Knowlton Literary Festival
Isabelle Laflèche’s latest work, “Bonjour Girl,” a novel for young adult readers, tells the story of an ambitious young woman who has moved to New York to become a fashion influencer, write a blog, and like Lady Gaga, change the world one sequin at a time.
According to Sheryl Taylor of the Knowlton Literary Festival organizing committee, Laflèche’s main character, 19-year-old Clementine, “loves vintage style and has a kind of quirkiness that makes her stand out.” But in creating a blog, she exposes herself to cyberbullying, which threatens her dream and her reputation. The novel is relevant to what young people, especially girls, experience nowadays in the world of social media.
The author will be talking about her new book at the Knowlton Literary Festival on Saturday morning, Oct. 13 from 11 a.m. to noon in the Lac-brome Community Centre, 270 Victoria in Knowlton. Admission is free. “Her appearance at the festival will surely attract young readers interested in meeting a writer willing to talk about the challenges and rewards of writing for a teen audience,” said Philip Lanthier, festival organizer.
Her two previous novels, “J’adore New York” and “J’adore Paris” reveal Laflèche’s deep connection with the world of fashion while at the same time exploring the drama which often lurks below the pretty pictures and models on dazzling runways.
Laflèche worked ten years as a corporate attorney in New York, Montreal, and Toronto. As she writes on her website, she gave up her high pressure legal career when she encountered a psychic on the streets of New York who told her she was going down the wrong path. She left the legal whirlwind and started writing, but her books still involve a degree of legal research into the underworld of fraud, counterfeit, and exploitation.
Laflèche will also be appearing at the Local Authors Evening, Thursday, Oct. 11 in the Community Centre, starting at 7 p.m. Admission is free.