Take Ten: Juliet Marillier and The Amber Owl

I recently received quite an honor–a gift, actually–in the form of an advance reading copy of a book from someone I’ve long admired. Our esteemed colleague, Juliet Marillier, first appeared here at WU in a post on February 28, 2007.  The essay from that day is titled Hummingbirds and Owls, utilizing the two birds in a metaphor comparing types of writers. You might have noticed in the image above that the title of her new novel, which releases tomorrow, is THE AMBER OWL. Coincidence or magic? I tend to think it’s the latter, as everything Juliet does tends to feel magical to me.

It was a piece Juliet published–an interview with fellow fantasist Jacqueline Carey from November of ’07–that lured me to my very first visit to WU. Soon afterward I read my first Juliet Marillier book: Daughter of the Forest. I was blown away. I went looking for the email I wrote to her, gushing about the book. Suffice to say, it was long enough ago that I still had an AOL email address, and I can’t get into my old account anymore (had to be prior to 2010).

I’m a longtime fan of her books, but beyond that Juliet has meant so much more to me. I consider her a guiding light, an inspiration, a mentor, and a friend. She has shown me nothing but kindness, support, and encouragement, and I’m certain I’m not alone in feeling this way. Reading THE AMBER OWL went beyond mere immersion in a new fantasy world. As you’ll soon see, I consider the book to be one of the most timely and relevant stories I’ve read in some time.

What’s it about?

“Stasya lives in an isolated farming village on the edge of the mysterious Heartwood Forest with her unusual dog for company. Thought odd by the locals, she is tolerated for her rare gift with animals. The peace of Heartwood is shattered when a group of soldiers descends, under orders from the Ruler of the Northlands, there to hack a path through the forest and find the fabled treasure said to lie deep within.

Secrets abound; dangers lie everywhere; and it is hard to tell friend from foe. As Stasya and her band of unlikely allies embark on a perilous mission, it becomes apparent that uncanny forces may indeed be involved. Maybe the old tales of the Hermit are true.”

That summary only scratches the surface of this wonderful, compelling tale. Please read on to learn more, about the book, and about our wise friend and colleague.

Q1: Although THE AMBER OWL opens with the establishment of an ordinary world that is full of the usual Juliet Marillier coziness and charm, we are quickly swept up in calamity that brings world-altering harm to the characters. It may be a historical fantasy, but from greed-driven exploitation of natural resources to cold, authoritarian abuse of power, the relentless current of the story feels terribly familiar—relatable and relevant to today’s chaotic world. Were you initially incited to draw upon such relevancy, or did it simply flow from you once you began?

JM: I started planning this story over two years ago. From the start, I knew it would have an environmental theme, and I envisaged the protagonist, Stasya, as a person who has no role in the world of power games and politics, but who decides to step up and be counted when that authoritarian hand threatens the natural world with which she is deeply bonded. Also, I saw her as set somewhat outside the rest of society – a person who, in our time, might be labelled neurodivergent. Not your classic fantasy hero. It was fascinating to follow her journey, and find myself reinforcing the idea that while such a difference might make a person’s life more challenging at times, it could also make that person remarkable. In the time since I started writing THE AMBER OWL, the world has become still more chaotic, and it startles me that the themes are now more relevant than ever.

Q2: The vividly portrayed landscape and terrain of the story quicky become akin to character. Heartwood Forest in particular can be beautiful and nurturing, but also mercurial and dangerous. The life and death stakes of living on its fringes are deeply respected by your heroine Stasya and her fellow herdsmen and villagers. Your reverence for the natural world shines throughout the tale. Can you tell us a little about the environmentalism of THE AMBER OWL? Did it come as naturally to the warp and weft as the final weave makes it appear?

JM: It did come naturally. That arises partly from my belonging to a druid order (The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, commonly known as OBOD.)  Respect and responsibility for the natural world are central to druid beliefs, as is the power of storytelling to teach and to heal. Both of those are significant themes in THE AMBER OWL. The effects of climate change trouble me deeply. I live in Western Australia, where a lot of mining takes place, and despite a gradually growing awareness of the many ways that damages the environment, big business interests tend to win out over environmentalists’ protests. Add to that the fact that I grew up in a part of New Zealand full of magnificent old forest, and it’s no wonder this is such a strong theme of the story. It comes straight from the heart.

