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The name Kahlan is pronounced by Goodkind as /'keɪlən/ (KAY-lan) instead of the more intuitive /'kɑːlən/.[1]

Jason Strange from Fayetteville, AR: First I would like to say that you are one of my favorite authors. I rarely read a book more than once, and I have read yours twice since a friend introduced me to them a little over a year ago. My friends and I have had disagreements about how to pronounce certain place and character names, specifically Kahlan. Have you considered putting a glossary in the back of one of the books, perhaps the paperback edition, so that the reader will know the pronunciation you intend for the names of characters and places in your books?

TG: THank you for the kind words, Jason. I have specific ways in which I pronounce names of characters and places. My feeling, though, is that once a reader has a book, it's his to experience in his own way. Therefore, it does not bother me that people pronounce things other than the way I do. I have specifically avoided putting a glossary in the back of the book, because it sends the wrong kind of message -- it tells would-be readers that this is going to be complex, difficult, and dry. And that the technicalities are more important than the story. THat's a false impression that I do not wish to give a foothold to. The biggest question about prononciation is Kahlan's name, and it should be pronounced Kay-lun.