On November 26 & 27 we’re hosting our second-ever AugurCon, our virtual celebration of speculative literatures! We’re joined by over 45 amazing guests, including authors, poets, editors, and publishing professionals, to explore the intersections of the world we know—and the ones we dare to imagine.

We connected with Eden Royce, author of her debut novel Root Magic, who is a panelist at this year’s AugurCon.

Get your ticket to attend her panel:

The Cozy and the Curious: Exploring Slice-of-Life Speculative Literatures
Saturday, November 26 at 2–3:00 PM EST / 11 AM–12 PM PST

To see the full weekend program schedule, visit our website.

Your stories explore folklore, magic, and gothic horror. What spec fic subgenre are you particularly excited about lately? What’s sparking your imagination?

I love Gothic—always have and I’m delighted to see all the iterations of it. Right now, I’m enjoying fairy tale and folklore reimaginings. There’s a freedom in them – a natural place to engage in willing suspension of disbelief – that I enjoy while staying connected to a cultural history. Detective stories, especially if they’re set in a speculative world. Also, I have a fondness for non-traditional formats: recipes, real estate listings, research articles… anything can tell a story.

We’re excited to have you on our panel The Cozy and the Curious: Exploring Slice-of-Life Speculative Literatures. Are cozy stories always a form of escapism? How does that matter (whether yes or no) to how we value them?

Fiction in general—at least for me—is always escapism. It just depends on whether or not the story is presenting a world or a time period I want to escape into at that moment.

I can’t answer about the value of stories. That’s such an individual thing, dependent on the reader, their experiences, and what they’re bringing with them to the page.

The cozy, curious, and slice of life can come through many mediums (video games, interactive fiction, etc.). Tell us about some plot-lite stories you’re enjoying these days! What are the ingredients to your favourite cozy stories?

These days I find myself revisiting books, stories, films, and TV shows. Many of which are not slice-of-life. Even if there are some challenging moments, I’ve already seen them and know what to expect so I can focus on the parts I find beautifully crafted or impactful. Of course, I can skip directly to the section I want to experience.

For me, one of the main ingredients in a cozy story is relaxed pacing. There can be a plot, there can be the expectation of a resolution of a problem but even if a character is supposedly rushing, the story must convey ease.

At Augur, we talk a lot about “stories for the futures we need.” We know what it means to us—but what does that mean to you?

I’m seeing more and more publishers looking for stories with hopeful, joyous endings and that must mean readers are craving them. There’s so much happening in the world that people are struggling to process it all, or move forward, or have hope for the future.

Stories can make us believe better futures are possible; they help us visualize beyond the fog of now that hangs over us. Maybe that’s what some readers are looking for: stories that portray humans as not just surviving, but also thriving—taking care of each other and the universe, healing old wounds and being proud of our scars.

Hear more from Eden: Get your ticket to AugurCon 2022

Eden Royce is a writer from Charleston, SC now living in England. She is a Shirley Jackson Award finalist for her short fiction for adults. Her debut novel Root Magic is a Walter Dean Myers Award Honoree and Nebula Award finalist, as well as a Mythopoeic Fantasy Award and Ignyte Award winner for outstanding children’s literature.

Join Eden at AugurCon! Our panel on The Cozy and the Curious: Exploring Slice-of-Life Speculative Literatures takes place on Saturday, November 26. Get your ticket to AugurCon 2022 now!