Charlène
Gros-Piron is, at first, a huge reader. In her library you can find: The
Heritage cycle by Christopher Paolini, Tara Duncan by Sophie
Audouin-Mamikonian, the Warriors series (La Guerre des Clans) by Erin
Hunter and so much more...
But more
than that she’s a writer. With ten published books since 2012, eleventh one
near to come, from romance with Si tu me retiens (If you hold me back)
published by So Romance to fantasy with Le masque du silence (The mask
of silence) published by Valentina and Les Originels series (The
Originals) published by Anyway Editions, Charlène Gros-Piron possess a
large experience in fictional writing and character creation. That’s the reason
we wanted her point of view as an author about female characters in fantasy
literature. You can find more information about her publications on her website and Facebook page and her reading
suggestions on her Youtube channel L’Eden des rêves but for now
let’s discover the interview:
1. As an author, is there a difference between creating a
male or a female main character?
I can only talk about what I’ve experienced, but
I think there’s an impact not really on the story itself, but on the way it
will be told. I mean, it depends on the type of narration, but if you chose
write a story with first-person narration, of course it will be different: a
man and a woman don’t see the world in the same way, don’t express their
feelings the same way… their goals can even be different! So there’s a
difference, but I don’t know if the author thinks in terms of male/female or
simply in terms of “character’s psychology”.
2. Do you
think it changes the way the story will unfold?
I think it can change it, because, just like
what I said before, male and female characters can have different goals and
thoughts or feelings. They won’t react the same way in front of the same event.
But if you are an author that decides every step before everything is written,
and doesn’t let any freedom to your characters, it won’t change anything: they
will just find a way to “fit” to your plan.
3. In your
books the narrator is generally a girl, is it easier as a woman writer to write
from a woman’s or a girl’s point of view?
I’ve never really thought about that: I started
writing stories to escape my everyday life. I wanted to live other stories, to
dream, and be a hero. So, naturally, I started to tell the stories I was
imagining for myself, from my point of view! And then, I “met” other
characters, and told their stories. But I must admit that when I have to give
the floor to a male character, I prefer to use the third person to write. My
romances are written like that from a external point of view, because I have to
switch between the woman and the man, and because I’m frightened not to
translate correctly the way the male character thinks in my own words.
4. Did you
have to break stereotypes you grew up with to create strong women characters?
Did I really grow with stereotypes about women?
Not really sure. My parents are divorced, I grew up with my mother and she
showed me everyday how to be strong even when you are feeling really down. I
should say I have to break stereotypes about religious characters, but that is
another point. I just tried to transform my ordeals in something better.
5. Can you
tell me about a female character who inspired you or on the contrary displeased
you?
Yes. The first female character that inspired me
is Ann Sullivan (The Story of Helen Keller, by Lorena A. Hickok). She’s
not a fictional character, but her story changed my life. We are in 1886, Helen
Keller, 6 years old, is blind, deaf and mute, and she doesn’t understand
anything about the world she lives in. Ann Sullivan is a personal teacher that
will give her the world: she will teach her the ways to communicate. Braille,
Morse code… Ann works so hard, she has so much patience, and what she offers to
Helen is just incredible. Helen also left a mark on me, because she overcame
everything on her way to communicate and live the best life she could have. She
even finally spoke to people and gave lectures! Those two characters showed me
the power of education, perseverance, and this book showed me that books could
change lives. I never stopped reading after that.
About a character that displeased me, I would
say Scarlett O’Hara from Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. I’ve
never met such an unbearable character. I disagreed with every choice she made,
and I had the impression she was creating by herself the hole she was sinking
in. She had the power to live a beautiful life, and she never stops clinging to
the bad persons or things. She has so much energy, though…
6. Is there a
male character you would like to see as female, and the contrary?
I’ve
never thought about that! (laugh) I just take the character as he or she is.
Would you ask this question about someone you know in the real world ? I could
never think like that about acquaintances, and it’s the same about characters.
Every character I meet in a story is like a new person I meet in the world, and
as an author and a reader, I’ve never tried to imagine other scenario than the
one presented by the author. I regret when things don’t happen according to my
wishes, but I follow the path.
7. What do
you think it will change?
Well, I think the codes are changed… I mean, if
there’s a romance, that becomes an homosexual romance, for example, and the
expectations about the character are not the same, socially speaking (in the
book : in a medieval context, expectations are not the same than in a
contemporary one).
8. Do you
think that female characters are stereotyped in fantasy literature?
There’s always stereotypes. The strong female
character that succeeds everything, has every power, and seduce every man ?
There it is (like Tara Duncan, by Sophie Audouin-Mamikonian). The character
that seduces a powerful male character, even though she has no reasons to
appeal him ? Look at Twilight ! You can have many extremes. Every wave
in literature proposes new stereotypes. It becomes stereotypes because we
incorporate them. Currently, woman must be : proud of themselves (whatever they
feel), strong but also weak, clever, they must join big causes… And what about
everyday women ? Like you and me ?
9. Do you
think there’s mansplaining in fantasy literature?
I don’t think so, but I can be wrong. I don’t
have any example in mind.
10. Do you
think there is male and female fantasy literature?
I think that as soon as there’s a romance, this
is more female-targeted literature. It’s less about male and female characters,
than about the plot itself…
By Mathilde Salla
Picture : Charlène Gros-Piron, http://charlenegrospiron.weebly.com/
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