Last Update: January 8, 2008. Volume V is finished at last, and all the story links have been edited.
Hi! Welcome to this particular corner of my brain.
"The Private Diary of Elizabeth Quatermain" was intended to be a once-and-done deal. I had a nagging plot bunny after watching the LXG movie, so I sat down to write the story just to get it out of my head. From there it just sort of stretched itself out, and I realized that one story was not going to do it. As of right now, it's intended to be a series of five main stories with various extra vignettes -- though that could change too. (Warning -- if you haven't seen the movie, there ARE movie spoilers in here. There's some on this very page.)
The Backstory of TPDoEQ
Now, you might be wondering, who the heck is Elizabeth Quatermain? Elizabeth is the daughter of canon character Allan Quatermain, played in the movie by Sean Connery. (There is no indication in the novels from which Allan originates that he had any children other than his son Harry; on the other hand, there's no indication that he didn't have other children. So I just forged ahead.)
At the time the series begins, Elizabeth is close to her twentieth birthday. Shortly after she learns about her father's death, she is visited by the surviving members of the League, who have learned of her existence and come to pay their respects. Because her father died intestate, Elizabeth's home has been seized by the government and she has to move; her mother died in childbirth, the spinster aunt who raised her died when Elizabeth was fifteen, and in a nutshell she's alone in the world. Not only that, but she has a strange puzzle in the form of her last letter from her father, bidding her to travel to Paris and search for some missing key. She offers the letter to the League, thinking they're more fit to solve the mystery than she, but because of her indigent situation (and out of loyalty to her father's memory), Captain Nemo invites her to stay on the Nautilus and becomes her unofficial guardian. The entire story is told in the style of entries in Elizabeth's personal diary -- hence the series title.
I call it "The Fanfiction That Ate My Brain" because it quickly developed into a minor obsession for me. But what I didn't expect was that it would turn out to be a fanfiction that ate other people's brains, too. I have been beyond humbled and overwhelmed by the incredible amount of positive feedback I've received in reviews and in private emails. I have minions! I have people promoting my story for me! It's bizarre even by my standards -- and if you know me at all, you know that my benchmark for bizarre is pretty high!
Well, anyway, this portion of my website is dedicated to everything that has anything to do with TPDoEQ. Much like the series itself, the site got a little out of control, so I've had to redo everything and make it all tidy and organized. You'll find links to the stories themselves, all the reviews I've gotten, and even fan art that people drew based on the stories. If you're about to read them for the first time, then I hope you like the stories -- and if you've read them before, thanks for coming again! :)
NEWS -- for all the latest TPDoEQ stuff, click here.
I don't recommend going further unless you've read the stories. There are spoilers to be found in the art, the FAQ, and other places. Of course, if you don't really care one way or the other, be my guest. Just remember that I did warn you! :)
