About M-E

IN M-E’S WORDS

The beginning…

I remember writing many Chapter 1s, some story outlines, maps to cities where my R.L. Stine-esque series of teen novels were to take place. Mostly, though, I gave up on each of the things that seemed to hint at my desire to write stories. I don’t know that I ever wrote a Chapter 2. So I went to college and became a registered nurse. I worked with special-needs kids for fifteen years, then I spent two years in the ER, and now I’m in the ICU.

The middle-ish…

In 2009, I felt myself getting old(er), and my tendency to flake on pursuing my interests started to get on my nerves. I took some writing classes, wrote something all the way to the end–which was just a whole lot of suckage but keep reading for a little more on that. After the first manuscript, I wrote another one that was pretty decent. Decent enough to land me literary representation by the amazing Linda Epstein. And on top of that, it helped me get selected for the Lambda Literary Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBT Voices (I was a fellow in 2013 and got to work closely with author Malinda Lo, then I returned in 2015 and got to work with author Sara Ryan).

In January 2015, I announced that my debut novel GIRL MANS UP would be published in September 2016 by HarperTeen/HarperCollins and HarperCollins Canada.

GIRL MANS UP is about a queer teen named Pen who realizes the only way she’ll get people off her back is by standing up for herself–even if that means her relationships with her friends and her family get messed up in the process. It’s also about a gender-nonconforming teen who struggles to own her identity as a girl when she looks and acts like a boy and everyone around her expects her to be one or the other.

Now…

Girl Mans Up has been out in the world a little while now. I’m doing my author thing whenever I can, going to events to speak, facilitate workshops, do book signings. I also do a little bit of social media but not all that consistently. I’ve since had a little boy, and then there’s Covid… Needless to say I’ve had a lot on my plate. Despite all that, I am thrilled that my next novel, THEN EVERYTHING HAPPENS AT ONCE, released on January 31, 2023 (HarperTeen)! Recall that horrific first manuscript I wrote back in 2009? Well it’s been dusted off and given a makeover. I knew there was something special there–I just wasn’t enough of a writer then to make it shine. I am over-the-top excited to bring this story to life and share it with readers…finally! The story is about inexperienced 17-year-old Baylee who is suddenly pulled between a desire-fueled infatuation and a sweet courtship, forcing her to explore some very messy things: internalized fat shaming while being surrounded by body positivity, how lust and pleasure do or do not relate to love, and most of all, how going after what you want can just seem like a whole lot of selfishness.

GET IN TOUCH!

If you are a reader and you want to share your thoughts about my book with me, please don’t hesitate to do so! I love hearing from people who connected with the story I put out there in the world, and I will definitely respond. If you’re a teen (or not) who is struggling with some of the issues I brought up in my book and you want to reach out to me, please don’t hesitate to do that, either.

Do you want a bookplate signed by me for your copy of Girl Mans Up? If so, check out the bookplate page to fill out the form!

Are you interested in booking me for an event or appearance? Check out my Events page for author booking info!

Really, I just love hearing from people and answering questions, so unless you’re wanting to send me hate mail, then get in touch!

**A note about my use of social media: I try to post updates to Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook as new things come up but if I’m going to be honest, having a strong social media presence doesn’t come naturally to me. I don’t see myself changing when it comes to that, but just because I’m not posting several times a day does not mean I’m not there! If someone interacts with me via social media, I am absolutely there for that, so please don’t hesitate to reach out directly!

Send me an email!

Q&A WITH M-E

How long have you been writing?

My real, serious attempt at becoming a writer goes back to 2009. I started by deciding on a YA story that I thought would make an OK novel–a story that was super meaningful to me. I wrote the entire thing (probably around 70 thousand words), then I immediately started writing a sequel to that. Which took place in college–because I clearly knew nothing about market and all that. I finished that story too. Then I’d hear things like, “When are you going to publish it?” Somehow, I knew it didn’t work that way, and I also had this very strong suspicion that what I wrote was probably mostly suckage. It just didn’t seem to me that writers out there became popular published authors by just sitting down and dumping out perfect stories right from the get-go. Writing those two manuscripts was a super important learning experience, though, because I got to create characters and follow them for an entire novel-length journey, then pick them up again for a sequel story. In fact, although the writing was not good, the characters and the story were so meaningful to me that they’ve been dusted off, and they’re waiting for their chance to shine.

So once I took 5 months-ish to play around with writing a novel manuscript, I enrolled in some creative-writing classes. Then novel-writing classes. I joined some writing organizations, and started reading lots of stuff about how to write fiction and how to get published. I entered contests whenever I could, won a couple (very minor) things. I landed literary representation a couple years into my journey. All things considered, I think things happened rather quickly for me, and I swear people, I don’t believe being a serious, successful writer has everything to do with talent. It starts with an affinity for expressing oneself through the written word, then it’s all about putting in the work required to practice, learn, practice, learn some more, meet people, pull on your resources, practice, put yourself out there, and repeat. Of course the talent part is important, because that’s where a great story comes from.

