Today's featured continuing character is Amir, the prince/detective of the Prince Amir Mystery Series by Nathalie Mallet.
Continuing Characters: A series of interviews featuring continuing characters and the authors who know them best.
The Prince Amir Mystery Series by Nathalie Mallet consists of: Princes of the Golden Cage, The King's Daughters, and Death in the Traveling City.
Links for Death in the Traveling City:
Prince Amir Ban is a loner with a penchant for alchemy, who's never as happy as when his head is buried in one of his beloved science books. He is brooding, pessimistic and afflicted by sudden bouts of melancholy. His only wish is to be free. His sole ambition is to remain anonymous. He's flawed, what can I say, I love flawed characters. They seem more real and more human to me. Amir also has great qualities. He is intelligent, brave, when need be, and capable of inner growth and acts of kindness. But I must admit that it is his weaknesses I love the most: his suspicious, sometime sarcastic, nature; the way his emotions overwhelm him when he falls in love with Eva, even how he keeps a festering grudge against his brother Darius.
"I think there's more curse in a bad piece of mutton than in magic." --From The Princes of the Golden Cage
Questions for Amir
Q. Magic seems to work yet you prefer science. Why is that and how do you reconcile the two?
I think science and magic have and always can coexist without problem. One is based on concrete proof while the other draws its power from faith. It's a fact; it just took me awhile to accept it. But I've seen too much magic at work recently to deny its existence any longer. Therefore I am now a believer. It feels odd to admit this, though. Still, I prefer science because it more predictable and far less temperamental than magic. Moreover, with science one has to use logic and reason while with magic far less reliable senses such as intuition and other sorts of feelings are needed. But the main reason I prefer science to magic is that to do successful magic one has to forgo all control, and I hate losing control.
Q. How do you feel about women? What do you look for in a lover?
To be honest, women mystify me. I don't know what they want, and I don't understand them, especially foreign women. They're not behaving in ways I'm accustomed to. It's very confusing. I'm not looking for love at the moment. I must admit, I feel somewhat scolded by Eva's refusal to marry me. She prioritized her country and duty over me. I would be wise to choose someone different next time: someone who would put me first, someone intelligent and loyal, but more importantly someone with whom I have something in common. In short, someone who is more like me. I'm done with the exotic and "opposites attract". It's a recipe for misery.
Nathalie Mallet is a Canadian mystery and science fiction/fantasy writer. She grew up in Shippagan, New Brunswick, but now resides in Prince George, British Columbia with her husband and two Scottish terriers. She is the author of the Prince Amir Mystery series. Visit her website at http://www.nathaliemallet.com/ or her blog at http://nathaliemallet.blogspot.com/.
Definitively, his capacity for growth and lack of worldly experience. He has a lot to learn about life in general. Don’t forget, until recently everything Amir knew about the outside world came from books. So everything is new to him and, of course, nothing is has he expects, which makes for a lot of fun. I really enjoy putting him in uncomfortable situations— the dicier the better— and watching him wiggle out of it. I know it seems cruel, but hey the boy has to learn somehow. (Just so you know I never pulled wings off of bugs when I was a kid.)
Amir is growing with each book. He started as a spoiled pretentious prince so he has a long way to go. But his attitude toward people of lower status, like commoners, has improved quite a bit. His distrust of servants has diminished as well, thanks to Milo. It’s a slow and sometime painful process, but to me it is a far more natural progression than if he had a sudden change of heart. So from time to time, Amir is still going to behave like the pompous know-it-all that he is. It would be boring if he did not. But by the end of Death in the Traveling City he is a much-changed man.
Labels: Amir, continuing characters, Nathalie Mallet
posted by MMilburn at 06:00 permalink
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Shot of new cover for Horth in Killing Reach and two stages in the development of Part 7: Healer's Sword covers feature on website of artist Michelle Milburn. Also the lovely cover of the next book in Nathalie Mallet's Prince Amir Mystery Series, in which her hero wanders a quasi-historical world, troubled by magic, after escaping his gilded cage. Gotta get that one! Enjoyed the first two in the series.Labels: Craig Bowlsby, Horth in Killing Reach, Michelle Milburn, Nathalie Mallet, Part 7: Healer's Sword
posted by Lynda at 15:45 permalink
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Nathalie and Tyler are pictured here at Nathalie's book launch for her 2nd novel in the Prince Amir fastasy mystery series, The King's Daughters. Tyler Clarke of Cutbanks Magazine was busy interviewing her when I took the picture.
Took a second picture of Nathalie with my husband, David Lott, which I shared on Sci-Fi Talk.
