FAQ

GENERAL
1. Have you always wanted to be a writer?
2. How did you become a writer?
3. Where do you get your ideas for novels?
4. Why do you live in London?
5. Is it true that you answer your fan mail personally?
6. When is your next book coming out?
7. Where can we find your books?
8. What languages have your books been translated into?
9. When are you coming to my town or my country?
10. When and where is your next book signing?
11. How many books have you written?
12. What do you think of the attitude that literary critics have toward you?
13. Do you think you will write a sequel to Finding You and continue the adventures of Arthur and Lauren?

THE CHILDREN OF FREEDOM
14. What made you decide to write this book?
15. Did the characters in The Children of Freedom really exist; have you been in touch with them?
16. Have your father and the others read the book and what did they think of it?

LONDON MON AMOUR - The Film
17. Were you involved in the adaptation of the book to film?
18. Why didn't you direct the film yourself?
19. Will you ever reveal who Popinot is?
20. Does the recipe for salmon steamed in the dishwasher in London Mon Amour really work?
21. Who stars in the film?
22. When did the film come out?

IF ONLY IT WERE TRUE - The Film
23. How involved were you with the film?
24. Why weren't you more involved?
25. Do you think the film is faithful to the book?

GENERAL

1. Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Not always. Before I was seven, I remember that I wanted to be a veterinarian, then a fireman, then an astronaut. After the age of seven, I thought about becoming an aviator, a doctor or a researcher. but the math killed me! I wrote a little as a teenager, and I began writing seriously when I was thirty-seven with If Only It Were True.

2. How did you become a writer?
My passage into writing was a little unusual; there was a lot of luck involved. When I began writing what became If Only it Were True,.I hadn't planned on writing a novel, and I never would have thought it would be published. I had written this story for my son, or more like for the man he would become one day. My idea was to present him with the manuscript when he got to the age I was when I wrote it.
In the course of this novel, I wanted to tell him about living for your dreams, and not letting anyone discourage you from doing so.
With the encouragement of my sister, a film director, I sent my manuscript to Editions Robert Laffont, who responded eight days later and wanted to publish the book. Several weeks later, Steven Spielberg called to let me know that he wanted to adapt my story to film. I then resigned at the architecture firm I directed to write a second novel and devote myself to writing.
I had to be internally consistent. Life had given me the opportunity to grasp a dream I'd never dared to realize, and if I didn't do it, everything I'd told my son in my first novel would have only been a lie.

3. Where do you get your ideas for novels?
My ideas come from everyday life. I like to watch and listen to what's going on around me. But the idea for a story is not the same as the story itself. I carry the characters around with me for a long time, whilst their personalities develop and the plot takes shape. When I've finished my research, when I can answer the question "What is this story really trying to say", that's when I'm ready. Then I have my little ritual: I begin by looking for the cover, then I organize my office, keeping only the essentials, finally I get settled, I have several lucky objects, particularly a little photograph of my grandmother, Lili, who watches over me, and then, I begin to write.

4. Why do you live in London?
I've always lived abroad. I feel freer. Living with people who aren't from the same culture, who don't speak the same language as you is always very enriching. In addition, it's a daily course in humility, every day you must forget your habits and reflexes and adapt the customs of the country where you live, even if they sometimes don't make any sense.
I lived for eight years in London, a city I like because it is multicultural, multiethnic. It's not because I live abroad that I love my own country less.on the contrary. Often, the things that you miss have even more prominence in your life.

5. Is it true that you answer your fan mail personally?
Yes, out of respect for those who are generous enough to read my work and take the time to write to me. So I find it normal to take the time to write them back. I'm not saying that I always write back straight away! When I'm writing, for example, I'm very focused on my novel and I inevitably have less time to read letters or emails from my readers. Even if I'm a bit late, I always make up for it by sending a little note in the end. This connection is very important to me.

6. When is your next book coming out?
My most recent novel, All Those Things We Never Said, came out in France on May 15, 2008. The next is in the process of being written.

7. Where can we find your books?
My books should be available in most major high street book stores or online stores, but you can also consult the website of the publisher for your country, either by following the link to the country information from the drop down menu on the welcome page, or by visiting the "Links" page of this website, where you will find links to all of the publishing houses that have websites.

