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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."
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