For various reasons, I didn't want to write a novel about him (mostly, I just didn't see a way to make it work well). Instead, I decided to take some of the elements of Giuliano's story which most intrigued me and use them as the starting place for a fantasy novel... And thus Josarian and Sileria came into being. Josarian is very different from Giuliano, and this is certainly not Giuliano's life—but there are elements of his legend in this story.
And speaking of where we get our ideas... When I was a kid, I fell in love with a crumbling edition of India's Love Lyrics by Laurence Hope, a Victorian/Edwardian poet. It was full of ardent, bloody, and voluptuous poems about exotic far-away lands. One of my favorites was a dark, tormented lament called "This Month the Almonds Bloom at Kandahar." The poem stayed in my head for years—particularly that lyrical, evocative place-name: Kandahar.
Years later, when I decided to use "Kandahar" in In Legend Born, I assumed most readers probably didn't even know there was a town in Afghanistan of the same name. No problem.
However, the world changed a great deal after that, and we were soon regularly reading war news from Afghanistan, including many mentions of the real-life Kandahar. But by then, In Legend Born was already in bookstores, and it was much too late for me to change my mind. Which is why Kiloran's lair is named after a city you saw in the news for several years.
Meanwhile, as mentioned in the foreword, the two maps which Elizabeth Person drew for this book are posted on my website at LauraResnick.com. There's also a cool extra feature there:
As you may have noticed, the graceful border of the map of Sileria is drawn as a jashar—woven and knotted strands of rope, dotted with beads. Elizabeth actually created a code, and then she used it to include a message in the jashar—exactly as the characters in this book do. The key to the code is on my website, and you can use it to interpret the message in the jashar that borders the map.
Additionally, in the map of Sirkara, which shows the mainland empires that surround Sileria and the Middle Sea, if you take a good look at Valda, you'll notice that it's represented by the Sign of the Three. This was Elizabeth's invention, and a great surprise for me, since—as I admitted to her then—despite having written the phrase many times, I never had any idea what the Sign of the Three looked like. (Hey, I'm a writer. Text is my thing, not abstract symbols.) So now I know! And so do you.
I hope you enjoyed In Legend Born. Sileria's tumultuous story continues in The White Dragon and concludes in The Destroyer Goddess, both of which are also available as ebooks.
—Laura Resnick
The White Dragon
The Silerian Trilogy: Book Two
When mystical sea spirits, a volcano goddess, and half-human subterranean sorcerers all demand a stake in Sileria's fate, then Mirabar, Tansen, and their allies must finally choose between love and duty, between history and destiny.
"Year's Best" list, Publisher's Weekly
"Year's Best" list, Voya
Best Epic Fantasy, Romantic Times Magazine
"A suspenseful mix of vague prophecies, startling revelations, constantly shifting loyalties, and the occasional divine intervention, this stunning novel tantalizes right up to the last cliffhanger page."
—[starred review] Publisher's Weekly
"Vivid descriptions, three-dimensional characters, and a story filled with echoes of a distant past make this a stand-out addition to a fantasy series that belongs in most libraries. Highly recommended."
—Library Journal
The Destroyer Goddess
The Silerian Trilogy: Book Three
A nation plunged into civil war.
A prophecy shattered by betrayal.
A volcano goddess venting Her wrath.
You'll never guess what happens next...
"Year's Best" list, Publisher's Weekly
"Year's Best" list, Voya
"Fast-paced, witty and full of action, the book is a marvel of storytelling, but it's the credible, complex relationships among the characters that elevates this far above the usual fantasy standard... Resnick fans have cause to rejoice."
—[starred review] Publishers Weekly
"The rivalries and feuds continue fast and furious, not to say bloody, and Tansen nearly loses his life. But a mysterious boy from the ranks of the waterlords saves Tansen to continue his struggle to a breathless and satisfactory conclusion. The tale will certainly keep its series audience industriously turning pages and make them hope Resnick has more in store for them."
—Booklist
"Free will wars with vague prophecy and divine intervention in this epic romantic fantasy, which will stay with readers long after the satisfying conclusion... [Resnick's] mythology and world-building are flawless, the characters are convincing and complex, and Sileria is intoxicatingly believable."
—Romantic Times
Also by Laura Resnick...
The Esther Diamond Series
"Fans of Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series will appreciate this series' lively heroine and the appealing combination of humor, mystery, and romance."
—[starred review] Library Journal
Disappearing Nightly
Doppelgangster
Unsympathetic Magic
Vamparazzi
Polterheist
The Misfortune Cookie
The Chronicles of Sirkara
"For action-packed storytelling filled with prophecies, plot reversals, and conflict-haunted heroes, this is as good as it gets."
