The Interactive Novel is a part of the SOURCE project. It is a way to get in touch with the public via the transmedia. In this novel, there are four characters. They will travel around Europe, following the footsteps of European historic figures that came across each other in the Cafés of Europe, which were the great thermal spas from the 18th Century to the early 20th Century.
The four characters:
-Valery: He is the narrator and also a character of the novel. He is a traveller, full of imagination, an avid reader, who speaks and writes in several languages, and corresponds with hundreds of friends. He possesses many traits of Valery Larbaud (1881-1957).
-Clara: She is barely thirty years of age. She is an immensely gifted musician who plays the keyboard/electric organ just as well as the piano, and sings on occasion. This character is largely based on the life and journey of Clara Schumann (1819-1896).
-Charles Joseph: Charles Joseph: Thirty has just come and gone. He is sporty, he is a dilettante, a gambler, casino visitor. He hides his erudition and profound knowledge of diplomacy and the great families beneath a natural nonchalance, and a constant strategy of seduction. He possesses strong connections with an historic figure who married into his family: Prince Charles Joseph de Ligne (1735-1814).
-Georg: He is approaching his fifties. He set up his medical practice in the centre of Rome and practises two complementary disciplines: thermal (hydro-/balneo) therapy with a specialisation in psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. He is an epicurean, a calm and ordered man who practises hypnosis. He has a clear professional and typological connection with Georg Groddeck (1866-1934).
During each Café of Europe, the characters will have the opportunity, through historic monuments and heritage that are just as much settings or stages, to meet the novelist, fans and followers who contribute to the novels writing through social media.
