Author Spotlight!

Hi and WELCOME to my first ever Author Spotlight. This is essentially an interview! All of the author's links and books will be linked down below at the end so be sure to check it out if you are interested in finding out more information or purchasing their books!

This month, I will be featuring the amazing Sylvie Parizeau! I am currently her beta reader for her third book in the Incandescent Series! I was extremely happy when she accepted my invitation to be the first (of hopefully many) Author Spotlights!

Follow these links to find Sylvie on several sites!

Goodreads                                                      Amazon                                                              Website

But now it is time for the Author Spotlight!

This here is the amazing Sylvie! I absolutely adore sending emails to her and I hope you find her as delightful as I do!

About the Author:

What inspired you to start writing?

I am the quintessential daydreamer. I get lost in stories I read for hours on end, cooking up additional scenes long after I finish the book. What do you mean the end! Noooo. Give me the happy.

Guess I finally got out of my head and took matters into my own hands to feed my compulsive obsession with epilogues and write about the happy. ;)

If you could give any advice to a non-published writer, other than to just push through it, what would it be?

There are so many things to consider in today’s publishing industry, and the overload of information circulating is overwhelming. At least, for me it was. Find a one-on-one coach that will guide you through the publishing steps (and kick your butt when and where needed) and will connect you to reliable resources. Feel free to visit my Behind the Scenes under my About Sylvie tab for mine. Best investment on myself I ever did.

http://www.sylvieparizeau.com/behind-the-scenes/

At what point in your life did you just know that you wanted to become a writer?

I haven’t fully realized it yet. Ask me again in a few months. ☺

If you have done the Pottermore Houses test, what is your house?

Well, that’s intriguing. Now, you realize I just had to go find out.

What fun, thanks!

“Ravenclaws possess the ability to learn quickly and adapt to situations with ease. They also tend to be very wise. You're original and creative, and you know how to use your strengths to your advantage! You have a competitive spirit, which is good for sports such as Quidditch, but don't let it make you a sore loser!”

If you have done the Pottermore Patronus test, what is your patronus?

I’ll be right back. Don’t go away.

I’m back! That little test was seriously cool and lots of fuIf you cn to take.

My Patronus is a bay mare. How about that!

What books have influenced you the most?

That’s a tough question. There are so many, both past and present. Hum (head scratching). Once upon a time (a very long time ago, but who’s counting?), I obtained a degree in Art & Lettres. So, safe route, going back? I’ll go with two of my favorite classics, Pride&Prejudice and Jane Eyre. What touched me the most in them is the fact that the main characters are non-conformists in essence, and they get each other. And even though they can’t completely escape the realities of their own time period, they choose their own path, finding love, staying true to who they are.

What are you future projects?

I’m committed for now to the Incandescent Series and my GGS crew yearning to find that someone special in their lives. But already, Liam’s own novel is butting in, tickling my imagination deeper than what his back story commented on. So who knows? Maybe I’ll get to partner with a really cool, awesome fantasy SciFi author who will do it justice? Any suggestions?

If you couldn't be an author, what would your ideal career be?

Librarian. In any one of Europe’s ten most beautiful libraries, no less.

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/articles/europe-s-10-most-beautiful-libraries-from-italy-to-austria/

(You did ask ideal right? ;)

What is your preferred method of getting in touch with your readers?

My absolute favorite is through emails, particularly ones coming in from the Q&A section on my interactive website. This is where I put myself out there, reaching out.

Confession time. I live on top of a mountain under the proverbial rock. No cell phone, no TV (*gasp*, I know, I know), and I’m still learning how to navigate social medias, so bear with me, I’m getting there... Meanwhile, feel free to peek some more inside my head (at your own risk) by exploring the website.

http://www.sylvieparizeau.com/

Have you gone on any literary pilgrimages?

No, not yet. But I have a list that took on a life of its own, so? Right now? I’d like to go to Vernazza in the Cinque Terre region of Italy after having read A Place in the Sun by R.S. Grey. =)

What was the first book that made you cry?

I will go with The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss who is solely responsible for getting me hooked solid on romance at the tender age of fourteen.

Does writing energize you or exhaust you?

Energizes me, most definitely.

What is your writing Kryptonite?

Self-editing the rough draft as I go along. It slows down the process considerably but I can’t seem to help myself. Bad Sylvie.

Have you ever been in a reading slump?

What is a reading slump? ;-) No I haven’t so far. Even within my favorite genre, anything romance, there are so many interesting sub-genres put out there by the Indie movement. Depending on my mood, I can go from SciFi to Fantasy to Historical to Paranormal to Suspense and right back smack to the boy next door. Endless possibilities. I love it.

How many unpublished/ unfinished/ work in progress books do you have?

Out of six, the Incandescent Series has four more books roughly mapped out. I am currently working on Exposure, (book 3), P.O.’s story.

How many hours a day do you write?

I write part time full-time, so, on average, six hours a day.

