Where were you born, and where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in Paris.
What sorts of books were in your family home? Who were early formative influences?
There were many books in my family home, and my parents were used to take me to the library when I was a kid. I remember Roald Dahl, a magazine for kids called Astrapi and some comics like Marion Duval.
Why do you write?
Writing helps me to think.
How do you choose your subjects?
For The Madeleine Project, I didn’t really choose the subject but it fell into my lap! But generally I like to tell stories.
How do you move from research to writing; is it difficult to begin?
No it’s easy, after things have had a chance to mature. All of a sudden it becomes urgent that I express all that I have learned.
Your views on success?
It’s rewarding to feel that one’s words have a positive impact on people, that they inspire them.
Do you write every day? Do you do many drafts?
It depends on my mood. I write when I have something to write 🙂
What are you working on now?
I have to finish an expanded version of The Madeleine Project with a new segment set in Holland, and then to find the next story …
Your views on book publishing?
It’s a job for passionate people!
Do you enjoy reading ebooks?
Not really, I’ve never read a complete ebook, I really prefer paper, to feel the book in my hands.
Your views on how new technology has (or has not) changed your writing life? Your views on social media?
I’ve been using new technology and social media since I was a teenager, so I think I’ve learned to write using them. I had a blog when I was young, and The Madeleine Project couldn’t exist without social media . . . I really think it allows a new kind of writing: Twitter of course with its 140-character limit, but also a new kind of multimedia writing with texts, photos, sounds, videos . . . and I really like how social media brings author and readers together; thanks to readers it was possible to collaborate on researching The Madeleine Project!
What are your favorite literary journals?
« Feuilleton » released by éditions du sous sol.
If you could go anywhere in time for one day, where would you go and why?
In the future, because I’m really curious to know what will happen with science, climate, etc…
Who are the five people, living or dead, you’d invite to a party?
Chris Marker, Marguerite Duras, Yann Paranthoën, Baudelaire and Virginie Despentes.
Your favourite prose authors?
Emmanuel Carrère.
Your chief characteristic?
Listening.
Your chief fault?
Self-doubt.
Your bedside reading?
Right now: Chroniques japonaises by Nicolas Bouvier.
Your motto?
Better to try than do nothing.
A BookBlast® exclusive. Format copyright © BookBlast® Ltd, London. Answers copyright © Clara Beaudoux c/o BookBlast Ltd, London. All rights reserved. Photographs & graphical images copyright © their respective copyright holders. Unless otherwise specified, the content herein is only for your personal and non-commercial use.
