I am so happy to receive my copies of Paradis Synthetique!

In a writer’s life, there are a few special priceless moments that fill their heart with joy, such as when they write the last word of a story they have been working on for years, when they sign a publishing contract that acknowledges the value and potential of the book, when the cover design is finalized and their “baby” gets a face, and when they hold the first printed copy of the book in their hand. It is like when a woman carries a child for 9 months and finally gets to hold them in her arms. IT IS DELIVERED.

I got my copy of Paradis Synthetique delivered to me two days ago. I was excited to find the parcel at the doorstep and rushed to carry it in, get a pair of scissors, open the box, and check my baby!

It didn’t disappoint! The cover design is amazing. The print is great. And I am sure that the translation is of top quality. Davide Knecht translated L’Epouse D’Amman, my first book to come out in French, which got shortlisted for a few translation awards. So I trust him blindly and know that he must have done an even better job with this one, since it is the first published book by his newly established publishing house Editions Hikaya.

I opened it and tried to read it, but my French is so basic. I studied French for 10 years in school, and was the top of my class, but then I haven’t used it since high school. I’d probably understand 10% of the text, or maybe 15% taking into consideration that I remember the story I wrote! Nevertheless, it looks perfect to me, with my writer’s note written specifically for the French version, and Davide’s afterward note at the end of the book.

The cover is a masterpiece! I remember when we first started working on it, they sent me a few options that I didn’t really like. I wanted something of the same quality as the Italian cover for the same book, which is amazing. They didn’t disappoint. Davide’s partner Romain Delplancq, a fellow sci-fi and fantasy author, worked on the illustration and produced this amazing cover. It has the golden youth pill at the center, a reflection of a futuristic Amman inside it, and smoke of the DNA strips floating around the pill, indicating the powerful implications of scientific advancements in the future on human life. What a brilliant idea!

If you want a copy, you can order it directly from Amazon by clicking on the following button:

Paradis Synthetique