Sylvain Reynard's Blog, page 33

Goodreads Choice Awards - Final Round

Dear Everyone,



Because of your support, Gabriel's Rapture is in the Final round of the Goodreads Choice Awards.  As you'll see, Best Romance is a very competitive category.  You can vote for your favourite here.



Thank you for supporting me in the category of Best Author. I'd like to congratulate Colleen Hoover and EL James and wish them the best in the Final Round.



The writing of the third book is coming along nicely. I should be able to post a teaser by the end of December.



All the best and thanks once again for your support,



SR



www.sylvainreynard.com



PS. I've received some questions recently asking about my future projects. Once the third Gabriel book is finished, I have a contract with Berkley for two other books. More details on those books will be forthcoming.

Goodreads Choice Awards - Semifinals

Dear Everyone,

Because of your support, Gabriel's Rapture is in the Semifinal round of the Goodreads Choice Awards in Best Romance. You'll notice this is a very competitive category with many well-known authors.

Because of a vigorous write-in campaign by a number of readers, I've also been nominated as Best Author.

You can see the nominees and vote for your favourites here: http://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards...

And here: http://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards...

Thank you for your support and your confidence. I'm truly grateful to you.

All the best and thank you for reading,

SR


http://www.sylvainreynard.com/2012/11...

The Cover - Auguste Rodin

Dear Everyone,



Several people have asked about the cover artwork of "Gabriel's Inferno." There are three images - the flames, the embracing couple, and the male figure. As a way of celebrating the release of the novel, I thought I'd write a few words about the cover, explaining the significance of the art.





The male protagonist in my book is Gabriel Emerson, a professor of Italian Studies at the University of Toronto. He spends his days teaching and writing about the life and works of Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), who is best known for his work The Divine Comedy. The Comedy is divided into three sections: Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise, marking the worlds through which Dante travels beginning on Good Friday in 1300 AD.




The Flames

Steeped as he is in Dante's world, Professor Emerson cannot help but see his own existence in Dantean terms, especially the concepts of sin and punishment. The flames on the cover of the book, along with the title, reflect Gabriel's self-understanding. He sees himself as existing in Hell. Given this view and the journey that he takes through the course of the novel, it seemed appropriate to use images from the Inferno on the cover, especially the flames of Hell.




The Male Figure

In order to explain the significance of the other two images, we need to look at the work of French sculptor Auguste Rodin. Rodin (1840-1917) is perhaps best known for two of his works - The Thinker and The Kiss. What is lesser known is the fact that these sculptures were part of a larger work inspired by the text of Dante's Inferno.




In 1880, Rodin was commissioned to sculpt a monumental door entitled The Gates of Hell .

In the middle of the door, at the top, sits a very familiar figure - The Thinker. But who is the Thinker? For Rodin, it could be Dante, himself, since he later renames the figure The Poet. One could also theorize that The Thinker is one of the inhabitants of Limbo or The Vestibule. Limbo is populated by virtuous persons who died unregenerate. The poet Virgil is part of this group, as is Aristotle, Socrates, and a host of others. For my purposes, I choose to identify The Thinker as Dante.




On the cover of "Gabriel's Inferno," we see a male figure in the top left, who bears some resemblance to Rodin's Thinker, with at least two intriguing differences. Rodin's figure has his hand clenched in a fist underneath his chin, while the figure on the book cover has his hands clasped together. Both figures are contemplative. But the position of the man's hands and his down cast eyes suggest that the man on the cover is doing much more than thinking...




The Lovers

The final image on the book's cover is that of a nude man and woman who are locked in an embrace. The woman's face is turned to the side, her hand disappearing into her lover's hair. The man is hugging her tightly, his mouth hidden in the crook of her shoulder, while his hands caress her back. The embrace is tender but almost desperate. The woman's fingers are tensed in his hair. The man's hands press deeply into her flesh. But they aren't kissing. Perhaps his lips are kissing her shoulder, but we can't tell for sure. He could be whispering to her. He could be simply resting, enjoying their physical connection. He could be weeping.




