Sylvain Reynard
aka
The Sly Fox
Steps onto the ‘guest speaker’s’ box
in Kez’s bookshelf
Hi Everyone,
What a wonderful surprise I have to share with you all today. During the week Kez’s Bookshelf sat down with NYT Bestselling Author and a favourite storyteller of many avid readers….Sylvain Reynard.
Come and join me by the warm fire as I relive this special moment…..
Hello SR and welcome to Kez’s bookshelf.
Please, take a seat in the Chesterfield high back wing chair and warm yourself by the open fire. Tom has a lovely glass of Laphroaig 18 waiting for you, relax and make yourself at home.
I wish it was springtime; we could be sitting outside in the garden. But since it’s cold and wet, why don’t we bring a little springtime in doors…(Andre Rieu’s Nightingale Serenade, softly fills the room)
Andre Rieu Nightingale Serenade
Thank you so much for joining me today SR, you are the most prestigious guest I’ve had the pleasure of featuring on this blog, it’s an absolute privilege, and I appreciate your time today.
Thank you for inviting me to join you and your readers. I’m honoured to be with you.
It is of course, no secret that you are my favourite writer and I regard you in the highest esteem. Those people who have read your stories will understand why, while those who are yet to experience an ‘SR’ adventure have so much to look forward to. But there is so much more behind the great storyteller and online persona of SR and today I wish to highlight that.
Firstly, congratulations on building such a wonderfully warm and friendly online community, it is always such a pleasure to interact with you and fellow readers online. One aspect about your online persona that I most admire is your inclusiveness and ability to treat everyone with equality. In today’s society, this is fast becoming a rare attribute. Why is it so important to you to foster such a warm and open environment?
Part of this stems from my core values – respect for all human beings, a desire to be an instrument of peace, etc. Beyond that, I try to create an environment that I will enjoy, knowing that others will likely enjoy it too.
At times I’ve seen you tweet comments like “Success should be shared” and “There is enough success for everyone”. You have actively supported others to become writers and follow their dreams (whatever they might be) and I’ve seen people grow with your success. As people strive for their own success in life why do you think it’s important to remember – success should be shared?
Several of these messages were a reaction to a negative, competitive trend I’d observed. It’s important for authors to realize that we can share readers and be successful; we don’t need to denigrate other authors and their work in order to improve sales and attract readers. We can be positive and encouraging to one another and be successful at the same time. A positive, collaborative environment contributes to everyone’s success and to the happiness of writers and readers alike.
I am very proud to say I’ve been an active reader and follower in your online community for a number of years now. During this time I’ve heard many people say that you have made them strive to be a better person (myself included), many lifelong friendships have formed because of this online community you foster. How does it make you feel, knowing you have made such a positive impact on people’s lives and what would you like to say to all your followers and supporters?
First, I want to say thank you for reading. The readers have created the community, along with me, and made this space welcoming and positive.I’m gratified that the community has had a positive influence. Like many others, I worry about the state of our world. I worry about injustice, persecution, poverty, and illness. If I can contribute in any way to helping address these issues then that is the greatest reward I can have as a human being.
There are many facets to joy and pain, like love and loss, each of us will experience them throughout our lives. Those of us who have read the Gabriel’s Inferno series know that Professor Emerson is very familiar with all four. With this in mind, if there was a secret recipe to living a good life, what do you think Professor Emerson would suggest it contains?
Friendship is one of the most important ingredients to a good life. You can’t thrive as a human being without friendship. It’s also important to choose one’s friends wisely. A good friend can be supportive and also challenging, when necessary. I also think charity and service to others are essential to a good life and I believe Professor Emerson would agree with me.
Many of your readers have described your stories (especially Gabriel’s Inferno) as ‘life changing’ why do you think this is so?
It may be because through my writing I try to address issues that human beings care about. It may be because each of my novels explores the theme of redemption and so overall the stories are positive and hopeful. I’m grateful that readers have enjoyed the novels.
As a well read individual yourself SR, are there any stories you’ve read that has had the same ‘life changing’ effect for you?
A lot of my reflections on justice, grace, and mercy were shaped by Victor Hugo’s novel “Les Misérables.”
What is your most loved childhood story?
Probably “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” by CS Lewis.
The Florentine Series draws to an end in December with the release of The Roman, this paranormal romance has been a thrilling ride about the dark and mysterious William York and his love Raven Wood. The plot is brilliantly written with many twists and turns along the way, I have the feeling it’s building to a wonderful crescendo. Is there anything you can share about this final book and what have you enjoyed the most about writing The Florentine Series?
On social media I posted a short teaser of one word “Prague.” One thing I can share about The Roman is that the novel takes us beyond Florence to Umbria and to Rome, as well as to Prague and a few other secret places. The novel is about trust, betrayal, love, and redemption and includes perhaps one of the most challenging scenes I’ve ever written. I think readers will enjoy it.
What is next for Sylvain Reynard? You have mentioned briefly in our twitterverse there is a new series on the horizon, is there anything about this new series you can share with us today?
I can’t say too much about it just yet but what I can tell you is that I am writing a new series, it is a contemporary romance and at least one of the novels will be set in Paris. I hope to share more about this soon in a formal announcement.
Are we likely to see any characters from either Gabriel’s Inferno or The Florentine Series?
Yes – more than one.
Like all good things, sadly we’ve come to the end of our interview. But before we say goodbye, I’d like to thank you again for joining us today SR. It’s been truly wonderful. To sign off, I like to leave readers with a thought provoking message about love and life. If William York were to leave us message how would it read?
Love is greater than you can imagine and can do far more than you ever dreamed.
Perfect!!
Thank you SR, for your time, generosity, kindness, wisdom and your beautiful words.
I hope you all enjoy this very special post as much as I’ve enjoyed bringing it to you.
Until next time
Pax Vobiscum
Kez
Kez'sBookshelf 