It has been almost five years since Bernard Thibaud devoted himself to writing. In the first days of his retirement, blocked like everyone else by covid, he took up his pen. Today he publishes his seventh book, Death knells without appealwith its own publishing house. Meeting with the writer in La Bruffière (Vendée).
What is your writing process?
It all starts with taking notes, in a notebook, of everything that comes to mind. For all my works, I do a lot of research to be consistent on space-time, places and various facts. During writing time I am always awake early, the ideas come. Although when I start writing, I don't know where I'm going. Different threads appear as the story unfolds. The hardest part is connecting them all together at the end.
Where are you taking your readers this time?
For the places where this novel takes place, it is an imaginary commune in the south of the Loire Inférieure. For the period, it led me to do a lot of historical research on the period 14-18 and the society of the time. The geographical context is located at the beginning of the 20th centurye century. For this novel, I wanted a more regional and local imprint in order to give depth to the character and the period. To arouse your desire, I will lift a corner of the veil on the summary: Moustigné-sur-Sèvre is a small quiet town in the south of the Loire Inférieure whose bells regularly tolled to announce the death of its children during the First World War … What is less normal is that in this year 1931, thirteen years after the end of the conflict, the death knell begins to ring mysteriously, with no one to activate it…
You have just created your publishing house…
Indeed, my editor will stop. I had the idea of creating it for some time. This is done with Altième éditions. So for the acquisition of this novel, readers have the possibility of contacting me directly or coming to meet me during the signing sessions this month of November: on the 9th, at the press house in Montaigu, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 at the Christmas market in Treize-Septiers (water plan room), Saturday 30, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the Super U in La Bruffière and Saturday, December 7 at La Verrie Christmas market.
Contact : Altième éditions 16, rue de la Pénissière, 85 530 La Bruffière. Email: [email protected]
