Anna-Maria Lacriola | “If you don’t know what makes you tick, what’s the point? »

Time passed… “No, I never finished my DEC,” she tells us, echoing what she wrote at the time. “But I went to college!” » Earn a certificate in creative writing while working in an elementary school library as a free student. It was there that she discovered her passion for children’s literature.

In 2012, his position as librarian was fired, leaving him completely distraught. He goes to the Magdalen Islands for a few months, then returns to Montreal in the spring. “A week later, I met my boyfriend, who already had two children aged 3 and 5 and a job at the university. He encouraged me to go back to school. So I graduated at 34 with a BA in Linguistics. Later, my friends admitted to me that they were sure I was going to give up! »

She laughs again. And yet she did it, her graduation. Three years of full-time study, part-time work, a boyfriend and two young children nearby. It’s been a busy few years, thank you.

Later, he took up this job as a checker in the central government, which he still holds. She chose to condense her schedule to take every Monday off. What to do ? “For work! I’m constantly doing activities in libraries,” he says. “Finally, I’ve managed two jobs that are important to me: one is to pay for my house, and the other is to have fun with the kids. »

All in all, meetings for children (now teenagers), volunteering with Giselle and the Petites Freres organization, going to the theater or concerts… Busy weeks, whatnot. Too much, sometimes? “When I feel like it’s too much, it’s because I’ve planned poorly,” she says. So, she cleans up and leaves the proceedings.

Really? “Seems like I have to schedule things to feel busy.” Then I look at my calendar and see it’s a long week, so I cancel. At home, there is one side of my bed that I am most comfortable with…”

Basically, despite time, we don’t change that much, he notes. “My niece dropped out of CEGEP last year,” says Anna-Maria. The decision worried his parents and brought back funny memories for his aunt. Eventually, things turned out well for Anna-Maria, the family recalled. “My daughter-in-law works and loves what she does. You know, sometimes, when we are young, we rush to be like others. For example, going to school because everyone goes to school. But what’s the point if you don’t know what motivates you? »