Hazels Creation: The Vampire Armand and Steinbeck.
"Some call me "Angel" or "Cherub Child", others "Demon" . I am none of these things. I am a vampire: Gentleman Death. I am forever my genetic makeup at the time of my 'death', and so I have all the needs and desires of that boy that was snatched too quickly from life. Call me wicked, cruel and merciless. Call me whatever you will, so long as you Love Me"
-Armand

The Vampire Armand 

Contrary to the move portrayal of Armand, played by Antonio Banderas, the Armand of the novals is describes as such;

"Your hair's like something spun from amber, as if the amber would melt and could be drawn from candle flames in long airy threads and let to dry that way to make all these shining tresses. You're sweet, boylike and pretty as a girl."
-The Vampire Armand

"It wasn't merely his beauty; it was the astonishing innocence of his boyish face. He moved so lightly and swiftly I could not see his feet actually take steps. His huge eyes regarded us without anger, his hair, for all the dust in it, giving off faint reddish glints."
-The Vampire Lestat

"Armand's angelic face was beyond description."
-The Queen of the Damned

"Armand has a beautifully young, boy-like appearance; long, curly auburn hair and dark brown eyes. His features are at times compared to those of Cupid or a Botticelli angel"
-Wikipedia 



Artistic portrayals of The Vampire Armand




As you can imagine, this is INSANELY hard to find in a human being. But it does explain why he looks so female, he’s very much suppose to.

Armand into Hazel





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Further references and adaptations taken from Armand.

Hazels morbid fascinations:

-His black hair was something to behold. […] Making sure he was dead, I wrapped its length around my left hand, and pulled the whole mass from his scalp 
David gasped "Must you do this?" he asked me 
"No" I said 
-Armand

Artistic ability: 

-I look at my hands. I think the phrase "Not made by human hands". […] Id like to paint now, to pick up a brush and try it the way I did then, furiously, once and for only, every line a mass of color, each blending, each final decision" 
-Armand

Childishness:

-One of the boys bought me a small wonder, because I stared at it. It was a ticking watch. [..] I closed my hand on it and felt dizzy. I had never known clocks to be anything but great venerable things in towers or walls. 
"I carry time now" I whispered in Greek, looking at my friends. 
-Armand

Random:

-Yet suddenly, dish after dish was being place on the table; Everyone was staring.
"I didnt know what you wanted" Armand confided, the smile becoming absolutely ecstatic "So I ordered everything they had"
-Daniel, 'Queen of the Damned'

 -Once Armand had dragged Daniel out of bed in New Orleans and shouted at him; "That telephone! I want you to dial Paris! I want to see if I can really talk to Paris!"
-Queen of the Damned

-At last particular movies stuck his fancy. Over and over he watch Ridley Scotts ‘Blade Runner’, fascinated by Rutger Hauer, the powerfully built actor who, as leader of the rebel androids, confronts his human maker, kisses him, and then crushes his skull.
-Daniel, 'Queen of the Damned'

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Hazel only differs from Armand in the sense that he has brain damage, and so he portrays the more childlike, side of Armand, and the characteristics of Steinbeck’s Hazel. 

His darker, killer side is very much the 500 year old vampire of the books. Sarcastic, vicious and murderous. 

Hazel is a German name, and since the character is suppose to have an accent, I opted to make him from Germany, instead of Russia like Armand. The old world aspect is very important.  
Hazel is from  Berchtesgaden in Bavaria because of the surroundings (Picture) as Armand was born in ancient Russia, and I wanted to keep the allure of growing up in that old, untouched wilderness (with harsh winters)

The most important struggle Armand has throughout the books, is with religion, god and the devil. Being called an angel his whole life, and acting like a demon. Which I gave to Hazel through the form of his Grandparents forcing religion on him, convincing him he was a demon, and 500 years of torture concentrated into 9 years.

Also Armand had no choice regarding killing people, because he was turned into a Vampire, Hazel has no choice over his actions due to his brain damage.  And neither has remorse for the people they've killed, as they only kill Evil Doers. 

Bibliography of Armand:
-Interview with the Vampire
-The Vampire Armand
-The Vampire Lestat
-Queen of the Damned
-Memnoch the Devil
-Blood and Gold

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Hazel from Cannery Row, by John Steinbeck. 

Hazels name was taken from my favorite book, Cannery Row. His name is feminine because his mother was tired when he was born (the eighth child in seven years) and named the baby after an aunt who was rumored to have life insurance. When she realized that Hazel was a boy she had already gotten used to the name and never changed it.

In the book Hazel loves to listen to people's conversations and remembers everything he is told, but can hardly make sense of any of it. He cannot stand silence, because he panics and it confuses him, so he asks inane questions to keep them talking.