Florence Cadier, 2011-2012

A journalist by profession, Florence Cadier first began her career in the written press before moving into audiovisual media, where she put together various reports and documentaries.

It was in 1995, inspired by her two children, Bastien and Valentine that she began to write children’s stories and young adult novels. Some of her books such as Qui est Laurette? (Who is Laurette?), Les miens aussi (Mine too), Ils divorcent (They are getting divorced), 24 histories pour attendre Noël (24 stories for the lead-up to Christmas) and Dessine avec Mila… (Drawing with Mila) have been translated into several other languages.

Le rêve de Sam (Sam’s Dream) published by Gallimard in 2008, was awarded a number of prizes, including the Historic Novel from the Town of Poitiers award (Romain Historique de la Ville de Poitiers) and the Literary AlTerre Ado prize.

Florence Cadier has worked with a number of publishers, notably with Hachette and Gallimard. For her most recent publication L’été des amours, (Summer of loves), which was published in March 2011, she worked with Oslo.

Not only is Florence a writer of young adult novels, but an editor of collection and a publisher. As well as writing, Florence also holds writing workshops for children: “I find this work very invigorating. The young people really give it their all and their writing is of a high standard.”

Florence Cadier has already taken part in several writers’ residencies both in France and abroad: In the Val de Nièvre, Tunisia and Bulgaria: She was based in the cities of Varna and Sofia from the 21 to the 25 of March 2011 during the finals of the Reading Challenge.

She has undertaken a course in screenplay adaptation of young adult novels at the prestigious Parisian educational institute FEMIS (French National School for Higher Education in Image and Sound). It was following this enriching experience that Florence Cadier travelled to New Zealand to begin her literary residency at Randell Cottage.

During her six month stay in Wellington, Florence had the opportunity to take part in exchanges with the New Zealand public (adults, adolescents and children) through lectures and writing workshops. She also took part in conferences in New Zealand’s various Alliances françaises and universities, where she had the pleasure of carrying out discussions with readers.