What They Said About Luisa by Erika Rummel

In 1575, Luisa Abrego, a freed slave from Seville, was tried in Mexico for bigamy by officers of the Spanish Inquisition. Aside from the trial record, no other documentation of her exists. Intrigued by that scrap of information, Renaissance historian and author Erika Rummel resurrects Luisa in her latest novel. Rummel uses a unique storytelling approach to describe Luisa and her life: ten fictional characters tell what they know (or think they know) about Luisa; Luisa’s point of view is not part of the novel.

In our interview, the author explains why she made this deliberate storytelling choice and reveals how writing this book helped expand her knowledge of the Renaissance era and refine her writing techniques. You can read all about it here.