Nine months after penning his first career book, L'Éveil de Némésis, Vaudreuil-Soulanges resident Cédric Léveillé is back with the second opus in a trilogy.

Entitled Les larmes de Némésis, it sets the scene for the final volume. Interview with the author, who will be on hand at the Salon du livre Passager in Vaudreuil-Dorion on Saturday November 4. 

In the first volume, readers were introduced to an experienced killer, Michael, who came out of retirement to seek revenge in the company of a naive CIA agent, Leila. It was an awakening.

"In Volume 2, the killer has his revenge, and now he's wondering what to do with his life. The young agent isn't so naive anymore, and she's killed. She's tasted the powerful aphrodisiac of killing. She wonders if she can now join the ranks. But their reflections are interrupted by a series of terrorist attacks that will paralyze the metropolis. They soon realize that to keep Leila alive, they'll have to figure out who this foreign hand is that's working over Montreal. It's an even darker thriller," says the author, who has a full-time job and three children. 

Why did you choose the world of murder and espionage to build your trilogy? " I'm a geopolitics buff, but there are so many reasons. Let's just say it's real, it's concrete and it exists.  Unfortunately, people are capable of the worst, and yes, I've seen it too often.I chose to expose it in my novels because it's the harsh reality."

A second, longer and more difficult novel 

By his own admission, Cédric Léveillé admits that this second novel was harder to write. "The first volume had been marinating in my head for years.It was a bit of a rush job.With Volume II, I had to create and develop a new story, if you will.It's important to me that what I write is real, plausible.That it's realistic.We travel a lot in Book 2 and all the places we visit are real, somewhere.I also had to do a lot of research into Chinese culture and so on," he confides. 

For this second installment in the story of Michael and Leila, Cédric Léveillé was able to count on the support of his father, former journalist Réjean Léveillé. "He's been in front of the cameras for a long time, but this project was mine.I hadn't told him about the first volume before I pressed SEND. I hadn't told anyone.For the second volume, he was keen to help me, and he was more than welcome to do so. I think my stories are catchy, but I wanted his help to reach a level of professionalism. He was there, every chapter of the way", he explains. 

Has the writer started work on the third and final volume? "The writing has started in my mind.The narrative is there and it's taking shape a little more, every day.I want it to be original, so I still have some research to do.Volume III will come out in 2024, but I can't be more precise than that," he teases. 

How did writing come into Cédric Léveillé's life? With a father who was a journalist, he readily admits that this medium of communication has always interested him and has always been part of his work. "It's always attracted me. I've always wanted to write. My friends often used my pen to help them. One day I was brave enough to do it in front of the general public," he continues. 

A book fair on November 4 

Cédric Léveillé will be one of some fifty authors at the Centre Multisports André-Chagnon on Saturday, November 4, for the Salon du livre Passager.

Why did you agree to take part?  "My first book fair was L'imaginarium in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield.It was there that I discovered a world of authors like me, who do this work as authors, out of passion.Everyone would love to be discovered and become Maxime Chattam, of course.But this community does it above all because they believe in their respective arts and the universes they create.It made me feel good. These events are great gatherings.November 4 will be an opportunity for Vaudreuil-Soulanges to shine, and I'm very attached to my community."

For the author, if you want to get started writing a novel, you have to be patient and set yourself humble goals. "Nobody becomes Stephen King overnight with a publishing house in their pocket.You have to write for yourself first." 

Finally, is the writer already working on other projects.The man with a full-time job and three children admits it will be difficult to do so.So, for him, it's one book at a time. 

For those interested in discovering Cédric Léveillé's universe, copies of L'Éveil de Némésis and Les larmes de Némésis will be available at the Salon du livre on November 4.

On the Cédric Léveillé author Facebook page, you'll find the various places and businesses where he sells his novels: the IGA Viau and Madame Ann Zakhari's Jean Coutu at 475 Avenue Saint-Charles, Vaudreuil-Dorion. 

They are also available on Amazon at https://a.co/d/8jkFm82 and https://a.co/d/gdLRVa5.