Q3: You utilized multiple points-of-view in the story, including those of the antagonists. Why was it important to this story to provide such a broad array of perspectives?

JM: Increasingly, as a writer, I try to put myself inside the head of each point of view character and understand their mindset. In this series I’m writing in third person, but each chapter has a single point of view.  That character’s attitudes, their emotions, and their manner of thinking govern that part of the narrative. It helps balance the story if the antagonists get their turn with the point of view – we gain insight into what makes them tick, why they act and speak as they do. And it allows us to find out what Character A truly thinks about Character B, and vice versa. I try to make every character real. THE AMBER OWL has a deceptively simple beginning, then develops into quite an epic story. The chapters are shared by five major characters, but we focus on three.

Q4: I would say the magic in the story is somewhat subtle, as magic in fantasy stories goes. I love that it’s so personal for Stasya, and necessarily private, as its strictest limitation lies in the danger of it being revealed to others. Much of it feels so very human—as though these are capabilities that feel close to being possible. Particularly Stasya’s ability to commune with animals; most of us have felt like we were very close to being able to communicate with a pet. Can you tell us what inspired the magic in the story?

JM: It’s hard to put a finger on that. The natural world always feels to me profoundly magical. That doesn’t mean I expect a troll under every bridge or fairies fluttering around the garden, but there is a beauty and mystery about nature that seems to transcend our knowledge of what is there. When I’m walking through forest or beside a river or on the sea shore, I tend to have a story forming in my mind. And of course there are the old stories, passed down through many generations, changing all the time, yet essentially the same. Those tales were once told around the fire in communities that needed a deep knowledge of nature – the climate, the seasons – for their survival. There is a lot of storytelling in THE AMBER OWL, and it is full of that natural magic.  In this series we also have the presence of amber itself, both as a valuable commodity (see earlier remarks on mining) and as a potentially magical substance according to the folk beliefs of the time and place. The amber provides a further thread of magic.

Regarding communication with pets, see the next answer!

Q5: Speaking of pets, this story features a very unique one. And, if I do say, a very cool one! Without giving too much away, can you please give us Flip’s origin story?

JM: It’ll need to be brief to avoid spoilers. Flip is Stasya’s little dog whom she found trapped in the forest long ago. So, a rescue dog. Exactly what you’d expect from an author who wears two hats: Fantasy Writer and Crazy Dog Lady. Flip is based on a dog called Pip, whom I adopted a long while ago after her owner died. Pip was a miniature pinscher, the smallest dog in a household that saw many rescue animals come and go. For the eleven years she lived here, Pip was the boss of all the bigger dogs. One couch was hers, and nobody else could sit on it. Up to four dogs (and a human) squeezed onto the other couch. Flip shares many of her qualities. And possesses some extra ones.

Q6: THE AMBER OWL is somewhat unique in that storytelling is a vital element. Indeed, storytelling skill feels like one of the most important attributes of your characters—particularly for Stasya. I feel like it’s revealing of your feelings about the importance of story. Am I right? What can you tell us about the storytelling within your storytelling?

JM: I think I partly answered this one in Q2 above. As a druid, I’m very much aware of the importance of storytelling, not only to entertain, but to teach and to heal. I always feel delighted and humbled when a reader lets me know that one of my books has helped them through a difficult time in their life. In THE AMBER OWL we have a protagonist who often finds it hard to connect with her fellow humans on a day by day basis – Stasya is happy living alone apart from her dog, and does not offer long explanations or engage in light-hearted chat, except with one trusted friend. But she finds it easy to tell a story, and is quick to invent one that will get her point across without hammering it home. Or she will tell an old story, because she understands how important it is to recognise the wisdom of the ancestors (Druidry again.)

Of course there are some people in Stasya’s world who find this strange. It’s one reason she is something of a loner in her village, though recognised as a hard physical worker.  I certainly did my best to convey the power of storytelling in this book; I hope the reader will see how that power stretches to pull in other characters as the bigger story unfolds.

Q7: Throughout your esteemed career, you have often leaned into the culture and lore of the Irish and Celtics, which I love. I take it from the book’s endnotes that this time you chose the lore and culture of the Baltic region as your foundation. Can you tell us why you switched it up? What challenges and opportunities did the switch present?

