On Sunday August 20, Rigaud resident and author Julie Lamarre launched her third career novel, Passion Audacieuse. Interview with the author, who is also taking on a new challenge with this third book: self-publishing.

The launch of her latest book took place at the library of Rigaud's Collège Bourget nine days after its official arrival on bookstore shelves. Copies are available at Buro Pro Citation in Drummondville and Le Signet et Wizard in Hawkesbury.

The first of four volumes on the O'Brien family

"Passion Audacieuse is the first volume of a four-volume series. It tells the story of the O'Brien siblings, and each book will focus on different children in the family. In this book, we discover Lili-Rose, who falls under the spell of Nohlan, who hides a dark and dangerous secret. It is aimed at readers aged 16 and over, due to its adult content. What will be interesting about this series is that you don't have to read the books in order or read all the volumes to enjoy them individually," she sums up.

In Passion Audicieuse, Lili-Rose is a dancer who has been competing all her life. She comes from a line of dancers. "On the day of her ball, tragedy strikes and she has to stop dancing. Four years later, she falls in love with Nohlan, the owner of a cottage where she stays with her best friend. But Nohlan hides a dark secret and has connections with the mafia. Will Lily-Rose dance again? One thing's for sure, she'll have to face up to her past and help another person to avoid going through the same thing as her," she says, adding that the book is set in New York City, also known as the Big Apple.

Having written Le lien du sang - Tome 1 and Le lien du coeur in the past, Julie Lamarre admits that writing this third opus was difficult. " I wanted it to be as real as possible, but I don't have any links with the mafia in my daily life, and fortunately I don't know anyone who could tell me anything about it (laughs). However, one of the readers of my other novels is a policewoman in everyday life, and I asked her to explain a few concepts to me to make sure the story was as close to reality as possible."

An eventful year between writing, health problems and self-publishing

The past year in the life of Julie Lamarre, mother of five, has not been an easy one. The author had to juggle the writing of her third book, two operations to resolve a health problem and the transition to self-publishing.

"I'm very grateful to Éditions de l'Apothéose for giving me a chance and publishing my first two novels. I learned the basics of the trade with them. For the third book, as my publishing contract had come to an end, I wanted to go into self-publishing. My husband Steve took the plunge with me, and I'm now published under the name Éditions Del Vecchio, which bears my husband's name. I've also reissued my first books in recent months and sales are going well."

A busy autumn

Julie Lamarre's next few months will also be busy, between the start of the new school year, her work as a writer and as a student supervisor at Rigaud's Collège Bourget. She is currently working on volume 2 of the O'Brien family saga.

The author will also be present at a number of events over the coming months. In the region, you'll be able to meet her at the Marché d'automne de Châteauguay on September 30, at the Festival des couleurs de Rigaud on October 7, 8 and 9, at the Salon Passager Éditions Vaudreuil at the Centre Multisport from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on November 4, at the Marché de Noël de Saint-Polycarpe on November 11 and 12, at the Marché de Noël à Les Coteaux on November 18 and 19, and at the Marché de Noël à Châteauguay on December 9 and 10.

For those interested, Le lien du sang and Le lien du coeur are available for rental at the Rigaud municipal library. "I'm also currently in talks with Renaud-Bray and Éditions Vaudreuil to make my book available there. At the moment, I don't know if it will be possible to buy it in these two bookshops, but I hope so."

Copies can also be purchased at the above-mentioned locations, as well as via the virtual boutique on the company's website. Readers can also pick up a copy on Amazon (Paperback and digital versions) or on Kobo (digital version).

Julie Lamarre can be reached via her website at www.julielamarre.ca or her official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JulieLamarreAuteure/.Instagram regulars can also find her at: https://www.instagram.com/julielamarre_auteure/.