'Lian Hearn is the pen-name of Gillian Rubenstein, who was born in England in 1942. The name ‘Lian’ comes from a nickname that was used when she was a child, and the surname ‘Hearn’ is apparently derived from herons, which are birds that play a prominent role in the author’s Tales of the Otori series.' (Source: Good Reading : April 2014 p36)