Pierre Laflamme ROMANS

 

DC True crime Mystery Club

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​To be publish soon

 

August 19 2025

 

Could you introduce yourself to our readers and share a bit about your journey toward writing?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to write. As a teenager, I wrote poetry. After studying marketing and communications, I set that ambition aside in order to make a living. I had a fulfilling and busy professional life. I began in the film industry at United Artists (founded at the time by Charles Chaplin and Mary Pickford) in film distribution. Later, I worked with Canadian distributors, where I was responsible for film selection and acquiring distribution rights for Canada. A few years later, I received an offer from the national broadcaster Radio-Canada to join the international relations department, where I handled the sale of TV programs abroad. That job allowed me to travel extensively in Europe and the United States. Over the years, I covered events such as the Cannes Film Festival, the Monte-Carlo Television Festival, and the U.S. NATPE (National Association of Television Program Executives). Eventually, I received a job offer from Télé-Québec (Quebec’s equivalent of PBS) to develop advertising revenues, where I worked for 22 years.

During all those years, I kept writing—I took notes and tucked them away in a drawer. Writing is a full-time job. When retirement came, my colleagues told me I’d get bored… “Not at all,” I replied, “I’ll write novels… and play golf.” Since then, I’ve published four novels, and many of the notes in that drawer became the foundation for my first book. My philosophy of the novel is that the reader should learn something along the way. My first work (Le temps des dérangements) tells the story of a filmmaker who wants to produce a film about the deportation of the Acadians—a genocide attempt carried out by the English against the French during the conquest of America in 1756. They were herded onto old ships like cattle, and those ships drifted toward New England. Some deportees made it all the way to New Orleans. Our history books say very little about this period, and I thought it was a good way to bring that tragedy back into focus in a contemporary context. In each of my novels, I look for a social backdrop, and most importantly, the story is always based on real events. I tell it from the perspective of ordinary people. Superheroes aren’t my thing.

What first inspired the idea for The Blood of Stones and The Light and the Ashes?
In 2007, my wife and I traveled to Egypt—we were both deeply drawn to that country. It was also a time when Bin Laden, under the guise of a religious project, was pursuing political aims, and his network was terrorizing the world. We returned enchanted by our trip, which allowed us to discover another culture. And every time I watched the news, I kept thinking, “Not all Muslims are terrorists.” Of course, we were tourists, but we had been warmly welcomed in Egypt. I wondered how a boy, and later a man, could be led down the path of violence. I am not particularly religious, but I’ve always had deep respect for those who believe in God, Allah, and so forth—as long as beliefs are not imposed by weapons.

So I began researching the journey of these so-called “soldiers of God” and came to believe there was a story to tell—one that often had little to do with the sensationalism of the newspapers and TV news. Most journalists were poorly informed and spreading nonsense. Writing a novel seemed a way to set the record straight—for whoever might read it. During the writing process, the Egyptian uprising against President Mubarak broke out, creating an extraordinary backdrop for a novel. I wrote scenes while watching live images from Tahrir Square on the second screen of my computer. I couldn’t write a novel set mainly in Egypt without referencing its culture and past. Since adolescence, I’ve been fascinated by Egyptian civilization and the history of the pharaohs. I couldn’t write a novel about Egypt without weaving in its rich and monumental cultural heritage.

The Light and the Ashes is the sequel to The Blood of Stones, which tells the story of Faysal and how he was recruited into a terrorist cell. I hesitated for a long time about writing a sequel because I couldn’t find the thread. But in 2013, when Egyptians returned to Tahrir Square to overthrow the democratically elected Morsi government, the continuation became obvious. In The Light and the Ashes, I chose to tell the story of Fadilah, who believes in an enlightened Islam (we often hear more about Arab men than women), as well as the consequences of the 2011 revolution. What happened to the family? What became of Fadilah as she realized that the Salah ad-Din Brigade, which Faysal had joined, was threatening to trigger a war across the Middle East with a terrorist attack? To whom could she turn, if not her former professor of Egyptology and the woman she believed to be her friend—Aïcha? But who is Aïcha, really?

Your novels balance history, suspense, and moral conflict. How do you approach weaving these threads together?
As I mentioned earlier, my novels are inspired by real-life events in order to humanize the stories I tell. If I write about a country or a region, I conduct extensive research online and watch countless documentaries. For example, in God’s Forgotten One, which tells the odyssey of two men and a woman fleeing Eritrea across the desert to reach Europe, I consulted sites such as Médecins Sans Frontières to collect testimonies from migrants, to understand their experiences and journeys. I try to create an environment where the reader feels immersed, and I do my best to anticipate their questions. For The Blood of Stones, I had more than 700 websites, videos, and documentaries stored on my computer. I neglect no detail. The present is the sum of the past, and to truly understand, you must know what came before.

Your books were first written in French before being translated. What has that process taught you about language, storytelling, or even your own work?
Whatever the language, a story is a story. If it is written with honesty, heart, and simplicity, it can be told in any language. I’m not looking to win literary prizes with elaborate vocabulary or overly complex syntax to impress literary purists. My goal is simply to engage readers who are hungry for a good story.

How did you experience receiving the Special Jury Prize at Fondcombe? Did it change your perspective on your writing journey?
I must admit I was pleasantly surprised. Writing a novel is setting off on an adventure, and you never really know where that adventure will take you. Along the way, you discover not only new things about the subject you’re writing on but also about yourself and your opinions. The Fondcombe Prize is a competition for independent authors not affiliated with a publishing house. I submitted The Blood of Stones to get an outside opinion on the quality of my work—something beyond the well-meaning encouragement of friends. To my astonishment, three years later, when I submitted God’s Forgotten Ones, it also placed second. Maybe I should apply for a French passport…

Many of our members enjoy learning about the writing process. Which part do you find most rewarding, and which the most demanding?
Definitely the research. There’s so much to learn and discover. But I must be careful not to get carried away and risk creating unnecessary length. The most demanding part is maintaining balance and rhythm. When writing about a subject as delicate as the Middle East, it is not up to the author to take sides. It’s important that the characters bring all perspectives to light. The challenge is to transmit the fruit of research and weave it into the story seamlessly—without sounding like a lecturer.

Which authors or works have influenced or inspired you?
There are several Quebec writers who are virtually unknown in the English-speaking market. I’ve also been deeply impressed by the humanity in John Irving’s work. In particular, The Cider House Rules—a profoundly human novel that was adapted into a film with great fidelity. Irving even won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2000.

Looking ahead, do you have any new projects or ideas you’d like to share?
In recent months, I’ve been away from my keyboard. We sold our big house last fall and moved into a new one in mid-June. All that moving and settling in caused fatigue and a bit of stress. It gave me a chance to take a break, step back, and reflect on my next novel while keeping an eye on world events. Now that daily life is returning to normal, I haven’t made a final choice yet, but with what’s happening in Iran, a sequel is not out of the question. Once you’ve read The Light and the Ashes, you’ll understand why…

Where can readers find your books and follow your journey online?
In Quebec, my novels are available in all bookstores, and many libraries have acquired them.
You can also order on Amazon:

Sincerely,
@everyone

 

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