In Her Own Words: A Collection of Short Stories and Flashku by Cendrine Marrouat - Fiction/ Short Stories / Women’s fiction
Interview with Cendrine Marrouat
Welcome to JB’s Bookworms with Brandy Mulder
Tell us about your newest book.
Cendrine Marrouat: In Her Own Words is my
first full collection of short stories and flashku (a form of “poetic” flash
fiction I invented). I wrote it over a period of 14 years. Each piece tells a
different (and unrelated) story and is an experience in self-discovery. While
the whole book deals with universal topics from the point of view of women at
different stages in their lives, it is
not meant to be just female-centric. People may be very different in most
areas, but I believe that we also share common goals and ideals.
Tell us a little bit about your writing career.
Cendrine Marrouat: I started my writing career as a
poet in 2005. Two years later, I wrote a play titled In the Silence of Words: A Three-Act Play
(https://creativeramblings.com/silence-words-play).
This experience awakened my desire to try other genres, including short stories
and flash fiction.
And then, photography came into my life, which added another
layer to my creative toolkit. I spent most of the 2010s focusing on multimedia
projects and crafting content for clients. I also worked as a social media
coach, helping indie authors and solopreneurs with their strategies. Finally, I
was a digital journalist and professional art reviewer for several years. (I
still interview artists and review books on
my blog. https://creativeramblings.com/latest-posts)
In 2019, poet David Ellis and I launched Auroras &
Blossoms (https://abpositiveart.com), a platform dedicated
to inspirational and uplifting art. Since then, we have published several
anthologies. Every year, we release two volumes in our flagship series, The
PoArtMo Anthology (https://abpositiveart.com/poartmo-series/).
The adult version features incredible works from a select number of writers and
visual artists around the world; while The PoArtMo Anthology: Youth Edition
includes stories from young creatives between the ages of 13 and 16.
(Authors, writers, and artists reading this interview are
more than welcome to submit to us! https://abpositiveart.com/submit)
While I am very proud of my achievements as a solo artist,
my career would not be the same without my creative partnership with David. Our
work together has yielded many great things, including books and the creation
of poetry forms. David is a fantastic business partner as well as a wonderful
friend.
They say Hind-sight is 20/20. If you could give advice to
the writer you were the first time you sat down to write, what would it be?
Cendrine Marrouat: I have often asked myself this
question. I think I would pat younger me on the shoulder rather than giving her
any advice. “You were right to follow your gut instinct when you sat down to
write your first poem. Look where it led you!”
Are themes a big part of your stories, or not so much?
Cendrine Marrouat: They are. I consider myself
an inspirational artist. My belief has always been that, no matter how many
fast or hard balls life throws at us, there is always a lesson to be learnt. If
embraced, the most challenging events
will often lead to major growth. That is why I do not shy away from discussing
difficult topics in my work.
What are you working on now?
Cendrine Marrouat: I am putting the finishing touches
to a short story that will be released as a standalone book next year. The
story has quite a unique twist. Readers should be surprised!
What are your plans for future projects?
Cendrine Marrouat: While I always have ideas for new
books, this year I made the decision to no longer release poetry-only books. I
want to continue my exploration of short stories, flash fiction, and flashku.
And maybe I will write another play.
Life is too short to limit my options! ;-)
Thank you so much for having me!
Good luck with your newest release, and thank you for being with us today.
Thank you for the opportunity!
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