Local Author Feature // Marielle Pariseau
Marielle Pariseau, also known locally as “The Tooth Fairy” from many workshops and presentations, is one of the Park City area’s newest authors. After 37 years of clinical dentistry, Marielle hung up her drills in 2012 at which point she and husband, Hans, relocated from Ottawa, Canada, to Midway, Utah.
Born an animal lover, Pariseau also writes about her adventures with animals in a unique voice. While in active clinical practice, Marielle often told stories about her animal friends to redirect children's attention away from the scary parts of her work. Billy Braveheart, the subject of her very first venture into children’s literature, is, in her words “the story of a brave mouse who lived in my house. It made me feel like Dr Seuss. I also told fabulous stories about teeth, space voyages, and of course, many animal stories related to the old farm.”
This book is the first, in what Pariseau hopes will be a series of animal stories taking place in that familiar farm setting. “In my mind, the next in line would be the cats. Readers would meet Cowboy, the cat featured in the illustrations of Billy Braveheart. They would also get to know Pebbles, Bogart, and Redfurred, as well as Brat Cat, the puppy training specialist. Which brings us to the dog characters, to follow in the footprint of the cats, Bandit and Oliver, already introduced in Billy Braveheart, and Suzie. All these exist in folders of notes and mainly in my mind.”
When she thinks big, Pariseau can imagine her stories not only behind an illustrated cover but up on the big screen. “I’m a huge fan of animation pictures, singularly impressed with the various layers of story woven into them: a layer for the kids, a more subtle one to entertain the adults who watch with their little ones, and the bigger message that can only be absorbed over time as one reflects on this or that part of the movie. My big dream is to see Billy Braveheart turned into a Pixar, DreamWorks or Disney animation picture.”
Children’s books often have underlying lessons as does this one. “Courage comes from the French word for heart, COEUR,” explains Pariseau. “The underlying story of Billy Braveheart, like his name suggests, is one of courage. It is a story of listening to your heart, and acting from what feels right in your heart. It is also a story of resilience, of bouncing back from adversity, adapting to new situations, and finding your own way to thriving in places you believed you couldn’t.”
Billy Braveheart is available on Amazon here.