Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Exclusive Interview with Sylvain Reynard

About Sylvain Reynard

I am honoured to have had all three of my novels appear on the New York Times and USAToday Bestseller lists. I was a Semifinalist for Best Author in the 2011 and 2012 Goodreads Choice Awards. "Gabriel's Inferno" was a Semifinalist for Best Romance in 2011 and "Gabriel's Rapture" was a Finalist for Best Romance in 2012, in the Goodreads Choice Awards, as well.

The final novel in The Gabriel Series, "Gabriel's Redemption," was just released and it debuted at #6 on the New York Times Bestseller list (December 22).

My next book is "The Raven," and you can read more about it here: http://www.sylvainreynard.com/2013/11...

I'm interested in the way literature can help us explore aspects of the human condition - particularly suffering, sex, love, faith, and redemption. My favourite stories are those in which a character takes a journey, either a physical journey to a new and exciting place, or a personal journey in which he or she learns something about himself/herself.

I'm also interested in how aesthetic elements such as art, architecture, food, drink, and music can be used to tell a story or to illuminate the traits of a particular character. In my writing, I combine all of these elements with the themes of redemption, forgiveness, and the transformative power of goodness.

I try to use my platform as an author to raise awareness about the following charities: Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation, WorldVision, Alex's Lemonade Stand, and Covenant House. 

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This is an exclusive interview with the acclaimed author Sylvain Reynard. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions, and to his publicist Enn, for facilitating this interview.
PoR: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

SR: Hello Janett. Thank you for the invitation. It’s a pleasure to be with you and your readers.

I’ve always enjoyed writing. I think my interest probably started when I read a story and found the ending unsatisfactory, and decided I could try to do better.

PoR: What/who inspired you to write your first novel?


SR: I wanted to see if I could do it. But I also wanted to tell a story about redemption that would bring Dante and Beatrice and other literary works to a wider audience.


PoR: Were the experiences based on someone you know/knew, or events in your own life?

SR: It’s a work of fiction but I was inspired by a variety of things ...


PoR: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

SR: I tend to write long books.

PoR: Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?


SR: I admire Dostoyevksy very much, partially because of the stories he created.

PoR: If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you would changed?

SR: I try not to dwell on the past. I’m sure there are passages in the novels I would rewrite but since I can’t really do that, I try not to focus on it.


PoR: What has been the biggest criticism given to you as an author? The biggest compliment?

SR: Like any author, I’ve received negative reviews. I’ve tried to improve my writing with every project.


The biggest compliment I’ve received is when readers write to me telling me how my writing has inspired or consoled them during difficult times. Letters like those make the negative reviews pale in comparison.

PoR: Can you share a bit with us of your work in progress?

SR: Thank you. I’m finishing “The Raven,” which is the first book in a new series.

Here's the formal announcement:

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Gabriel Series comes a dark, sensual tale of romance in a city shrouded in mystery…


Raven Wood spends her days at Florence’s Uffizi Gallery restoring fine works of Renaissance art.  But an innocent walk home after an evening with friends changes her life forever. When she intervenes in the senseless beating of a homeless man, his attackers turn on her, dragging her into an alley.  Raven is only semi-conscious when their assault is interrupted by a cacophony of growls followed by her attacker’s screams.  Mercifully, she blacks out, but not before catching a glimpse of a shadowy figure who whispers to her …

Cassita vulneratus.


When Raven awakes, she is inexplicably changed.  She returns to the Uffizi, but no one recognizes her and more disturbingly, she discovers that she’s been absent an entire week.  With no recollection of the events leading up to her disappearance, Raven also learns that her absence coincides with one of the largest robberies in Uffizi history – the theft of a set of priceless Botticelli illustrations. When the baffled police force identifies her as its prime suspect, Raven is desperate to clear her name. She seeks out one of Florence’s wealthiest and elusive men in an attempt to uncover the truth about her disappearance.   Their encounter leads Raven to a dark underworld whose inhabitants kill to keep their secrets …

Readers of Gabriel's Redemption will be able to read an excerpt from The Raven at the end of both the paperback and e-book editions. In fact, one of the characters of The Raven appears in Gabriel's Redemption.  

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that there's a connection between The Gabriel Series and my new series - a connection that is more than simply me, or the city of Florence, or the Uffizi Gallery. If you've read the cover copy above carefully, probably you're beginning to guess the answer. But I'll be explicit and state that we won't be saying goodbye to the Professor at the end of Gabriel's Redemption. Look for him to have a cameo appearance in The Raven as well ...

PoR: It seems to me that you're a very charitable person, what inspired you to pay it forward and what top three charities would you encourage people to contribute to?

