The inspiration behind my debut novel Search for the Holy Whale
Creative works like manuscripts usually happen because of a tiny spark of an idea, a smack in the face life-changing event or something in between.
A thought, a dream, something that keeps you awake at night, a conversation, something you read, something you watched or heard about, an event which affected you personally or someone you knew. Or even a world event that seeped into your soul. Any of these scenarios can ignite that spark into a creative flame.
The inspiration for my debut novel, ‘Search for the Holy Whale’, came about because of a magnificent white whale, who pervaded my thoughts, and a tragic life event which stayed with me and haunted my dreams.
Magnificent Migaloo
The first spark of an idea for my debut novel, ‘Search for the Holy Whale’, came to me after I began following the media coverage of Migaloo in the 90s, a soon to be famous white humpback whale right here where I live on the Gold Coast in South East Queensland. This beautiful albino whale captured my imagination and I became a huge fan. I have followed his journey through various sightings ever since.
©www.migaloo.org.au
On the 28th of June 1991, an all-white humpback whale was photographed passing Byron Bay, Australia’s most easterly point.
This unusual whale was, at that time was the only documented all-white humpback whale in the world. It was named “Migaloo”, which is the name the Australian Aboriginal community in Queensland used to describe a “White Fella”.
Researchers from Southern Cross University Whale Research Centre were able to collect sloughed skin samples from Migaloo in October 2004 when he breached. Small pieces of skin fell into the water and were collected and analysed for DNA. From this it was confirmed that Migaloo is a male, believed to have been born in 1986. A genetic fingerprint for Migaloo was also obtained, allowing researchers to check for relatives of Migaloo amongst the other whales they have samples from, as well as to check whether Migaloo is the father if they obtain skin from a calf.
Migaloo is suspected to be an albino whale, but without definitive evidence for the moment he is known as a “hypo-pigmented” humpback.
Sightings of Migaloo provide valuable insight into the migratory behaviour of humpback whales along the east coast of Australia.
Find out more at
https://www.migaloo.com.au/about
A Tragic Life Event
The second spark came about after the tsunami in Indonesia on Boxing Day in 2004. I’d had several dreams about a tsunami hitting Australia and when this devastating phenomenon occurred in Indonesia, taking the lives of many beautiful people, some of which I knew indirectly through other friends, my research into tsunamis and tidal waves began.
©www.worldvision.org.
A powerful undersea earthquake that struck off the coast of Sumatra Island, Indonesia, set off the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, also known as the Christmas or Boxing Day tsunami, on Sunday morning, Dec. 26, 2004. The magnitude 9.1 quake ruptured a 900-mile stretch of fault line where the Indian and Australian tectonic plates meet. It was a powerful mega thrust quake, occurring where a heavy ocean plate slips under a lighter continental plate.
The quake caused the ocean floor to suddenly rise by as much as 40 meters, triggering a massive tsunami. Within 20 minutes of the earthquake, the first of several 100-foot waves hit the shoreline of Banda Aceh, killing over 100,000 people and pounding the city into rubble. Then, in succession, tsunami waves rolled over coastlines in Thailand, India, and Sri Lanka, killing tens of thousands more. Eight hours later and 5,000 miles from its Asian epicenter, the tsunami claimed its final casualties on the coast of South Africa. Nearly 230,000 people were killed, making it one of the deadliest disasters in modern history.
Find out more at https://www.worldvision.org/disaster-relief-news-stories/2004-indian-ocean-earthquake-tsunami-facts
The Villains
Of course, as the manuscript developed, other characters and animals made their appearance.
Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing Butterfly.
I’m not keen on moths, which quite honestly is an understatement, so it makes perfect sense to me that I would create evil giant butterflies based on the largest butterfly in the world, the Queen Alexandra Birdwing butterfly.
The Komodo Dragon
The fierce Komodo Dragon, which I came across in the early 2000s on a trip to Indonesia is not only impressive in size, but for a big lizard can move really quickly. I love all animal life, but I have a healthy respect for those with toxic saliva and I was happy to keep my distance, unlike many other tourists. In 2001 just one year after my visit, the media reported that Sharon Stone’s husband had been attacked by a Komodo Dragon and lost his big toe to one of these big lizards. It seems my healthy respect and foresight paid off, and another villain was born for my novel Search for the Holy Whale.
The Victims
Francois Langurs
My Monkeys were based on the Francois Langurs more commonly known as Francois leaf monkeys, which are some of the rarest and most endangered in the world. The parents have black fur, but the babies are born with irresistible, bright orange fur.
Connection
Search for the Holy Whale is about our connection to one another, our connection to Mother Earth, nature, and wildlife. It has a spiritual slant, purely because that’s who I’ve always been. Every thought I have is interwoven with my spiritual beliefs. – be kind, do unto others, observe, and care for nature.
Idea sparks fly when I’m really in tune.
Find out more about my debut novel Search for the Holy Whale here https://selenajane.com/book/search-for-the-holy-whale/
