Emma, at first I thought you’re a French woman but then you told me you’re a Franco-American. How wonderful! Would you please tell me more about your background?

I was born and raised in a large French-Canadian family in a small town in New Hampshire, USA.  My grandmother, or as I affectionately call her “Mémère” spoke French to us in the house whenever possible, brought me to French Club, which was really just a collection of women aged 60+ eating food and speaking French, and hosted our cousins from Canada in the summer. Being Franco-American is a large part of my identity and that influence is shown in my writing. In college, I studied abroad for four months in Paris. When I returned I interned at the Centre Franco-Americain in my state, helping to spread, protect and educate the various Franco-American cultures that exist in the United States. Now, I hope to do that through my writing.

Do you write both in English and French?

I used to write more in French than I do now, admittedly that saying if you don’t use it, you lose it, definitely rings true to me. Now, French phrases appear sporadically in my stories with purpose, but I have designs to start writing picture books for learning French someday.

Do you write to prove you are intelligent or are there any other specific reasons for spending your time on writing?

This question made me giggle. I think if you read my fictional writing you would not think that I do it to justify my intelligence. Writing is definitely therapeutic for me, and what originally started as a challenge to myself has now become a tool to minimize anxiety and even my moods. I have a chronic illness where mood swings and anxiety are a part of a large crap storm of stuff, and it’s been really helpful to be able to lighten those.

Do you have any published works on the net? If not, do you have any plans to get published somewhere?

I do not have anything published yet but maybe after this year that answer will change. I currently have one YA/NA novel that I’ve been working on called “Love, Paris, Donuts” which is in the redrafting/editing stage. I also have a children’s book called “Toots the Farting Fish” which I’m currently illustrating. I’ll probably self-publish.

Name a famous writer whom you dislike and tell me why you detest her/his works.

Besides the obvious, writers of famous works of hate (Mein Kampf, Degeneration etc.)  I think that every writer has value, sometimes I don’t naturally gravitate to someone’s work, but that doesn’t mean I don’t recognize the value of their voice. If, as a writer, you choose to use your voice in a hateful way, that’s bull, otherwise, you have my admiration.

And who are your favorite authors?

I love, love, love A. A. Milne with every part of my being. Not just Winnie the Pooh, but also his writings on war, they’re such a good piece of history. Beyond that – Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, and L.M Montgomery are all authors I can read again and again.

If you were God, how would you punish evil people and how would you reward the nice humans?

Oh, I would NOT like this at all. I’m such a people pleaser that I would be a terrible punisher. Maybe I would give the nice humans cupcakes and make the people who behaved poorly watch? Or only give them half a cupcake. I don’t know, I mean we’re all such a mix of both, I don’t know how I could ever give out black and white punishments for a gray world.

How do you encourage yourself to keep moving forward in life when you feel down?

This has actually been something I’ve been working on over the past few years. A few years back a condition that I had been able to manage since I was 16 became unmanageable. My doctors had to experiment with medicines that made me feel so sick all the time until we finally found one towards the end of last year that makes things a little better. I’m still sick a lot but there are also days when I’m completely me and it’s lovely. On days when I feel like I can take over the world, I try my best to do so, but I’m also gentle on myself on days when that seems impossible. All we can do is keep moving forward, so that’s what I tell myself, some days I get to take 10 steps forward, and sometimes it’s just one, but that’s okay, I’ll get there.

What gift would make you extraordinarily happy? If someone gave me a red helicopter, I would feel a bit joyful.

Oh, a red helicopter sounds delightful! Anything baking related. Oh, or something with a penguin on it. Oh, A PENGUIN SPATULA. I love rubber spatulas with silly things on them. I don’t know why it’s a problem. I have one with monkeys all over it, and another with a hedgehog wearing glasses. Someday my spatula collection and I will take over the world.

If you had the chance to ask only one question from your most favorite author, what would that question be?

Oof, only one?! Okay, okay, hmm… honestly, I’d love to just open up A. A. Milne’s brain and see if it was full of magic fairy dust because it’s lovely and he always makes me smile. But I guess I could try to ask him if there was a method to his madness or if he just had a natural talent for writing whimsical prose.

Are you reading a new novel at present? If yes, tell me what that novel is about and also tell me what your reading habits are. Do you lie on the bed or do you sit calmly on a chair? I lie on the floor 😐

Currently, I am reading “Love à la Mode” by Stephanie Kate Strohm, it’s really cute. I usually read for an hour or so before I go to bed. Typically, I’m in bed with my heating blanket and a cup of tea.