SR: Thank you. I try to use my platform as a writer to raise awareness about various causes and charities.

Three charities I’d recommend are Covenant House, World Vision, and The Salvation Army. All three work with those in crisis need. And all three welcome donations of time and gifts other than money.

PoR: Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?

SR: I’ve written a couple of blog posts on this topic. But my general advice is twofold:

1. Write daily
2. Find a person you trust and ask them to read your writing and give you constructive feedback.

PoR: Could you please give me 7 fun/interesting facts about you? Ex. fear of flying.

SR: It isn’t the flying, it’s the landing that I worry about.

I’m not fond of heights.

Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop” is a song I take guilty pleasure in. A reader recommended it.

I think “The Far Side” cartoons are funny.

Like the Professor, I am impatient with mediocrity, especially when it comes to food and drink.

I was surprised to learn, through Facebook, that WTF means “Well, that’s fantastic.”


I’m overly fond of museums.

Books by Mr Reynard

Gabriel's Inferno 
  Enigmatic and sexy, Professor Gabriel Emerson is a well respected Dante specialist by day, but by night he devotes himself to an uninhibited life of pleasure. He uses his notorious good looks and sophisticated charm to gratify his every whim, but is secretly tortured by his dark past and consumed by the profound belief that he is beyond all hope of redemption.

When the sweet and innocent Julia Mitchell enrolls as his graduate student, his attraction and mysterious connection to her not only jeopardizes his career, but sends him on a journey in which his past and his present collide.

An intriguing and sinful exploration of seduction, forbidden love and redemption, "Gabriel's Inferno" is a captivating and wildly passionate tale of one man's escape from his own personal hell as he tries to earn the impossible...forgiveness and love




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Gabriel's Rapture

 Professor Gabriel Emerson has embarked on a passionate, yet clandestine affair with his former student, Julia Mitchell. Sequestered on a romantic holiday in Italy, he tutors her in the sensual delights of the body and the raptures of sex. But when they return, their happiness is threatened by conspiring students, academic politics, and a jealous ex-lover. When Gabriel is confronted by the university administration, will he succumb to Dante's fate? Or will he fight to keep Julia, his Beatrice, forever? In Gabriel's Rapture, the brilliant sequel to the wildly successful debut novel, Gabriel's Inferno, Sylvain Reynard weaves an exquisite love story that will touch the reader's mind, body, and soul, forever.




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Gabriel's Redemption
Professor Gabriel Emerson has left his position at the University of Toronto to embark on a new life with his beloved Julianne. Together, he’s confident that they can face any challenge. And he’s eager to become a father.

But Julianne’s graduate program threatens Gabriel’s plans, as the pressures of being a student become all consuming. When she is given the honor of presenting an academic lecture at Oxford, Gabriel is forced to confront her about the subject of her presentation – research that conflicts with his own. And in Oxford, several individuals from their past appear, including an old nemesis intent on humiliating Julia and exposing one of Gabriel’s darkest secrets.

In an effort to confront his remaining demons, Gabriel begins a quest to discover more about his biological parents, beginning a chain of events that has startling repercussions for himself, Julianne, and his hope of having a family.



 
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Upcoming Release

The Raven
Release Date: Early 2015
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Gabriel Series comes a dark, sensual tale of romance in a city shrouded in mystery…

Raven Wood spends her days at Florence’s Uffizi Gallery restoring fine works of Renaissance art. But an innocent walk home after an evening with friends changes her life forever. When she intervenes in the senseless beating of a homeless man, his attackers turn on her, dragging her into an alley. Raven is only semi-conscious when their assault is interrupted by a cacophony of growls followed by her attacker’s screams. Mercifully, she blacks out, but not before catching a glimpse of a shadowy figure who whispers to her…

Cassita vulneratus.

When Raven awakes, she is inexplicably changed. She returns to the Uffizi, but no one recognizes her and more disturbingly, she discovers that she’s been absent an entire week. With no recollection of the events leading up to her disappearance, Raven also learns that her absence coincides with one of the largest robberies in Uffizi history – the theft of a set of priceless Botticelli illustrations. When the baffled police force identifies her as its prime suspect, Raven is desperate to clear her name. She seeks out one of Florence’s wealthiest and elusive men in an attempt to uncover the truth about her disappearance. Their encounter leads Raven to a dark underworld whose inhabitants kill to keep their secrets…




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1 comment:

  1. UnknownMay 27, 2014 at 3:12 PM

    As always, SR's interviews are food for our curious minds. He is a mystery as is his upcoming next best seller, "The Raven," the first in his three book Florentine series. Great interview!

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