JM: I knew I wanted to write a story about amber, both as a commodity and as a cure. The search for amber could lead, and has led, to terrible environmental damage. So I needed a setting in the real world where amber could be found, and where the culture would suit the kind of story I wanted to write, hence the Baltic region. Most of my books are classified as historical fiction, and are set in some version of real world history and geography. Some (for example the Bridei Chronicles, set in the time and culture of the Picts, and my Viking novel Wolfskin, set in Orkney) involved a lot of historical research, while others rely more on the mythology and folklore of the setting.
THE AMBER OWL and its sequel do not belong in real history (though the warrior monks who feature in the story were indeed real!) The place names are my invention, and the geography is also rather fluid – I took the liberty of tweaking forests, mountains and waterways to suit the storytelling, so you’re unlikely to identify that map as a real location, though the borders may well suggest one. The character names are almost all from the Baltic region. The mythology of the region played a part in my research, certainly – it is rich and fascinating. So did the Baltic people’s love of song and dance. But good storytelling was always my first priority and that meant a flexible approach to the history.

Q8: I strongly felt that the spirituality presented in the book was rooted in the reverence for nature I mention above, along with a respect for the wisdom of those who came before us. There is a religious element that appears in the form of the warrior monks, posturing and vying for power along the fringes of the Northlands. They seem to be antagonistic, if not menacing. I’m hoping they play a more central role as the story continues. Can you elaborate about the spirituality and (versus?) the religion of THE AMBER OWL?

JM: Ah, the warrior monks! They owe a lot to the attitudes of their leader, who is supremely confident in his beliefs and attitudes, and has little understanding of his fellow humans. That character is not based on anyone in particular – I created him and his religious order as an example of what can go wrong when dogma overtakes human values in organised religion. Inspiration for the warrior monks came from the Livonian Brothers of the Sword. It’s implied in my story, but not spelled out, that at this point there are still earth-based religions among the general populace of the Northlands, but that they are practised quietly so as not to attract the attention of the warrior monks. That also conforms with real history. I’ve given the Birchlands, to the north, a more tolerant attitude to both politics and religion.
A snippet of information about Book 2: the story contains a religious order for women, the Sisters of Dust, with their own beliefs and practices.

Q9: I believe this book is your first with a new publisher. Is it a small press publisher? What can you tell us about your experience with this new venture?

JM: It’s been excellent so far. New Dawn Publishing is a small press publisher specialising in science fiction and fantasy. They’ve only been going a few years but they have quite a few titles out and lots more lined up. The headquarters of New Dawn is located reasonably close to where I live, so it’s possible to have face to face meetings with my publisher and editor, and to feel like part of a vibrant and energetic team. Best of all has been the opportunity to write a story I really believed in – this one is a book of the heart.

The level of support has been excellent as have the publicity and marketing. I am sad that at present, since this is an Australian edition, it won’t be immediately available to my overseas readers. However, it is possible to order a print copy here (from Feb 25) and pay for international shipping. The publisher is working on making the series more widely available, and the audiobook, currently in production, should be accessible in the UK and Europe.

Q10: This book is among my favorite Juliet Marillier novels, and that’s a strong statement. You’re clearly at the top of your game! Can you tell us what’s next? What challenges and opportunities lie ahead for you?

JM: I’m delighted that you enjoyed the book! I’ve almost completed Book 2 of the Heartwood duology. If I finish by the end of February I’ll have a month for a big final revision, then it goes off to my editor. No doubt after she’s had a look there will be more revision to do. Book 2 is coming out in the first half of 2026. Next job on the list is writing a short story for an anthology. I do expect to keep on writing short fiction. More novels? Well, I have plenty of ideas, but it all depends on finding the energy to do it. We’ll wait and see.

Thank you for sharing your wisdom along with this exciting news about your new books, Juliet!

As Juliet said above, THE AMBER OWL is not yet available outside of Australia and New Zealand, but as of tomorrow (Feb. 25) the book CAN be ordered using this link (international shipping charges will apply). Pursuing this book is worth the effort, in my opinion. Learn more about Juliet by visiting her website, or follow her on IG or FB.

In the meantime, please help me in the comments to congratulate Juliet and celebrate her accomplishment, and thank her for her valuable support of the WU community.