Des photos d'Étonnants Voyageurs! // Photos of the Etonnants Voyageurs festival!

ENFIN!

Les photos du festival Étonnants Voyageurs qui a eu lieu à Saint-Malo, ma ville natale, en mai dernier sont enfin arrivées! Voici donc un petit album de ce séjour riche et merveilleux qui a correspondu avec le lancement du second tome de Les Maîtres de l'Orage, Le Vertige du Rhombus. J'espère qu'il vous intéressera! :-)

FINALLY!

The pictures of the festival Etonnants Voyageurs, which took place in Saint-Malo my hometown in May, have arrived at last! Here is a small photo album of this rich and wonderful time that corresponded with the launch of the second volume of The Masters of the Storm, The Vertigo of Rhombus. I hope it will be of interest to you! :-)

La somptueuse ville de Saint-Malo.

Le Belem, de retour cette année pour Etonnants Voyageurs.

Sur la stèle dédiée aux héros de la Résistance malouine, le nom de mon grand-oncle Marcel Cotteret.

Posant pour une photo qui illustrera un portrait fait par Stéphane Echasseriau dans son superbe webzine Saint-Malo-Rama.

Interview avec le charmant Stéphane au café La Java à Saint-Malo intra-muros.

En dédicace à Etonnants Voyageurs.

Rencontres inspirantes avec des lecteurs et des collègues auteurs (Philippe Thomas à mes côtés).

 

On parle aussi avec les mains! ;-)

Les mains sompteuses d'une nouvelle lectrice de la trilogie, la très charmante Audrey.

Ma plus jeune fan, Cécile. Elle n'avait que onze ans, l'an passé, quand elle a lu La Marque de l'Orage.

Cécile, qui a maintenant douze ans, est revenue me voir cette année pour acheter Le Vertige du Rhombus (j'ai hâte de lire ce qu'elle en aura pensé!). PS: Pour lire sa critique du second tome cliquez ICI!

  

Les tomes 1 et 2 de la trilogie côte à côte dans la vitrine de mon éditeur.

 

Photos par Miles Martin.

Enfin de retour ! // Back at last!

 Chers amis // Dear friends

Pardonnez-moi ce long silence mais après l'activité intensive liée à l'écriture de mon second tome puis à des voyages de promotion en France, je suis rentrée dans mon chez moi anglais totalement épuisée. Mais je remonte peu à peu la pente et tant mieux car je vais devoir me plonger dans l'univers de mon troisième tome très bientôt. // Forgive me for this long silence but after a period of intensive activity related to writing my second book and then travelling to France for the promotion of my trilogy, I came back home totally exhausted. But I'm started to feel better and that's just as well since I'll have to delve into the world of my third book very soon.

J'ai décidé de célébrer mon retour sur internet en partageant avec vous une des nombreuses curiosités qui ont contribué à m'inspirer dans l'écriture de Les Maîtres de l'Orage. // I have decided to celebrate my return online by sharing with you one of the many weird and wonderful things that have helped inspire me in the writing of The Masters of The Storm.

Saviez-vous que le don de seconde vue de Marwen n'est pas une invention ? Utilisé par les sorciers, de temps immémorial, ce don intéressa tellement les services secrets américains pendant la guerre froide qu'ils créèrent une cellule d'espionnage qui regroupait des experts en "vision à distance" (en anglais, "remote viewing"). // Did you know that Marwen's gift of second sight is not a fiction? Used by sorcerers, from time immemorial, this gift so interested the U.S. secret services during the Cold War that they created a spy cell made of experts at remote viewing.

Si cela vous intéresse, sachez que l'on peut même aujourd'hui, d'après Google, suivre un entraînement de "vision à distance" en France. Amusez-vous à jeter un coup d'oeil ici : http://www.visionadistance.fr/quest-ce-que-la-vision-a-distance/index.html

Nous avons en nous des dons mystérieux et inexplorés, et la réalité est souvent tout aussi fantastique et extraordinaire que la fiction... // We all possess mysterious and unexplored gifts and reality is often just as fantastic and amazing as fiction...

PS : L'image en haut de ce message représente un exemple de "remote viewing": la photo montre "la cible" lors d'une séance de vision à distance, et le dessin dépeint ce que le sujet a "vu" en utilisant son don. // The picture at the top of this post shows an example of "remote viewing": the photo shows the target of a remote viewing session and the drawing what the subject described using his gift. 

PROCHAIN MESSAGE -- PHOTOS DU FESTIVAL ETONNANTS VOYAGEURS !

