Interview with Sarah Lessire, author of The Scent of Dreams
Doodles, doodles everywhere congratulates author Sarah Lessire on the release of her book, The Scent of Dreams! Let's welcome her on the blog for an interview with DDE today. Read on!
1. How did you decide to write The Scent of Dreams?
Well, the funny part is that I never decided to write this book. I was living in Berlin at the time, and I was actually working on a different fiction story taking place in Ancient Africa. One morning, I sat down to write my morning pages, a 20 minute habit that I had had for years. Three hours later, I was staring at a manuscript I had never planned for. The Scent Of Dreams had made itself into the world, and chosen me as a writer.
2. Could you give the readers an idea about what they should expect in the book?
The Scent Of Dreams is a magical fable that follows a spirited girl’s quest for her forgotten dream. Upon awakening in a blurry place, she fails to remember what she knows to be the most wonderful dream she ever had.
Her only hope is to trace the eluding scent of her dream. She sets on an adventure that unravels in a delightfully odd universe, crosses paths with peculiar characters and will push her to explore the depths of one of the most essential parts of life: trust in one’s own journey.
This story blends surreal logic and symbolic fantasy to open a dialogue in which everyone (kids, parents, and anyone who kept a tender heart) is free to reassess what it means to “follow your dreams”, and to make space for confusion and uncertainty in order to have a more profound journey.
3. What kind of research went behind the book?
The most interesting aspect in creating this book was the collaboration with Jen Carnes, the talented artist behind the illustrations. We spent a lot of time shaping the characters in order to fully capture their spirit and personality in a way that would resonate with readers of all ages. Figuring out how to illustrate the scent was also a mad, wildly imaginative process!
4. Tell us a bit about the Kickstarter campaign for this book.
Our campaign went Live a week ago and we have 20 more days to reach my funding goal of 9000$, which will enable me to self-publish and distribute the book. We are offering a wide array of rewards for pledges as low as $4 and as high as $1500! Running a Kickstarter campaign is, to say the least, an intense experience, and it challenges me to go deeper with the lessons that The Scent Of Dreams explores. Everyday I’m faced with the notion that a journey happens one step at the time, and that trust is not accidental, it is a choice.
5. What are some of the biggest challenges or learning experiences you have faced throughout the writing and publishing process.
I didn't have a plan for this story, and I believe that this is what enabled me to push it so far. Because I didn’t dwell in grandiose, amazing and thus terrifying visions (“Let’s make it a movie”, “Let’s turn it into a musical”, “How about a Scent Of Dreams' amusement park?!), I was able to let my efforts and inspiration run on a slow-drip mode, and return to the page everyday without too much pressure. It forced me to be much more patient with the process, to accept my own limitations and then, sloooowly, to outgrow them... until I had written a book that did justice to its initial spark of inspiration.
6. Where is your favorite place to think or write down your ideas?
In my bedroom, at this ridiculously small mid-century desk I purchased on a whim. It’s got two pastel blue drawers that contrast against the exotic wood color. It doesn’t take itself seriously. I like that about it.
7. What do you do when you are not writing or reading?
Singing, playing music, teaching others how to sing... I would say that writing is what I do when I’m not engaging in some form of musical activity.
8. Would you like to give a few tips to aspiring authors?
To remember that, they (-we!-) are just that…aspiring authors. Our job is not to create perfect masterpieces. It’s to keep showing up, day after day, good or bad, polish our craft, and keep aspiring to find more ease in our writing, and most importantly, in our relationship to our art and to ourselves.
9. What's next?
A lot of that will depend on how our Kickstarter goes! I have a lot of stretch goals that will demand my attention: a French version of the book, a music album to accompany the reading, a Scent Of Dreams’ perfume… I’m excited to see where this takes me.
10. Lastly, any special thoughts for the readers?
The Scent Of Dreams is, in a way, an homage to my parents. A "thank you" for the time they spent reading to me and encouraging me to explore my intuition. I would love for the tradition of reading together to not be wiped out by our new romance with digital screens. Let’s keep reading together, to each other, let’s keep making up new parts to the stories, and let’s keep sharing precious moment within each other’s imaginations.
And then of course, I invite you to check out our Kickstarter campaign and discover more about this project which is so precious to my heart.
The Scent Of Dreams
Illustrator: Jen Carnes
End of Kickstarter Campaign: Dec 10th 2016
Thunderclap | Kickstarter
The Scent Of Dreams is a magical fable that follows a spirited girl’s quest for her forgotten dream.
Upon awakening in a blurry place, she fails to remember what she knows to be the most wonderful dream she ever had.
Her only hope is to trace the eluding scent of her dream. She sets on an adventure that unravels in a delightfully odd universe, crosses paths with peculiar characters and will push her to explore the depths of one of the most essential parts of life: trust in one’s own journey.
The Scent Of Dreams - An Inner Children’s Book blends surreal logic and symbolic fantasy to cast an enchanting spell on readers of all ages. This is a book to share, to read, to give and to receive, and most importantly, a story to be lived.
“The Scent Of Dreams is a magical book, which will ignite the imagination of every young reader - as well as many older ones!”
- Donna Sharpe
by Sarah Lessire
Illustrator: Jen Carnes
End of Kickstarter Campaign: Dec 10th 2016
Thunderclap | Kickstarter
The Scent Of Dreams is a magical fable that follows a spirited girl’s quest for her forgotten dream.
Upon awakening in a blurry place, she fails to remember what she knows to be the most wonderful dream she ever had.
Her only hope is to trace the eluding scent of her dream. She sets on an adventure that unravels in a delightfully odd universe, crosses paths with peculiar characters and will push her to explore the depths of one of the most essential parts of life: trust in one’s own journey.
The Scent Of Dreams - An Inner Children’s Book blends surreal logic and symbolic fantasy to cast an enchanting spell on readers of all ages. This is a book to share, to read, to give and to receive, and most importantly, a story to be lived.
Explored themes
- Trust - in your own journey and in your intuition
- Love for another one versus the pursue of one's dreams
- The absurdity of conformism and flock thinking
- The idea of guidance coming from the dreams themselves
Praise for the book
“The Scent Of Dreams is a magical book, which will ignite the imagination of every young reader - as well as many older ones!”
- Donna Sharpe
Teaser trailer
Sarah Lessire is a Belgian author, singer and composer who lives in the US. She studied classical singing at the Royal Conservatories of Bruxelles and Mons, and released 3 original albums, 'Silent Songs' being the latest.
She wrote The Scent Of Dreams while living in Berlin, moved by a deep yearning to encourage people to trust their journeys.
Whether through the use of words, stories or sounds, Sarah’s art addresses the raw essence of the human experience, and utilizes the world of metaphors and symbolic dreaming as a canvas for emotional expression and authentic connection.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram
She wrote The Scent Of Dreams while living in Berlin, moved by a deep yearning to encourage people to trust their journeys.
Whether through the use of words, stories or sounds, Sarah’s art addresses the raw essence of the human experience, and utilizes the world of metaphors and symbolic dreaming as a canvas for emotional expression and authentic connection.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram
About the illustrator
Jen Carnes is an illustrator and graphic designer currently residing in Austin, Texas. She has been an artist most of her life and has illustrated two other children's books.
She is a graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she studied Graphic Design- although she is more of an illustrator at heart. She also works as an installation artist and calligrapher.
Website
She is a graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she studied Graphic Design- although she is more of an illustrator at heart. She also works as an installation artist and calligrapher.
Website
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