1. Can you tell us a bit about you? Where you grew up in France, how you became an author?
I’m a 43-year-old man who still believes he is 17. I practiced a lot of sports, from fencing to rugby, until my knees begged me to stop. I’m an avid fan of Dennis Lehane, movies, TV series
(Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory is an all-time favorite) and old Marvel comic books.
I left law school to become a journalist, and then worked in advertising. I created my own company when I was 23 and ran it until 2009. I got tired of the business world and ended it all just before turning 40. I had written a story, on my spare time, for a friend who had lost his wife and daughter in a car accident. It was crime fiction mixed with supernatural and was set in Manhattan. But the story was not just about crime or supernatural. It was about hope, friendship, and surviving the horror. I wondered what it was worth, but I didn’t any particular ambition to be a writer. I owned shares in a bar and my associate told me lots of writers came there every day. Two of them accepted to read it. They both decided it was worth publishing. One introduced me to his publisher, a small company. That’s how everything started.
For years, I’ve been a “pen for hire.” Now, I can tell my own stories, create my own world, without any boundaries. To me, writing is freedom.
2. Your book is a thriller about Wall Street. What inspired you to base it in the US?
I fell in love with Manhattan when I first went there. I was 17, and I remember every single moment of my trip to the Big Apple. I also spent a lot of time in Virginia, and I travel to the
States as often as I can. My best friend lives in Los Angeles, and I’ve been to Boston, Washington, San Francisco and many other cities. All my books have at least one chapter set in the United
States. I started learning English very soon, and I’m huge fan of Marvel Comics. I own a collection of 4,000 of them from the 1960s to the early 1980s. The American Dream meant something when I
was a kid, and still does now.
Let me reveal you one funny thing about Jeremy’s character. At the beginning of the novel, he uses his mother’s name: Novacek. As for his first name, he’s called Jay. Jay Novacek was a Dallas Cowboys’ tight end. I was a fan of the guy, so his name ended up in the book! I never thought he might come to hear about it someday.
3. Our audience is mainly made up of women—could you talk about the appeal your novel can have for women?
Five letters should answer your question: E Y T A N. The main character of the Consortium thriller series seems to be extremely popular among women who have read the book. He seems strong,
merciless, almost indestructible, but deep inside he is still a wounded child who has suffered more than you can imagine.
Also, behind the action and study of unknown historical facts, The Bleiberg Project is all about feelings, emotions, and humanity. Creating the characters is what interests me most when writing. I want you to feel as if they were family, and eventually that’s what most readers feel.
And you should definitely keep an eye on Elena, a ruthless killer who becomes more and more important throughout the books.
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Written by David Khara — You might have heard of The Bleiberg Project already – it’s the debut novel, now translated into English by Le French Book, by French writer David
Khara. We 
