Bernadette Calonego's Blog: Eventful - Posts Tagged "nature"

Recently, a German magazine asked me for an author photo as they wanted to publish an interview with me. I wondered what kind of photo they had in mind. Posing with one of my books? Outside in nature? In a room in my house? What kind of clothes? "It`s entirely up to you how you want to present yourself", the editor said. I pondered the question all day long. How do I want to be presented? Not easy. Authors don`t only write books nowadays, they have to know what their "brand" is. And how to market this brand. Eventually I concluded that I present myself not how I would like to be seen but how I am. Starting with my clothes: I wore blue jeans and a lumberjack shirt on the day of the photo shoot. And cowboy boots. (I had thought about hiking boots and cargo pants but decided against it, although it would have been a good fit, too.) The photo session was on a windy day in Newfoundland where I am currently spending the summer. The wind made shooting a bit difficult, there was always hair in my face. But on the other hand, I`m an outdoorsy person, so why not? Is my brand now a Swiss-Canadian natural woman? An adventurer? A female lumberjack?
The truth is that I like a simple life. The situation with Covid-19 has even facilitated it. I have started a potato garden! Who would have thought? I`ve been berry picking in the tundra and have enjoyed it very much. I´m making natural yogurt from scratch and – like so many others – I`m baking my own European style bread with a crust. It is especially good with fresh cod from the North Atlantic that my fisherman brings home. I have also discovered wild peas along the shore. And the beauty of flowers is just stunning in Northern Newfoundland.
But I`m not only a nature lover, I can also be intellectual and brainy. And sometimes I like to be a coach potato reading all day long. The reality is that we are a lot of things, and many of us possess contradictory traits. Which makes us interesting, doesn`t it? I`d say: Ditch the brand. Embrace your contrasts!

When I chose the title for the latest Detective Calista Gates mystery thriller, I had no idea how apt it is for the recent world events. In my small fishing hamlet on a peaceful bay, I seem far away from the turbulence in other countries. Naturally we experience autumn storms here, but when I look out of the window, the ocean is the strongest force of nature in my environment. On most days, it has more of a calming effect on me. However, even in a remote area like ours, you are no longer isolated because of (social) media and you can't stay completely away from disturbances. Or from developments that seem to be coming our way inexorably.
Even skeptical fishermen here are now talking about climate change because marine animals that normally live in warmer waters are appearing on the northern tip of the island of Newfoundland, such as tuna, lobster and halibut.
In our area, only a few fishermen have a license for lobsters, or more precisely: there are only five lobster fishermen in a large fishing area. They are making a lot of money. The other fishermen think their union should lobby the government in Ottawa to get a temporary lobster license because their incomes are very low. But the five fishermen, who already have a license, are against it. This has led to tensions within the fishing communities, which is a great pity. It would be nice if more people had the common good in mind, because how can young people be interested in fishing if they don't earn enough money with it? If a new generation of fishermen does not follow, the fishing ports and villages will die out.
But back to Cold Dread: The paperback is already available on Amazon, just in time for Christmas. The e-book will be published on December 27. I wish you a suspenseful reading that is hopefully also very relaxing!
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