Yesterday I snuck in a wee snippet from Daughter Of Blood(forthcoming January 2016), originally used to illustrate a question about Malian in my recent interview with Canadian YA author, Lorna Suzuki.

As  mentioned, Malian’s been mentioned a few times in despatches over recent years, so I thought I’d reprise a few of those links for your weekend reading pleasure.
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UK/AU/NZ Cover

Kristin Cashore’s Bitterblue Talks With Malian Of Night

Here’s how it started:

“Bitterblue: Welcome, Malian, to Monsea. It’s wonderful to meet you. You know, in many ways, I feel our situations are similar: you’ve lost your mother and are estranged from your father, and we both feel a strong sense of duty to our people. Do you see those same similarities?

Malian: I think it’s very true that we share a similar sense of commitment and duty to our people, although as yet I am only the Heir to the House (nation) of Night, while you are already a ruling Queen. We have both also, when young, been forced to flee from our homes to save our lives, although you were able to return quite soon when your father died, whereas I remain in exile. In some ways that gives me more freedom to enjoy the kinds of adventures your friend Katsa has – but whether in exile, or on the Wall of Night where I am returning now, the duty to lead and protect my people, and save our world from its enemies, if I can, remains the same …”

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UK/AU/NZ mass market paperback

Kim Falconer Interviews Malian Of Night On BookSworn Authors

Here’s how it went:

“Kim: Hello Malian. *small bow* Thank you for coming to chat with me at the BookSworn writers. First up, to clarify, you are Heir to House of Night in the Derai Alliance. Can you tell us briefly what that means? Why an alliance and what is the Wall?

Malian: (inclines her head in the Heir of Night’s acknowledgment of an equal) Thank you, Kim. It is an honor to be your guest and that of the BookSworn writers. I have heard much good about both you and the BookSworn through my chronicler, Helen Lowe.

“Heir” is a formal title, like crown princess or crown prince in your world, except that the rulership inherited is not that of a “kingdom” but an “earldom” or alternately “House”—think “clan” in your language. And “Earl” or “Count” are translations of words in your world that once meant “elite warrior” or “war leader.” So the earldom of Night is one of the nine Houses of the Derai Alliance—an ancient confederation formed to combat the Swarm of Dark (or Darkswarm) an entity intent on destroying the fabric of our universe and all life that depends on it for survival. Night is also the traditional leader of the nine Houses, which means that as Heir I stand to inherit the leadership of both the earldom and the Derai Alliance…”

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UK trade paperback

You may also enjoy this guest post on the Orbit blog, from way back in 2012 (gulp!):

The Evolution Of Character: Malian of Night and the Heroic Tradition

Here’s the opening salvo:

“Recently I was asked, ‘what makes Malian, your main character in The Heir of Night unique in epic fantasy? And what makes a hero, anyway?’ My initial response was ‘aargh, the pressure’—not just of an example, but of encapsulating what is often the slow delicate process of character evolution. And Malian of Night’s character did evolve over many years, from long before I first put pen to paper: sometimes in small increments, occasionally in giant leaps….”

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Two interviews and a post—that should do for starters! 😉