François Leblanc – Contributor

As a senior student in his last semester, here is my advice: Use your environment to create something that will outlast your four-year degree.

Last October, I published Saint-Akzena I: Pandemonium and Saint-Akzena II: The Lampades with KDP. These books are not just the product of my imagination; they are the collective work of many Sherbrooke students (Adriana Olivares, Sandrine Tousignant, Tanya Makhnii, etc.). Many members of the Sherbrooke community have played an influential role in the creation and distribution. The Black Cat bookstore in Lennoxville has copies of these books, available to be purchased. 

Image courtesy of Francois Leblanc

I’ve been collaborating with Amazon Kindle Publishing, working on my Saint-Akzena book series since the middle of my bachelor’s program. This series is a franchise exploring the human condition, set in a haunted high school. More than 100 copies have already been sold in the region and shipped globally from the student mailing service on campus. To complement the publication of this series, we created a short movie adaptation, The Stray Letter, which aired last year at BUFF 2025.

Saint-Akzena III: Talion, the next edition in this series, will be released in October 2026.

Working with Project Incubator led to collaborations with graduates like Sandrine Tousignant, and helped foster creativity in a group setting. 

Writing these books also led to extra points in topic-related courses, like Gothic Literature, taught by Dr. Shoshannah Bryn Jones Square, who commented: “[I] love the complexity of the story and the many lives you weave together, and I especially love the overarching message about our place in the universe.” 

Continuing on the theme of universality, social media is a tool that offers exposure and a voice through visuals. Natalia Drepina, a Russian artist, and Erinthul, a Polish artist, are both on the covers of Saint-Akzena I and II, and there are many illustrations by them within the pages alongside local artists’ photographs. I was able to locate these images thanks to the help of social media. While Sherbrooke may feel isolating, using social media helps connect you with the rest of the world. You can reach out to art galleries, and other internet services via DMs, emails, SMS messages, etc. 

From a laptop in Lennoxville and the campus mail office, I had plenty of opportunities to be discovered. I took a copy of each novel, dedicated it, and shipped it to Gaby’s World of Darkness, a public figure with 38,000 followers who was interested in increasing visibility with the series. It was a gamble that paid off since Gaby shared the series! From this, I realize something everyone needs to know: networking is everything.

Entering the doorstep of an institution is one thing; coming out of it with a degree is another thing. But leaving school with only a diploma is missing an opportunity. Bishop’s and other institutions in Sherbrooke are filled with resources waiting to be used to create something that will last. 

I am an undergraduate who works part-time in a convenience store: I began a franchise that had started to blossom. This could not have been made alone; many others have their touch on it, both locally and internationally. Bishop’s and its accessibility to its resources (Project Incubator, the mail office, the Drama Department, etc.) made this creative work possible. Do not ask what this university can do for you; instead ask what difference you can make to the people you will meet during this experience.