Interview With Author Danielle Bouthillier

 

  

 

1. What inspired you to write this book?

Back in 2011, while in university, I had “lost” my graphic artist tablet and was unable to do art. However, I had an old student laptop and used Microsoft Word to write short stories as a creative outlet. To save money on housing, I lived with my family which was in fact terrible for my mental health. After coming home from a 12-hour day at university,

 

I wanted to watch TV before going to bed. There was a channel called Teletoon Retro which showed old cartoons and included a show from the 60’s called the New Adventures of Superman. While watching the cartoon, my overly-religious mother came into the living room and saw superman use his powers to save the city. She asked “is that witchcraft?” and I replied no. She then asked is that satanism?” but that included alien. I gave her superman’s backstory of how Superman is from another planet, his parents saved him by sending him to earth, he was adopted by a loving couple who

owned a farm, he grew up to become a reporter in the big city and he uses his powers to protect people etc. My mother, who has no listening capabilities, ignored my

explanation. In anger she yelled that I was introducing Satan into the house, I was possessed by the devil, superman was evil and possessed etc.

 

I was initially shocked by her response. How could she accuse a superhero if being evil, especially a well-known superhero who is known for his bravery and uses his powers to defend the earth from crime and disasters.

 

Several questions came to mind after that confrontation. What if, instead of watching cartoons, I was an “adult” watching the news and superman was real. On TV, it showed superman saving the city and I was in the living room cheering superman while my mother accused him of blasphemy. What if superman was real and saved my mothers life. Would she have the audacity of yelling at superman, in his face, and calling him a demon even though he saved her.

 

I noticed that Superman was adopted by a loving couple who lived on a farm, the Kents. If my maternal grandparents found and adopted superman and later discovered his powers, instead of trying to hide him from the government, or seeking scientist or doctors help, they would most likely go to a pastor or priest who would accuse the boy of being possessed by the devil and recommend abuse as treatment.

 

Initially I was writing a short story about a homeless man who was once a brave fire fighter, who tells their life story to a young man whom he saved many years ago. Then the story was changed to a homeless superhero who tells their life story to a person they saved years ago. However, once I changed the main character to a female, then the story became more dramatic and emotional. This short story ballooned into a novel

and several revisions have occurred over several years to create this unique superhero story.

 

2. What exactly is it about — and who is it written for?

The book is about a washed-up superhero who tells their life story to the son of a supervillain. Specifically: One night, the son of a superhero, Johnny, is saved by a mysterious stranger. Many years later, he stumbles upon Hero who is living on the streets and wallowing in self- pity. He invites the superhero into his office where she tells him her life story which is filled with abuse, poverty, and anxiety.

 

Hero’s role is to save people in the moments of danger and stress. However, it seems that she is the one who needs support and protection. The book is written for fans of the superhero genre, superhero comic books, for both boys and girls, young adults and teenagers.

 

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book?

Why readers would appreciate my Novel? The story is unique and has a unique writing style - The words that are used are common plus the narration is very descriptive make the read fluid and effortless. This makes the visualization of the events, places and

characters possible to everyone. The narrative delivery is on point and imaginable while the story is being read. Also, no reader will notice that he has already read multiple pages since there is almost a moving picture in front of him. It is an unconventional and memorable superhero story where the superhero needs to

be saved and needs support and protection. Even superheroes need to be saved.

 

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design?

For the title, I was unable to create a unique superhero name for my main character. Hero was originally the placeholder’s name. According to the dictionary, a Hero is; anyone who has performed a heroic deed and risked their life to save another; the main character of a story; short for superhero; and can be used to describe an ancient Roman or Greek mythical being with superhuman abilities.

 

For the cover, I am old-fashioned and prefer a cover which includes the story setting, an image of the main character, and an element from the story or special symbol included with the character. I am not a fan of the new “ribbon art” style since I associate it with a

memoir or non-fiction than fiction. Therefore, my cover includes a city, the setting, Hero as herself as described in the book (female with short black-brown hair wearing a back trench coat), and the special element is her guitar and the blue-flamed font hinting as a supernatural power or force associated with the story.

