heart from the moment I first saw it online, and it has never let go. David graciously granted me the license to use Sanctuary for my debut cover, and everywhere I went--every book signing I attended--people were mesmerized by the beautiful image of a small pod of killer whales swimming underwater. One fan actually gave me the puzzle version of Sanctuary that she'd received as a gift. Later, I purchased and framed a huge poster of Sanctuary (and other David Miller works) for my family room.

Whale Song was first published in 2003 and went on to great sales and reviews. More importantly, it made an impact socially and emotionally with my readers. Over the years, I've received so many emails from fans telling me my novel made a difference in their lives; a couple said I'd changed their lives with my words. I'd always known that words were powerful, but I hadn't known HOW powerful mine were until these emails arrived.

Why has Whale Song affected people so profoundly? I think because of the various themes of friendship, family, bullying, racism, abuse, deception, forgiveness...and the most controversial theme, assisted death. Many readers have experienced the first seven themes, which is why so many have connected emotionally to Whale Song. With regards to the last theme, I make no claims to know the answer to whether assisted death (often called assisted suicide) is right or wrong. I believe it's a deeply personal decision and that some situations warrant that right to choose to die with dignity, as many of us saw portrayed from all points of view in last night's episode of Grey's Anatomy.

It seems fitting somehow that my book about death should have so many rebirths itself. In 2006, Kunati Books, a new traditional publisher, picked up Whale Song and it was re-released in 2007 with a new cover and expanded text. To me, the story became bigger and better. I was extremely happy with the new version, though I'll admit, I missed the original cover. But I have to give credit where credit is due. The new cover with the girl's face underwater added a suspenseful element to the excellent new cover for Whale Song. My novel went on to even more sales and success, achieving bestseller status on Amazon in Canada and the US. In Canada alone, I have sold over 5000 copies of Whale Song, which I've been told makes it a National Bestseller. Then in 2009, right before my publisher went under, I got the news that Whale Song was going out of print. I was heartbroken over this news. So were my fans.

Since then, I've received frequent emails asking me when Whale Song will be published again. It has been frustrating to not have an answer. The Kindle version of the 2003 edition was on Amazon for a while, but as it was an unauthorized e-book, I had it removed. I have no idea where the money from the sales went. The only copies available are through the Amazon Marketplace and in a few bookstores in western Canada.

But now I have news of another rebirth!

Whale Song will be converted to an e-book shortly and will be available as a Kindle (authorized, this time) and as a KoboBooks.com e-book, to start. You may have read that Kobo is getting ready to launch their new eReader in May. I am hoping to have Whale Song ready by then. The new e-book edition of Whale Song will feature the same text as the 2007 expanded version AND a new cover.

You can check out the new cover right here on my blog TOMORROW! I'll let you all know as soon as the e-book of Whale Song is available.

In the meantime, please check out David Miller's stunning artwork at Maui Arts in Florida or visit http://www.mauiarts.com

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

Judge a Book by the Cover!

Want to see the original cover of Whale Song (2003)?

You can read about my book covers, how they came to be, who created them and then

the 2003 cover with artwork by my good friend and internationally acclaimed marine artist David Miller...

or the new 2007 edition cover by the talented Kam Wai Yu of Persona Corp.

Check out the Whale Song book covers at:
Judge a Book by the Cover