Amber and Clay is a part-verse, part-prose novel about two young people’s whose destinies are linked by fate and a mother’s love. Rhaskos is a Thracian slave boy who longs to draw horses. Melisto is an Athenian citizen’s daughter who wishes to run wild and free as a bear. Divided by distance and separated by the bounds of privilege, Rhaskos and Melisto know nothing of the other’s greatest dreams and deepest secrets. But the two children’s lives become intertwined when Rhaskos’s mother is sold to Melisto’s father, and their destinies are sealed when tragedy strikes. Told from multiple perspectives (including gods), Amber and Clay is an epic story of bonds broken and oaths kept.
My hot take…
This book reads like it sprung from the brain a citizen of ancient Athens. Characters speak and opine with the sensibilities of another civilization which deepens the already impressive verisimilitude of Schlitz’s world. Schlitz seems to trust her audience implicitly and offers a wonderful author’s note on the time period and her choices for that extra curious reader. Multiple viewpoints provide insight and humor, whether we’re watching Rhaskos mourn the loss of his mother, or listening to Hermes make fun of everything humans hold so dear. Perhaps the most unexpected viewpoint is that of the nameless academics whose pontifications on the meaning of ancient artifacts frame the story. With each shard of pottery they pour over we’re reminded that the objects that stand the test of time only tell one iota of the story of the people who once held them.
You might like this book if you enjoy: Ghost stories, antiquities, and thunder storms.
1. If you could travel back in time, (assuming there’d be no risk to yourself or changing the course of history) where and when and why would you go?
I’d definitely travel to Punjab in the 1700s and meet the main character of my book, Mai Bhago. I wish I could say I’d fight beside her, but she is the battle warrior, and truly my pen is my sword. I’d love to learn about her battle strategies, and what motivates her. This discussion would have to take place after I faint when first meeting her! 😂
2. Your book is set in the late 1600s and early 1700s in Punjab, India. What fascinates you most about this time period?
I’m fascinated by this time period because it marks the birth of Sikhism. This is my religion and Mai Bhago’s religion. During this time period India was not actually a country. It was a subcontinent with border skirmishes and invading groups. At the same time, however, it was full of vivid cultural traditions and celebrations. This was the time period before, and leading up to colonization. It is important to understand everything that led up to colonization, so we can connect with South Asia’s evolution. History is key to helping us understand why certain events happened. History also teaches us to learn from the past, and make better decisions in the future.
3. What elements of this time period do we still see today?
We still see some of the same foods, the language and clothing. The language is Punjabi, and a staple meal includes roti, a wheat flat bread.
4. What do you think young people from this time and place could teach us today?
I think they could teach us the importance of bravery and fighting for what you believe in.
5. Is there an historical tidbit that didn’t make it in the book, but is super interesting?
I did not include historical details about Banda Singh, a brave soldier of the Sikhs. He avenged the tenth Guru’s murder and laid the foundation for a Sikh kingdom. The tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, was the final living guru of Sikhism. Sikhism is the fifth largest religion in the world, and our tenth guru named our Holy Book the final Guru, within which lay the teachings and beliefs of those before him. Banda Singh was an ascetic who lived in hermitude, and who the Guru met when living near the Godavari River. The Guru saw a special fire in Banda Singh, and charged him with avenging the men who persecuted the Guru’s Sikhs and sons. The Guru was then fatally injured, and Banda Singh went on to kill the man responsible, as well as build a Sikh Empire.
6. What’s your favorite historical fiction (any age!)
I have too many to count! I love reading books about partition era India, and the Nazi era. I’ve also enjoyed stories about the Texas Dust Bowl or the Transcontinental Railroad or the California Gold Rush. Give me good writing and an interesting piece of history and I’m hooked!
Rima’s Rebellion is a novel in verse about a young woman fighting to make an unjust world a better place for her and other girls like her. Rima comes of age in a world where femicide of adulterous women is the legal right of every husband, and children born out of wedlock are subjected to cruelty and exclusion. Rather than accept things the way they are or live in fear, Rima joins a multi-generational brood of strong women to demand a better life. Despite the fact that the powers that be want girls like Rima to simply disappear, she finds her place in the world, helping her sisters in arms, push and pull their country towards a brighter future.
My hot take…
This book dives into the rich history of feminists in early 20th century Cuba. Margarita Engle has clearly researched the period in-depth and it shows. Moreover, the strong theme of feminism extends far beyond the demands of female characters to vote and overturn misogynist laws. Engle’s female characters are allies, even when divided by class, love, and opportunity. Engle’s setting (while firmly historical) is also ripe for adventure. There are daring horse chases, dramatic escapes, and even true love. Readers today will find Rima’s defiance of unjust laws and practices inspiring and hopefully will feel compelled to lean into their own beliefs about the world as it is and the world as it should be.
You might like this book if you enjoy: Riding horses (fast), radical poetry presses, and suffragettes.
1. If you could travel back in time, (assuming there’d be no risk to yourself or changing the course of history) where and when and why would you go?
