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Question Round-Up
Questions have piled up underneath various blog entries at Eagles Over the Kennebec. So! Massive question-answering. If I've missed yours, ask again and I'll do my humble best.
1. Why am I going to Archers Beach?
Because I have two books set in Archers Beach due pretty soon now, and, as matters now stand, and with Mr. Bouchard's kind assistance, it was cheaper, in time and money, to stay in town during September, rather than make multiple day-trips down-coast. The decision to do this was made when I thought this year would look very different than it's turning out, but made they are, and off I am.
2. What will Madam Agent want you all to write next?
That's kind of got the cart before the horse. Given that the proposal we submitted are all for books in-series, Madame's job at this point is to either (1) request from Steve and I more fullness of detail in order to clarify our intent, or (2) to send the proposals on to Madame the Editor. We haven't gotten a request for a rewrite, nor heard that the proposals have been passed on; Madame the Agent is on vacation, so we hope to hear in re (1) or (2) in September.
3. Any plans for more Tree-and-Dragon symbol tees?
There's a kind of t-shirt shop under construction here. Also coffee mugs and tote bags. I'm not sure what's going on with all the shirts with teensy-tiny logos on them. Cafepress being...somewhat opaque to me.
4. I take it there is a naming convention that assigns males a two "word" name, like Val Con and Er Thom, but "Daav" seems to be exceptional in that respect as well.
Many male Liadens are saddled with the two-section personal name. The traditional naming practice is two syllables of three letters each -- the balanced syllables are both artistically and philosophically pleasing; the total of six letters is also pleasing, six being a felicitous number for Liadens, along with twelve. So you get Jen Sar, Ren Zel, Sae Zar, Win Ton...
However, some names are very old in the Clan -- such as Clonak, Er Thom (which follows the six-letter, two-syllable rule, but the syllables lack symmetry), Daav -- some are names that have been imported into the Clan for one reason or another, like Ichliad Brunner. Liaden society is pretty rigid, but it is still a starfaring society, and nasty, foreign, untraditional things will, sadly, creep in among the less principled Clans...
OK, who'd I miss?
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What would be cool would be a data base (fans, are you listening?) with stuff like a list of character names, who they are and what book they're in, a list of place names, a glossary of Liaden words, geneologies, etc. But, it would take somebody more disciplined than I to interrupt their reading to write down a name, identify it and the book name, etc. I might be willing to be a collection point, though, and collate, format, alphabetize, etc., but somebody else would have to make the website and put them up. Maybe put them on the Welcome to Liad website?
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Actually, Shan's mother named him after a Liaden. . .folk hero -- Shan el'Thrassin. She didn't realize that it (1) wasn't a Korval name or (2) the done thing.
But!
What I really wanted to talk to you about were these foolish things you said:
What would be cool would be a data base (fans, are you listening?) with stuff like a list of character names, who they are and what book they're in, a list of place names, a glossary of Liaden words, geneologies, etc.
...and...
I might be willing to be a collection point, though, and collate, format, alphabetize, etc.
Just before you got here, I think, a deal went down with Audible.com to record all fifteen Liaden books in One Swell Foop, all to be released on September 4, concurrent with the hardcover release of Dragon Ship.
Because there are so many strange words and names and whatnot in our books, we asked volunteers to pick a book and compile Lists, which we then forwarded to the narrators. (Later, I went down each and every list with each and every narrator, over the phone, pronouncing each and every word).
But! I still have those lists. And! Mike Barker, who comes around pretty often -- Mike? -- had Some While Back made a start on a Liaden Universe(R) companion.
It might be that the two of you could collaborate.
We'd be glad to host the information on the Korval site, but we don't have time to do the compilations, link-ups and whatever else is needed, ourselves.
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It might have something to do with Aelliana's clan being one of the smaller and less important ones, not one of the big families that can trace their histories back to Solcintra. (Though, having said that, I suppose all Liaden families must have histories that go back to Solcintra one way or another.)
It says in one of the Crystal books (probably the second one) that in the society that Solcintra was part of, the introductory syllables indicate something about what business the family is in - yos' is explicitly stated to attach to families of Pilots, if memory serves. I don't believe dea' is similarly explained, though looking at the examples of dea'Gauss and dea'Judan suggests a general idea.
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Because not every name has a prefix.
*cough* Tiazan *cough* Maarilex *cough*