Do you read your books reviews?

 Yes. I’m deeply touched by anyone who not only took the time to read my story but took the time out of a busy schedule to write a review. 

How do you deal with the bad or the good ones?

Either way, good or bad, it helps me situate so that I can continue to hone my skills and improve. Always. We’re talking about suggestions and constructive criticism here and not bashing, right? I don’t subscribe to author bashing for the sake of it, so, whenever I come across one of those, I just move along. No hard feelings. Not my issue, it’s theirs.

About the Book:

If you could recommend any three books that are similar to Incandescently or that you would like your readers to read, what would that be?

Interesting question for the first part, and one I’d like to know myself. Incandescently is a cross-genre. Not quite paranormal, not quite mainstream New Adult either, so beyond ticking Contemporary Romance, it was difficult to tick one sub-genre (you only get to pick one) upon publishing. So, any other similar book suggestions anyone?

As for the other part of your question, I have loads and loads of treasured reads and authors out there. In case you’re left wondering by now ;), my absolute favorite genre is romance. Anything romance. I have so many authors past and present inspiring me to read, and read some more. A quick peek at Mes Coups de Coeur tab will certify it (or certify me, =) whichever comes first), http://www.sylvieparizeau.com/mes-coups-de-coeur-indie/

Where did the idea for Incandescently come from?

A very long time ago, the love of my life (who went through some (not all) of the things Liam went through), mentioned that his overall take on life would have been quite different if only he could have known we were to meet in his future. It stayed with me, many many years

How do you develop your plots and characters?

As far as the creative process is concerned, “mind” plotting is how I develop my stories. I’m always plotting scenes in my head, seeing them unfolding in my mind in some sort of Technicolor movie. Again, the quintessential daydreamer as most of these scenes will never make it into the book as more often than not it’s just my characters let loose, having fun outside the storyline.

To get it out of my head, I keep small three-ring binders for the six books in the series where I collect and note all sorts of ideas for each along the way.

In a nutshell, once the rough outline is blue printed, I’d say it’s a fruit salad medley of internet fact finding and research and personal experiences. As the Incandescent series takes place where I live in Les Laurentides, Québec’s ski country, I open the door, and here they all are; ideas, characters, scenes, waiting for (or more aptly, ambushing) me.

Interested in the real places behind the literal scene? I regularly post pictures under my Chronicles Tab: 

http://www.sylvieparizeau.com/sylvies-chronicles/

We all need a hero! Tell us about your protagonist. Was there a real-life inspiration behind him?

Absolutely. All my guys are the result of a collage of bits and pieces taken here and there from the men in my life (and my two grown sons may or may not kill me if they ever read one of my stories. Hopefully, they’ll wait for the movie. Ha! ;).

What was the hardest part of writing this book?

Not stepping outside the story line propelling the characters forward. Like I mentioned earlier, in my mind they frequently just … enjoy each other with no other purpose than being in the moment, happy.

What was your favorite chapter or part to write and why?

As a paralegal by day, I delve too many times to count into the gray side of humanity. Civil litigations, while they run their course, have the uncanny ability to bring the worst out of anyone, no matter which side of opposing parties. And reading, or writing, heartwarming love stories consistently colors my way back to Life’s brilliant hues at the end of the day.

As soon as I hit the happy, I’m in the zone. My zone. So my favorite part is when Liam and Éolie meet for real.

“Liam,” she breathes, and I close my eyes, wonderstruck, heart cracked wide open by the sound of a voice I’ve been waiting my whole life to hear out loud.

Is there a message in your books that you hope readers will grasp?

#Love is a state of Being. Your love is not outside; it is deep within you. You can never lose it, and it cannot leave you. ~Eckhart Tolle

Will you be writing more books in the world of the Enchanted Forest of Laure?

Yes, there are six interconnected standalones in the works. Apprehension, book (2), Zac’s story is available now and Exposure, book(3), P.O.’s story is a work in progress. Snippets of my WIP are posted on my website. Feel free to explore. http://www.sylvieparizeau.com/

What did you edit out of this book?

A lot of my protagonists’ childhood memories that did not propel the story forward in the here and now

What was your hardest scene for you to write?

When Éolie first reaches out to Liam and he feels helpless, knowing she’s in danger but he’s unable to act on it. It gets to me on a personal level.

Do you have anything in particular you would like to say to your readers?

Fall in love with a book and share it with the world. Each and every one of you makes this story-telling journey, extraordinary.

Merci du fond du coeur! (From the bottom of my heart, thank you!)

I just want to say thank you to Sylvie for this amazing interview! It amazing to get to know you better and to see that you are such a down to earth person! You make working with you amazing and a true experience. I cannot wait to do more posts on you and your books!

Thank you lovely readers for joining me on this new adventure I want to take! Feel free to add questions on this post if you do not find enough answers here. Once again! Thank you for joining me! I look forward to posting another Author Spotlight  at the end of the month!

Yours in Reading,

Melleny