A wonderful new review of The Mark of the Storm (translated)

As promised, the English version of the wonderful in-depth review of The Mark of the Storm written by talented author, Jean-Claude Texier, whose excellent novel of politics, redemptive love and corrupted education, can be found HERE: 

Every self-respecting writer should ask themselves the question: how much happiness will my book bring to humanity?

In this regard The Mark of the Storm is exemplary. Véronique David-Martin’s novel addresses both youths and adults. There are few artists who have managed to reconcile all ages, and only the greatest have dared to venture there: Dickens, Daniel Defoe, Victor Hugo, Jules Verne ... It is not for nothing that the heroine is a reader of Treasure Island by Stevenson.

The story of Marwen and her painful journey from childhood to adolescence, from innocence to knowledge, from carefreeness to the burden of having a mission - faced with the hostile world of adults, in the climate that preceded then followed the outbreak of the Second World War - is exciting for everyone, even those who have not experienced these troubled times.

A novel of initiation, because Marwen, an endearing character, is different from everybody else. She carries a secret symbolized by the Manac'h, a light-form that follows her everywhere and is only visible by her. She's both a child and the Chosen One, appointed by the Spirit of the Forest to find the prophecy concerning the fate of Enez Disrann, the island of disappearances, also called the Île Verte, a lost paradise where a legendary forest has survived haunted by a bloodthirsty Beast, the personification of evil.

A novel about a quest for identity, for who is Marwen? "Who was I in the past?" she wonders. "Could that perhaps explain who I am now?" Is she really the Chosen One? Or did she unconsciously usurp the role that was meant for her friend Gaël, to whom she failed to give the thunderstone entrusted to her by Maïa the witch? Wasn’t it Gaël whom the hooded figure in white thought he was addressing when he said: "You, you, my little king"? Yet Marwen's path is strewn with symbols: the six-pointed star, the white stag, the white lady, the three parallel lines branded on the thunderstone which haunt the book like an obsessive leitmotif.

A fantasy novel, paradoxically supported by a realistic approach to a social environment steeped in its time, from September 1939 to June 1940. The process tends to lead the reader to the "suspension of disbelief", so dear to the Anglo-American novel, suppressing his initial disbelief when faced with fiction and causing him to be seduced by the truth of situations, descriptions and dialogues: such as the first day of a school year, the atmosphere of a class of girls, the tales of Marie-Louise, the daughter of Joan the washerwoman. Sometimes the fantasy in the story even springs from a naturalistic scene, such as the aggression of the Père Digar and his dog, where Marwen loses a shoe and is left floundering in the mud while trying to escape them.

This realism also supplies a valuable family chronicle, anthology pieces such as the first communion lunch, where the unforgiving eyes of childhood on the adult world spare neither the mayor nor the priest. These judging eyes are even more relentless at the death and funeral of Mamie Constance, Gaël’s grandmother.

A novel about the loneliness of childhood, when seeking friendship is faced with the inability to receive it, such as the one offered by Gaïd, the simple girl exposed to the ridicule of her peers, or the inability to obtain it, as those of superficial Isabelle or  nasty Katel Le Coven. The solitude of the heroine invested with an impossible mission: "I am the Chosen One. One feels lonely at the top."

A novel about feeling unloved. Mirroring the lack of maternal tenderness experienced by Marwen, there is the absence of paternal love for Gaël and the blurring of his identity: whose illegitimate son is he? These lacks weave an affinity between the two children and the bright couple they make, full of bashful love, humour and sibling rivalry, keeps briefly at bay the threatening shadows that are lurking on the island.

The central figure emerging from Marwen’s home life, the character who exsudes all the warmth her mother fails to give her, is her father, Dr Goulaouenn, who is invested with all her respect and admiration. No other author has been able to convey with such power the value of a loving father for a young daughter and the painful experience of his departure to war.

It is therefore natural that Marwen indirectly chooses him as her only confidant by writing her journal in the notebook he had given her to confess her thoughts on the Manac'h. From January to June 1940, the story consists of Marwen’s long private monologue, deprived of Gaël who is in a coma after being struck by lightning. From discovery to discovery, from false tracks to mysterious clues, the story progresses in stages to its conclusion, punctuated by Marwen’s dreams where visions of the Beast, the white stag and the six-pointed star alternate.

The oppressive atmosphere of this quest for the Prophecy is softened by the character of Anaïk, Marwen’s baby sister, who symbolizes hope, innocence, and the happiness of childhood when life is joyous and carefree. Marwen takes the imprudent risk of leaving her on her own in order to accomplish her mission in the mythical forest; a mission from which she later emerges triumphant although deeply affected.

