Episode 53: Bringing French Thrillers to America – Le French Book Interview

by Gabriela Pereira
published in Podcast

Hello and welcome to another episode of DIY MFA Radio! I’m so excited to be sharing this interview with you from Thrillerfest! I met with Le French Book founder Anne Trager, and Le French Book authors Eric Giacometti, and David Khara to talk about writing thrillers for French and American markets. We had an amazing conversation andI can’t wait to share it with you in this episode.

Le French Book is a company that translates French mysteries and thrillers for the American audience. These books have been wildly popular in Europe and now they are available here in the United States, thanks to Le French Book and its founder, Anne Trager. I don’t know about you, but after speaking with these fascinating authors, I can’t wait to check out these books!

Listen to the episode below.

In this episode, we talk about:

  • Using true events and history as inspiration for fiction.
  • Researching and choosing what to write about and what to leave out.
  • The difference between American mystery and French noir.
  • A day in the life of a French author.

Plus: Eric and David share their #1 tips for writers.

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Resources:

download Le French Book’s mission is to bring new voices in mystery to English readers by translating books from French to English. The company’s founder—American translator and editor Anne Trager—loves France so much she has lived there for over a quarter of a century, and just can’t seem to leave.

It’s not the baguettes that keep her there (she’s sans gluten), but a uniquely French mix of pleasure seeking and creativity. Well, that and the wine. After over a quarter of a century of experience in the translation business and nearly as much in publishing, she decided it was time for her to focus on the books she loves to read and bring them to a broader audience.

Learn more about Le French Book at lefrenchbook.com.


 

GiacomettiEric Giacometti, studied biochemistry and genetics in Toulouse, France, before going into journalism. Then, at the height of his career as an investigative reporter, Eric Giacometti was contaminated by the thriller virus. His life took on another dimension: journalist by day, writer by night. That is when he and his childhood friend Jacques Ravenne created the Freemason police inspector Antoine Marcas.

“Writing escapist fiction was a perfect antidote to the depressing stories of scandals and corruption I faced every day. Having one foot in reality and the other in fiction is incredible, but it’s key not to mix the two.”

In 2013, he left his full-time reporting job with a French daily newspaper to work freelance and write. He teaches journalism and writing.

Eric’s latest book: Shadow Ritual

Follow him on Facebook and Twitter, or visit his website for more information.


 

download (1) David Khara has always been a writer. After studying law, he stepped into journalism working for Agence France Press, and then became creative director for several advertising companies. He loves new technologies and started his own company at the age of twenty-four, becoming an online business pioneer for French industries. He served as a consultant for big-name companies such as Toyota, Clearchannel and Veolia for nearly twenty years, until he decided to change the course of his life and turn to writing fiction.

In 2010, he published The Bleiberg Project, which became an immediate success and has sold more than 100,000 copies in France alone. He now dedicates his life to writing, and has published three books, which have reached the bestseller lists. David Khara is also an accomplished athlete in fencing and rubgy, and he even played football as a linebacker. He acknowledges that his culture is a much American as it is French, since he spent a lot of time in West Virginia and Manhattan, and is an avid fan of writers such as Dennis Lehane.

David’s series: The Bleiberg ProjectThe Shiro Project, and The Morgenstern Project

Follow him on Facebook and Twitter, or visit his website for more information.

Link to Episode 53

(Right-click to download.)

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Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome.

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