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Today I’m chatting with Louise Spiegler, author of two great speculative books that aren’t traditional fantasy or science fiction. They’re—well, I’ll let her explain.

CE: Tell us about your books.

The Amethyst Road is a fantasy set in an alternative Pacific Northwest where Serena, a mixed-race girl, must fight hardship and racial hatred to find and reunite her scattered family. In this world, the Gorgios, a settled people, control the power and money. The Yulang are travellers who are regarded with contempt by the Gorgios. Within the Yulang, there are tribal divisions and strict rules and expectations. Serena is cast out of both groups when her sister Willow has a child out of wedlock. She ultimately succeeds in reuniting her family and discovering her own path in life, but not without a lot of struggle and heartbreak. The book was a Junior Library Book Club selection, and a finalist for the Andre Norton Award (Hugo-Nebula award scheme).

The Jewel and the Key (due out August 29) is set in the present day, as the U.S. is embarking on yet another war in the Middle East. Addie, a stage-struck girl, frustrated in her dream of becoming an actress, becomes deeply involved in saving a derelict theater called The Jewel from demolition. Her best friend Whaley has just been expelled from school and is obsessed with fighting in the war. An earthquake and the discovery of an antique mirror unleash forces that jolt Addie out of her time and into 1917 Seattle, just as America enters World War I. Here she finds a world in as much turmoil as her own. However, in this past era she finds fulfillment working at the Jewel in its hey-day, and in her relationship with its owner’s son, Reg, who in his own way is as much a trouble-magnet as Whaley. As she unravels the connection between the two times she discovers that in both, the Jewel is under threat, war is looming and someone she cares about is determined to fight. In the end, only Addie holds the key to saving the Jewel and her friends’ lives.

CE: Your first book, The Amethyst Road, was set in an alternate reality in the Pacific Northwest. Your new book, The Jewel and The Key, involves time travel between two realistic eras. What draws you to this type of almost-realistic speculative fiction?

I’m drawn to the imaginative and the fantastic—there’s nothing I love better than a good ghost story—but am also deeply involved with the world around me. When I was about seven or eight, I believed there was always something magical just out of reach, around the corner, in the other room, in the old house up the hill. You had to creep up on it and surprise it. I still can have that feeling, especially in places which are old and have a lot of history. So that’s the psychological, ‘it all goes back to my childhood’ explanation.

Nonetheless, I find the struggles of the real world completely compelling. I’m fascinated by the nitty-gritty of how people live, what they have in their pockets to pay for their food, what they do when they can’t pay, what stories they tell about themselves, what they dream about, what they do when the world they live in is dangerous or unjust. For me, fantasy needs to engage all of this. In fact, I think it’s the true substance of good fantasy, no matter how much it bends the rules of time and space.

CE: What inspires you? Do you start with character, plot, situation, or an issue you want to explore?

In The Amethyst Road, character came first. Serena was so real to me from the very start that I could almost feel her tapping me on the

Today’s high five come from the cover of Louise Spiegler’s book, Amethyst Road. Yah, this is the German cover.



Louise has another book, The Jewel and Key, coming in the next year or so. I’ve read it and it is wonderful. Louise writes rich stories which have a unique viewpoint and stand out originality. I always have that sense with her writing that this world is a place I’ve never been before. Her story telling is not fettered by anyone’s conventions. This is a singular viewpoint, an original voice.

Today, I’d like each Golden Coffee Cupper to take a little time to think about what sets you apart as a writer. Ask your critique group partners. Then ask yourself, are you using your strengths to their strongest advantage? The answer to this question might put some wind in your sails.

True originality consists not in a new manner but in a new vision. Edith Wharton

I’d like to cheer for another Golden Coffee Cupper,Kjersten Hayes. Kjersten is certainly an original! A talented artist with a unique point of view. You can own a piece of her unique work. Check out her site store.

Last up, some major holy snapping. SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! for Holly Cupala. Using the ancient technology of the telephone, she let me know that she added 5000 words to her WIP in one day. No pressure, folks.