Q. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? 

Marianne: I had never had any particular desire to become a writer until one day on a long trans-Atlantic flight between Paris and Miami I realized that I did—and my inspiration was sitting right there in my lap! You see, my two young boys, a toddler, and a baby had finally fallen asleep in my arms, and I dared not move.

It was in sitting very still, contemplating them and remembering my childhood that I imagined my first children’s tale. Once home, I wrote my story and sent it to my mother back in France, who immediately set out to illustrate it. One thing led to another, and now we are working on our fourth children’s book.

Q. What do you think makes a good story?

Marianne: A conflict or problem and a dash of magic! 

Q. What advice do you have for writers?

Marianne: Just do it! For the tales, I write I rely on the five classic elements of a fable: personified animal characters; a setting and situation; a dilemma which usually reveals the characters’ traits and weaknesses; a solution to the dilemma, and finally a moral lesson. I learned these in a writing sequence when I was in mid-school in France. Remembering them helped the structure of my very first story to fall into place!

Q. Describe what your ideal writing space looks like.

Marianne: My ideal writing space is a cozy, clean, and tidy house where I have nothing else to think of but what I want to write. It’s a place free of distractions such as phones, emails, and TV, where my brain has space to start the imagination process.

However, looking back at how I wrote my first three books, this ideal writing space was not quite part of the picture! A common point to each book though, was that I had to let go, close my eyes, forget all of the distractions around me, and allow my imagination to roam free. 

It has always been easier to start imagining my fairy tale at night, in my bed, before falling asleep, then little by little, build the story before writing it down a few weeks later. And that I have usually done in the middle of the night, writing the story all at once from beginning to end when my family was fast asleep.

Q. How did you become involved in the subject matter or theme of your book?

Marianne: Because I try to remember what impressed me as a child, my idea for The Rabbit and the Platypus was sparked by a lesson that my second-grade teacher taught us about that unique and strange little animal. The book is dedicated to her, by the way!

Q. What inspires you as a writer?

Marianne: Past experiences, pets and animals, and even songs and weather phenomena inspire me, plus I want to help keep the fairy tale writing tradition alive! It’s a cultural influence and motivation…I grew up in France where the fairy tale first became a literary genre thanks to Charles Perrault, the 17th-century French author of great classics like Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots, and more. Up until then, fairy tales had been transmitted through spoken folklore.

Q. What do you like to do when you are not writing? 

Marianne: I love to cook! So much so that I put my career as an intellectual property lawyer on hold to work for an international company that produces a leading multi-function kitchen appliance. That and looking after my boys keeps me busy!

Q. What type of books do you write?

Marianne: I write fairy tales for children that gently teach by example qualities like civility, good manners, and the importance of helping one another. I always try to use vocabulary and phrasing to incite a child’s curiosity and maintain the interest of older readers.

Q. Can you tell us about one of the most rewarding moments you have had as an author?

Marianne: Oh, yes! When my three-year-old was logged in to an online session for his kindergarten class because of the COVID 19 lockdown, his teacher read The Rabbit and the Platypus to the class. It was a complete surprise!  

Q. What do you hope your readers take away from this book?

Marianne: In a word, empathy. When we help those in distress, we help make the world a better place. It’s as simple as that.

Q. Is there a message in your story that you hope readers will grasp?

Marianne: The message is that despite our differences, we are all the same!