—Philadelphia Inquirer
In Legend Born
The White Dragon
The Destroyer Goddess
NonFiction
"From the role talent, passion, and luck play in a writer's life to dealing with difficult editors and publishers, Resnick doesn't pull any punches, but her hard-won, practical advice will inspire both aspiring and published writers as it helps them navigate the always choppy waters of the publishing world."
—Booklist
Rejection, Romance, and Royalties: The Wacky World of a Working Writer
Glossary
jashar: a woven rope belt worn by shallaheen; its knots, beads, and weaving convey vital information, such as the wearer's name and clan; other variations include a door jashar, a woman's headdress, a message left hanging from a tree, etc.
kadriah: an endearment which means true love, sweetheart, “my destiny”
lirtahar: the law of silence
mar: child of (used within a formal name)
roshah: outsider, stranger, foreigner
shah: clan of (used within a formal name)
shallah: mountain peasant; also refers to their dialect
shatai: a Kintish swordmaster
shatai-kaj: one who trains shatai
shir: the wavy-edged, enchanted water-dagger of a Society assassin
siran/sirana: master/mistress: term of respect
sriliah: traitor
toren/torena: titled aristocrats (male and female)
yahr: a flailing weapon used by the shallaheen, it consists of two sticks of wood connected by a short rope
Yahrdan: ruler
yesh: spouse of (used within a formal name)
zanar: member of a male-only religious cult; the zanareen live atop Mount Darshon and occasionally fling themselves into the volcano in an attempt to become the Firebringer
Characters
Men
Amitan mar Kiman shah Islanari: a shallah from Emeldar
Arlen: a shallah traitor
Armian: exiled as a baby; Harlon's son; reputed to be the Firebringer
Baran: a powerful waterlord, Kiloran's chief rival; lives at Belitar
The Beckoner: a spirit that haunts Mirabar
Borell: the Imperial Advisor in Sileria
Candan mar Dishon shah Sirdari: started a notorious bloodfeud with Tansen's clan, the Gamalani
Cheylan: a Guardian with fire-colored eyes
Corenten: a young shallah from Malthenar
Command
er Cyrill: the (new) Valdani Commander of Cavasar; nephew of Advisor Borell
Commander Daroll: (briefly) High Commander of Sileria
Daurion: the last Yahrdan (ruler) of Sileria, murdered by Marjan
Derlen: a Guardian, from a merchant family in Shaljir
Emelen: Josarian's brother-in-law; Jalilar's husband
Toren Emmeran: an aristocratic abductee
Falian: a shallah from Emeldar; scarred by Tansen
Captain Foridall: the Valdani commander at the mines of Alizar
Gaborian: Elelar's late grandfather
Goran: Sister Basimar's late husband
Harlon: Armian's father; the waterlord succeeded by Kiloran
Harjan: a tailor and informant
Jalan: a zanar
Emperor Jarell: Emperor of Valdania for the past 40 years
Josarian mar Gershon shah Emeldari: outlaw and rebel leader
Kiloran: Sileria's most powerful and feared waterlord
Commander Koroll: the Valdani military governor of Cavasar and its province; later High Commander of Sileria
Kynan: a young shallah rebel
Lann: a large, bearded shallah from Emeldar
Marjan: the first-ever waterlord, who killed Daurion
Captain Myrell: an Outlooker officer
Najdan: an assassin loyal to Kiloran
The Olvar: leader of the Beyah-Olvari
Ronall: Elelar's half-Valdani husband
Searlon: an assassin loyal to Kiloran
Srijan: Kiloran's son
Tansen mar Dustan shah Gamalani: a shallah from Gamalan who became a shatai during his exile from Sileria
Turan: the young son of Derlen, a Guardian
Varian of Adalian: a toren in the Alliance
Verlon: a powerful waterlord in the district of Liron
Zimran shah Emeldari: Josarian's cousin
Women
Sister Basimar: a friend of the rebels; one of Zimran's many lovers
Calidar: Josarian's deceased wife
Torena Chasimar: Porsall’s wife
Dar: the destroyer goddess
Torena Elelar mar Odilan yesh Ronall shah Hasnari: a member of the Alliance
Faradar: Elelar's servant
Jalilar: Josarian's sister; wife of Emelen
Mirabar: a Guardian tormented by prophetic visions
Tashinar: a Guardian, Mirabar's mentor
Clans
Emeldari: Josarian's clan
Gamalani: Tansen's clan (eastern)
Hasnari: Elelar's clan
Idalari: Armian's and Harlon's clan
Islanari: Basimar's and Amitan's clan
Kurvari: a sea-born clan
Lascari: Zarien’s sea-bound clan
Lironi: Jagodan’s clan (eastern)
Moynari: Kiman’s clan (eastern)
Sirdari: Calidar's clan (a western clan known for its bloodfeud with Tansen's clan, the Gamalani)
Factions
The Beyah-Olvari: a mysterious, legendary race who were the original inhabitants of Sileria
The city-dwellers: the inhabitants of Sileria's cities and larger towns
The Guardians: a Silerian religious sect which communicates with the Otherworld via fire magic
The Honored Society: the waterlords and assassins of the Society achieve power through extortion, violence, and control of Sileria's water supply