8. What languages have your books been translated into?
My novels have been translated in 40 languages. Publication dates vary because of the necessary delays of the translations. In general, a novel published in France comes out a year later abroad, sometimes later because the foreign editors don't necessarily publish my novels in chronological order. For information on which titles have been translated in which languages, you can consult the drop down menu on the welcome page. By clicking on a country you can see which titles are available there, as well as the details of the publishing house.

9. When are you coming to my town or my country?
I really enjoy getting out and meeting my readers, at bookstores, literary cafes, salons or forums.even though I still get stage fright! It's also a way for me to thank the bookstores for the work they have accomplished.
Each year, my publishers organize several tours in France and abroad, but it is impossible to respond to all of the requests, otherwise I'd have to stop writing! As soon as a date for a reading is anticipated in France or abroad, you can find it in the «Signings» page on my website.

10. When and where is your next book signing?
Check out the « Signings» page of the website.
This page is updated frequently as we don't always receive all the information about an event at the same time (date, time.) so don't hesitate to check regularly.

11. How many books have you written?
I've written eight novels to date. All Those Things We Never Said was published in France on May 15, 2008.
My first novel, If Only It Were True was published in January 2000, Will You Be There? Was published in November 2001, Seven Days for an Eternity in 2003 and In Another Life in 2004, Finding You in June 2005, London, Mon Amour in July 2006, The Children of Freedom in May 2007.
I've also published several short stories, including one entitled "« A Une Seconde Près » that was published in in Germany and Italy.

12. What do you think of the attitude that literary critics have toward you?
I was raised in a family where humor meant knowing how to laugh at yourself. So when a critique is well written and constructive, or factual, I pay attention and respect it. When it becomes excessively mean spirited or aggressive, I mock myself. Anyway, it's better that I'm mocked by a critic than his readers. I have the chance to have a career that I love, that allows me to meet many fantastic people, to travel.it would be indecent not to appreciate this happiness. I thank my readers every day.

13. Do you think you will write a sequel to Finding You and continue the adventures of Arthur and Lauren?
I think about it every day.I hope to see them again, I miss Arthur and Lauren a lot, they've really changed my life!

Many readers ask me for a sequel to Finding You, but for now, nothing is in the works because even if I really want to, I don't want to run the risk of becoming repetitive. And I'd like to leave them alone to live their life.I'm certain that they will have new adventures that will be original enough for a third book, and that it will be a pleasure to write.

THE CHILDREN OF FREEDOM

14. What made you decide to write this book?
I learned of this story quite late, when I was already twenty years old. My father never spoke much about this period, I think he wanted us to love him for the wonderful father he was and not for the hero he was.
When I became a writer, the idea of telling this extraordinary story came to me. But I didn't feel ready. Don't forget that it's a true story and each character really existed; I didn't want to betray the memory, the choices, the life of the young members of the Resistance. I didn't want to write an historical account, I'm not a historian, nor a teller or war stories. The Children of Freedom is not a book about the Resistance, but about the action of resisting, it is not a book about the war, but about the sparkle of humanity that these young women and men had. It's a novel about courage, fraternity, liberty, and the meaning of the word « love ».
And I also confess that I was a little afraid of my father's reaction as he wasn't aware of the project, he'd always been so humble and discreet about this part of his life. He would never have accepted a novel which would emphasize that. This novel tells the story of a group of adolescents, and one of them was my father.

15. Did the characters in The Children of Freedom really exist; have you been in touch with them?
Unfortunately not. Those who survived the worst have, for the most part, gone back to their countries of origin, some got married, like Sophie, for example, and I only know their maiden names.
But my uncle, Claude Levy, .Claude and Paulette Urman, also resistants, have become good friends of my father and have helped me a lot with my research. They told me their story, recommended certain books and leant me precious documents of the era.
I made a lot of documentation on those in the 35th Brigade and I worked with numerous testimonials and archived documents to reconstruct their daily lives.
I then had to sort everything, to go through all the information, verify that I had really spoken to the same person when she had different identities and pseudonymns.

