Tricksters Queen (52 page)

Swan District:
residential neighborhood for the newly rich, north and west of Dockmarket, Market Town, and Middle Town.

Tanair:
Lombyn Isle estates that form part of the inheritance of Lady Saraiyu and Lady Dove Balitang, granted to them by their mother, Sarugani Temaida. Estates include Tanair Castle and village and the villages of Inti and Pohon.

Tongkang:
island to the south of Gempang, between Gem-pang and Malubesang isles.

Tortall:
chief kingdom in which the Alanna, Daine, and Keladry books take place, between the Great Inland Sea and Scanra. Home to Alianne of Pirate's Swoop and her family.

Tusaine:
small country tucked between Tortall and Maren.

Tyra:
merchant republic on the Great Inland Sea between Tortall and Maren. Tyra is mostly swamp, and its people rely

on trade and banking for income. Numair Salmalin was born there.

Vassa River:
river that forms a large part of the northeastern border between Scanra and Tortall.

wild magic:
magic that is part of the natural world. Unlike the human Gift, it cannot be drained or done away with; it is always present.

wildmage:
mage who deals in wild magic, the kind of magic that is part of nature. Daine Sarrasri is often called the Wildmage for her ability to communicate with animals, heal them, and shape-shift.

Wind:
Kyprioth's cousin, a god.

Yamani Islands:
island nation to the north and west of Tortall and the west of Scanra, ruled by an ancient line of emperors, whose claim to the throne comes from the goddess Yama.

Yimosuat:
capital of Gempang Island, known for its many temples.

Aly's story is a pair of books instead of a quartet thanks to J. K. Rowling (I haven't met her!), who taught adults that American kids will read thicker books, which means I don't need four books to tell a complete story.

My thanks, I think, also go to my beloved editrix, Mallory Loehr, who suggested both that I write about a spy and that I write a character who is laid-back and easygoing, not driven. One day I will find the proper manner in which to express my appreciation of an exercise that made a Moebius strip of me for the last three years. Sarai's fate is her idea as well. My gratitude also goes to my Australian editrix, Margrete Lamond, for her very provocative pointers on pomp and on the behavior of gods.

Thanks as ever to the home team, those who gave me help with so many of the problems that cropped up in the
Trickster
books: my excellent Spouse-Creature, Tim Liebe, who gives me so many plot ideas and twists, and also supplies necessary photographs; my best friend Raquel Starace, fashion consultant on flattering colors for everyone who is not a fair-skinned redhead like me, and the progenetrix (through her discussions of making an inanimate object animate and her analysis of the differences between human and computer animation) of the dark-ings; my wonderful assistant, Sara Alan, for her proofreading and for her reassurances with regard to my feminist credentials as well as for her tolerance of major author flake-outs; my agent, Craig Tenney, he of the watchful eye and the sound advice; Peter Glassman at Books of Wonder for shoring up my faltering courage; and the excellent Christina Schulman and the National Aviary for crowned pigeons and tropical woods mood enhancement.

I bow also to the
Law & Order
franchise, World Wrestling Entertainment,
National Geographies
photographs of people around the world, and photographer Joyce Tennesons
Wise Women
collection in thanks for their inspiration for a number

of characters; to the novels of John Le Carre, particularly
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
and
Smileys People
for insights into effective spycraft, as well as to the innumerable books by innumerable experts I have read on the art of guerrilla warfare.

For musical inspiration I have turned to sources that may appear odd and unrelated, but aren't: Alan Lomax and the singers of his collection
Negro Songs and Work Calls,
performed by Southern blacks in the 1930s and 1940s; pianist Glenn Gould and his classic recordings of Bach's "Goldberg Variations"; composer Ottorino Respighi and his incredible "Pines of Rome," of which I have at least three recorded versions with three different orchestras and conductors; and "Two Cries of Freedom: Gypsy Flamenco from the Prisons of Spain," sung by Jose Serrano and Antonio "El Agujetas," Reachout International Records, Inc.

Those interested in the historical sources of some of my ideas and conflicts may want to examine Alexander the Great's conquest of Egypt and his placement of the Greek Ptolemies over the native Egyptians; William the Conqueror's arrival in England and its centuries of consequences; American slavery; the history of Tudor England during the childhood of Edward VI and the beginning of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I; and the history of any power that invades a country that is not its own and attempts to keep it. As the Rittevons and Jimajens learn, it's hard to completely pacify a country when the bulk of the people who live there are opposed to being pacified.

Tamora Pierce captured the imagination of readers more than twenty years ago with
Alanna: The First Adventure.
As of September 2004, she has written twenty-two books, including three completed quartets—The Song of the Lioness, The Immortals, and Protector of the Small—set in the fantasy realm of Tortall. She has also written the Circle of Magic and The Circle Opens quartets. Her books have been translated into many different languages. Some are available on audio from Listening Library and Full Cast Audio. Tamora Pierce's fast-paced, suspenseful writing and strong, believable heroines have won her much praise:
Emperor Mage
was a 1996 ALA Best Book for Young Adults,
The Realms of the Gods
was listed as an "outstanding fantasy novel" by
VOYA
in 1996,
Squire
(Protector of the Small #3) was a 2002 ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and
Lady Knight
(Protector of the Small #4) debuted at #1 on the
New York Times
bestseller list.
Trickster's Choice
spent a month on the
New York Times
bestseller list and was a 2003 ALA Best Book for Young Adults.

An avid reader herself, Ms. Pierce graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. She has worked at a variety of jobs and has written everything from novels to radio plays. Along with writer Meg Cabot (The Princess Diaries series), she co-founded Sheroes Central, a discussion board about female heroes, remarkable women in fact, fiction, and history, books, current events, and teen issues. She now sponsors Sheroes Central and Sheroes Fans, helping to run it with her beloved Spouse-Creature and an administrative team of adults and teens.

Tamora Pierce lives in New York City with her husband, Tim, a writer, Web page designer, and Web administrator, and their five cats, two birds, and various rescued wildlife.

For more information, visit:
www.tamora-pierce.com

Sheroes Central at:
www.sheroescentral.com