Check out Tammy’s recent interview with io9 about Tortall: A Spy’s Guide— what made the cut, and what didn’t— and the importance of diversity, representation, and realism in fantasy: Author Tamora Pierce on Straightforward, Inclusive Fantasy

io9: Let’s start with the new book, Tortall: A Spy’s Guide. Why do this kind of in-world expansion/set of information?

Tamora Pierce: People are always asking me—and if not me, friends of mine who know the universe well—details that don’t normally get included in the books, or details of story that haven’t come out yet. I was talking with my editor at Random House about just a basic dictionary or travel guide, or something of the sort that would have just bits and pieces that people would like that was pretty much insider information. I’d seen that there were several books of that kind that had come out at that point and I thought, “Yeah, we can do this.” That was my first mistake.

(There’s even a little tidbit about the upcoming Numair Chronicles in there…)