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British fantasy author Sarah Ash's new novel Tracing the Shadow has just been published in the US by Bantam Spectra.

It's a prequel to her series, The Tears of Artamon, and tells "a tale of a siege between kingdoms, and a battle between heretics and believers, each with their own truths, their own lies, and their own soul-shattering discoveries waiting to be made."

We dropped Sarah a line to ask her a few questions about the new novel and how it relates to her previous series.

UKSFBN: Tracing the Shadow is set in your best-known milieu of the Tears of Artamon series, but forms a prequel to the earlier tales of the Drakhaouls. What else can you tell us as an intro to the book?

Sarah Ash: "Tracing the Shadow is the first part of a duology called Alchymist's Legacy and therein lies the clue to its underlying theme.

"In The Tears of Artamon, Kaspar Linnaius was revealed to be the last known survivor of a vicious purge in Francia in which all the magi and alchymists were executed. The Francian singer Celestine de Joyeuse played a minor but significant role in The Tears of Artamon.

"I was so fascinated by the personal grudge that she bore the Magus Kaspar Linnaius that I couldn't wait for the opportunity to explore her past and discover what had made her such a driven individual."

UKSFBN: Did you decide to explore the background of one of the supporting characters from the main series in response to demand from fans and readers, or was it just that you wanted to explore some of the roots of the later narrative, or that character in particular?

Sarah Ash: "Fans asked me to continue the adventures of Gavril and Kiukiu (which I'd love to do at a later date). But I was fascinated by the idea of writing about 'the enemy' and Celestine in particular.

"The kingdoms of Francia and Tielen were locked in conflict years before Artamon takes place. So we get to see some of the events in Artamon from a very different perspective. And it's also given me the opportunity to delve into the dark origins of the magi and the source of their powers."

UKSFBN: Will knowing the events of the Tears of Artamon be a help to readers, or can they plunge straight in to Tracing the Shadow and read it as a stand-alone?

Sarah Ash: "Plunge in, I say! Tracing the Shadow was written so that new readers could dive straight in without any prior knowledge of the first series. But readers already familiar with Artamon will, I hope, find pleasure in following Celestine's story and meeting some old friends (and enemies) along the way."

UKSFBN: Your prose has always had a very lyrical, musical quality. Is this something that you cultivate and then hone as you write, or would you say it's more a natural strength of your writing voice?

Sarah Ash: "You're very kind; now I'm blushing! I'd love to think that it's a natural strength. But the truth is that I'm never, ever satisfied with anything I write and constantly edit and re-edit. My main aim is that everything: narrative, dialogue etc. should flow as smoothly as possible."

UKSFBN: What else are you working on at the moment? We know another prequel volume, Flight Into Darkness, is set to follow, but after that will you return to any of the worlds of your earlier novels, or are you planning on striking out in new directions?

Sarah Ash: "The next project is a standalone novel, a historical fantasy, set in eleventh century Bulgaria and Byzantium. So, it will be a complete change of scenery and characters. But first, I've busy completing Flight into Darkness, the sequel to Tracing the Shadow."

There's plenty more information about the author at her homepage, www.sarah-ash.com.

Titles featured in this article
Title	Author	Amazon Info
Tracing the Shadow	Sarah Ash
Lord of Snow and Shadows	Sarah Ash
Prisoner of Ironsea Tower (UK) / Prisoner of the Iron Tower (US)	Sarah Ash
Children of the Serpent Gate	Sarah Ash

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