For the record, it wouldn't have been KT's decision to kill Mara. That would have come from the publishers. Same with Chewie and Anakin (why do you think they got Bob (Salvatore) to right Chewie's death tho he hasn't done a SW book before or since). The manner in which Mara died is all on KT. Certainly Zahn should have been consulted. He is, after all, the guy who's largely responsible for there being an EU. He deserves some respect. And his Mara wouldn't have lost that duel. Or faced him alone in the first place if she thought she might lose.
I don't like this move in the EU to write 9 book series with 3 or 4 different authors. What happened to the days of giving the good authors a 3 book series all to themselves, it just made for a more cohesive story. Plus I'm a little unimpressed with the work of some of these new 'serial' authors who just don't know the subject matter and can't be bothered to do the research to get their facts straight.