Echoes of a Sunday artist

As some of you may know, my science-fiction novel La quête de Chaaas didn’t win the Trillium last June 16th, but I met wonderful people.

Some awards are centered on the winners, casting away the finalist as soon as they are announced. Not the Trillium. The OMDC did everything to gave all finalists the feeling that they are respected and active members of the community (instead of the negative cliché of “Sunday artists”).

Autoportrait of a Sunday artist

My mother, who took the 5-hours train from Montréal to attend the Awards readings and ceremony, felt treated like a queen.

My mother, myself and Daniel Marchildon, one of the “adult books” finalists, before the public readings.

Michèle with Mireille Messier

Here is a photo of me and Mireille Messier,  fellow children’s book author, a few minutes after the June 15th public readings.  I wear a pendant (looking like a little planet) made by local GTA artist, Kymberlee, of Mississauga.

All the finalists and their guests received a little box of magnetic words,  extract from  all 17 books.

Magnetic poetry, from the 17 books in the Trillium shortlist. What a thrill to see “Chaaas” on the fridge!

And, on the next  Thursday, I received this:

A nice congratulations letter from my Mississauga-Streetsville MPP Bob Delaney. The Trillium 2009 magnetic poetry box is in front. Those  marks of appreciation did wonders for my morale, and the impetus to pursue the writing career.

As a science-fiction writer, my social responsibility is to see far, to think ahead and find creative solutions to the many challenges that lay in the future, as we will face the consequences of our present choices. And introducing children to the many flavors of the literary ice cream, encouraging them to read, to learn and to persevere, is my ever ongoing task.

My YA novel La quête de Chaaas is among the 17 books nominated for the prestigious 2009 Trillium awards. Organized by the Ontario Media Development Corporation, those awards emphasize the vitality of literature in Ontario.

I found much joy in reading and, in return, I work to bring hope and confidence in the younger audience. With my scientific background, I like to elaborate intricate plots filled with sense of wonder, poetry and adventure.

La quête de Chaaas (Chaaas’ Quest) explores in depth the life of an adolescent struggling to find his own way in an alien civilization of super-gardeners. Robbed of the fruit of his quest and left to die of cold in the northern desert, Chaaas resolves to find the culprit. But a grain of chance mingles in his plans…

In the evening of June 15th, the author will attend in a public lecture will at the Harbourfront, in Toronto. The award ceremony will be held on the next day.

For infos on Chaaas’ world, see my website.

The Streetsville Bread and Honey Festival is an occasion for our local comic shop Image Collections to showcase artists. Thanks to Todd, the shop’s owner!

So here was my nice signing table in a corner of a parking!

Here is a view from my table. Under the hot sun, but way better than last year’s rain!

The view from my table

I sat next to Kymberlee, a local artist making nice pendants.

Good neighboring… Michele trying to snatch a nice pendant from Kymberlee.

I eventually bought the little planet pendant (I wore it later for the Trillium awards readings. )

A strange event occurred, that I recorded under comic form.  As my table is on the back, the passer-by must pass in front of me to get  out. So one guy was slowly turning from my neighbour table (Spent pencil studios and McHozer Comics) and then our eyes met.

I started my spiel: Hello, do you know my  comics… But his gaze did not even registered my presence; it passed over me as if I was invisible. I talked a bit louder, Hello-o?  Hey, I EXIST!

The guy walked slowly out. One of my neighbours told me the same thing happened to him sometimes, too. But this is soo scary, like you are dephased in a parallel universe, or a fish in a bowl trying to reach out…

This spawned the following comic:

This eerie experience happened later with a guy towing his son. Of course, a city Festival is not the same ambiance as a comic event like the TCAF, which draws specifically comic amators.

I eventually managed to pass a few copies of my latest comic, The General’s Garden, to the public.