Q&A with Christine Wells

  

 

 

Christine Wells is the author of the new novel The Lost Perfumes of Paris. Her other books include The Paris Gown. She lives in Brisbane, Australia. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Lost Perfumes of Paris, and how did you create your character Élodie?

 

A: I am not sure when I first decided I wanted to write a book about women in the French perfume industry.

 

As a teenager, I visited the Fragonard factory in the south of France and learned something of the manufacturing process, but it was the artistry behind creating perfume that fascinated me.

 

I had heard it said that something about women’s biology gave them a less acute sense of smell than men. Was this true, or was it one of those myths used as an excuse to exclude women from yet another profession?

 

My research showed there were women as early as the 1950s who defied convention to create iconic perfume.

 

Élodie was inspired by the whispers that perfumer Patricia de Nicolaï, a member of the Guerlain family, was not permitted to work as a perfumer in the family business because she was a woman. She didn’t let that stop her becoming an award-winning perfumer, and she now has her own atelier with several stores internationally.

 

I learned that Patricia de Nicolaï was president of an intriguing organisation called the Osmothèque, literally a library of scent, whose archives contain thousands of fragrances that have been created throughout history. That sparked the idea for The Lost Perfumes of Paris.

 

As for creating Élodie’s character, I never quite know my characters until they walk onto the page and start speaking. It is part of the magic of writing fiction for me!

 

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Élodie and her father?

 

A: The relationship between Élodie and her father, Fabrice, is a difficult one. It is baffling to her that Fabrice is as prejudiced against female “noses” as many other men in the industry, despite the fact that her mother, his late wife, Aurore, was a legendary perfumer.

 

I think there is a great shock that comes to a girl or young woman when she realises that, even though her father claims to love her dearly, that love does not encompass respect for her as an equal to the male of the species.

 

However, Élodie comes to learn that Fabrice’s attitude is about more than mere prejudice, and her struggle to prove herself to him is the driving force of the story.

 

Q: How did you research the novel, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?

 

A: I always read a lot around the subject, of course, and several interviews with perfumers, both male and female, were helpful in understanding the industry as well as the science and the creativity behind perfume.

 

I particularly enjoyed the lyricism of perfume critics’ reviews and amassed quite a lexicon of words to describe scent, many of which are similar to descriptions we would normally use for taste.

 

Of course, I had to try my hand at creating perfume myself, so there was some very enjoyable “hands on” research involved, too!

 

I was surprised to learn that perfume was still being made throughout World War II—in fact, the war drove innovation in synthetic molecules because of the short supply of raw materials. Apparently, perfumers tend not to be prejudiced against using these synthetic ingredients in their creations.

 

Q: The writer Kerri Maher said of the book, “I learned so much about perfume as I rooted for Elodie to triumph in her chosen, male-dominated profession.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: Whenever I write historical fiction, I am mindful never to bore the reader with great swathes of information that might only prove interesting to me. The characters and the story always come first. However, I am very pleased that Kerri, who was so kind as to endorse this book, found she was learning about perfume along the way.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I am working on two books at the moment—one historical and one in a different genre altogether. More, I cannot say at this moment but stay tuned!

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I would like to appeal to your readers to support flesh and blood, real human authors by buying their work.

 

I am told that Artificial Intelligence is not yet capable of writing coherent, long-form fiction, but I imagine the day will come when AI books will be promoted on a par with the novels that we authors have slaved over for months or years.

 

The only power we readers have to stop this trend is the power of our wallets, because profit is the only thing the people behind the push to replace humans with AI understand or care about.

 

Thank you for the opportunity, Deborah. I hope your readers enjoy the interview.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Christine Wells.