Marie-Hélène Lebeault interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

                              

A little introduction:

Marie-Helene Lebeault lives in Quebec, Canada and is the mother of two young adults. A retired teacher, she now spends her days writing, translating academic manuals, and lending her voice to corporate training videos. She enjoys reading, hiking, and going to the beach. She is also an avid rollercoaster fiend and is on a mission to visit all the Six Flags amusement parks with her daughter. Every year, she travels for three weeks on a solo adventure to a new part of the world. Since the pandemic hit, she's been riding her new electric bike and taking in the regional splendor. 

When did your love of books begin?

I was dyslexic as a child and hated reading. In high school, I chanced upon a copy of The Thorn Birds. I went to school in French and none of the books appealed to me. This one was in English and I tore through it. It seemed I wasn’t dyslexic in English! I read every book they had in there, then moved on to my local library. I was a lifeguard and had a lot of time to read in the summer. I borrowed nine novels every week, as that was the maximum you could take. I later became a teacher and had summers free to read. Later, I discovered ebooks and audiobooks and it’s been bliss ever since.

When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

I’ve always told stories. When I was fifteen, my friends suggested I start writing them down and they were a hit. Then life happened. I’d write for the local paper or do guest blog posts here and there, but I never committed to it. When I had kids, I started at least ten different writing projects but would either get bored with them after a few chapters or give up when I had writer’s block. It wasn’t until I signed up for NaNoWriMo that things started moving.



How have you found the process for becoming an author?

Once I’d completed my first NaNoWriMo, I was elated. I’d written a novel. It was terrible, but I had done it. The next goal was to publish it. I hired an editor and we got to work. I learned a lot and improved with each book I published. That year, in 2020, I published four novels in a series called The Ever Series. Each was written during a NaNo event. It seems the 30-Day accountability formula was my jam! 

What would you say to those wanting to become an author?

• Find a pocket of time where you won’t be disturbed and write whatever comes.  
• Join NaNoWriMo, it’s a great event with a lot of support. 
• Read. A lot. 
• Don’t worry about plots, outlines, characters at first if those are keeping you from writing. That’s what editors are for! 
• If you can’t afford an editor, get the premium version of Grammarly, of ProWriting Aid and other similar editing tools. 
• Don’t compare yourself to anyone. Ever. 

Tell us about your book/books:

All of my books are available on Amazon and are included in the Kindle Unlimited membership. You’ll find the audiobook versions on Audible and iTunes as well as Amazon. 

 

The Evers Series is a four-book YA Fantasy series about Travelers: a magical bloodline that lets them use a special key to open a door to anywhere in the world. It will appeal to Harry Potter, Golden Compass, and Stardust fans. 

 

Clarity Castle is a standalone YA Speculative Fiction novel about a teenage girl who stumbles upon a castle in the woods near her home. Things become even weirder when she finds its filled with hundreds of alternate versions of herself. She gets to try out twelve of those other lives. Like The Midnight Library, only happier. 

 

What Happens Next? Readers Decide Which Story Becomes a Book is a YA short story anthology. Like in the Hunger Games, twelve stories compete for the coveted spot of becoming a novel. Each of the fantasy, steampunk, paranormal, and sci-fi story is open-ended. 

 

The Blood Mage is a spinoff of The Evers Series but new readers do not need to have read the series to enjoy the book. On his sixteenth birthday, Tom triggered strange new magical abilities. When his sister is kidnapped, he discovers he was the intended target. A community of magical villains is after him because he may be the Last Blood Mage. Will Tom embrace his new destiny? 

 

The Fairy Grandmother Series is a fantasy picture book series for ages 3 to 7. Every Saturday, Millie spends the day at her grandmother's house. There are no toys and no TV, but it's still the best part of her week. You see, grandma is a fairy! With a twirl of her magic spoon, she sends Millie to wherever she wants to go! The series is currently translated into French. Germen, Italian, and Spanish editions are on the way.

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

I absolutely love how everyone wants to help each other succeed. I’ve learned a lot from other authors giving free advice, and from readers’ reviews. I still have so much to learn but I think it would be easy to give up without the support I’ve found online.



If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

Please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads! Even if it’s bad or just meh. Readers may not know this, but Amazon will actively (and for free) promote books that have 50 or more reviews. I’ve sold a lot of copies of The Evers Series but only have a handful of reviews for the first book.  Furthermore, readers depend on your reviews to pick up an author’s book. If no one reviews it, no one wants to read it…



Where can people connect with you?

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