Upon reading this magical and poignant book, I hope that a talented filmmaker will bring it to the screen. He will be seduced by the acute sense of sets and the magical apparitions; the most unusual one being probably the final stage of the quest when Marwen is lost in a trompe-l'oeil forest painted on the rock. This is no small feat for the author to succeed in deceiving us in such a way, and with her talent to take us in a dizzying whirlwind of fantasy after having convinced us that her story was a faithful transcription of reality. Only great artists succeed in doing this.

"Legends are stories that are invented but that started as something real. They are there to entertain us but also to teach us," says Marie-Louise. You learn a lot in this book, one of those rare novels that one never wants to close permanently, and in which new riches are always discovered on rereading.

LINK TO THE ORIGINAL REVIEW IN FRENCH

Le Salon du Livre de Paris (photos) // Paris Book Fair (pics)

Chers amis // Dear friends

Pardonnez-moi ce long silence depuis Pâques mais j'ai travaillé comme une mercenaire pour que Le Vertige du Rhombus soit prêt pour sa sortie en mai. Je peux vous dire qu'il est fin prêt, que sa couverture est magnifique et que sa bande-annonce est presque finie. OUF! //
Forgive me for this long silence since Easter but I've worked like mad for my book, The Vertigo of the Rhombus, to be ready on time for its release in May. I can tell you that it is finished, that its cover is beautiful and that its trailer is almost complete. PHEW!

Voici, comme promis, quelques photos du Salon du Livre de Paris où j'ai passé un moment exceptionnel. J'y ai fait des rencontres inspirantes avec des lecteurs merveilleux et des écrivains adorables. Bref, pour moi, cela fut une oasis de chaleur humaine et de joie dans mon existence plutôt solitaire d'écrivain. // Please find below, as promised, some pictures of the Paris Book Fair where I had an amazing time. There I met really inspiring people: wonderful readers as well as gorgeous writers. So, for me it was like an oasis of warmth and joy in my rather lonely writer's life. 

PS: Je posterai un message sur Le Vertige du Rhombus très vite, avec sa couverture et sa bande-annonce. Youpi! // I'll soon write a post about The Vertigo of the Rhombus with its cover and trailer. Yay!

Sur le stand des éditions Pascal Galodé...

Un charmant lecteur et collègue écrivain.

Un monsieur adorable et sa fille qui m'ont offert un livre.

Avec François Coupry et Orson Sinedy.

La fantastique équipe Galodé !

Signant avec le stylo de mon père...

 

 

Avec Yves et la si talenteuse Annie, mes amis des Editions Apeiron.

Bonjour et à bientôt !

Photos de ma rencontre dédicace à la librairie Le Failler à Rennes.

Bonjour, chers amis, et encore BONNE ANNÉE! Voici, comme promis, quelques photos de ma rencontre dédicace à la superbe librairie Le Failler à Rennes. Un après-midi formidable, plein de rencontres intéressantes et de retrouvailles... Un vrai bonheur!

Et maintenant "back to work" sur Le Vertige du Rhombus!

Hello, dear friends, and again HAPPY NEW YEAR! As promised a few photos of my book signing in the magnificent bookshop Le Failler, an institution in Rennes. A brilliant afternoon, full of interesting new people and old friends... Bliss!

And now back to work on The Vertigo of the Rhombus!

 

PS: Et une ou deux dédicaces impromptues lors d'une courte visite chez mon éditeur à Saint-Malo... :-) // And a couple of impromptu signings during a short visit to my publisher's in Saint-Malo... :-)

The Next Big Thing...

THE NEXT BIG THING (La traduction en français est ICI)

I was tagged to be part of an internet meme (a viral sort of thing on the Internet) by the lovely and talented Rachel Ward, whose own version appeared here last Wednesday. It’s an opportunity to talk about a work in progress, and I’m really excited to be involved. 

1- What is the title of your next book?

The Vertigo of the Rhombus.

2- Where did the idea come from for the book?

This book is the second volume of a trilogy entitled “The Masters of the Storm” – the first volume, The Mark of the Storm, was published in France in April 2012 and the last volume, The Voice of the Egregor, is due in 2014. It’s a trilogy that takes place on an imaginary and very mysterious island off the coast of Brittany during WW2 (from Volume 2 part of the story also takes place in 2012). 

My childhood in Brittany lies at the heart of my imagination and of the inspiration for my trilogy. I was brought up surrounded by wild and atmospheric landscapes, Breton legends and family stories of the Second World War. All these form the core of my next book.

3- What genre does your book fall under?

