Valériane Leblond

Llongyfarchiadau mawr Valériane ar gyhoeddi 5 Iaith/ 5 Languages gyda Rily, mae’n edrych yn hyfryd!

Rho ychydig o dy gefndir inni – magwraeth, addysg…

Cefais fy ngeni yn Ffrainc ac astudiais lenyddiaeth ym Mhrifysgol Nantes. Symudais i Gymru yn 2007 pan oeddwn yn 22. Mae fy nhad yn dod o Ganada a fy mam o ogledd orllewin Ffrainc. Roeddent wedi ysgaru a chefais fy magu gan fy nhad, ynghyd â fy mrawd hynaf.

Pa ddylanwadau ac atgofion oedd yn sefyll allan yn dy blentyndod?

Rwy’n cofio fy mod bob amser yn darllen, yn darlunio ac yn cynllwynio pethau gyda fy mrawd ; ni allaf gofio diflasu byth! Roedd fy nhad yn eitha gwreiddiol, ac er ei bod hi weithiau’n anodd byw gyda rhywun mor wahanol roedd bob amser yn gwneud i mi deimlo’n arbennig ac unigryw.

Fel person ifanc, pwy neu beth wnaeth ddylanwadu arnat?

Roedd gan fy nain ddylanwad mawr arna i – roedd hi’n ddynes gref iawn, bob amser yn brysur ac fe ddysgodd lawer o sgiliau bywyd i mi, fel coginio, garddio a bod yn daclus.

Beth yw dy ddylanwadau nawr?

Rwy’n edrych i fyny at bobl sy’n llwyddo i fyw bywydau diddorol a dilyn eu llwybrau eu hunain.

Pryd ddest ti’n ymwybodol dy fod eisiau sgwennu, oedd unrhyw ffactorau arbennig wedi cael effaith?

Roeddwn bob amser yn mwynhau ysgrifennu straeon a rhoddodd Madame Morvan, fy athrawes ysgol ym mlwyddyn 2, lyfr nodiadau i mi eu hysgrifennu. Dyna oedd yr anogaeth orau. Mae gen i lawer o ddychymyg a dal beiro i ysgrifennu a thynnu lluniau yw fy hoff beth i’w wneud heddiw.

Dywed ychydig am 5 Iaith/ 5 Languages, o ble ddaeth yr ysbrydoliaeth, a beth wyt ti’n gobeithio bydd darllenwyr yn gael o’r stori hon…

Mae’n llyfr ffeithiol i helpu i ddysgu ieithoedd trwy luniau. Dwi wastad wedi ymddiddori a chael fy swyno gan bobl sy’n gallu siarad mwy nag un iaith, a nawr fy mod yn amlieithog fy hun roeddwn i eisiau creu llyfr gweledol i helpu pobl eraill i ddarganfod hud ieithoedd.

Beth yw dy hoff genres darllen, a pha lyfrau wyt yn darllen ar hyn o bryd?

Dwi’n hoff iawn o ffuglen, nofelau graffig a llyfrau lluniau. Rwy’n hoffi stori dda gyda phlot diddorol, a gallu darganfod lleoedd a phobl trwy lygaid rhywun arall. Ar hyn o bryd dwi’n darllen nofelau ditectif yn bennaf oherwydd dwi’n ffeindio nhw’n haws i’w dilyn pan mae lot yn digwydd yn fy mywyd (mae gen i bedwar o blant a dwi’n brysur iawn!).

Pa brofiadau o lyfrgelloedd sydd wedi dylanwadu arnot yn ystod dy fywyd?

Pan o’n i’n fach roeddwn i’n mynd i’r llyfrgell bob dydd Mercher a darganfod llawer o lyfrau na fyddwn i byth wedi eu darllen fel arall. Caniataodd i mi ddarllen casgliadau cyfan a llawer o nofelau graffig a llyfrau comig na fyddem wedi gallu eu fforddio.

Nawr rwy’n byw drws nesaf i lyfrgell tref Aberystwyth, ac ni allwn ddymuno am gymydog gwell.

Pa awgrymiadau sydd gyda ti i annog plant a phobl ifanc i ddarllen mwy er pleser?

