Female characters people release (9)
I believe the answer is:
emanation
'release' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both acts as well as being singular nouns.
Maybe you can see a link between them that I don't see?
'female characters people' is the wordplay.
'female characters' becomes 'ema' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'people' becomes 'nation'.
'ema'+'nation'='EMANATION'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for emanation that I've seen before include "Something issuing from a source" , "produce radioactive gas" , "discharge" , "Pouring out" , "Something given off" .)