Who are your favorite authors?

 These are the authors whose books I will continually be interested in:

• Julie Anne Peters
• Zoe Whittall
• Shaun David Hutchinson
• Nina Lacour
• Francesca Lia Block
• John Green
• Malinda Lo
• Hannah Moskowitz
• Sara Ryan
• Mariko Tamaki
• Rainbow Rowell
• Alison Bechdel
• A.S. King
• Gillian Flynn
• Emily Danforth

What are your favorite books?

Keeping You a Secret by Julie Anne Peters: I decided to try my hand at writing because of this book. I found it while randomly picking out YA titles at Chapters (the big Canadian book retailer), and it was like the book was placed into my hands by magic. It had everything I never knew I wanted and needed out of a novel. Since then, I’ve been one of JAP’s biggest fans.

Banana Rose by Natalie Goldberg: This one came recommended to me by a fellow author friend. I thought there was no way I could’ve fallen hard for a novel when it had been built up so much by another reader. Well I fell ridiculously hard, and I read it twice in a year. I wish I could take a vacation inside the novel’s world. I don’t know how this novel was created, but there had to be magic involved.

The Witch’s Handbook by Malcolm Bird: This is a picture book I used to borrow from the library over and over when I was young. I was obsessed with it. The art was so  mesmerizing. It went out of print years ago (it’s a book from the early ’80s), so I went years without seeing it but I thought about it a lot. Finally, just when eBay started getting more popular, I found a copy in decent shape. The book found its way back to me. Being a writer, I realized this was the first book I’ve ever read that contained magic within its pages. I ended up writing Mr. Bird an email years ago and he responded! It’s a shame the book is out of print because it would kick ass even today if kids had access to it.

**Just realized I used the word “magic” in all three descriptions. Maybe that’s the key to what makes a novel supremely kick ass.

Do you speak French?

Yes, I do. People are tempted to write my name as “M.E. Girard,” like I’m doing the cool initial thing (maybe even trying to fool people into thinking I’m a man so as to not be dismissed as a female writer…who knows), but the reason the initials are hyphenated is because I have a hyphenated first name, something that’s pretty popular in Quebec. Though I’ve been living in Ontario most of my life, I was born in Quebec, and I still speak French fluently.

Are you ever going to write a novel in French?

I would love to to have my work available in French someday, but it’s not something that’s really up to me. Although I speak French no problem, I just don’t have the same vocabulary, voice, and writing style so writing fiction specifically in French doesn’t come naturally to me.

Are your stories always going to be set in Canada?

Yes! I’ve always felt strongly about that as a writer. We Canadian kids grow up saturated in American culture. The majority of what I was exposed to as a kid hailed from the US. I remember watching Saved by the Bell and 90210 and hearing terms like “pep rallies” and “freshman” and I would eventually come to understand it all, even though it wasn’t reflected in my own world. I don’t go out of my way to insert all of this Canadian stuff into my stories (I don’t believe I write CanLit), but I don’t think I should pick some American suburb to set my stories in when I’m the master of my stories and I decided they happen in Canada. The stories are essentially the same, whether they’re set in Canada or the US—that’s the point I’m trying to make.

Why do you write about teenagers?

Because feelings were massive when I was a teen, and the things I struggled with then are still relevant to me today; a lot of it still affects me as an adult. Some of the crap we are dealt as teens follows us into adulthood and it affects how we life our lives. I never made a conscious decision to write YA; that’s just what came out whenever I went to write. My process basically involves taking nuggets of my own teen experience, mixing them with other people’s nuggets, then I make a whole bunch of stuff up as I think about life, considering statements and observations I want to make about it through my stories.

What do you like doing when you’re not writing?

I read but probably not enough. I watch too much TV, often rewatching movies and shows because I am definitely a rewatcher of stuff. I’ve probably seen Burlesque a hundred times because it’s my go-to movie while I give myself manicures and pedicures.

I play video games, moving between Xbox, Nintendo, PlayStation, and retro gaming. What I like best is offline co-op gaming with my girlfriend. We yell at each other way too much while it’s going down, but it’s so much fun. Some of my favorite games are: The Last of Us (epic!), Dying Light (my favourite first-person shooter), The Legend of Zelda (all of them), Borderlands, Far Cry, Left4Dead, Halo (all of them), Super Mario (all of them, all systems), Guitar Hero (yeah, for real). I must confess that I have a serious addiction to Fortnite. A lot of my free time goes into Fortnite, and too much of my money gets converted into V Bucks. (I Instagram about that stuff, so check out my IG!)

Must I read Girl Mans Up first to be able to read Then Everything Happens at Once?

Read my blog post here to find out!