Marlene Laporte is a self-published author whoe resides in the beautiful city of Melbourne, Australia. In her free time, she writes poetry and short stories. Marlene writes on what touches her heart and has written over a 150 poems.
She was inspired by her 90 year old mother to her write her first children’s picture book titled ‘Heather Treasures Feathers’. Having sold over 100 plus copies of her very first self-published children’s picture book within the first month of publication, she decided to write and publish her second children’s book titled ‘Sunshine the friendly duckling’.
For those who don’t know you can you introduce yourself?
Good day! I am Marlene Laporte and I live in Melbourne a beautiful city in Australia. I have an amazing husband who has supported me through my journey of self publishing. Professionally, I work in the Aged care industry and am very passionate about my job. I am blessed with a number of talents such as art, poetry writing and cake decorating. I am a fun loving and adventurous person, helpful and caring too.
Did you always want t be a children’s book author?
I have always had a passion for writing poetry but never in my wildest dreams did I ever dream I would ever write or self publish children’s book.
Who encouraged you write your very first book?
I was inspired by my 90 year old mother who lives with me, to write my very first children’s book. My mum loves nature and has a passion for collecting flowers, leaves and feathers when we take her out. Being a part of mums love for nature over the years is what encouraged me write my first children’s book.
What was the biggest challenge you faced along the way?
The biggest challenge I faced was making a decision to self publish my book or hand it over to a publishing house. Not knowing what to expect or how it all works made the entire process very challenging.
What part of writing children stories have you come to appreciate the most?
Having had the experience of reading my very first book to groups of children has made me appreciate that a simple story with good illustrations to express the content in pictures keeps the child totally engaged till the very end. The joy of seeing their
curiosity and answering their questions about the story is absolutely a beautiful experience.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Never to stop dreaming!! With a bit of hard work and dedication, dreams do turn into reality.
What’s on your nightstand? Any books?
A charged mobile phone that I can grab hold of to quickly jot down my thoughts before they disappear is what stays on my nightstand before retiring to bed.
When did you write your very first children’s story?
My very first children’s story was written while recuperating after a bout of the deadly Corona virus in January 2022.
What do you wish you would have known starting out as an author?
I wish I had known how much time and dedication it takes to self publish a book as well as the costs involved.
What inspires your work?
True life stories inspire my writing both in poetry and story form.
What sparked the idea for the book ‘Heather treasures Feathers’?
My mum’s love for nature coupled with boredom during isolation sparked the idea of my writing my book ‘Heather Treasures Feathers’.
What five words do you feel best describes your story?
Educational, playful, enjoyable, compassionate, caring
Why do you think your book makes an excellent addition to a child’s library?
Light and easy text, colourful and life-size illustrations with a meaningful moral at the end of the story makes my book an excellent addition to a child’s library.
What has been the best reaction from a reader so far?
“Heather Treasure Feathers” is a simple, contemplative and joyful story for children and older people and for everyone in between!
Should we expect to see more stories written by you in the near future? Any projects
coming up you would like to share with us?
Yes of course! My second book is in the making and will be published for the end of 2022. A very exciting year so far!
You can follow updates on Marlene Laporte’s Offical Page.
