Bertrand Touzet, a writer life inspired

Originally from Toulouse, the writer often incorporates the mountains he loves so much into his novels, while his daily life as a massage therapist often inspires the first lines of his stories.

French publisher Presses de la Cité opened the doors of its Terres de France collection to him, as his novels recall the history and daily life of south of France.

Bertrand Touzet likes characters who are both strong and sensitive. Often women, sometimes men, but always personal stories that merge, intertwine, and delicately join the life of a region. If everyday life inspires the plot of his stories, it is because it proves to be an inexhaustible source of emotion, enthusiasm, and poetry, providing the necessary rhythm for the fiction that the novelist loves.

Interview with Bertrand Touzet

Hello,

Delighted to welcome you to the blog's portrait gallery.

To begin with, what was the catalyst that launched your writing career?

To be honest, I don't know exactly why I suddenly decided to try my hand at writing.

The stories that populated my imagination wanted only one thing: to be shared.

What was your journey like before you wrote your first page?

My first published novel is also the very first manuscript I sent out and... the first text I ever wrote.

Before that, during my science studies, my French teachers never really encouraged my literary side. So in the end, it was this manuscript that started it all, with the realization that readers could be touched by what I wrote.

And then, above all, there is the intoxicating pleasure of writing, which quickly became an urgent need.

Your inspiration comes from your daily life, such as historical events and social issues... How do you develop your central theme?

How I work... I usually start with a news story that strikes a chord with me in real life, and I gradually weave together stories and connections between characters...

I assemble a veritable patchwork of emotions and sensations.

Your profession takes up a large part of your life. How do you manage your dual identity as a physical therapist and novelist?

It's quite a balance, a daily exercise.

My computer is on in my office, I jot down things, phrases... I also have a notebook, always in my pocket...

I let myself be carried away, I'm like a sponge! I write down everything that makes me react, music, a movie, a book, a photo, a painting, life in general... I need to experience things fully in order to talk about them, I need to be in contact with people (in my work, among other things) to continue to be legitimate in talking about them.

Who are the first readers of your novels and how do they help you modify or refine your story?

My first reader is actually a female reader, my editor. I am much less shy with her than with my family, as is often the case in the literary world. What's more, I know that she will have the professional perspective and distance necessary to advise me on my writing or on changes to be made to the plot.

My family, on the other hand, only reads the novels once the manuscript has been signed with my publisher.

Do you participate in writing workshops, present your work at conferences, particularly in schools or training institutes?

The book leads me to meet very different people: students, prisoners (with the association Lire pour en sortir), and I also participate in book clubs and writing workshops. These are wonderful moments of exchange and sharing.

It's always a real pleasure and a privilege to rub shoulders with so many literature lovers, and I would like to be able to interact even more often with these different organizations.

You seem to publish a novel every year... That's quite a pace. Do you already have an idea for your next novel?

My new novel? Yes, it's already mostly in my head and then, a little bit, on my computer. Stay tuned for the next chapter!

Many thanks to Bertrand Touzet for his collaboration on this article.

Look for Bertrand Touzet's novels at our books partner  La Maison de la presse, in Uzès.