Once again, in order to explore the significance of this image we need to return to Rodin's sculpture The Gates of Hell . The statue of Paolo and Francesca from The Gates of Hell was later renamed The Kiss . The story of Paolo and Francesca is told by Gabriel Emerson in one of the passages of the novel. In summary, they were guilty of the sin of lust and thus consigned to Hell upon their tragic deaths. Rodin's sculpture captures the passion between the two lovers just as they begin to give in to it, but before their lips connect. The figures are naked and caught in an embrace. Francesca's arm is thrown around Paolo's neck. But although the sculpture is called The Kiss, the couple aren't kissing.




The same can be said for the nude lovers on the cover. They're embracing one another tightly, but they aren't kissing. Although their configuration suggests passion, their image doesn't reflect the fires of lust and wantonness. Their pose is loving, tender, and unlike Rodin's sculpture, there is no space between the man and the woman. One might wonder about the significance of their pose and why it appears both erotic and peaceful...




All the best everyone and thanks for reading,

SR

Goodreads Choice Awards - Semifinals

Dear Everyone,



Because of your support, Gabriel's Rapture is in the Semifinal round of the Goodreads Choice Awards in Best Romance.  You'll notice this is a very competitive category with many well-known authors.



Because of a vigorous write-in campaign by a number of readers, I've also been nominated as Best Author.



You can see the nominees and vote for your favourites here.  

And here.



Thank you for your support and your confidence. I'm truly grateful to you.



Finally, I'd like to share a reader made book trailer for Gabriel's Inferno.   Jenna did a tremendous job. You can view the trailer here.



All the best and thank you for reading,



SR





www.sylvainreynard.com

Goodreads Choice Award Nomination

Dear Everyone,



"Gabriel's Rapture" has been nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award in the category of Best Romance.  This is a very competitive category. My friend E.L. James and my fellow Penguin author Sylvia Day are also nominated.



I want to thank you for your support of this book. You are the reason why "Rapture" has been nominated.



You can see the list of nominees and vote for your favourite here. 



All the best and thank you for your support,



SR



www.sylvainreynard.com



PS. In case you missed it, my last post was on Hurricane Sandy. I mentioned a couple of charities that were involved in disaster relief. Please consider giving or volunteering.

Hurricane Sandy

Dear Everyone,



I've been hearing from readers who were affected by Hurricane Sandy. The devastation is incredible.



I hope that you, your family and friends are safe.



As we look toward the clean up process, there are a number of charities that can help.  First, the Red Cross.  In addition to providing immediate help to those in need, they are accepting donations and running blood drives. Please consider giving.



Second, the Salvation Army.  The Salvation Army is offering emergency disaster services already, including food, shelter, and clothing.  They need donations and volunteers. Please consider giving.



Third, Covenant House.  I'm including them because their house in Atlantic City, New Jersey had to be evacuated. Covenant House provides a safe place for teens in crisis, many of whom are running from abusive households. If you can, please consider giving to the Atlantic City Covenant House to help them continue to provide a home for their youth.



In addition to these charities, many local governments, faith-based groups, and humanitarian organizations are putting together teams of volunteers to help with disaster relief. Please consider giving of your time. Please consider becoming a sticky little leaf for someone in need.



All the best and thank you,

SR





www.sylvainreynard.com

Meet the Voice of Professor Emerson

Dear Everyone,



A number of you have written to me asking for more information about the actor who read "Gabriel's Inferno" and "Gabriel's Rapture" on the audiobooks. (You can listen to samples on Audible.com and Audible.co.uk ) His name is John Michael Morgan and I'm pleased to introduce him to you.







John Michael Morgan is a writer, director, singer, actor, teacher and storycarrier who has worked in many contexts over the years, including film, television, theater, and schools. His BA from Wheaton College is in Literature with an emphasis on creative writing and mythology. He also has an MFA in Acting from Southern Methodist University and a second MFA in Film Production and Directing from UCLA.



