After initial success in France and thousands of readers already won over, the short story « Zacharie & Jeremy », a French MxM urban fantasy from 2023, is now available in English.
Hello dear reader! I’m Jérôme Patalano, a French author, and I’m going to reveal the behind-the-scenes of my extraordinary literary adventure about « Zacharie & Jeremy », which has taken a new direction since the end of 2022. Here, I’ll tell you why I decided to take back the rights to this book from my publisher and self-publish it… while entrusting the writing process to an exceptional collaborator, Madelline R. Kennedy.
I’m self-publishing to take back control of my story
In 2019, « Zacharie & Jeremy » was a short story called “Faites vos vœux” (“Make a Wish”) and published in the short story collection “Un homme pour Samhain” (“A Man for Samhain”) by Éditions Bookmark, a French publishing house that had long published only MxM stories. A few years later, the time had come to reconsider how this story had been shared with readers.
So, when the three-year clause with my editor came to an end, and with her agreement, I decided to reclaim the rights to my beloved text. Because from the beginning, doubt had crept into my mind: had I really told the whole story?
Why self-publishing? First of all, because the publishing market is very tough. I have been published four times by four different well-established publishers, and in terms of sales, I have done pretty well, but without setting the world on fire. I don’t want to become rich and famous (impossible in this business), but at the very least I want to build up a solid fan base.
So, since this story isn’t long enough to be a novel, I thought, “Why not?” when the idea of self-publishing came up. I reworked this Halloween story (I’ll tell you more about that later) and wanted to have complete control over it from start to finish. Not that I think I can do better than the professionals (publishing is a profession!), but if it doesn’t work for whatever reason, at least I’ll only have myself to blame, even though we all know it’s not that easy…
Zacharie & Jeremy: Thanks to self-publishing, the desire to offer a more detailed, deeper and more… “me” story
« Zacharie & Jeremy » was my entry for a “spicy queer” short story contest in early 2019. The challenge helped me push my creative boundaries at the time. A few months later, when the book came out, reader feedback was a powerful motivator for me to take it up again. Except that…
The initial feedback triggered mixed feelings in me: some people wanted to know more! Well, well, well.
The initial feedback triggered mixed feelings in me: some people wanted to know more! Well, well, well. The word limits imposed by the publisher at the time had led to substantial cuts in my story, which left room for questions and a feeling of rushedness on my part (but not only on mine, apparently). It was when I regained my rights at the end of 2022 that I came into contact with Madelline, an American reader who is passionate about this literary genre, a knowledgeable Francophile who lives in Normandy, who had approached me on Instagram when she still had her account active.
The connection with Madelline R. Kennedy came about naturally, first through messages on Instagram, then by email. Her love for my writing and her talent for storytelling convinced me that she would be the perfect collaborator to reinvent my story. The idea of a joint rewrite was born, bringing new depth and careful detail to the plot. Awesome, right?
One of the main reasons for the rewrite was to better reflect the reality of everyday life and relationships, especially within the LGBTQIA+ community. The story needed to capture the highs and lows of life, from impulsive decisions to moments of deep doubt. Madelline and I took care to develop the characters in a more realistic way, while exploring the complexities of relationships. Not to mention beefing up the “magic” and “mythology” aspects of the story.
So, what Zacharie & Jeremy is about?
Heartbroken after a break-up, Jeremy, a young employee at the Musée du Louvre, needs to move on. He has to finish organizing the launch party for the new exhibition event, “Halloween – Myths and Oriental Masterpieces”, whose centerpiece is the Varakk djinn vase, in front of which each guest from the Tout-Paris will be asked to make wishes “for the game.”
But be careful what you wish for. Jeremy is far from imagining the incredible night he’s about to experience, filled with evil spells, witchcraft and… romance, especially with Zacharie, a young antique dealer as mysterious as he is appealing.
Zacharie & Jérémy — Supernatural encounter at the Louvre: a queer saga in the making?
Thanks to Madelline R. Kennedy’s creative input, the story has taken on a whole new dimension. It has already grown to almost three times its original size (which is important), making it the length of a novella. Ideas have flowed, the dialogue has been enriched, and we have even begun to glimpse the possibility of a future saga. How exciting! The title has been changed to reflect this transformation, and the cover has been redesigned to draw readers into this revitalized universe, thanks to the talent of Natasha Snow, whose covers you’ve already seen here and there.
A new chapter in my life as an author is beginning!
Dear readers, I am therefore delighted to present this new version of my book, the result of an exciting collaboration with Madelline. The stories we share have the power to reflect reality and touch hearts, and that is what we have sought to achieve with this rewrite. I hope this literary adventure brings you as much joy reading it as we had creating it. Please feel free to share your feedback and let us know if you’d like to discover more episodes of Zacharie and Jérémy, as new stories are in the works, ready to transport you to captivating worlds.
Jérôme Patalano & Madelline R. Kennedy.