It's been far too long since I last posted; but I've been browsing, reading, pondering various things!
Anyway I have a big idea for a novel, and am always interested in opinions and advice regarding it:
I like to think of this as "Interview With The Vampire" for russophiles! Peter the Great marries at 15, to a childhood sweetheart, she dies in childbirth with their first and only child, a boy I've decided to name Evgeni (I just love the name and because it means "aristocrat" I thought it appropriate; but I might change it). Peter guiltily agrees to marry Eudoxia in 1689 when Evgeni is a year old. Most things in history play out as it was, just with the inclusion of Evgeni. I plan to focus a lot on the relationship between Evgeni and his brother Alexei. I'm thinking that Evgeni would be much like his father, want to reform Russia and bring it to the modern age. Evgeni is skilled in military tactics and diplomacy, and it will show when the war with Sweden occurs. At one point during the war, Evgeni somehow manages to meet a lovely Swedish Princess, a year younger than he. Now, Evgeni should have been married already, but he has such a modern sensibility to him, that he couldn't bring himself to marry someone he hadn't loved or at least known somewhat well. Peter indulges him, because he loved his mother so. All the same, he would be close to marrying various ladies of society, but when he would get depressed about it all, the weddings would always be cancelled. At last, they make a bargain, stating that if Evgeni hadn't found anyone by a certain age, then Peter would arrange the marriage and would no longer hear objections to it (I'm thinking 20 maximum). When he meets this Swedish Princess, he gets to know and love her, and they begin a passionate love affair despite the distance and tension between their countries. Alexei meanwhile thinks that Peter and Evgeni are ignoring him, and desires his father's approval and affection, so seeks to discredit and sabotage Evgeni (think Rameses and Moses in The Ten Commandments). Alexei discovers the affair by finding a letter in which Evgeni pledges to marry the Princess when the war is over. He presents it to the Tsar, who summons Evgeni. Alexei gloats, but his plan backfires when Peter decides to allow Evgeni and the Princess to wed (such treachery can't go unpunished of course). Anyway, in the midst of the wedding plans, Evgeni is kidnapped by a vampire, and after months of torment, he is turned into a vampire. The vampire who turned him basically keeps him prisoner, but Evgeni breaks free shortly after Alexei's death (who in this story is charged with Evgeni's murder, an act of high treason; I know that wasn't what really happened but I personally like the idea). Evgeni knows he cannot reveal himself as a vampire to his loved ones, but can't stop himself from seeing his beloved Princess is convinced she is insane when she sees him, and dies alone and sick in a convent years later. When he discovers his father is dying, he steals his sword which would have come to him anyway (bit of fiction on my part I'm sure, but it fits nice with the story). He uses it to kill vampires (by means of decapitation), always searching for the one who made him. It has the Romanov crest on it in gold and jewels, which makes it really nice because the victims know who is ending their existence: a Romanov! As he continues along his quest, he decides to assist *select* descendants with running the Empire (he can't help them all or he'd be discovered). He takes various aliases over the years, assists in the coups of Elizaveta, Ekaterina the Great (with whom he has an affair, of course), and Alexander I, assists Alexander I defeat Napoleon, Alexander II institute reforms that Evgeni himself planned on instituting when he would have inherited the throne, and *tries* to help Nicholas II... he takes *some* advice, but not a lot and modifies the advice he does take. When the February Revolution occurs, Evgeni tries to offer comfort as best he can to the family, not sure how well that would work out, how well he would know them, etc. But when the October Revolution happens, Evgeni begins to make his way Eastward, intending to get to Vladivostok and from there, America, where he would be safe. He still looks and acts like a Romanov aristocrat, so Russia would be a dangerous place for him at this time. He ends up in Pig's Meadow in the post-midnight hours of July 17th, 1918. He spies his sire in the forest, with two bodies wrapped in sheets (guess who). Evgeni fights his maker, but his maker runs away. Evgeni cares for the wounded Aleksei and Maria (originally I thought of Tatiana, I might still use her) who both die soon after he found them (depending on the severity of the wounds, no more than 12hrs I would *assume* but maybe more or less than that; my idea's kinda taken from the truck breaking down, the bodies fell out; they'd been merely unconscious rather than dead... not entirely sure though so feel free to pose some points and advice). As Aleksei dies, Evgeni asks him to pray to God for his own soul to be spared from damnation, and vows to have vengeance and justice on the vampire who made him what he is: if it weren't for him, if Evgeni had been able to rule in his own time, he beileves that history would have been entirely different, and the country would not have been in the ruins it was/will be in the coming 70 years. After he gives Aleksei and his sister a very modest burial and private funeral (for their corpses' safety, to prevent them from being desecrated, he does not want a marked grave or anything that would draw attention to the spot where he buries them. He does however put a small pile of stones, as per Aleksei's wishes; such a thing could go unnoticed), Evgeni continues on his way to Vladivostok, and from there, goes to California. I am not entirely sure what happens to him there, because I haven't truly thought about it yet, but I think the democratic feel wouldn't really make him feel "at home." So he heads instead to England. When WWII happens, he enrolls in the RAF as a night pilot, running some kind of stealth missions or something like that. There's all kinds of things that could happen to him up to the present day, but one thing is certain: Evgeni, in a 300ish year span, kills 700 vampires of his sire's bloodline, all by means of Peter the Great's sword. He still can't find his sire. Finally, he decides to write his memoirs, sparing no details about the events of his life, and in the epilogue, writes a formal challenge to a duel to the death. Following the French Dueling Code, he would need a second. I'm not sure who that will be yet, but I'm keeping my mind open. Anyway, there are only two ways the duel can end: by his sire's death, or his own. The novel will end with either one. I really desire the "happily ever after, Hollywood-style" ending, but the alternative is equally appealing... Let's face it, when it comes to hero vampires... they always win... might be innovative perhaps to do the alternative.
Phew, you can tell I've put a lot of thought into this one!