I beidio â bod yn hunanymwybodol o ran darllen, nid yw’r oedrannau a argymhellir na’r math o lyfr yn bwysig, cyn belled â’ch bod am ei ddarllen, rhowch gynnig arni. Dyna pam mae llyfrgelloedd yn hanfodol, yn enwedig i blant.

Rho ddyfyniad sydd wrth wraidd dy fywyd di …

Mae’n ddywediad Ffrengig, « Tout vient à point à qui sait attendre », ac mae’n golygu bod popeth yn dod atoch chi os ydych chi’n gwybod sut i aros. Mae’n fy helpu i fod yn amyneddgar a derbyn, hyd yn oed pan nad yw pethau’n mynd fel y cynlluniwyd, y bydd yn gweithio allan yn y pen draw.

Cyhoeddir 5 Iaith/ 5 Languages yn Chwefror gan Rily.

Darllenwch ein Taflen Dod i Adnabod yr Awdur ac am ein Hawduron y Mis  eraill yn ‘sgwennu’n y Gymraeg

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Valériane Leblond grew up in France, but now she lives in Wales, along with her partner, four sons, and a cat. She paints in her studio at home and speaks fluent Welsh as well as a number of other languages. Her artwork often deals with the idea of belonging and has a strong narrative. She enjoys drawing and painting, but when she was little she really wanted to be a writer who told stories. Valériane has achieved her dream and is now a multi-award-winning illustrator and esteemed author.

Valériane has written and illustrated the fourth title in the Pawb a Phopeth series, which will be published by Rily Publications in February – Llyfr Geiriau Cyntaf – 5 Iaith. This is a beautifully illustrated, hardback first word book with over 500 words. The 5 languages featured are Welsh, English, French, Spanish and Ukrainian.

Many congratulations Valériane on publishing 5 Iaith/ 5 Languages with Rily, it looks beautiful!

Tell us a little about your background – upbringing, education…

I was born in France and studied literature at Nantes University. I moved to Wales in 2007 when I was 22. My father is from Canada and my mother from the north west of France. They were divorced and I was brought up by my father, along with my elder brother.

What influences and memories stand out from your childhood?

I remember that I was always reading, drawing and plotting things with my brother ; I can’t remember being bored ever! My father was quite original, and while sometimes it was difficult to live with someone so different he always made me feel special and unique.

As a young person, who or what influenced you?

My grandmother had a great influence on me – she was a very strong woman, always busy and she taught me a lot of life skills, like cooking, gardening and being tidy.

What are your influences now?

I look up to people who manage to lead interesting lives and follow their own paths.

When did you become aware of wanting to write, did any particular factors play a part?

I always enjoyed writing stories and Madame Morvan, my school teacher in year 2, gave me a notebook to write them down. That was the best encouragement. I have a lot of imagination and holding a pen to write and draw is still my favourite thing to do today.

Tell us a little about 5 Iaith/ 5 Languages, where did the inspiration come from, and what do you hope readers will take from the story…

It is a non-fiction book to help learn languages through pictures. I have always been interested and fascinated by people who can speak more than one language, and now that I am a polyglot myself I wanted to create a visual book to help other people discover the magic of languages.

What are your favourite reading genres, and what books are you reading at the moment?

I love fiction, graphic novels and picture books. I like a good story with an interesting plot, and being able to discover places and people through someone else’s eyes. At the moment I am mainly reading detective novels because I find them easier to follow when there is a lot going on in my life (I have four children and I am very busy!).

What experiences of libraries have influenced you during your lifetime?

When I was little I was going to the library every Wednesday and discovered many books I would have never read otherwise. It allowed me to read entire collections and many graphic novels and comic books that we would have not been able to afford.

Now I live next door to Aberystwyth town library, and I couldn’t wish for a better neighbour.

What suggestions do you have to encourage children and young people to read more for pleasure?

Not to be self conscious when it comes to reading, the recommended ages or the type of book are not important, as long as you want to read it, just give it a try. That’s why libraries are essential, especially for children.

Give us a quote that is at the heart of your life…

It’s a French saying, « Tout vient à point à qui sait attendre », and it means that everything comes to you if you know how to wait. It helps me being patient and accepting that even when things don’t go as planned it will work out eventually.

5 Iaith/ 5 Languages is publishing in February with Rily Publications.

Read our Get to Know the Author flyer and take a look at our previous Authors of the Month writing in English.