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Labels: Book Launch, Nathalie Mallet
posted by Lynda at 07:39 permalink
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We had a small but friendly turn out to the SF Creatives on a cold Wednesday evening March 11, 2009. The regulars were there, minus Nicole and her mom who are enjoying a holiday in a warmer clime. John Bell joined us for the first time. I met him at the CFIS 93.1 interview. John is pictured here wearing the "Write from the Heart" button. And here's Nathalie talking with her hands. :-) 
Labels: CFIS 93.1, John Bell, Nathalie Mallet, SF Creatives
posted by Lynda at 06:53 permalink
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"A sweeping space opera with intricate weaving themes and brilliant characterisation that is sure to please any readers." is Nathalie's comment. Courtesan Prince appeared in her pre-Xmas blog entry "Books Make Excellent Gifts". Nathalie, of course, is a fellow SF novelist in Prince George, B.C. and author of the Princes of the Golden Cage and its forthcoming sequel The King's Daughter
Labels: Courtesan Prince, Nathalie Mallet
posted by Lynda at 07:35 permalink
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Feedback from fellow SF Author Nathalie Mallet, on the launch for Pretenders last night at the PG Public Library. It was fun! Pictures soon.Labels: Book Launch, Nathalie Mallet, Pretenders
posted by Lynda at 08:08 permalink
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Last but not least, click the picture for a link to a page of picture taken by my husband David Lott at the Prince George launch for Okal Rel Universe Anthology 2, Jan 29 2008. He didn't put up all the shots he took! So I've added this one from the set, here, to feature Stephen St. Laurent and Michelle Cry-Whiting who spiced up the proceedings with their media presence. Big thank-you, as well, to Citizen reporter Paul Strickland for coming out. Betsy Trumpener put in an appearance with family as a member of the audience. I was also delighted to have fellow SF author Nathalie Mallet in the audience.
Big thank you, as well, to the readers: Krysia Anderson (who did a great job of reading from her story "Ladylike" in the 2nd Anthology), Paul Strickland (who read the Horth as a child at Amel's genotyping reception scene from Righteous Anger), Hal Friesen (who read from his forthcoming story for the 3rd anthology featuring a run in with Di Mon), and Gareth of the UNBC Fencing Club (who read the lead up to the fight in the arena on SanHome from Righteous Anger).
In costume for the event, we had Mel and Kailey as Di Mon and Ranar, and Tegan as a Golden Demish princess. I wore my red velvet cloak which I think of as Vretla Vrel's "dress up" attire for Demish receptions. On the table at the back of the roome, for show and tell, we had samples of braid worked in thread which a few members of the audience had fun playing with after the main event. I am in the debt of helpers Angela, Tegan, Mel and Kailey for helping with set up. And, of course, my husband David Lott too the pictures and helped with nearly everything from picking up treats to driving us to the event. Angela Lott made me the little sign behind the chocolates which read "Do not eat if you are Vrellish". Mel Farrow created the braid worn by herself (as Di Mon) and by Tegan (as a Demish princess). The chart explaining which colors went with which house was also created by Mel for the event. Art for the third anthology, by Richard Bartrop, was on display as a poster. I also gave away a commemorative postcard, to readers and others doing presentations, which featured the 3rd anthology artwork. Also on display was the ORU plaque given to me for Xmas by Lisa O. After the readings and costume presentations we had a fencing demonstration by the UNBC Freeblades Fencing Club, MC'd by their president Gareth Hopkins.
Much thanks to all participants and attendees! And if you weren't there this time, plan to do something for the next launch (Book #3: Pretenders in the fall) or to come out and see what other people come up with.
Labels: Book Launch, Gareth Hopkins, Hal Friesen, Krysia, Mel, Michelle Cyr-Whiting, Nathalie Mallet, Okal Rel Universe Anthology 2, Paul Strickland, Righteous Anger, Stephen St. Laurent
posted by Lynda at 06:46 permalink
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A shot of myself doing interview with Allana Stuart earlier this month, for her arts feature on CBC's Daybreak North.
... and my interview buddy and fellow SF author Nathalie Mallet.Labels: Allana Stuart, CBC, interview, Nathalie Mallet
posted by Lynda at 08:08 permalink
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Much thanks to author Nathalie Mallet for snapping this picture for me at World Fantasy Convention 2007 in Saratoga, New York, Nov 1-4 2007, showing ORU novels Courtesan Prince and Righteous Anger on sale along with other EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing books. Robert Sawyer made this possible for EDGE, as I understand, for which -- thank you the incomparable Rob!Labels: Nathalie Mallet, Robert Sawyer, World Fantasy Convention
posted by Lynda at 09:46 permalink
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Belatedly, a picture of Nathalie's signing session at Books & Co. in Prince George. I reviewed her enjoyable historical fantasy, Princes of the Golden Cage, on Lynda Reads in September.Labels: Book Launch, Nathalie Mallet
posted by Lynda at 07:06 permalink
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