Author
Jean-François Callen
Biography, writing method, bibliography and professional resources.
Background
Biography
Here is the English translation of your biography:
Welcome
Nothing in my background destined me for writing. I come from a technical world, between IT and electronics. But one day, Albert Camus introduced me to literature. Then Michael Moorcock taught me the sweet frustration of long-running serial sagas, and Anne Rice showed me that a novel could border on perfection.
My love story with words truly began here, in Toulon. It is the city close to my heart, the only place on Earth where I feel genuinely at home, and it naturally served as the setting for my very first book.
In life, I am insatiably curious: passionate about video games, a movie lover, and a true training "junkie"—I have a constant need to learn. This curiosity shines through in my books. I don't stick to a fixed genre and refuse to be boxed in: I have explored the road movie, non-fiction/memoir fiction, the thriller, and more surprises to come.
What drives me above all is the extraordinary power of reading. A book allows you to clear your head, escape daily routine, become aware of the world around us, or simply learn. To me, writing is mankind's greatest invention, and undoubtedly the most noble.
My stories are born out of a very specific routine: early in the morning or late at night, locked away in a tiny windowless office. There, alone with my keyboard and my imagination, the rest of the world fades away.
I deeply believe that the world is in itself neither good nor bad, and that there is neither reward nor punishment from above, only lessons to be learned from our own experiences. Because at heart, there is only one true fault: ignorance.
Thank you for being here, and I hope my stories take you on as much of a journey as I enjoyed crafting them in the shadows of my office.
Welcome
Nothing in my background destined me for writing. I come from a technical world, between IT and electronics. But one day, Albert Camus introduced me to literature. Then Michael Moorcock taught me the sweet frustration of long-running serial sagas, and Anne Rice showed me that a novel could border on perfection.
My love story with words truly began here, in Toulon. It is the city close to my heart, the only place on Earth where I feel genuinely at home, and it naturally served as the setting for my very first book.
In life, I am insatiably curious: passionate about video games, a movie lover, and a true training "junkie"—I have a constant need to learn. This curiosity shines through in my books. I don't stick to a fixed genre and refuse to be boxed in: I have explored the road movie, non-fiction/memoir fiction, the thriller, and more surprises to come.
What drives me above all is the extraordinary power of reading. A book allows you to clear your head, escape daily routine, become aware of the world around us, or simply learn. To me, writing is mankind's greatest invention, and undoubtedly the most noble.
My stories are born out of a very specific routine: early in the morning or late at night, locked away in a tiny windowless office. There, alone with my keyboard and my imagination, the rest of the world fades away.
I deeply believe that the world is in itself neither good nor bad, and that there is neither reward nor punishment from above, only lessons to be learned from our own experiences. Because at heart, there is only one true fault: ignorance.
Thank you for being here, and I hope my stories take you on as much of a journey as I enjoyed crafting them in the shadows of my office.
Behind the scenes
Writing method
My Writing Process
I am often asked how my books come to life and how I maintain my momentum. The truth is, my method has evolved dramatically over time.
I wrote my very first novel the traditional way, on Word, during my spare time. Without a set structure, it took ten years to bring it to completion. That first experience taught me patience, but also showed me the limits of writing completely on the fly.
For my second book, I completely shifted my approach by using specialized writer's software. It became my central hub, allowing me to map out timelines, keep detailed character biographies, and organize the story into chapters and sub-chapters. The result? A much faster writing pace, flawless narrative consistency, and a creation process reduced to two years.
That was also when I discovered my biggest creative quirk: working on multiple projects at once. While writing that second novel, another story was already consuming my thoughts. Instead of suppressing that spark, I wrote my third book in parallel, overlapping between the second and the fourth.
Today, this has become my golden rule: I always work on at least two books at a time. Whenever writer's block threatens to strike one project, I simply switch to the other. It keeps frustration at bay and ensures I am always moving forward, keeping the creative engine running without interruption.
I am often asked how my books come to life and how I maintain my momentum. The truth is, my method has evolved dramatically over time.
I wrote my very first novel the traditional way, on Word, during my spare time. Without a set structure, it took ten years to bring it to completion. That first experience taught me patience, but also showed me the limits of writing completely on the fly.
For my second book, I completely shifted my approach by using specialized writer's software. It became my central hub, allowing me to map out timelines, keep detailed character biographies, and organize the story into chapters and sub-chapters. The result? A much faster writing pace, flawless narrative consistency, and a creation process reduced to two years.
That was also when I discovered my biggest creative quirk: working on multiple projects at once. While writing that second novel, another story was already consuming my thoughts. Instead of suppressing that spark, I wrote my third book in parallel, overlapping between the second and the fourth.
Today, this has become my golden rule: I always work on at least two books at a time. Whenever writer's block threatens to strike one project, I simply switch to the other. It keeps frustration at bay and ensures I am always moving forward, keeping the creative engine running without interruption.
Excerpts
Quotation of the moment
“
He wasn't even sure he was alive, since he lived like a dead man.L'Etranger -Albert Camus-