The lowlanders: peasants living and working on Sileria's agricultural plains
The Outlookers: the gray-clad Valdani occupying force in Sileria; different from the Valdani armies on the mainland
The sea-born folk: bearing intricate indigo tattoos on their arms, they live mostly aboard their boats along Sileria's coasts
The shallaheen: mountain peasants; the largest and poorest faction in Sileria
The Sisterhood: usually Silerian widows or young women with a calling, the Sisters are pacifists and healers, and they provide Sanctuary for people in danger
The zanareen: a fanatical Silerian sect living atop Mount Darshon, awaiting the coming of the Firebringer
Abayara: the first moon
Adalian: Sileria's southern port city, famous for its Temple Market
Alizar: Sileria's rich diamond mines
Amalidar Mountains: a western mountain chain which includes many sites where the shallah rebels are active
Belitar: Baran's home
Britar: a shallah village; there's a Valdani fortress north of Britar
Cavasar: Sileria's western port city
Chandar: the village nearest to the sacred caves of Dalishar
Dalishar Caves: a remote, sacred site on Mount Dalishar in western Sileria, the caves become a rebel base
Mount Darshon: this massive, snow-capped, active volcano in eastern Sileria is the home of Dar, the destroyer goddess
Ejara: the second moon
Emeldar: Josarian's native village, in western Sileria
Gamalan: Tansen's native village, in eastern Sileria
Garabar: a mountain and also the name of a town in western Sileria
Golnar: a village in western Sileria
Great Northern Desert: north of Valdania
Idalar River: this river, which is the primary water supply for Shaljir, has been fought over for years by Kiloran and Baran
Illan: a town on the Idalar River
Islanar: a town in western Sileria
Lake Kandahar: the site of Kiloran's home—which has long been a closely guarded secret
Kashala: a Kintish port city
Kintish Kingdoms: a loose association of states on the mainland east of Sileria
Kinto: the founding state of the Kintish Kingdoms, and the state in which the Palace of Heaven is located
Liron: Sileria's eastern coastal city, perched on the sacred rainbow-chalk cliffs of Liron
Malthenar: a western shallah village which becomes infamous as the site of a massacre
Middle Sea: the inland sea that surrounds Sileria
Mount Niran: Guardians camp in ancient painted caves above the gossamer forests on this mountain in western Sileria
Moorlands: a large mainland region inhabited by perpetually warring tribes, located west of Sileria
Mount Orlenar: Josarian's uncle stables some sheep in an abandoned Kintish shrine here; this is where Tansen and Josarian meet for the first time
Orban Pass: a hard day's ride from Cavasar, this where Josarian first killed Outlookers and became an outlaw; the pass leads from the coast to the Amalidar Mountains
Otherworld: the place of the afterlife in traditional Silerian religion
Palace of Heaven: the central seat of power in the Kintish Kingdoms, home of the Kintish High King
Santorell Palace: located in Shaljir, this is the seat of power in Sileria
Santorell Square: a public square in Shaljir, overlooked by Santorell Palace
Shaljir: the capital of Sileria
Sileria: a mountainous island nation in the Middle Sea; conquered 1,000 years ago by the Moorlanders; invaded eight centuries ago by the Kintish Kingdoms when the Moorlanders pulled out; seized from the Kints two centuries ago by the expanding Empire of Valda in their wars of conquest, and now still ruled by the Valdani
Sirinakara River: the vast mainland river that flows north into the Middle Sea
Lake Ursan: located in western Sileria
Valda/Valdania: capital city/empire, on the mainland north of Sileria
Zilar: wealthy town in northern Sileria, home of a famous gold-tiled Kintish temple
Zilar River: a tributary of the Shaljir River
About the Author
Laura Resnick is the author of many books, short stories, articles, and columns. Her Esther Diamond urban fantasy series, which features the supernatural misadventures of a struggling actress in New York, has received enthusiastic praise from Library Journal and Publishers Weekly. The author's epic fantasy novels include In Legend Born, The White Dragon, which made several "
Year's Best" lists, and The Destroyer Goddess, which Publishers Weekly describes as "a marvel of storytelling."
Before she began writing fantasy, Resnick was the award-wining author of fourteen contemporary romance novels (which she wrote under the pseudonym Laura Leone). Her romance novel Fallen From Grace was a Rita Award finalist and has been listed by DearAuthor.com as one of the best 100 novels in the genre.
A longtime opinion columnist, Resnick's book Rejection, Romance, and Royalties: The Wacky World of a Working Writer is a collection of her previous essays about the writing life and the publishing industry.