I've always been fascinated by immortal characters who have lived for hundreds or thousands of years and have witnessed history. When I was a teen, I loved Anne Rice's novels and Highlander (the TV series), for instance. So that was the starting point, this 2000 years old character. But also, I wanted to try serialized fiction: it was a big motivation of mine because I'm passionate about this form and its endless narrative and aesthetic possibilities. So when I started exploring Wattpad three years ago, I thought it could be an interesting opportunity. Also, even if I had been writing my whole life (I'm forty!), the decision to write in English (I'm French) really freed me. I started to find my voice. And so the combination of all that led to For Centuries, which I thought at the time would be at best one season long, and is now in its 5th, with several spin-offs!
2. What are some of your favorite tropes to use in your writing? What do you love about them?
I think the one you can find in all my books is "found family". My books are queer, not only because they have queer characters but also because they are fundamentally anti-normative and focus on different types of love and relationships outside the constraints of social norms. So my books are mostly about supporting one another.
3. Which of your characters do you relate to the most strongly?
There are parts of me in all my characters. The main character in my series, Elise, is asexual and so it was a way for me to explore this side of myself. And it was very important for me. Because I put a word on my sexual orientation very late in my life and creating this character was a part of my personal path. Also, there are many things in her that come from me: I love to sing and dance, for instance. But the similarities stop there because I definitely don't have her talents or her wisdom! She's so extraordinary that she's probably the hardest character to write for me. On the contrary, the easiest to write is James, who's a drama queen, a very emotional character, and I relate more with his insecurities and his excesses. But again, I'm not a superstar like him!
4. You've written many stories in the For Centuries series, with four completed main series books, multiple completed spin-offs, and a fifth season of the main series currently being written. How do you keep coming up with so many ideas for this series?
I honestly don't know. I have many difficulties but the fear of the blank page is not one of them. The problem is more that I have too many ideas and not enough time to write all of them! Also, I let my characters inspire me. I know it's a cliché, but I just listen to them. They tell me what they want to do or what they have in mind, and I just write about it. I also like to experiment with form, which brings new ideas. I must say that ONC has been a huge creativity boost these last two years because it made me try new things that really opened doors for my fictional universe.
5. Without giving too many spoilers, what excites you the most about the latest season of For Centuries?
I'm really excited for this new season because it's not about fighting against something, it's about building something together. And I felt it was the logical next step after the 4 previous seasons. It allows me to explore new things in terms of relationships, group dynamics, but also in terms of politics.
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Many thanks to MelisandeScott for the amazing interview! We hope everyone enjoys her lovely found fantasy stories.
