Te Kererū: Part 3 - Stretching Her Wings

STRETCHING HER WINGS - PART 3 OF TE KERERŪ IS OUT...!

This is part THREE in the Te Kererū series by SG SMITH which is soon to become New Zealand’s most favourite speculative fiction series.

Contact me for movie rights please, Taika Waititi...!

Kate Taylor is growing up

Kate Taylor, the odd Pākehā child who was orphaned as a baby and raised in a Maori village in beautiful Aotearoa New Zealand, is now approaching 16 and growing up fast.

She's learning about French cooking and French wine too and is starting to play "he loves me, he loves me not" with the young men in her world.

Not everything is perfect in paradise in Part 3 of Te Kererū

Kate is expanding her borders and starting to stretch her wings with trips outside the village and region but not everything is perfect in paradise.

There are secrets whispered in the dark and Kate's world is about to be turned upside down with the loss of someone very special.

If you've been following Kate's journey in Parts 1 and 2 you'll know that Kate is a survivor. She's about to be heartbroken but she's never really been alone and she's stronger than she knows.

In her own way, Kate must come to terms with death, sex and violence

Join Pāpara, Nan, Whiti, Te Wai and the rest of her whānau as they help Kate navigate issues of life and death, sex and violence.

And intertribal politics.

And secrets.

There are more hints to some of the mysteries that surround Kate and perhaps even some answers as we reach the exciting conclusion of the the finals of the Kapa Haka

Welcome back to Katherine Taylor’s world

After a devastating accident, Katherine Taylor, who was born to Pākehā parents, is adopted as a young child by the most powerful Māori family in the region in Part 1. 

Discover more about Kate and her world in Part 2 as she ventures out and faces new challenges in her early teenage years

Now in Part 3 she's coming to terms with life and death and finding out who she really is.

Te Kererū, Part 3 - Stretching Her Wings is now available...!

You can buy the full version of Te Kererū - Part 3: Stretching Her Wings here on Gumroad.

Just click I want this! and you can join Kate as she continues on her journey. 

Who is SG Smith?

Kia ora tātou

Ko Tauhara te maunga

Ko Waikato te awa

Ko Taupō-nui-a-tia te moana

Ko Smith tōku whānau

Ko Susan toku ingoa

I'm a writer of speculative fiction living on the edge of a super-volcano. If you want to know more about my writing or get in touch, you can:

• Follow me on Twitter - @sgsmith_ 

• Check out my blog - tekereruthebook.com

Here's what people are saying about Te Kererū - Part 2

Can't wait for Part 3...!

"I’m so excited to see you complete part three! I can’t wait to buy it, and read it yay!" - LR

You won't be able to put it down

"Well I stayed up nearly all night reading the second instalment! I couldn’t put it down. Very sad to get to the end!" - LR

"Beautifully written" - MF

Learn a lot more about New Zealand society

"I was notably enthusiastic about S.G. Smith’s first novel, part one of what promises to be a long and fascinating journey. In Book 2, we follow Kate during her transition from girl to the edge of womanhood, learn a lot more about New Zealand society and Māori culture and life, and get deeply into the fascinating world that the author has created from the elements of the real New Zealand and her imagination

The world of Te Kererū is, as the author refers to it, “speculative fiction,” with the Māori group/clan and its village and the nearby city and lands specifically not closely based on any real life example. It seems to me to be a sort of idealized depiction, what could, and may, be in the future. I began to realize more as I read this second book that Kate is an archetype, a Stranger in a Strange Land who becomes embedded in a different culture and (perhaps?) brings new perspectives and a new integration of different worlds.

But this book is a sort of serial, bearing a resemblance to the great old movie houses where the audience come back every Saturday and watched another episode, with new revelations and resolution of some issues, followed by new complications.

The big complication is Kate’s budding womanhood

In this installment the big complication is Kate’s budding womanhood, but with surprising and important differences from the usual and well-worn tropes we’ve seen in a hundred Hollywood movies. Kate is exceptional, in some ways brilliant, wise beyond her years, but also very introverted and some might even say mildly “autistic.”

In fact, I’m as fascinated by Kate as by any character I’ve read in fiction for a long time. We learn a lot about her, but somehow most of it seems external, the keen observations of others. There is internal dialogue and descriptions of Kate’s thinking, and yet even after two books Kate is still something of a mystery to me, and I like that. She seems destined for something big–but what?

The author has skillfully built a a truly interesting world, and a woman, that I want to find out much more about. And that’s my definition of a good book.

Te Kererū Book 2 – Shaking the Nest on GumRoad includes Book 1 as a package deal, so you don’t need to worry if you haven’t read the first volume. Highly recommended." - Neovictorian

Here's what people are saying about Te Kererū - Part 1

A gorgeous little story

"I sat in the sun yesterday and read your book. It is lovely and not something I usually read which is why it is nice to be given the opportunity.

It really is a gorgeous little story (and I know there is more to come). The descriptive details of the village and inhabitants is great and one can really imagine life there. I quite liked the gang related connections and wonder what is going on there. I expect there will be more to come

Anyway it is a lovely story, well written and descriptive." - Adrienne N.

A delightful little book

"The best thing about being on Twitter has been discovering new authors. I also love the humor, but good books > funny .gifs.

I’ll do another post with the (long) list of fine writers and their books I’ve discovered there, but today we focus on one delightful little book (or Part I of a delightful long book) Te Kererū by Susan G. Smith."

Kate's something more than what she seems

“Te Kererū” is the Māori name for the native New Zealand wood pigeon, a beautiful and tasty bird. When three-year-old Katherine Taylor, a “Pākehā” (white person) is orphaned by a massive landslide, she is adopted by the regional Māori chief–and by the village and its people. Given the nickname Te Kererū, little Kate is different, quiet, mysterious, apparently the proverbial “old soul.” But the book subtly hints she’s something more than this, something bigger…

Without trying hard in any way, we’re educated about the New Zealand Māori culture and society, something I had only a slight knowledge of before reading Te Kererū. The author obviously loves her country and its people and the book opened up a new piece of the world for me, as I believe it will for most readers.

The only thing I didn’t like about this book was that it ended

Her style is clear, limpid is the old-fashioned word, mostly short declarative sentences, but skillfully layered one upon another, sips not gulps, and very satisfying, in the long run.

The story is developed through a series of scenes or vignettes, glimpses of events and pieces of conversations, a technique I also use and can appreciate. Each chapter is a facet of a gem, and gradually we begin to see something taking shape, a mission or a destiny, and…end of Book 1.

Like the wonderful old movie serials, the present volume leaves the reader wanting more. This isn’t so common these days, but I’m all right with it. I understand the next book will be available soon, which I hope is true.

Because the only thing I didn’t like about this book was that it ended." - Neovictorian