Question Answer, Appearances

Sorry for the delay in answering! One of our goddaughters came to visit this weekend and we went to a great wedding. It was very fannish, with table centerpieces from all different fandoms (we sat at the Stargate table) and lots of delicious food. I think they said the bride made the curry, which went really well on top of the barbequed brisket.

Yesterday was also my 19th wedding anniversary, so we went out to dinner and had way too much food. There has been wacky publishing news I can't really talk about yet, though some of it (dealing with the Strange Chemistry/Angry Robot disaster) is mostly not good. I am really looking forward to being able to show off the cover of the next Raksura collection, because the sketch was looking pretty gorgeous. I'm also going to be involved in a couple of kickstarters that are coming up.


kalinara asked I've been rereading the Raksura books (which are lovely) but I'm finding myself confused a bit about how Raksura age. I had gotten the impression that Jade and Moon were fairly young for Raksura. However, I remember reading that Tempest was (or appeared to be) about the same age as Jade, and she already has an adult child. On the other hand, characters like Lithe and Shade still seem very young.

I was hoping you might clarify: how long do Raksura remain fledglings? Approximately what age do Raksura reach adulthood?

Thank you!

Aeriat Raksura basically have a long period of adolescence, even after they leave the nurseries. The Arbora do as well, but it doesn't last quite as long. Once Raksura reach adulthood, they don't change physically or show signs of aging until they get into what would be the equivalent for a human of their late 60s, early 70s, when they start to lose the pigmentation in their skin/scales. So Tempest looks about Jade's age, but is older. (You also have to remember the descriptions are from Moon's perspective and there's a lot he doesn't know or realize yet.) Lithe and Shade are both younger than Moon, but have also been sheltered quite a bit in Opal Night. (Because of Moon's experiences, most if not all of the Raksura his age that he meets are going to seem younger, just because they've spent their lives protected by a court.)

Moon's been alive about forty turns, but as far as Raksuran aging/maturity levels go, this would be the equivalent of being in his early twenties.

I hope that makes sense!

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Upcoming signings

* I'm doing a signing Saturday November 8, 2014, at 1:00 pm for Stories of the Raksura Volume I and the paperback edition of Star Wars: Razor's Edge at Murder by the Book, in Houston, Texas.

If you can't be there, you can use this page to order a signed book from the store. They can also order The Cloud Roads, The Serpent Sea, and The Siren Depths from them to be signed and shipped to you also, so if you wanted a signed set of all the books, say as a Christmas or other winter holiday present, this would be a good time to do it.

* I'l also be doing a signing for Blade Singer with Aaron de Orive, at the Barnes & Noble Arboretum in Austin, Texas, on Saturday November 15 at 2:00. Hopefully they'll have some of my other books, too.

* On February 13-15, 2015, I'll be a panelist at ConDFW in Dallas, TX. This is one of my favorite cons, so if you're nearby, check it out.