Well, if there’s no time-wimey nonsense happening and no risk to myself, I’m absolutely going back to visit the dinosaurs. Who wouldn’t want to hang with a brontosaurus? I was completely captivated by dinosaurs as a kid. They fueled so much of my imagination and sparked my interest in storytelling. From The Land Before Time series to the plastic dollar store figurines I used to make my own dino movie with my family’s camcorder, I was obsessed. Dinosaurs were magical— Who am I kidding? They still are.
2. Your book is set today but heavily delves into the American Civil War. What fascinates you most about this time period?
I think what I’m most fascinated by is the conflict, tension, and potential that the era represents for the United States. The American Civil War, in many ways, was the beginning of the fight for the soul of our country. I am not a historian by any means, but that’s the way I see it, as someone who is still learning, growing, and coming to understand the world I live in. While the American colonies represented hope and freedom to many white people, it meant the death and destruction of so many others. In addition to the atrocious genocide of Indigenous peoples, for centuries white people enslaved Black people, building a country upon their labor and lives, benefiting from their pain and bondage. For me, the American Civil War era is a turning point in our country’s history toward something better, the first real steps we took to be truly free and equitable for all. We have come a long way since then, but we still have a very long way to go.
3. What elements of this time period are still with us today?
We might not frequently use butter churns or play skittles, but we are still fighting for equality and the moral center of our country. BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities still suffer greatly from inequities, as do many other individuals with underrepresented and historically marginalized identities. We might not go to battle as they did in the mid-1800s, but we fight on in other ways. We sign petitions, and we vote. We use words. We tell stories.
4. What kind of insights do you think kids from this time period have?
This was an era that tested many peoples’ courage, across many identities and backgrounds. Young people fought and died to ensure that “equality” was not a hollow word in the United States. That persistence, determination, and bravery to stand up against your own family and friends, against bigotry and hatred—it’s powerful and not to be forgotten as a part of the history of the United States.
5. Is there an historical tidbit that didn’t make it in the book, but is super interesting?
Since The Civil War of Amos Abernathy isn’t historical fiction but rather about history and set in the present day, I had to be very selective. My focus was narrow and mainly on the LGBTQ+ community during the 1800s and largely during the American Civil War. That being said, there was a minute there that I was sure I’d be able to incorporate some of the music from the era into the novel. None of it made the cut, but I do recommend giving some of the songs a listen! Here’s some of the tunes I listened to on repeat: “Wildwood Flower,” “Two Brothers,” “Hard Times,” “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” and “Battle Cry of Freedom.”
6. What’s your favorite historical fiction (any age!)
I detest choosing favorites—how does anyone pick their favorite book, even if narrowed down by genre? Alas, I’ll pick a few. Growing up my mom read many historical fiction novels to me and my siblings. I loved listening to Johnny Tremain and The Witch of Blackbird Pond. Both are still two of my favorite books. In recent years, I’ve fallen completely head over heels for titles like Julie Berry’s The Passion of Dolssa and Adam Gidwtiz’s The Inquisitor’s Tale. They are must reads!
7. What are you working on right now?
I’m not sure how much I can actually say about my next book, but… it’s a contemporary fantasy middle grade that is a very loose retelling of a popular folktale that explores truth, identity, and community. This book is due to come out in 2023 from HarperCollins. I’m also working on a couple of young adult projects, and I have a picture book out on submission. I’ve also got a middle grade fantasy project that I’ve drafted, and I am very eager to continue developing it. My brain is always writing, even when my fingers aren’t at my keyboard!
1. If you could travel back in time, where and when would you go?
That’s a tough question, especially since I’d miss modern medicine and I don’t know how I’d narrow that down. However, I’m currently drawn to the Incas, and I would love to see the Incan Empire pre-Europeans. As long as I was more ghost than participant, so I wouldn’t somehow change history. There’s also that fear of getting stuck, or getting stuck on the end of a spear. Another era I’d like to visit is Germany in the time of Gutenberg. It would be amazing to see printing taking off, knowing where it leads.
2. Your book is set in Russia in 1917. What fascinates you most about this time period?
It was a time of drastic, rapid change. Not only was the world at war, but the Russian government was in the midst of a revolution, technology was changing at a very rapid place, and women’s rights were at the forefront in many countries. So many people focus on the Romanovs, but I’m really interested in the revolutionaries themselves, and the common people who had to live with the repercussions of all this rapid, confusing change.
3. What elements of this time period do we still see today?
Not much has changed, even though everything has changed. Women are still fighting for equality, technology is rolling so fast we can hardly keep up, and the government feels as if it’s teetering on the precipice. I imagine that the uneasy feeling we feel now is similar to theirs in 1917.
4. What do you think kids from 1917 could teach us today?
Resilience and patience, I think. To make great changes, sometimes you have to keep doing the dirty work, day in and day out, and trust that in the end, that mountain will get moved. So many of us want a quick fix now, and get disillusioned when we don’t get what we want immediately. In 1917, people were used to working hard and waiting for results. (Obviously, there are still people who work hard and have patience, but I think it was more common then than it is now. At least, it feels that way in my family.)
