Through History and Literature

From March 8 to 22, 2024, events around women’s rights week took place in libraries and other cultural places in my area.

At the start of the week, I listened to extracts from several books by women authors during an evening hosted by a feminist reading club. During these discussions, several specific points were shed light on. After the club’s intervention, I added a comment on the vision of witches through History and Literature.
Later in the week, I attended a conference on the role of women during antiquity and in particular as philosopher.
Among the books proposed, I opted to read the novel the daughters of Egalie written by Gerd Branterberg.
In another setting, I read also rock’n roll witch from Pleasant Gehman who I worked on documentation about Fantastic L.A.
Currently, I am devoting myself to several artistic projects, however taking the time to discover and discuss current themes enriches my thoughts.

The choice of characters

On this International Women’s Day, I reaffirm my support for all women. It’s a long fight for equality and although the progress is real, certain measures plunge it back into a certain form of archaism. Violence and discrimination have no place. And that for no one.
Writing, like any artistic form, reflects a part of the society that surrounds it and the impulse that an author gives in her story is a trace left.
For my part, the choice of characters was made in several ways. On the one hand, as I thought there were few female detectives in literature, I tried to create personalities along those lines. On the other hand, I made sure to maintain a certain logic to avoid falling into clichés.

Here are two excerpts from my fiction.

Beginning of the extract from Fantastic L.A. dialogue between the detective and one of the protagonists:

– Legend or not, what’s certain is that in the museum, there’s an indefinable presence that seems to protect what’s there.

– How do you know this?

– Gladys had mentioned it. All the employees knew that Fantastic L.A. had been set up in a building where a hold-up had been committed. Since the unsolved murder of one of the victims, unexplained events have been recurring.

– Have you seen or heard of a vampire kit acquired by the museum?

End of extract

Beginning of extract from Duel à Albi dialogue between the cinephile and a visitor:
The visitor stared at her intensely with a keen, deep gaze. Lydia in turn stared at him from head to toe, as if to make sure she wasn’t mistaken. She could detect no difference. It was indeed Gary Cooper, a Hollywood star of her childhood who had mysteriously crossed space-time to Albi.
End of extract

 

Forensic science

I used the knowledge I had acquired by enrolling in Forensic Science (University of Singapore), it gave me the necessary elements to develop Fantastic L.A, even if it is about a fantastic story. This information still helps me in my writing.

Useful link: Forensic Science

Structuring of the story

When I write, my thoughts sometimes move vertically and other times horizontally. What I mean by this is that a chronology in time can be visualized horizontally and moved around, whereas a list of clues, for example, is best understood vertically. Using thought in motion allows you to apprehend the story in a different way.

Information and link to the Theater

When I work on an art project, I do researches. Some are directly related to the creative phase and others concern implementation. Here is an address to a platform offering support for live theatrical performances. You will find the link here.

 

Happy new year 2024

I send you my best wishes for the New Year. May it bring everyone peace, health and the joy of making new intellectual and cultural discoveries.

Yours sincerely,

Celine Valette

Extract of a conversation

Fantastic: There are several definitions of the word fantastic, you will find it more official and complete in a dictionary.
For my part, I would say that these are unexpected and unexplained events (strange, magical, supernatural etc.) taking place in a story. These strange events can sometimes be explained, but not always. Very often they appear singular and disturbing.

The fantastic questions its author as well as the public. Thus putting us face to face with a universal problem (our greatest fears for example) or specific (an element of society).

The characters will face them to defeat them or not.

Offer books during the holidays

Holidays seasons are a time of sharing with family or friends. And sometimes you want to buy an original gift. To offer a book could be a good idea.

My books  on this page in digital format.

 

© 2025 Céline Valette – Tous droits de reproduction, d’adaptation et de traduction réservés pour tous pays sans le consentement de l’Auteur (titre, modèle, illustrations, photos...etc).