Writer’s Block: M.C. Joudrey

ALL LIT UP: Tell us about your book Marmalade Parade. What can readers expect?

M.C. JOUDREY: Memory. The book is experimental in structure, composition, and pace. 

ALU: Is there one stand-out moment or experience you had that helped you realize you wanted to become writer?

M.C.: The first time I experienced Will Eisner’s work. 

ALU: What was your most rewarding moment as a writer? 

M.C.: Every time I finish something.       

ALU: Why do you write? 

M.C.: Compulsion. 

ALU: What books have you read lately that you can’t stop thinking about? 

M.C.: Baldwin’s Another Country.  

ALU: If you had to describe your writing style in just a few words, what would they be? 

M.C.: Moon Mist ice-cream. Two scoops.  

ALU: What do you hope readers take away from your book? 

M.C.: That some mysteries should not be solved. 

ALU: What excites you most about the current literary landscape? 

M.C.: Three words: Garry Thomas Morse

ALU: If you weren’t an author, what do you think you’d be doing?  

M.C.: Deep space station astronaut. I could use the quiet.

ALU: How do you celebrate when you finish writing a book?

M.C.: Mille-feuille. 

ALU: If you could collaborate with any author, living or dead, who would it be and why?

M.C.: Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway. Just one drink, just one hour.

ALU: Are there any real-life experiences or people that have influenced your storytelling?

M.C.: Only the real become fiction. 

ALU: How do you overcome creative blocks when they arise?

M.C.: I look to the butterflies. 

ALU: Which writers have had the most impact on your own writing? 

M.C.: Alphabet Cocktail: 1/4 Renata Adler, 1/4 Mervin Peake, 1/4 Raymond Chandler, 1/4 Jenny Erpenbeck, 1 dash of Otomo Katsuhiro bitters, garnish with Ray Bradbury and Nina Hagen. Shake well. Pour.  

ALU: Where do you find inspiration for your characters? 

M.C.: Friends.

ALU: How do you approach developing your characters or world-building? 

M.C.: I don’t need to build a world. There’s one already.  

ALU: What was the most surprising thing you discovered about your story and/or characters while writing your latest book? 

M.C.: Characters won’t let me sleep.   

M. C. JOUDREY is an award winning writer, artist, and designer. His novel Fanonymous (2019) won the Independent Publisher gold medal for best work of fiction for Western Canada. It was also nominated for two Manitoba Book Awards, including the Margaret Laurence Award for best work of fiction.