5. Is there an historical tidbit that didn’t make it in the book, but is super interesting?
There were lots of things that I couldn’t include in the story, for whatever reason. Sometimes, it felt like I had too much information and if I included this or that, it would detract from the story itself. One thing I found really interesting was that the 1st Russia Women’s Battalion of Death was the most highly educated battalion in the entire theater of war. There were peasants and factory workers, but also lawyers and doctors, and even aristocrats. I wish I could listen in to their conversations as they bunked down for the night, with the different social classes mixing and chatting while they cleaned their weapons.
6. What’s your favorite historical fiction (any age!)
I can’t have a favorite! That said, one of the historical fiction novels that really seeped into my bones was Elizabeth Wein’s Rose Under Fire. I know the first book in that series, Code Name Verity, gets more notice, but Rose Under Fire really hit me in the heart. I find myself thinking about it sometimes when I’m standing in the cold and think my coat is too thin.
7. What are you working on right now?
I’m working on a Middle Grade Fantasy set during the golden era of the Hanseatic League, in the Baltic Sea. It’s so much fun, and sometimes I have to remind myself that I don’t have to stick to the facts like I did with Open Fire. In this project, history is only a springboard.
The Parker Inheritance is a story about solving today’s mysteries to uncover the secrets of the past. Candice is pretty sure she’s in for a dull time when her mom says they’re spending the summer in Lambert, South Carolina. But when she discovers an old letter in an attic, she becomes entrenched in a tantalizing mystery that reaches decades back into the past. The mystery itself is enough to completely hook Candice and her new friend Brandon, but that’s not all. A massive fortune awaits whoever solves the puzzle… if they can figure it out in time.
My hot take…
This is a book for mystery lovers. More Westing Game than Sherlock Holmes, The Parker Inheritance weaves hard history through riddles and puzzles that span across multiple generations. In fact, this book makes a point of connecting the past to the present… or rather, the present to the past. Make no mistake, this book has a riveting story, compelling characters, and makes excellent use of parallel plot lines. But it also does some pretty important work of demonstrating how we are connected to past events, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Readers today will likely feel compelled to dig through all those boxes in attics and basement in search of lost stories, and maybe even ask their parents and grandparents some tough questions.
You might like this book if you enjoy: kid sleuths, dusty attics, and midnight tennis matches
Setting: Colonial New England (perhaps… but more on that in a minute!)
Recommended Age: Young Adult
What it’s about…
All the Truth That’s in Me is a story about being silenced and finding your voice. When Judith returns to her village after being missing for two years, she hardly receives a warm welcome. It also doesn’t help that the boy she’s been in love with seems destined to marry another. But when her village comes under attack, Judith must muster all her strength to fight back, find her voice, and speak her truth, no matter the cost.
My hot take…
This book starts off with incredibly high stakes that only build with each page turn. The sense of danger for Judith and her village is very, very real. Every character is living on the edge in some way. In many ways, this is a book about recovering from trauma and finding strength. Berry’s colonial New England setting is so rich you can almost smell the autumn frost and wood smoke in the air. That said, history “puritans” will note that Berry is careful to avoid specifically nailing down her time and place and does play fast and loose with the time period to help further her plot and raise the stakes. Readers today will enjoy the sense of danger and find much in common with Judith’s romantic plight if they’ve ever liked/loved/crushed in silence (and let’s be honest, who hasn’t?).
You might like this book if you enjoy: Unrequited love, juicy language, and Titus Andronicus
The Beatryce Prophecy is a story about a girl with a goat and a great destiny. When Beatryce appears mysteriously at a monastery, the monks aren’t quite sure what to make of her. She remembers nothing of her life except her name. But she’s sharp as a tack. And she is a girl who can read! Clearly, there’s something more to Beatryce… something prophetic. But if the King’s men get to her before she can realize her destiny, Beatryce will pay the ultimate price.
My hot take…
This book centers girls and women in the rich tapestry of Medieval life. (Don’t want to give too much away, but suffice it to say, Kate DiCamillo gives Beatryce access to “boys only” spaces, like monasteries and royal courts.) Relationships are tender, lovely, and compelling, particularly that of the friendship between Beatryce and Answellica the goat. At its heart, this book is about the power of storytelling, which parallels nicely with the illuminated manuscript work of the monks who take Beatryce in. Though the world of The Beatryce Prophecy is set squarely in the Middle Ages, readers today will find one thing in particular resonant and evergreen: Smart girls who speak their minds are a force to be reckoned with.
You might like this book if you enjoy: Queendoms, calligraphy, and naughty goats
*A bit of magic in this one as well as maple candies, which are from North America!
Welcome!
I like historical fiction (if you couldn’t already tell!). This is a blog of books and conversations about that very thing. If you’re an author who wants to talk historical fiction or you have a book to recommend, reach out to me!
