Royals without Rule & a Prophecy Made in the Stars: All About my Book Series, The Celestial Prophecy!

If we've been friends for a long time, you probably already know I'm writing a retelling series called The Celestial Prophecy. But for those who didn't know, in this blog post, I'll be sharing all the juicy info about the story! If you love royalty, princesses, friends-to-lovers, court drama, prophecies done right, relatable characters, and Russian history, then this blog post is made specifically for you!

WHAT'S “THE CELESTIAL PROPHECY”?

Rulers of Craestan portrait by @Caracal via NaNoWriMo forums.

It’s a story about two rulers who were fated to rule a conflicted nation without knowledge of leading. Together, they face obstacles and navigate through the intricacies of ruling a Russian-inspired world that is watched over by the 12 Celestial Gods (or what we call it, "the 12 Constellations"). I've always been fascinated by stars and galaxies, so I wanted to write something that incorporates that. I like the idea of having Celestial beings rule over the world. It's something not a lot of stories have.

THE 12 CONSTELLATIONS

These 12 Gods who rule over the world are not simply “Gods”; each of them has a unique personality tied to them, and they always fight over in the Celestial Realm of who's right or who's wrong. Their comedic acts of decision-making make me laugh every time I write about them. Sad thing is, they don't appear in the book series, but I've written a separate story that talks about them and the whole lore of The Celestial Prophecy.

THE MAIN CHARACTER

Luisa Delafontaine portrait by @Lejla G.

Luisa Delafontaine is not your typical “badass” princess who kicks men’s butts or doesn't think she's not pretty. You'd be surprised how far she is from the books I've read that follow the “strong girl who needs no man” trope. Luisa is very feminine, confident about her body and looks, her abilities, but is aware of her flaws and what she needs fixing. She cares about the well-being of her people without being selfish or self-centered.

Luisa's drive to assist those who are close to her or are in her circle talks about her willingness to cope in even the most difficult times during her role as future queen. Her love for her youngest sister strengthened her resolve, and she was deemed the most compassionate and kind to those around her. But the people around her seemingly did not think so. Her inability to rule tells a lot about her skills, even without her parents.

“Celestial Gods, what am I to do?” I spoke to them in mind. “If I were to be the next monarch, what would the people become of now? All I have is my sister and a few ministers who can help me guide my path."

But alas, my prayers were still left unanswered. I wanted to cry again. Yet, all I have were thoughts of that accident and my parents leaving us. I know they shouldn't be blamed for everything, as circumstances such as this cannot be, at all, avoided.

Exploring this new world, Luisa didn't know that living as a commoner was difficult, much different than her life as royalty. She never expected to have made lasting connections in this timeframe.

THE SECOND LEAD

Mark Christiansen with his dog by @Doshii.

Mark Christiansen is inspired by a high school classmate from long ago, who is very talkative, super kind, and extremely friendly to anyone. I've once had a huge crush on him too! Mark’s also inspired by Howell Jenkins Pendragon from Howl's Moving Castle. (This led me to write him, who was once a wizard, then in the succeeding drafts, he became crown prince.) You could say that Mark's the type to become friends with almost anyone and would treat his customers to a meal on a random weekend. When he met Luisa, she told him she wanted to break free from Victor. Mark taught her what it means to be free, even though he, himself, is trapped in playing pretend for a very, very long time.

This journey of becoming crown prince wasn't easy for Mark, and he has hidden his identity under that smiling facade. He has one person that he should look out for though…and that's Victor Sylvester.

“ENVY AND HATRED, YOU MUST BE GONE.”

Victor Sylvester portrait by @Caracal via NaNoWriMo forums.

Victor is power-hungry, much like any other villain portrayed in the media; however, his approach is different, as he always likes to prove himself to people by working harder and staying true to himself and his goals. He doesn't plan on hurting people; he wants to help them. To make Craestan a better place. But he didn't know he was causing harm and death to the people surrounding him. He didn't want Mark Christiansen to take the crown; he wanted to take it for himself. After hearing Mark's statement of not wanting to be emperor, Victor found a silver lining–Mark doesn't want to become royal anyway, but...why does everyone not notice Victor's efforts?

Of course, his insistence to take the throne and prove himself to his family, avenge his mother, make his father proud, and help the country, made him all the more responsible in taking the royal family down, and this drive led him to pursue a revolution in Craestan.

THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION AND THE ROMANOV FAMILY

My love for writing The Celestial Prophecy grew when I first watched 20th Century's Anastasia movie. You have no idea how much I LOVED that movie, I even have it saved on my laptop for inspiration purposes and even had my 18th birthday surround with the Anastasia theme! The Celestial Prophecy is a three-book series that follows and hints at the Romanov Family of Russia’s downfall in the years 1917-1922. My love for anything Russian is unmatched, and I even requested my parents to gift me Russian history books for Christmas so I can study them more and more. You guys also won't believe how many Anastasia related movies I've watched over the years!

The Romanov Family of Russia

What I love most is reading about the Romanov Sisters, Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia. I also have a written history book, or diary of Anastasia Nikolaevna kept on my bookshelf for research purposes!

My favorite character of all Mark and Luisa's children has to be Elisabel, who is inspired by Tatiana Romanov, the second daughter of the Romanov sisters, who is a sassy individual who knows her way in and out of the royal world.

THE “TRILOGY” AS A WHOLE

Book 1 of The Celestial Prophecy is a Cinderella retelling, Book 2 is Sleeping Beauty, and the 3rd Book is an Anastasia retelling. All three books combined follow the timeline of the History of Tsarist Russian rule. I've not read many stories like this, so why not write one?

After all, do you know that Cinderella, Aurora, and Anastasia are my favorite princesses? Yep, you've heard it right. They're my favorite royals, and before I also took a liking to Snow White. Royals fascinate me in a way that I wanted to write everything about them!

So, during the time of the pandemic, I've thought of wanting to write a retelling series that follows the downfall of Russia and the Romanov family, plus have 12 Celestial Gods rule over the world, giving out fate and conscience to the people who needed it to make active decisions. In this story, I want people to feel something, to relate to the characters as if they've lived the life of Mark, Luisa, or even the side characters and their children to begin with.

I'm beginning to market the book series this year, as I'm planning to publish them after I finish college. My first somewhat published “book” would be my Genshin Impact fanfiction that follows my favorite character. (The story will be free, and it will serve as a “test” trial for my original works, such as this book series.)

MY TAKEAWAYS

In my stories, I always wanted to write characters whom others and I can relate to. And because of my love for Anastasia and the Romanov Family, I think writing about them will be an eye-opener to the future. Times, wars, and seasons change, and lessons should be learned to avoid such things or tragedies from happening.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post about my book series! Stay tuned for more like this in the future!