Thank you for joining us Ms. Bellehumeur could you please tell my fantastic readers about your new book Really, Not Alone? Is it a follow up to Not Alone?
Thank you for hosting me Carolina. Yes, Really Not Alone is indeed a follow up from my feel good book Not Alone although my proof reader confirmed that it can be read as a stand alone. She said she really enjoyed reading this sequel even though she had not read Not Alone. I hope others will like it too.
What inspired you to write this book?
I received so many positive feedback and good reviews for the first book and somebody had asked me if I was going to write more about my main character Harmony. It did not take me long to figure out a story and start working on this requested sequel. I decided to take a trip to the Niagara Falls area and take notes so that my characters could go there too. My first book was inspired by a trip to New Brunswick to visit my sister by the way. I have travel journals and often use my tourist experiences for my stories.
When and where will it be released?
You can look for Really Not Alone on Amazon this January (2015). I have no set date in mind yet, but my goal is to get it released early in the month. It's ready to be published but I wanted to wait because other publications with my work came out recently and more will be released before the end of the year.
In the meantime, I encourage you to check out Not Alone on Amazon. The book is available as Kindle and paperback. Really Not Alone will be available in the same formats.
Are you working on any new projects?
I am always working on something. My boyfriend laughs at my whenever I say I am going to take a little break. I started submitting short stories to Durham Editing for their anthologies, so every time they come up with a new theme I feel the need to come up with something. I am anxious to find out what anthology they are going to put together next. I was featured in six of them so far, all of which were published this year. Whenever I get an idea that does not fit Durham's anthologies, I still write and eventually find a publisher for my finished work. If I am not writing a fictional story, I might just elaborate on a real life event just as a writing exercise. Like anything, practice makes perfect.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
I always loved stories. I started making up my own before I knew how to write and would dictate them to my mom so she could write them down. After I learned how to write, I started stapling pieces of papers together to make little books. My mom always encouraged me to use my creativity and imagination. As I grew older I wrote longer stories and even poems. I felt like my ideas were flowing faster than I could write them down. I hated having to rewrite everything when I would begin another draft ect, and am very thankful for computers even though they aggravate me sometimes. I type really fast. Anyways, I never really thought about publishing anything until I wrote my first novella for fun and a friend of mine encouraged me to publish it. I wrote the sequel to my fictional diary and turned it into a series of 3 books. More ideas popped into my head so I kept writing and I have not been able to stop. I actually NEED to write now. Otherwise, I get headaches from all the voices in my head. I realise that just made me sound crazy. My characters talk to me. I see visions in my sleep too.
What is it about writing that makes it worth wild to you personally?
I like to see my ideas come to life and then having people interested in reading what I wrote. It was nice when my family and friends took an interest, but I feel much more accomplished now that strangers who are not just trying to be supportive want to read my work; especially when they send me positive feedback or post good reviews. It motivates me to not only write more, but to continue sharing my work with others. I used to keep it all to myself.
What is your goal as an author for the next year?
My goal for 2015 is to write as much as I can and continue to get my work published plus get exposure. I hope to be as productive as this year, although it will be hard to beat. When I look back at everything I did in 2014 so far, I wonder when I had time to do all this. lol
I've been quite productive this year in terms of writing and was featured on many blogs, online magazines, as well as a local newspaper. I hosted or attended release events and participated in takeovers... Here is the list of all my work that was published in 2014.
Four of my short stories were published in separate issues of The Suburban online magazine. The same family oriented stories plus eight others in the series were published together in a book entitled "Emily-A Compilation of Short Stories."
My feel good novella "Not Alone" was released and I wrote the sequel "Really Not Alone" to be published in 2015.
My memoir of motherhood was originally published in the compilation book "They Call me Mamabear" put together by author Amber Royce. I then published the same memoir independently.
I released a special edition of my horror novel "Just.Another.Common.Killer," originally published in 2010. The 2014 edition contains bonus material, including my short story "Mary Kelly's Diary."
My work was featured in numerous anthologies put together by Durham Editing.
-My short story "Born to Sing" as well as my poem "Hiding in the Wilderness" were featured in "Aspiring to Inspire."
-4 of my poems were featured in "Words of Fire and Ice."
-My short stories "Rain or Shine" and "The Experiment Gone Wrong" were featured in "Summer Shorts 2: Best known Secrets."
-My memoirs "Friends Forever" and "How I met my Boyfriend" were featured in "It's About Living."
-My short stories "Ghost Child" and "A Pleasant Fall Morning" were featured in "Autumn Magic."
-My short stories "Timmy's Wish" and "The Visiting Elves" will be published in Snowflakes and Memories" on November 22.
My short story "My Adoptive Parents are Aliens" should be published in Wise-mag on December 20th. I might also be on the cover of this online magazine. There was a delay with the original publication and the editor decided to do a special edition so I have yet to see if using me as a cover model is still part of the plan. If that is the case, you will see my angelic side. I have wings. ;)
I wrote three other short stories which I have yet to submit for publication.
On top of writing, I read and reviewed many books.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Thank you so much for reading my work. If you would be so kind as to leave a review, I would really appreciate it. You can find me on Amazon and Goodreads.
Where is the best place for readers to find your other books?
All my published books are available to purchase on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B008YX5YGK
Do you have a website?
I certainly do! Here is the link:
http://author-chantal-bellehumeur.webnode.com/
You will find the complete details of all my published work, book trailer links, reviews...
Is there anything you would like to add?
To stay up to date on my publications, follow me on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chantal-Bellehumeur-public-author-page/347446362035640
Thanks so much for joining us Ms. Bellehumeur it has truly been a pleasure hosting you your book sounds like a real feel good read. I can't wait to pickup a copy! I really wish you lots of luck with your new book and your busy year to come. If any of you readers out there have any questions for our visiting authoress or myself please ask away in the comment section below. Keep reading and remember Ebooks are great Christmas gifts too. And Happy Thanksgiving to my american readers.