Q&A with featured writer Chantel Guertin

Chantel shares insights into her writing, editing and publishing journey, plus her new book

Mar 22, 2023

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I was riding the TTC the first time I started reading a book by Chantel Guertin. It was called Love Struck and within a few pages I was, well, “love struck” by her writing. I had just come from Chantel’s book launch for Love Struck and was used to reading dystopian YA fiction, and yet this funny book belonging to the category of contemporary adult fiction caught my attention and kept it throughout the entire story.

I can now say I’ve read every book Chantel has written, and I’m so looking forward to reading her new book, Two for the Road, which comes out this month! (If you pre-order by March 28, 2023, you can access an exclusive gift! More details at the end of this newsletter.)

Chantel and I met when I took some of her courses as part of the Book & Magazine Publishing program at Centennial College in Toronto. In addition to being very talented—she is a writer, magazine editor, beauty expert and teacher—Chantel is also extremely kind, approachable and supportive. She’s given me some very valuable, helpful advice for my own writing journey, for which I’m genuinely grateful, and she is kindly sharing her advice and writing journey for us here, too, in this issue of Doing the Write Thing. I hope you enjoy!

Marisa: You’ve written books and magazine articles, worked as a magazine editor, and taught classes in a post-grad publishing program. You're also a beauty expert on the Marilyn Denis Show. When did you first know you’re a writer, and that you wanted to write books?

Chantel: I always wanted to be a writer, and have always been writing. In my 20s I realized I needed to treat writing like a job: show up every day and do the work. I think that has really helped me to not only write consistently but actually finish writing the books floating around in my head.

Chantel wrote Two for the Road at home during the pandemic and watched virtual walking tours online before travelling to England for inspiration.

Marisa: Can you tell us about your writing process? For example, when do you do most of your writing, and how deeply do you plan or not plan as you write a new story?

Chantel: I try to write 1,000 words a day when I’m on a first draft. I write from 5am to 7am, before anyone else is up, and I’m drawn into other things.

I map out every chapter of a book before I start writing—this really helps to keep me focused and make sure there’s a plot to the book!

Marisa: When you’re done writing your first draft, what is your editing process?

Chantel: I do a second pass on the book and then give it to my husband, who’s also a writer and editor. He does an edit and then I submit it to my editor. She provides a substantive (big picture) editorial letter, I make more revisions and then it goes back to her for a line edit. I make more changes and then usually it goes through one more round of editing or to copyedit.

In the U.S., Two for the Road is known as Gigi, Listening.

Marisa: You've published seven books so far, with an eighth—entitled Two for the Road—coming out this month. If I understand correctly, you wrote part of this book during the pandemic while in a different country. Was that part of the inspiration for Gigi's road trip? What was it like writing somewhere new?

Chantel: I think that being stuck at home, unable to travel, must have been on my mind when I came up with the idea for Two for the Road (a.k.a. Gigi, Listening in the USA). I wanted to explore the connection between voice and memory, and for the heroine to be on a journey, both physically and metaphorically. I decided on England and wrote part of the book from home, watching virtual walking tours on YouTube, and then eventually going for three weeks to travel around on my own to figure out what my characters would be doing along the way.

Marisa: In your upcoming book, Two for the Road, Gigi owns a romance bookstore. In all of your books, you explore the theme of love—love between parents and children, love between friends, love for oneself, and love between soul mates. Which themes (such as love) have you felt passionate about exploring in your writing, and why?

Chantel: I love figuring out the layers of complexity to characters—what has happened to them in the past that makes them who they are in the present, in the story I’m telling. And my ultimate goal is to give readers an enjoyable reading experience, a few laughs, and a bit of depth that surprises them.

Marisa: Four of your books form part of the same series. Did you know before you started writing that the story would take place over four books? If not, when in the writing or editing process did that come to be?

Chantel: The Pippa Greene series for teens includes The Rule of Thirds, Depth of Field, Leading Lines and Golden Hour. I wrote the first book as a standalone story, but my editor asked if I had an interest in making it the start of a series. After the second book they asked if I’d like to do two more. What a gift! I loved writing that series.

Marisa: What was your publishing journey like, and did you send your first book to literary agents or book publishers?

Chantel: The first book I sent out to agents was Stuck in Downward Dog. I got several rejections, but I also got two offers for representation. Ultimately I signed with a lovely agent and excellent agency who really helped me shape my debut novel and get a publishing deal. I’ll always be so grateful to that team. Now I’m represented by Samantha Haywood, president of Transatlantic Agency. She’s incredible and has been such a champion of my latest novels.

Marisa: What’s some advice that has helped you grow as a writer?

Chantel: Keep writing. Every single day. You can do anything well if you practice. Running, tennis, cooking—you name it. So if you want to be a good writer, keep writing.

Thank you so much for participating and for sharing your insights and writing journey, Chantel! I thoroughly enjoyed learning about your writing experience and your books!

I’ve read every single one of Chantel’s books and I recommend them all! If you’d like to read Chantel’s stories, you can learn more about them on her website.

You can also pre-order her newest book, Two for the Road, if you’re in Canada (or pre-order it by its U.S. title, Gigi, Listening, if you’re in the States). You can pre-order the book from anywhere you like and, if you pre-order before March 28, you can enter your pre-order details online to access an exclusive audio excerpt of the same book Gigi is listening to when she falls in love with its narrator, Zane.

There are also several events taking place this month to help celebrate the launch of Chantel’s new book, Two for the Road!

Toronto: Penguin Random House Canada is hosting a cocktail party with Chantel to celebrate the launch of Two for the Road at Paupers Pub (539 Bloor Street West) on March 28, 2023, from 6 to 8pm. RSVP to candadari@penguinrandomhouse.com.
Mississauga: Chantel will be at a launch and book signing for Two for the Road at The Book Wardrobe in Streetsville on March 29, 2023, from 6 to 7pm.
Online: Chantel Guertin and fellow author Marissa Stapley meet to discuss Chantel’s new book, Two for the Road, at a virtual book launch on March 30, 2023, at 8pm EST.

Q&As with Featured Writers

Meaghan McIsaac on writing and editing
Alisha Sevigny on writing, editing and setting
Cheyanne Young on writing, editing and traditional/self-publishing
Patricia Bandurka on writing, editing and creating a series
Jane Doucet on writing, editing and re-releasing a self-published book

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