It’s a bit of a mixture to be honest as it could be filed under quite a few labels: adventure, history, historical fantasy, magical realism, fantastic realism (a term I sort of made up for it!), Celtic legends, initiation, quest… I wrote it for teenagers (from age 12) but my French publisher loved it so much as an adult (I won’t post his age here!) that he thought other adults would love it too. So it’s published in France as a cross-over and I’ve had the joy of getting feedback from people of all ages (or to be more precise from ages 12 to 80 something!).

4- What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

My characters were born in my head and are reborn in the head of each of my readers so no actors immediately come to mind. If a director wanted to make my books into movies, he/she would have to do the casting for me. In an ideal world I’d love for my main characters to be played by unknowns who would take on their identity. Also I’d prefer the roles to be played by Europeans rather than Americans -- if possible!

Actually what sometimes happens is that I meet people in real life that have my characters’ features, which is each time an exhilarating experience. For instance, as I was looking around on the Internet to make the trailer for my first book, I found the photo of a German girl in 1940 who looked uncannily like Marwen, one of my main characters. Also, no later than last week while on holiday in Scotland, I met a pretty young woman who is exactly as I visualize the character of Marie-Louise in my book (see photos beneath).

A 1940 German girl is the image of my character Marwen. A lovely young Scottish woman I met last week was the spitting image of my character Marie-Louise.

 

5- What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

Sorry, two sentences instead of one!

“In 1942 and 2012, on a mysterious island battered by fierce thunderstorms, two adolescents have to fight the darkest of evils in the shape of the Rhombus, an infernal machine created by Nazi scientists. Will they be able to survive the vertigo of the Rhombus and save their souls, as well as those of the other islanders?”

6- Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

It will be published by my French publisher, Pascal Galodé, in May/June 2013. I don’t have an agent as it’s not done at all in France, where authors have to deal directly with publishers. I hope with all my heart that my trilogy will one day get translated into English and published in Britain – fingers crossed!

 

7- How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

I’m still writing it at the moment! Overall it will be about a year to get it all done. I work in a way that means my finished first draft is pretty much the final product. I sort out problems as I go along, mainly in my head (a sometimes unnerving way of working as it means quite a few stops and starts!). Since I want the plot in this story to be as exciting and meaty in both time periods (1942 and 2012), it’s meant writing two parallel books in one, each with their own crises and climaxes. I have a detailed road map for my two plots but I also adapt to what inspiration and the characters throw into my path as I write the story. It can be a challenge but I love doing it!

8- What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

This is a difficult question. I tend to read a massive amount of books for my research but they’re never similar to what I’m writing (i.e. the actual story is like nothing I’ve read before). I need to feel free in my imagination. So it’s from my readers that I get the answer to this question. I’ve been told that the first book reminded some of them of Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s novels. Also, when I saw the movie “Pan’s Labyrinth” I was struck by the similarities with my trilogy. 

9- Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Following on from my brief answer to Question 2!

Saint-Malo in Brittany, where I come from, was totally destroyed in 1944 and rebuilt lovingly by its inhabitants after the war. My great uncles, the youngest being 17 years old at the time, left Saint-Malo to join the free French forces in England in 1940 or stayed home and became members of the resistance. Their stories were like adventure yarns and affected me deeply when I was a child and a teenager. 

As to the more supernatural / occult side to my story, that comes from the Celtic legends and the strange and wondrous world of my Catholic religious education (a strong influence on most Breton people). Magic is only a footstep away from everyday life for most children and it stays that way for adults who are ready to look for it in their heart. This sensitivity to magic is what has kept me fascinated by the wonderful and strange aspects of real life and by the stories and tales of our ancestors. So, as a conclusion, I could say that the inspiration for this book and trilogy comes from the eternal child in me.

10- What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Beyond the obvious pacey adventure story, I think the fact that many of the supernatural / magic / fantasy aspects in the story are actually deeply rooted in reality will interest the reader. 

For instance Marwen’s gift of second sight is mentioned a lot in folk tales and, within the same tradition, is one of the gifts many modern witches and healers claim to have. What’s fascinating about it, however, is that the USA financed a big programme of what they called “remote viewing” (in fact second sight) during the Cold War years to spy on their enemies. About four years ago, when I was researching for my trilogy, I realized moreover that one of the most well-known current “remote viewers” lived in Bath, my town! How exciting is that?

11- My 5 (actually 4) writers for next Wednesday are:

Joanna Nadin

Karen Saunders

Fletcher Moss

Amanda Craig

They’re all very talented writers and lovely people too. I’m really looking forward to finding out what’s the next big thing from them…

PS: For those of you who can read French and would be interested, the first volume of my trilogy, La Marque de l'Orage, is available on Amazon UK here (postage free!).