His screenplay, THE CAVANAUGHS (which he wrote with his co-writer, Meg LeFauve) was selected for the Sundance Writers Lab. John also attended the Sundance Directors Lab as a directing fellow. While in development with THE CAVANAUGHS, John continues to write, direct, perform and teach. John was born in Chicago, Illinois and was raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota.



When he graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas he co-founded Kitchen Dog Theater, now a longstanding, multi-award winning theater. When he moved to Los Angeles, he worked in various arenas: as an actor or director in film, television, commercial voiceovers, and on stage. He has also worked as a singer, performing in musicals, chamber pieces, new opera pieces and world music festivals.



Then, a few years ago, John joyously found his way into audiobooks. In the late summer of 2012, John was given the opportunity to inhabit the passionate, rich and generous imagination of author Sylvain Reynard through the novels GABRIEL’S INFERNO and GABRIEL’S RAPTURE.



It was a wonderful journey for John. With heartfelt appreciation he thanks Sylvain and Penguin for trusting these beloved characters and their lovingly wrought world to him.



John currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.











All the best everyone and thanks for listening,



SR



www.sylvainreynard.com

SR signs Contract for Third Book in Gabriel Series: Plus Contest!

Dear Everyone,




I have good news.




I have on my desk a contract with Berkley Books for three novels. The first book under this contract will be the third
and final volume in the Gabriel series. The release date is to be announced, as
are the subjects of the other two books under contract.




When I wrote “Gabriel’s Rapture,” I
intended this book to be the last volume about the Professor. But no sooner was
the book released, than I began to receive letters from readers asking me for a
third book.




Although I was grateful for the
letters, I was determined that Rapture would be the final book. But as time
went on and I received message after message asking for more about the
Professor and Julianne, I began to contemplate what a third novel would entail.




Then, one morning I began to write …




So I’m pleased to tell you, the readers,
that the third book is in progress and it's being written for you in response
to your messages. Thank you for your continued support of me and my writing. I look forward to sharing the novel with you.




All the best and thanks for reading,




SR

www.sylvainreynard.com




PS. I'm pleased to report that my novels are going to be translated into French and into Croatian. More details forthcoming.





CONTEST






Do you see these? These are some of SR's author copies!! When SR sent me the photo, I knew we had to do a contest!




SR's photo (above) will be added to the FB Fan Page and also Twitter.  




From there you'll 'share' it either on your FB page or on your Twitter but the key is to tell people why you love the books.   




Make sure you 'tag' / @ SR's name so that you're properly entered.




Winners will be chosen randomly and you'll receive both books signed by SR. 



GOOD LUCK! xoxo Enn




If you have questions, email me at enn@sylvainreynard.com

Listening to the Professor

Dear Everyone,



I'm pleased to report that the audiobooks of both "Gabriel's Inferno" and "Gabriel's Rapture" were released today, September 27. Many readers have been contacting me asking me about the possibility of audio books and I'm proud to say that Penguin Audio did a great job with the recording.



They audiobooks are available on Audible.com, the iTunes store, and Audible.co.uk. You can listen to a sample of each book through the Audible.com site.



The Professor (and I) thank you for listening.



All the best,



SR



www.sylvainreynard.com



PS. I'm also pleased to announce that both novels have made the New York Times and USAToday bestseller lists again this week.

Audiobooks Released

Dear Everyone,

I'm pleased to announce that the audio books of both Gabriel's Inferno and Gabriel's Rapture were released this morning. They are available through Audible sites in both the US and UK, as well as the iTunes stores.

If you follow this link to the US Audible store, you will be able to find out more and listen to a sample.

http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_1_11...

I'm also pleased to announce that both books are on the New York Times Bestseller list again this week.

All the best and thank you for your support,
SR