Nancy Anakis asked Maria V. Snyder:

Hi Maria! I think your books are amazing. Do you see the characters as humans or 'aliens'? If you see them as humans, are they based on human race? Are Southerners (eg Valek and Commander ) like white Europeans ? Are Northerners brown/black? If Asians are in the books, would they be in North, South or people in the boarder? I always thought Yelena as Asian. Which region on Earth would you say she is from? Thankssss!!!

Maria V. Snyder Hello Nancy! I'm glad you've enjoyed my books. I view my characters as human, but they're not based on any race or nationality on Earth - the people who live in Ixia are Ixians - they tend to be lighter skinned because they are closer to the colder climates where the sun isn't as strong. The Sitians are more darker skinned because they're closer to the hotter climate and are exposed to more sunshine. Yelena is originally from Sitia so she has darker skin similar to someone who lives in Central/South America. Valek is pale like someone who lives in a Scandinavian country and Moon Man is dark like a person who grew up in Africa because of being out in the hot sun. They all live in Ixia or Sitia and not on Earth - the color of their skin is just based on sun exposure. I hope this helps!

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