She is a small-scale organic farmer striving for self-sufficiency. She lives in a quiet little town in Quebec, Canada. She loves Nature, the outdoors, exercising, hard work, science fiction, and healthy living.
Q.1 Tell us something about yourself that not many people know?
A. I do not drink alcohol, smoke, or take any kind of drugs. I avoid hospitals like the plague. I prefer to believe in healthy living.
Q.2 Are we going to read more from you in the near future? Any new project you’re working on?
Q.2 Are we going to read more from you in the near future? Any new project you’re working on?
A. Oh yes, definitely, I am at work on many projects right now, and some are close to completion. I also have a backlog of work I need to digitalize, as for the longest time, I did not have a computer and wrote only with pen and paper.
Q.3 What inspired you to write The Wanderer’s Quest?
Q.3 What inspired you to write The Wanderer’s Quest?
A. Part of it was the pandemic, and of course, most of my work centers around different kinds of dystopian universes. Another part was a friend to whom I dedicated the book.
Q.4 What is the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
Q.4 What is the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
A. I don’t know. I think I may have more trouble with writing female characters. Of course I hope I am accurate in my descriptions of masculine inner dilemmas, but unlike what some social media attention-seekers always claim, men and women are not that different, we all have a survivor mindset.
Q.5 How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula?
Q.5 How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula?
A. The plots are essential to the story. I write kind of fast-paced, and I don’t put too much fluff or unimportant scenes (or so I like to believe), so when I do start writing, I usually have the beginning, middle, and end already decided. I need to embellish the flow of the story. As for characters, the story usually centers around them. There is no set formula for me; I don’t write character charts. I just developed them in my head.
Q.6 How do you see the future of science fiction literature? Will sci-fi maintain its independence or intertwine with other literary genres?
A. Science fiction is there to stay, and yes, it will stay pure and intertwined; just like every other genre, it is subjected to trends and always will be.
Q.7 How long, on average, does it take you to write a book?
A. Science fiction is there to stay, and yes, it will stay pure and intertwined; just like every other genre, it is subjected to trends and always will be.
Q.7 How long, on average, does it take you to write a book?
A. That really depends, but let’s say 8 months. In the summer, I have a lot more work, so that changes the final outcome, and sometimes I get sidetracked by short stories or other jobs, but 8 months to a year is about right.
Q.8 What’s your writing schedule while working?
A. I am my own boss, but I have a lot of obligations, so in the summer, I usually award myself one hour of writing per day, from 6 pm to 7 pm. During the winter, I will maybe write for two or three hours a day.
Q.9 Is classic science fiction literature different from modern science fiction literature? Have the key aims of the genre changed considerably or not?
A. I am my own boss, but I have a lot of obligations, so in the summer, I usually award myself one hour of writing per day, from 6 pm to 7 pm. During the winter, I will maybe write for two or three hours a day.
Q.9 Is classic science fiction literature different from modern science fiction literature? Have the key aims of the genre changed considerably or not?
A. I am not sure. The key aim has remained the same, I think: developing our version of what the world will become or what the world can be. The context changes with the times; if you read Asimov or Bradbury, you see the mentality of the 1950s… Nowadays, you see the mentality of now. The best sci-fi writers imprint their reality into their novels. I think Frank Herbert is a great example of this.
Q.10 What do you think are the main reasons for the popularity of science fiction? To what extent has the film industry helped in popularizing the genre?
A. Science fiction is all about what will be and what could be. This is the attraction, extrapolation of what could happen, and reflections about the consequences of our actions. I think the movie industry has shown that sci-fi is not just an intellectual genre, in good and bad.
Q.11 Is it vital to get exposure and target the right readers for your writing? Tell us about your marketing campaign?
A. Science fiction is all about what will be and what could be. This is the attraction, extrapolation of what could happen, and reflections about the consequences of our actions. I think the movie industry has shown that sci-fi is not just an intellectual genre, in good and bad.
Q.11 Is it vital to get exposure and target the right readers for your writing? Tell us about your marketing campaign?
A. My marketing campaign is a disaster, haha. I don’t like marketing, I didn’t think I would need to market, it’s a nightmare for me actually. Luckily, I think I have secured the help of a very competent marketing expert, so maybe things will get better soon.
