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Author Alberte Villeneuve brings hope CANDICE VETTER candice.vetter@eap.on.ca
After its publication, Villeneuve started speaking to women’s support groups, tell- ing them that it is possible to rewire your life after abuse or tragedy. Then, “I realized I had not said all I wanted to say, so I started a second novel.” The publishing industry was changing and this one took longer to pub- lish. She met George Laidlaw through Ot- tawa Independent Writers who introduced her to Ray Coderre of Baico Books, which self-publishes books for authors. She decided to let Baico publish and sell her second book, Une prière pour Hélène. By now Anglophone friends were saying they’d like to read her stories too, so she translated both books herself and sold them through Baico. In the meantime she married the love of her life, Brian Sinclair. Originally from Carls- bad Springs, she and her new husband built their dream home in Vars. She didn’t write much fiction for a while, being caught up in teaching in schools with many difficult issues, and writing two columns on psy- chology, which had always fascinated her, as well as painting in acrylics and taking photographs. When her husband died of lung cancer she was devastated, but by now had six grandchildren living nearby and frequent speaking engagements. It was when her granddaughter Leah asked if she could do a writing workshop at St-Guillaume school that the idea for a new book arose. Leah and several of her friends wanted to do something about bullying. As a result, A Genie for Jessie is a collaboration and also Villeneuve’s first children’s book. It is also available in both languages. She shows her paintings and photos and said one of the most enjoyable things she has seen was all her books, mounted magazine articles, and her artwork on display together. What is her message for others? She an- swers, “There are so many messages, but one of the important ones is to remember that you are much more than your present situation.” Granddaughter Leah has a message too. “When people hurt you over and over think of them like sandpaper. They may scratch and hurt you a bit, but in the end you end up polished and they end up useless.”
VARS | The neat yard and lovely home of Alberte Villeneuve in Vars gives the first impression of someone who conforms with her community, but Villeneuve is as determined as she is neat, and she is on a lifelong mission. Alberte Villeneuve is a small, pretty wom- an with curling grey hair and a soft rose complexion. She stands slightly over five feet tall and her eyes twinkle merrily. Her appearance belies her past, which included ten years in a marriage she describes as “a horrible situation”. The marriage ended with Villeneuve’s first husband’s suicide, when her daughter was four years old. That turning point left her feeling like she had to do something. In 1986, Le Jardin Négligé, her first novel, was started, based on what she went through during her difficult marriage. “I wanted to share, to help other women,” she says. “Back then it was all hush hush.” The book took two years to finish. Her daughter complained that summer was not as much fun because her mother, who was also a fulltime teacher in Vanier, was always writing. “Why don’t you write a novel too?” Villeneuve asked. Villeneuve sent her manuscript to a con- test for unpublished novels through Salon du livre de l’Outaouais. She also entered her daughter’s manuscript in the Age 11-12 group. Both novels won. This boost helped her through the next tough period, trying to sell her manuscript. “It was almost published in Sudbury,” she says, “but the day I was supposed to meet the editor she was hit by a train and killed.” Looking back she says she realizes she could have continued with the publishing house, but, “I was too shocked. I just turned around and drove home.” It was in 1990 that Le Meridien in Mon- treal, at that time the biggest publisher in the province of Quebec, called saying they wanted to print her book. It was launched at Salon du livre jeunesse in Orleans and was the year’s biggest launch.
Photo Candice Vetter
Local author and public speaker Alberte Villeneuve is shown with her granddaugh- ter Leah, who with some friends collaborated on Villeneuve’s latest book, A Genie for Jessie, which is about bullying. Villeneuve has translated it and it is available in French and English.
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Ben Wiens, Ryan Dawson, Caleb Daigle and Jamal Jabara were some of the students acting in the video being shot by Kevin Kennedy’s drama class at Russell High School on Friday, November 30. Casting, directing and filming a video is one of the class’s assignments. In this case the students acted the roles of actors lined up for a casting call.
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