 

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!?

 Do not write your life story, memoirs, since majority of your life is very boring. Instead, focus on a “chapter of your life” when something interesting occurred.

Ex. Accident, surgery, war, college etc.

 

 Generally, from my experience, you need a unique style of writing since most publishers are looking for unique works. Avoid dream sequences but include lots

of flashbacks in your story. The flashbacks should be triggered by a question or sensory memory trigger. The story should include less than 10 characters. Only

name important characters.

 

 Base characters off a real people you have met in real life.

 

 Do not write children’s books. Young children are mostly interested in the artworks and pictures. Also, children of that age cannot read or are learning how

to read. Only write children’s books to explain how to read, a book to explain difficult subjects for children such as divorce, or moral lessons.

 

 When writing science fiction, for inspiration, look for news stories with scientific new discoveries. Use scientific facts to make the story more relatable and

believable. Ex. Jurassic Park was inspired by cloning technologies which was new at the time.

 

 Accept constructive criticism. It should be advice to improve the story and not rude comments. You can ignore rude comments about your writing since they are

not productive.

 

 Hire an experienced editor and cover artist. Unfortunately, people do judge books by their covers. Readers will not read a book that has too many spelling and grammar errors since it makes the book look unprofessional and difficult to read.

 

 Readers prefer happy endings such as a wedding, earth is saved from aliens, etc. Only use bad endings to show a moral ex. Main character goes to jail for

being a liar.

 

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?

- Digitalization such as eBooks and Audiobooks

- Combined Audiobook with video slide show presentation (images or

photographs, similar to a picture book)

- Paperback is seen as residual media, but some readers still prefer this media

 

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when

writing this book?

My personal experiences have indeed influenced this novel. The novel takes place in a recession/depression era which I have grown up in – the inability for a young person to find work and struggle to survive while being in poverty. Mostly, the abuses that I have experienced over my life are also reflected in the writing,

and experienced by the main character, mostly religious and psychological abuse.

 

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing

similar to?

 

I have a unique writing style since I never enrolled a “creative writing” course and I consider myself “self-taught” writer. I was informed that my style is similar to a screenplay (script) where the opening paragraph describes the scene and characters, then followed by dialogue. I do not believe that my writing style is similar to anyone else’s writing style.

 

9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book?

- Constructive criticism and lots of revisions (which included removing scenes and

characters that did not add to the plotline).

- Embarrassment and fear of rejection

- Time constraints since I was in university when I wrote majority of this novel and

had little time for myself.

- No family support towards my goals and their doubt that I would succeed.

 

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours?

Why readers would appreciate my Novel? The story is unique and has a unique writing style - The words that are used are common plus the narration is very descriptive make the read fluid and effortless. This makes the visualization of the events, places and

characters possible to everyone. The narrative delivery is on point and imaginable while the story is being read. Also, no reader will notice that he has already read multiple pages since there is almost a moving picture in front of him.

It is an unconventional and memorable superhero story where the superhero needs to be saved and needs support and protection. Even superheroes need to be saved.

 

About The Author: Danielle Bouthillier is a laboratory technician, digital artist, and science-fiction writer with her new debut Novel, considered to be her magnum opus, titled Hero. Her debut work started in 2011 and went through several revisions over the years to create this tension-driven and unconventional superhero story. She has two smaller publications from

winning writing contests which gave her a dream to, one day, publish a story that is unforgettable and entertaining to read. Her first small publication is a short story called

“A Night to Remember” in Touched by Titanic; a children’s book created for the 90^th anniversary of the Titanic Disaster. In her personal life, Danielle likes to write short stories as a constructive outlet for relieving stress. She also likes to write romance and fantasy

genre stories with elements of drama and action. For more info, please see: https://herodaniellebouthillier.com/.

 

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For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

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