Lit Upcoming Kathy Tyers Truce At Bakura 20th Anniversary Interview. Any questions?

I just read the old 181st discussion in re Truce At Bakura. And found this comment:

I've never been happy with the premise (which is actually what caused me to stop reading it before; I was enjoying the Endor parts that actually covered the aftermath of the battle). Here you have a story starting literally the day after Endor, with an unparalleled opportunity to tell the immediate aftermath of the death of the Emperor and his right-hand man and all the chaos sown into the Empire accompanying it...and it's about some race of aliens we've never heard of. Of all the times to use the Empire as a villain, this isn't just the one where it would be the most justifiable, but one where it's positively expected. It just seems like a huge missed opportunity to suddenly bring in this whole new group.

... yeah, I'm turning this into a question too. Why the timing? A whole "Rebels and Imperials team up to fight a common enemy" story was inevitable, but it's true that literally the day after Endor doesn't seem like the most obvious place to have it happen. It didn't bother me as it did that commenter, but I'm curious about it nonetheless.

 

Surprisingly, that part is in the Wookiepedia article on the Ssi-Ruuk. Her son was really into dinosaurs at that point.

Evil.

 

... that's IT?

Huh, alright. I withdraw the question.

 

Had she any special plan for Cosmic Balance or was it just created to create a clash of beliefs between Luke and Gaeriel?

 

What was the process of being chosen to write a Star Wars novel like?
Where did the idea to set the Truce at Bakura literally right after Return of the Jedi come from?

Though the story is kind of pigeonholed by taking place right after ROTJ and before other Bantam-era Star Wars novels, did you have any "big" or "controversial" ideas that were vetoed by LucasFilm?

Did you have any inspiration in creating the society of Bakura, with local authority figures being schooled into the Imperial system by being educated on Coruscant? The new cartoon Star Wars Rebels seems to have been inspired by your concept, with Lothal society operating the same way.

What about the character of Eppie Belden: did you have any real-life individuals that inspired the character?

Two of your Bantam-era contributions, Truce At Bakura and Prize Pelt: The Tale of Bossk, are both themed around people who look like dinosaurs. Do you have a thing for dinosaurs? What is your favorite dinosaur?

You fleshed out the Trandoshan species with the idea of "Jagganath points" accumulated in their lives. Was this influenced by Hindu mythology?

Are you aware of the recent rebranding of the Expanded Universe as "Legends" by Lucasfilm, making the majority of it ambiguously canon? What are your thoughts on the matter?
That's my first email that I sent out. I'm sending another email with another set of questions, I just wanted to get these ones out of the way.

 

I'm going to "pull a Wedge." Take this post, fold it up, put it in your pocket, and read it after the interview. If I'm right, maybe I'll tell you how I did it.

Spoiler

I can confirm that Tyers does know about the Legends thing. As I recall, she said she was somewhat disappointed (that her books were now considered Legends).

 

For Balance Point you had to write about Mara Jade - a character that a lot of authors have had difficulty capturing well. How did you approach tackling the character? Are there any other characters created by others that were challenging and/or interesting to write about? Did you ever struggle to write any of your own characters?

 

Personally I'd like to know what inspired her in the creation and development of Gariel as a character, along with her relationship with Luke


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Interview is up here. Nothing mind blowing, but a few tidbits/requested questions answered.

 

I'd like to know what she has against Leia and why she degraded her so much in "Balance Point," and why she glorified Mara over her.