16. Have your father and the others read the book and what did they think of it?
I like to think that those who read the book were touched, and that they felt recognized. In any case, I hope so.
After the novel was published, I was thrilled to get letters from the survivors of the Brigade, from their children or their family. It was very touching. One day, I even got a phone call from Damira ! She told me that at the time of reading, she'd rediscovered friends that she never dreamed she would see again. Now, when she calls me, it's to ask for news about Jeannot.
As for my father, modest and humble as usual, he smiled and said, « I don't remember as it was so hard». I think it was his way of telling me he was moved.

LONDON MON AMOUR - The Film

17. Were you involved in the adaptation of the book to film?
In fact, London Mon Amour was originally a scenario that I began writing with my best friend, Philippe Gues. (The same guy who inspired the character Inspector Pilguez). I quickly understood that a screenplay (limited to a certain number of pages) wouldn't allow me to tell the entire story that we had in mind. I asked Philippe to let me further develop our idea, and the adventures of Antoine and Mathias became a novel. But the idea of bringing this story to the big screen never left me. Lorraine Levy, my sister who is a screenwriter/director worked on the adaptation and co-wrote it with Philippe and I.

18. Why didn't you direct the film yourself?
They offered, and at first I accepted. But I soon realized that directing a film was a job in and of itself that demanded certain knowledge and competence, also time.It would mean putting writing on the sidelines for too long. I'm not ready yet. I hope to do it one day, and I at least have the means to learn, thanks to those who offer me such an opportunity.

19. Will you ever reveal who Popinot is?
John Glover made me swear not to disclose this in the novel, and I've kept my promise. But Popinot will reveal all in the next novel. Lorraine has her own idea of Popinot's identity.for those who haven't seen the movie in the cinema; the DVD is coming out in February 2009.

20. Does the recipe for salmon steamed in the dishwasher in London Mon Amour really work?
Yes, absolutely! The trick is to put frozen salmon steaks into zip lock bags, seal them firmly, and place them in the top section of the dishwasher (even with your dirty dishes and dishwasher liquid if you want - it still works). A full 45 minute cycle and the salmon is cooked to perfection.
This recipe was discovered several years ago by an American television presenter who accidentally put a vacuum-package of frozen salmon in his dishwasher instead of the refrigerator.

21. Who stars in the film?
Vincent Lindon and Pascal Elbé play the duo Mathias/Antoine. Audrey is played by Virginie Ledoyen. Bernadette Laffont plays Yvonne and Florence Foresti, the florist, Sophie.

22. When did the film come out?
The film was released in France on July 2, 2008, and the DVD comes out in February 2009.

IF ONLY IT WERE TRUE - The Film

23. How involved were you with the film?
I didn't participate in the film adaptation of the novel or scriptwriting or choice of actors. I preferred to use the kind opportunity offered by Dreamworks to observe and learn. As a first-time novelist, I didn't feel entitled to give my advice to writers of such an accomplished U.S. studio. Some readers pointed out that I was the author of the novel and as such ... but there are few filmmakers who want involve the author's involvement in the adaptation of their novel. I respect that.

24. Why weren't you more involved?
Because a film is artistic license of another author and the director. It tells the same story as the book, but in different way. A film tells a story in an hour and a half, whilst a book recounts in several hours. Put yourself in the producer's shoes! If one day you buy a house, you do not necessarily want the architect who has built it to dictate how it should be decorated.

25. Do you think the film is faithful to the book?
The book is too long to be adapted in its entirety. A choice had to be made between "comedy" or "drama" because the novel contains both. The producers chose comedy, as was their prerogative.
Personally, I enjoyed it, except for the end, which I found too happy. Although the personalities of Arthur and Lauren are different in the film than in the novel, even if the names of the characters were changed, Mark Ruffalo and Reese Whitherspoon, have recreated the feeling between Arthur and Lauren.
Of course we cannot recreate the chapters of the book, but the idea and feel of the novel are present. I had the opportunity to see the movie several times and at each screening I discovered links between the two, how the novel could inspire a particular passage of the film. Really, I was upbeat when I left the cinema and I don't think that the movie dims the memory of the book. I know that some readers have not liked the film at all.
The day Laffont editions called me to tell me they wanted to publish my novel, I pinched myself and the day when Spielberg contacted me to tell me he wanted to make a movie, I pinched myself harder, so if you told me one day that readers would prefer my novel to a movie by Dreamworks .... I would have never believed that, so thank you so much.