Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau

Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau has published 17 books with French publisher, Fleurus Éditions. Her YA series, Journal de Los Angeles(paperback, 2018), has sold tens of thousands of copies. Her nonfiction books about fashion, beauty, and wellness for teens have been translated into Russian, Czech, Italian, Portuguese, Hungarian, and Spanish to name a few. Her writing career began as a freelance journalist and now includes articles in Women’s Health Mag, Refinery 29, Yahoo Style, Yahoo Travel, and several other print and digital publications in both French and English. She also works as a copywriter and content creator in the lifestyle, beauty, fashion, and travel industries. Kisses and Croissants is her US debut.

Twitter: @ASJohanneau

Instagram: @ASJohanneau

What’s your favorite comic strip or graphic novel?

I grew up devouring comic books so it’s hard to pick a favorite. Belgian comic strips are the most popular in France (where I’m from) and I’ve read pretty much all of the earlier Lucky Luke books. They follow the adventures of a cowboy in the Wild West and his trusted horse, Jolly Jumper. I’m also a big fan of the Astérix series, set in 50 BC in Gaul (where France is now). It’s about two best friends—and the rest of the villagers—who try to fight against the Roman invasion during the era of Julius Caesar. In more recent years I enjoyed The Bellybuttons, a French Canadian comic book series about three girls who constantly hover between besties and worst enemies. I love the dry humor.

Is your go to comfort food sweet or savory? Is it something you make yourself? Does food inspire your writing?

My go-to comfort food is sweet but, really, I like anything doughy. French pastries come first—I have a fondness for pains au chocolat and croissants. On special days, I’ll get a fancy pâtisserie from Ladurée or a slice of Black Bottom Oat Pie from Four & Twenty Blackbirds in Brooklyn. I do bake a lot too; banana nut scones are a current favorite. I don’t know if food inspires my writing, but I tend to naturally include what my characters are eating. I spend most of my day thinking about what I’ll have for my next meal, so I figure my characters do, too.

Vacation druthers… City or Rural destination? Why?

I love cities so much: the monuments, the history, the museums, restaurants, and shopping. I could walk around most big cities for hours, enjoying the surroundings and taking photos. However, after ten years in the hustle and bustle of New York, I have a much deeper appreciation for nature, quiet, and fresh air. Even a day out of town helps me reset. In truth, my favorite vacation is always going to involve a large body of water, and lots of time spent swimming in it.

What’s the difference (at least for you!) between being a writer and an author? How do you shift gears between the two?

Being an author and a writer are two different jobs, and I can’t even think of similarities between them. Writing is a very solitary activity. I spend entire days in my own head, playing with fictional people, and trying to stay off the internet. Meanwhile, being an author means interacting with lots of different people, being active on social media, participating in events, etc. It’s quite social, which I love! In an ideal world, I would only do one at a time, but since it rarely works out that way, I spend mornings doing calls and answering emails so I can dedicate my afternoons, evenings, and (sometimes) weekends to writing. I have an internet blocker on my computer, and turning it on not only eliminates distractions, it also tells my brain that it’s time to write!

Do you speak a second language? Do you think differently in that language? Does it influence your writing?

English is my second language, after French. I’ve also studied Spanish, Dutch and German, but I’m very rusty in the latter two. I definitely think differently in French and English, partly because each relationship in my life has its language. For example, I speak French with my parents and English with my husband. I also speak Frenglish (a mash-up of both) with many of my French friends in New York: we just go with whatever phrase comes quicker to us, knowing that we’ll understand each other. What I love about language is that it’s so representative of culture. In English, it’s common to say, “I feel like…” but there’s no direct equivalent in French—we don’t share our feelings quite so much, ha. The same goes for many colloquialisms. And yes, it does influence my work. If I’m writing in English and the perfect French phrase comes to mind, I love trying to figure out how I can adapt it to convey what I mean. I often come up with creative new expressions that way.