Q.12 Science fiction has a long history. Which era do you consider the most influential period in the whole history of the genre?
Q.12 Science fiction has a long history. Which era do you consider the most influential period in the whole history of the genre?
A. I think science fiction has been with us since the hunter-gatherer days, with stories in front of a fire. Mythology, to me, is the first sign of science fiction… Because it takes on many forms, and the stories of Greek Gods etc, can certainly be a part of it, considering the available knowledge of the time. Science fiction evolves with the times; it is a fluid genre. But it has deep, strong roots.
Q.13 If your book is made into the movie, whom would you like to play the role of Madan and Raydr?
Q.13 If your book is made into the movie, whom would you like to play the role of Madan and Raydr?
A. That is a tough one, it would depend where the setting is put. I have trouble putting faces to my characters, and I usually do not think about that. I would not be in charge of the casting in any case. If ever it did happen, I would hope they would follow the characters’ physical traits, at the very least.
One of the big disappointments in recent sci-fi movies was Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen. Just my personal opinion, but Katniss was supposed to be small but fierce, and to me, Lawrence did not deliver.
Q.14 Who designed your book cover? How do you select them?
Q.14 Who designed your book cover? How do you select them?
A. The cover was designed by the team at Olympia Publishers. I am very happy with the result, although they did make a mistake with it upon first publishing, printing it with a design I had rejected, and here in Canada, Amazon clients still get this wrong cover. I am a bit annoyed by that. For my next book, I intend to ask a talented new friend of mine to design the book cover. I know he will do an incredible job.
Q.15 What advice do you give to aspiring writers who want to explore themes related to sci-fi in their writing?
Q.15 What advice do you give to aspiring writers who want to explore themes related to sci-fi in their writing?
A. Write. As simple and as complicated as that. Scifi is no different from other genres, you do not need to be a scientist to write scifi. I’m not. The thing is, if you want to write a rigorous modern-day sci-fi, then you will need a solid background in science. If your intention is to build a future where civilization has fallen and people have reverted back to savagery… As always, your imagination first, the rest will follow.
Q.16 How do you select the names of your characters?
Q.16 How do you select the names of your characters?
A. It really depends on the story. For Wanderer’s Quest, I gave them Middle Eastern consonants because they fit with my setting (although a friend told me it was a bad idea).
In another, the trend was to give children the names of qualities, i.e, Strength, Perseverance, Patience, Robust, and my MC was called Hale. I like names that evoke something, but mostly for my main characters. For the rest I struggle to just find one that will fit.
Q.17 What do you want readers to take away from your book?
Q.17 What do you want readers to take away from your book?
A. I would like to get them to think about the world we live in and where we are going. I would like them to feel something for human resilience and the fact that we always repeat the same mistake. I hope to make them think about such things.
Q.18 Which famous person, living or dead, would you like to meet and why?
Q.18 Which famous person, living or dead, would you like to meet and why?
A. I am not much for famous people. To me, stardom is the continuation of the ingrained mentality of kings and queens and the domination of alphas, which I personally abhor.
I don’t see anyone as famous, or because they are famous, their word is somehow more potent than mine. I guess it sounds vain on my part, but I am a stubborn person. No one will tell me how to think because they are famous. Give me a friend or relative any day.
Q.19 What is your favorite book from other authors and why?
Q.19 What is your favorite book from other authors and why?
A. I really like Dune. I read it often when I was young. The world-building was immense; I loved it! And JRR Tolkien as well, of course. I loved the Martian Chronicles, and the llyad and the Odyssey.
My first stories were influenced by Isaac Asimov, especially his series with Elijah Bailey. I loved how he developed the Caves of Steel and The Naked Sun, which, while being a tad quaint if we compare to ‘modernity,’ expressed some very true ideas that still echo today.
What especially impressed me was that (in the Caves of Steel) humans had become so used to living underground that they had all developed a fear of the outside. I think it's something often overlooked. How the environment we live in shapes us, and another environment would make us all different.
Q.20 Share the experience of your writing journey so far?
Q.20 Share the experience of your writing journey so far?
A. I have been writing since I was 18, that’s soon 24 years. I have learned a lot, and I have improved my writing skills, but it's an ongoing process. I can always get better, and I intend to. Now, I need to learn marketing; that will be tough. Maybe in 20 years, I will have mastered it!
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