Aaron Allston Discusses Tyria Sarkin Tainer

When I was working on my Tyria Sarkin Tainer post for Suvudu, Aaron Allston generously offered his experience and author perspective on creating her character. Over at Suvudu you can find my thoughts on why Tyria is a compelling strong female character as well as the kick-ass artwork of her fighting alongside Jaina Solo. Luckily for me, and I think the fans too, Aaron had a lot to say – a whole post’s worth. Below are his insightful responses to a couple of questions I posed to him.

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Seeking SFH: Tyria Sarkin Tainer Fights for the Jedi Team

As I interviewed Allston for the Insider, we had plenty to discuss about strong female characters. Our chat inspired a trip down memory lane, back to the original X-Wing books that had cemented my Expanded Universe fandom. As I reread the series, one of my all-time favorite characters, Tyria Sarkin Tainer, captured my attention once more. Now, though, I was also experiencing the stories with a critical eye toward examining how these female characters become memorable and what made them resonate still.

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Previewing Disney’s Star Wars Weekends 2012

Walt Disney World is famously known as the most magical place on Earth. Combine that with celebrating the greatest story of our generation, and you’ve topped every other perfect pairing. Peanut butter and jelly, strawberries and cream, milk and cookies – they all pale in comparison to Disney and Star Wars, at least in this fangirl’s estimation.

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Surviving Through Teamwork

I’ve been a fan of Survivor since the beginning. The locations are amazing, but the interpersonal dynamics that drive the show are what really draws me. People say and do the darnedest things when loneliness, extreme weather, and hunger set in. And then there’s the matter of that million dollars… Survivor, at least for me, is a fantastic way to observe the behavior of humans when they are trying to outwit, outplay, and outlast their opponents.

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Silver Linings and Moving Forward – Fangirls Find Their Voices

Over the last five days shock, anger, and disgust have been the predominant fandom emotions for many Expanded Universe fans, especially women. The silver lining is that airing the dirty laundry can become a positive point of change when it provides momentum for moving forward.

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