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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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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March’s Strong Females – By the Numbers

A few months back, when talking publicity strategy and planning for the blog, I predicted March would be a big month. I already knew Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse had given the female characters some opportunities to really shine and I anticipated that the theatrical release of The Hunger Games would prove to be a game changer. There’s actually a lot to digest from this past weekend, so how about just the numbers for now.

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