The Vent with Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau and THE FRENCH HONEYMOON
In Which the Author Comes Aboard to Talk Not Knowing What You Don't Know and Letting Your Book Pleasantly Surprise You 📚
We’re back with another Vent as Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau joins us in the theater to chat about her latest book, THE FRENCH HONEYMOON! She gives us so much insight, from being at the very beginning stages of writing and really not knowing how to actually write yet, all the way to being multi-published and switching age groups and genres and being wonderfully surprised by a manuscript’s reception when you begin to doubt yourself. Let’s dive in!
Jason June (JJ): When you started your writing journey, what was the biggest frustration you encountered as you tried to find an agent and/or went on sub to editors for the first time that you wish you could have vented about?
Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau (ASJ): I don’t think I felt that way at the time but looking back to my early days of trying to publish a novel, I’d say my biggest vent would be about how I approached the process. I’d been writing professionally for years and I thought I knew . . . a lot of things that I didn’t. Turns out, I didn’t know how to craft a plot. I didn’t know how to build a writing practice. I didn’t know how to have the discipline to do it every day, to push through even when it was really hard. Perhaps most importantly, I didn’t know how to find joy in writing. It was painful more often than not and I thought it was supposed to be that way.
I didn’t understand that even if my book was great and even if a lot of people loved the premise, that wouldn’t necessarily lead to a book deal. And, spoiler alert, it didn’t. My first completed manuscript didn’t sell and the recovery from that was brutal. It took a lot of time to pick myself off the floor and to come to the conclusion that I would keep at it, despite the setbacks.
At the time though, I probably would have just vented about things not clicking into place fast enough. About how hard it was and how long it took (to write a book, find an agent, and then go on submission). So I learned the hard way that this whole process is an ultramarathon and perseverance is a huge part of success.
JJ: How about after you got your first book deal and continued on to publish multiple books? How did your frustrations (if you had any) change, and what would you have vented about or did vent about to author friends?
ASJ: I wish there was more of a partnership between publishers and authors, an openness and willingness to work together on making the book a success. It can sometimes feel like the publisher buys a book from you, and then they go do their own thing with sales, marketing, publicity, etc. I often say that, in publishing, no news is bad news. No one wants to tell you that you didn’t get that trade review, or that the print run is lower than originally anticipated, or that the publisher has changed course with the marketing of your book because they’re not getting the buy-in that they would like to see from major retailers. I wish there was more of a training course for authors, and that publishers trusted us to be grown-ups who can handle challenging conversations and want to know what’s going on.
Also, I wish there were more conversations around building a career vs. selling that one book. I think it’s a concern of many authors these days. One book that doesn’t sell well can feel like the end of your career. It’s not. There are so many examples of authors who’ve overcome bad sales–for example, by switching genres, or just going on to write a better book! But if you’re not on a distinctively upward trajectory with a breakout book, it can feel very isolating.
JJ: Tell us about your latest book! And (I bet you know where this is going) what’s the biggest vent you’ve got about the process of creating this novel?
ASJ: The French Honeymoon is my debut adult thriller, a sharp pivot from my fun YA romcoms. It was published in April 2025.
Here’s the synopsis:
“The Paris Apartment meets A Simple Favor in an unputdownable thriller about a honeymoon gone horribly wrong.
Sometimes, Paris is a terrible idea.
This is not how she imagined it, any of it. Taylor Quinn arrives at her honeymoon suite in the City of Love alone, sans suitcase, but with wads of stolen cash. When she catches a glimpse of newlyweds Cassie and Olivier enjoying their happily ever after, she can't tear her eyes away. And Cassie makes their antics easy to follow as she reveals every detail of their picture-perfect trip on social media. Taylor's obsession builds as she tracks their every move. This was the kind of life she was supposed to be living, this was the marriage she should have had, this was the honeymoon she dreamed of.
The illusion is shattered when she overhears a heated argument between Cassie and Olivier, which reveals that they're not the lovestruck couple they pretend to be. But Cassie and Olivier have agendas of their own and Taylor can't see the danger in getting in the middle of this until it's too late. And now, no one will get out of Paris unscathed.”
As for my biggest vent, oh gosh, this book was nearly the end of me. I stopped and started it so many times. I got so much feedback on it over the years, and rewrote it what feels like a hundred thousand times. I doubted myself a lot and I feel like I listened to too many voices. After a while, the goal became more about finishing it and sending it out into the world so I could finally move on to the next story. When I looked for a new agent, I felt like it would likely be the end of the road for this book, and I tried to make my peace with that. And then, to my surprise, I got several agent offers in the space of a couple of weeks. It was wild! I’m so proud of the finished book and it feels like such a huge win to see it published, at last.
JJ: Any words of wisdom you have for writers whether they are at the beginning of their journey or multi-published?
ASJ: I’ve come to accept that the only thing you really have–the thing that you can count on, always–is your writing practice. It’s just you and the page day in, day out, so figure out how to make that work for yourself. Find out the best time of day and place for you to write, whether you work better from an outline or prefer to discover your story as you draft, how you like to self-edit . . . There’s no perfect answer, and it will change over time, but it’s so important to meet yourself every day (or most days!) and make progress. I know I’m a better writer than I was two years ago, and I know what steps I want to take to improve in various aspects of my work. That’s what I focus on.
Also, I think this word is really overused at this point, but community is so important. Over the last year, I’ve connected with many thriller authors, some truly wonderful and brilliant people. Their support and friendship are a huge part in keeping me going. Don’t do this alone. Go find your people, it will change your life.
JJ: Thanks so much for joining us aboard the Ventorship, Anne-Sophie! Author-passengers, read below for more info about Anne-Sophie and THE FRENCH HONEYMOON!
About Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau
Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau is a bilingual French author based in the U.S. She has previously published novels and nonfiction books for teens, which have been translated into over twelve languages. The French Honeymoon is her debut adult novel. After graduating university in France, she moved to Amsterdam to begin a career in advertising. She then spent a few years in Melbourne before settling in New York City, where she lives with her French-Australian-American family, two gorgeous cats, and a whole lot of passports. Find her on social media @asjouhanneau
Website: www.asjouhanneau.com
Substack:
Authors, the Ventorship is looking for traditionally published writers to be featured with their latest book release in a future edition of The Vent! Email me at heyjasonjune@gmail.com with the subject: THE VENT to let me know you’re interested. All you’ll need to be featured are answers to the same four questions asked above, as well as an author bio, cover image, and book description.
If you’d like to vent about anything author/writing related, write to me at heyjasonjune@gmail.com with the subject: VENTORSHIP. I’ll give you my take in a post, and we’ll crowdsource author opinions in the comments. You’ll remain anonymous, and any haters will be thrown overboard. Ultimately, I think you’re going to be buoyed up by author love and support as we realize we really are all in the same boat 🛳️
Thank you so much for having me, Jason June!