Characters that impact others' lives

 

“Asa novelist, I'm endlessly fascinated by human behavior and interactions.”–  Juliet Marillier A New Zealand native who now livesin Australia, Marillier was born on this date in 1948 and while she is alifelong self-procliamed “lover of fantasy,” she didn’t start writing her ownversions until 1999.  Earlier, shefocused on music, both on the performing side and in teaching andconducting.    She got into writing with Daughter of the Forest, looselybased on the legend of the Children of Lir and "The Six Swans” (a storythat has many versions, including one by the Brothers Grimm).   That book kicked off her “SevenwatersTrilogy,” and the second in the series, Sonof the Shadows, won Australia’s top fantasy fiction award. Marillier’s novels combine historicalfiction, folkloric fantasy, romance and family drama, and the strong elementsof history and folklore in her work reflect her lifelong interest in bothfields. However, her stories focus above all on human relationships and thepersonal journeys of the characters.  Her newest, in her "Warrior Bards" series, is called A Song of Flight.
                                                                                                     Since 1999 she has written over two dozen novelsand dozens of short stories, 5 which have won Aurealis Awards and 4 the SirJulius Vogel Award.  She’s also beennamed for the American Library Association’s Alex Award, and France’s PrixImaginales.
“Each of my novels features a protagonist undertaking a difficultpersonal journey," Marillier said.  "On the way, each of these characters - mostly female -discovers something about herself and at the same time makes an impact on otherpeople's lives."