They came from Saint-Malo, Paris, Strasbourg, Grenoble or Lille. Not to attend a Coldplay or U2 concert. But at the party organized by Arthur Hopfner in Saint-Mandrier, on the occasion of the release of his new book UK code name which marks the tenth anniversary of the hero of his adventure novels: Jacques Mandrier.
Arthur Hopfner? Not sure if that means much to you. However, this amateur author has already sold more than 40,000 copies! A huge figure for a self-taught man who waited until 2021 to integrate Elyxiria editions, “a small structure, but which takes great care of its authors. Before them, I had to take care of everything because my first publishing house did nothing”.
40,000 copies sold
Yet his first novel, released ten years ago, sold 5,000 copies. The story of an ex-marine commando, Jacques Mandrier, who aspires to a more serene existence with his wife and son who are going to be victims of an attack at the Louvre. Bruised to the depths of his soul, he will have to draw strength and courage from himself so as not to sink into despair or get lost in a blind revenge that will take him to Paris, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Polynesia, Argentina or Syria.
“I started writing after I left the army, explains Arthur, now a municipal police officer on the peninsula. It was my outlet and my means of prolonging my story in the commandos by writing a story, precisely, about a hero from the commandos. It was very personal. But meeting my wife Sophie started it all. She was the one who encouraged me to publish what I was writing because she thought it was great”.
Since then, the novels follow one another and the readers flock “first of all by word of mouth, but also by the innumerable fairs in which I participate. In parallel, I develop my company SOART83, with which I give conferences in high schools, companies or associations on themes like surpassing oneself, the strength of the collective, management. As a result, I have a panel of loyal readers who have been following me for 10 years”.
Transferable to small screen
Hence the organization of this party organized in the square Marc-Baron de Saint-Mandrier where he was also able to discover the talent of comedian of his brother, Guy, that of the music group Cavalas Underground or artists painters-photographers Johanne and Pascal Merenco.
The following? Why not on the small screen as the adventures of Jacques Mandrier are easily transposable behind the camera.
“A lot of people tell me that this would make a great television series. In the spirit of adventure of the Office of legends. Except that I have no contact in the cinema world. I tried to contact Canal + and Netflix But when you don’t know anyone, it’s still super complicated…”.
For now, Arthur hopes to satisfy his readers with his new novel set in Ukraine. “I appeal to the imagination, but I always try to stick a little bit to the news”.
Something tells us, once again, they won’t be disappointed.
They came from Saint-Malo, Paris, Strasbourg, Grenoble or Lille. Not to attend a Coldplay or U2 concert. But at the party organized by Arthur Hopfner in Saint-Mandrier, on the occasion of the release of his new book UK code name which marks the tenth anniversary of the hero of his adventure novels: Jacques Mandrier.
Arthur Hopfner? Not sure if that means much to you. However, this amateur author has already sold more than 40,000 copies! A huge figure for a self-taught man who waited until 2021 to integrate Elyxiria editions, “a small structure, but which takes great care of its authors. Before them, I had to take care of everything because my first publishing house did nothing”.
40,000 copies sold
Yet his first novel, released ten years ago, sold 5,000 copies. The story of an ex-marine commando, Jacques Mandrier, who aspires to a more serene existence with his wife and son who are going to be victims of an attack at the Louvre. Bruised to the depths of his soul, he will have to draw strength and courage from himself so as not to sink into despair or get lost in a blind revenge that will take him to Paris, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Polynesia, Argentina or Syria.
“I started writing after I left the army, explains Arthur, now a municipal police officer on the peninsula. It was my outlet and my means of prolonging my story in the commandos by writing a story, precisely, about a hero from the commandos. It was very personal. But meeting my wife Sophie started it all. She was the one who encouraged me to publish what I was writing because she thought it was great”.
Since then, the novels follow one another and the readers flock “first of all by word of mouth, but also by the innumerable fairs in which I participate. In parallel, I develop my company SOART83, with which I give conferences in high schools, companies or associations on themes like surpassing oneself, the strength of the collective, management. As a result, I have a panel of loyal readers who have been following me for 10 years”.
Transferable to small screen
Hence the organization of this party organized in the square Marc-Baron de Saint-Mandrier where he was also able to discover the talent of comedian of his brother, Guy, that of the music group Cavalas Underground or artists painters-photographers Johanne and Pascal Merenco.
The following? Why not on the small screen as the adventures of Jacques Mandrier are easily transposable behind the camera.
“A lot of people tell me that this would make a great television series. In the spirit of adventure of the Office of legends. Except that I have no contact in the cinema world. I tried to contact Canal + and Netflix But when you don’t know anyone, it’s still super complicated…”.
For now, Arthur hopes to satisfy his readers with his new novel set in Ukraine. “I appeal to the imagination, but I always try to stick a little bit to the news”.
Something tells us, once again, they won’t be disappointed.
Yann and Didier, from Saint-Malo and Lille
“It’s the fifth time we’ve come to meet him. We love his authenticity and, as ex-marines, we feel like we’re diving back into what we’ve already experienced through certain missions. also allows us to meet people. The two of us have known each other for 28 years and we met by chance three years ago at a literary fair. Arthur is a man who conveys magnificent values. Whether through his books or in real life. He deserves to be much better known to the general public.”
Stéphanie and Benoît, from Marseille
“We met him in Nancy during a conference we were present at. He aroused our curiosity and we bought his first novel. Since then, we have bought them all (laughs). A bit like a TV series, these are adventures that make you particularly addicted. You always want to know what happens next. We get attached to the characters. From now on, we live in Marseille. It was obvious for us to come and see him for this tenth anniversary.”
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