Heralds of Valdemar/Trivia

Trivia about  includes:
 * Author Appeal: Mercedes Lackey really likes birds (especially raptors) and avian creatures in general. There are the Hawkbrothers and their bondbirds, the gryphons, and the avian humanoid tervardi. She's very fond of horses, too. The Mage Winds trilogy includes an afterword all but admitting that the Companions and bondbirds are Lackey's wish-fulfillment compared to horses and raptors, and cautioning that real falconry and equestrianism are nothing like that, although still rewarding. (In at least one instance, a Herald rides a real horse and is surprised at her behavior compared to his Companion). May-December Romance is another one that recurs throughout her work.
 * Author Avatar: the character Myste is an obvious author self-insert (to make it clear how obvious, "Misty" is the author's nickname). And to make it even more obvious, Myste's position in the court is Herald-Chronicler, aka 'court historian', aka 'she writes down everything that's happening'. And she gets the hottest, most badass guy in the series, can't forget that.
 * Most Writers Are Writers: Lackey's aforementioned Author Avatar is a chronicler or, in other words, a writer.
 * Shout-Out:
 * Bard Aiken.
 * In Mage Storms, there's one line where an unnamed character uses a Catch Phrase from Ninja High School: "The world can be saved by steam!"
 * One country, never visited, but shown on the maps and briefly mentioned once or twice, is named Seejay (alternately spelled Ceejay). Also, there's the Terilee river, named for one of the administrators at Firebird Arts & Music, which carries a lot of stuff related to Valdemar.