1. How many siblings does Kel actually have? The books mention three brother and I think three sisters, but there are sure a lot of nieces and nephews at Mindelan for just a few siblings that couldn’t have been married for that long.
Tammy: Let’s see–in descending order of age: Anders is the oldest. He and his wife Vorinna have five kids, of whom Lachren is the oldest; Lachren’s now a page. Patricine* is next of the sibs; she’s married to Toshuro noh Akaneru; they have two kids and live in the Yamani Islands with his family. Inness and his wife Tilaine have three kids. Conal is an unmarried knight. Demadria** recently married Gavin*** haMinch; they have one on the way. Adalia**** married Merovec of Nond; they have two, having ::cough:: gotten started early ::cough::. Oranie married Ortien of Hannalof. Avinar is a scholar/teacher at the City of Gods. And Kel is the youngest.
2. How far back do the noble books (Book of Gold, Book of Silver) go? What’s the cut off date between the books?
Tammy: The Book of Gold begins 630 years before Alanna’s time, when Tortall, a state of the fallen Thanic Empire that once covered all of the Eastern Lands, set itself up as a realm of its own, setting down the names of the ruling families in a parchment book with gilded letters and plates of gold for the front and back. Since the sheets of parchment were set it with no way to add unless the book was taken apart, the length of time and the number of families listed in it ran as long as there was space in the book! The Book of Silver began 170 years later, with the same construction, only in silver. Once that ran out of pages, 245 years later, The Book of Copper was begun, and they’re still using that.
3. Will we ever see any of the Yamani Islands firsthand? What we hear about them from Kel sounds interesting, as do the women from the Islands ;]
Tammy: I don’t have any plans, but that doesn’t mean I won’t ever get there!
4. How far back does the Conte-Naxen partnership (for lack of a better word) go? How are the families related or have the Naxens always just worked with the Contes?
Tammy: They try not to intermarry too often, but they’ve worked together off and on for a couple of hundred years, what with one thing and another. A Naxen was one of the Old King’s best generals, his right hand, and he married a Naxen third cousin.
5. Is there any map, even a sketch, that you have of the whole Eastern Lands? I would like to see Sarain, Maren, the Roof of the World, etc. in relation to Tortall.
Tammy: Not yet–I only have the overall one for LIONESS RAMPANT. By a companion to Tortall is in the works, and I promise, there will be more maps!
NOTES FROM Words of Tamora Pierce
*This is the second time Tammy has called her Patricine, as opposed to Patrissa in Pronunciation Guide to Tamora Pierce Characters. It is unconfirmed as to what her true name is.
**Demadry according to Pronunciation Guide to Tamora Pierce Characters, and Demadina according to this post on Sheroes. It is unconfirmed as to what her true name is.
***Gelvan according to this post on Sheroes.
****Originally mistyped as Adelia, although Tammy has made this mistake before.
SOURCE: [Random Buzz: Teens at Random]
Words of Tamora Pierce 