Author
Q & A
 Q: The keris is a compelling
object of folklore and becomes an important device
in The Last Will. When did you learn about
the properties of the keris? What is it
about them that fascinates you? (Kathleen Bolton)
TW: Oh, I like telling this story.
When I started version one of this book back in 2002,
I began with research, which in part involved gathering
virtual items for the antiques shop, Time After Time.
I had books on antiques, and I used those, but I also
liked to hop around eBay for dusty treasures—and that’s
where I found a keris. It looked intesting,
so I added it to my list. When I decided that the first
scene in the story should be at an auction house, I
basically eeny-meenied the keris out of the
list and stuck it in the scene. A friend later read
that scene and asked about the keris; would
it be an important part of the book? It sounded like
a good idea, like I might even know what I was doing,
so I said, “Sure!”
My research into the Javanese keris came
later, and I couldn’t believe the goldmine I’d found.
Nearly everything alluded to in The Last Will about
the keris is documented in one place or another.
It’s a weapon with a fascinating history and mythology.
What I like best is that, in the end, the keris found
its way into the story in a way an empu might
appreciate; it seemed fated.
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