**GIVEAWAY** is one copy of the just released paperback edition of the novel courtesy of Deborah's publisher Viking Penguin
See details below–open to residents of US only.
Today I'm celebrating the paperback release of this fabulous novel by reposting the Q&A I originally posted when Shadow of Night was first released in July of 2012. So enjoy the Q&A and enter to win your very own copy.
Praise for Shadow of Night:
The #1 New York Times–bestselling sequel to A Discovery of Witches is as “enchanting, engrossing, and as impossible to put down as its predecessor” (Miami Herald) J. K. Rowling, “Harkness shines again with ‘Shadow of Night’ …[which] takes us places we’ve never been before.” (USA Today)” Shadow of Night is such rich, period fun, particularly delightful in its witty characterization of historical immortals.” (New York Daily News)
“a great spell, the one that can enchant a reader . . . is cast.” (Entertainment Weekly)
“Harkness proves she’s not suffering from a sophomore slump with this addictive tale of magic, mayhem and two lovers.” (The Chicago Tribune)
“Readers who enjoyed the first book’s striking detail and complex world-building will be equally as thrilled with this second book in the trilogy…” (Library Journal Reviews)
“Harkness delights in lining up the living dead and modern academic history … [her] tale of a feminist Yankee in Queen Elizabeth’s court charms …” (Publisher’s Weekly)
A CONVERSATION WITH DEBORAH HARKNESS
Q: A Discovery of Witches debuted at # 2 on the New York Times bestseller list with publications following in 37
countries. What has been your
reaction to the outpouring of love for A
Discovery of Witches? Was it surprising how taken fans were with Diana and
Matthew’s story?
A. It has been amazing—and a bit overwhelming. I was surprised by how
quickly readers embraced two central characters who challenge our typical
notion of what a heroine or hero should be. And I continue to be amazed
whenever a new reader pops up, whether one in the US or somewhere like Finland
or Japan—to tell me how much they enjoyed being caught up in Diana’s world.
Q: Last
summer, Warner Brothers acquired screen rights to the trilogy, and David
Auburn, the Pulitzer-Prize-winning writer of Proof, has been tapped to pen the screenplay. Are
you looking forward to your novels being portrayed on the big screen? What are your favorite casting ideas
that you’ve heard from friends and readers?
A. I was thrilled when Warner Brothers wanted to translate the All Souls trilogy from book to screen. At first I was reluctant about the whole idea of a movie, and it actually took me nearly two years to agree to let someone try. The team at Warner Brothers impressed me with their seriousness about the project and their commitment to the characters and story I was trying to tell. Their decision to go with David Auburn confirmed that my faith in them was not misplaced. As for the casting, I deliberately don’t say anything about that! I would hate for any actor or actress to be cast in one of these roles and feel that they didn’t have my total support. I will say, however, that many of my readers’ ideas involve actors who have already played a vampire and I would be very surprised if one of them were asked to be Matthew!
Q: SHADOW OF NIGHT opens on a
scene in 1590s Elizabethan England featuring the famous School of Night, a
group of historical figures believed to be friends, including Sir Walter
Raleigh and playwright Christopher Marlowe. Why did you choose to feature these individuals, and can we
expect Diana and Matthew to meet other famous figures from the past?
A. I wrote my master’s thesis on the imagery surrounding Elizabeth I
during the last two decades of her reign. One of my main sources was the poem The Shadow of Night by George Chapman—a
member of this circle of fascinating men—and that work is dedicated to a
mysterious poet named Matthew Roydon about whom we know very little. When I was
first thinking about how vampires moved in the world (and this was way back in
the autumn of 2008 when I was just beginning A Discovery of Witches) I remembered Roydon and thought “that is the kind of identity a vampire
would have, surrounded by interesting people but not the center of the action.”
From that moment on I knew the second part of Diana and Matthew’s story would
take place among the School of Night. And from a character standpoint, Walter
Raleigh, Christopher Marlowe, George Chapman, and the other men associated with
the group are irresistible. They were such significant, colorful presences in
Elizabethan England.
Q: In SHADOW OF NIGHT, we learn
more about the alchemical bonds between Diana and Matthew. In your day job, you are a
professor of history and science at the University of Southern California and
have focused on alchemy in your research.
What aspects of this intersection between science and magic do you hope
readers will pick up on while reading SHADOW OF NIGHT?
A. Whereas A Discovery of Witches focused
on the literature and symbolism of alchemy, in Shadow of Night I’m able to explore some of the hands-on aspects of
this ancient tradition. There is still plenty of symbolism for Diana to think
about, but in this volume we go from abstractions and ideals to real
transformation and change—which was always my intention with the series. Just
as we get to know more about how Elizabethan men and women undertook alchemical
experiments, we also get to see Matthew and Diana’s relationship undergo the
metamorphosis from new love to something more.
Q: SHADOW OF NIGHT spans the
globe, with London, France, and Prague as some of the locales. Did you travel
to these destinations for your research?
A. I did. My historical research has been based in London for some time
now, so I’ve spent long stretches of time living in the City of London—the
oldest part of the metropolis—but I had never been to the Auvergne or Prague. I
visited both places while writing the book, and in both cases it was a bit like
traveling in time to walk village lanes, old pilgrim roads, and twisting city
streets while imagining Diana and Matthew at my side.
Q: Did you have an idea or an
outline for SHADOW OF NIGHT when you were writing A Discovery of Witches? Did
the direction change once you sat down to write it?
A. I didn’t outline either book in the traditional sense. In both cases
I knew what some of the high points were and how the plot moved towards the
conclusion, but there were some significant changes during the revision
process. This was especially true for SHADOW
OF NIGHT, although most of those
changes involved moving specific pieces of the plot forward or back to improve
the momentum and flow.
Q: A Discovery of Witches
begins with Diana Bishop stumbling across a lost, enchanted manuscript called
Ashmole 782 in Oxford’s Bodleian Library, whose secrets Diana and Matthew are
still trying to uncover in SHADOW OF NIGHT. You had a similar experience while
you were completing your dissertation.
What was the story behind your discovery? And how did it inspire the creation of these novels?
A. I did discover a
manuscript—not an enchanted one, alas—in the Bodleian Library. It was a
manuscript owned by Queen Elizabeth’s astrologer, the mathematician and
alchemist John Dee. In the 1570s and 1580s he became interested in using a
crystal ball to talk to angels. The angels gave him all kinds of instructions
on how to manage his life at home, his work—they even told him to pack up his
family and belongings and go to far-away Poland and Prague. In the
conversations, Dee asked the angels about a mysterious book in his library
called “the Book of Soyga” or “Aldaraia.” No one had ever been able to find it,
even though many of Dee’s other books survive in libraries throughout the
world. In the summer of 1994 I was spending time in Oxford between finishing my
doctorate and starting my first job. It was a wonderfully creative time, since
I had no deadlines to worry about and my dissertation on Dee’s angel
conversations was complete. As with most discoveries, this discovery of a
“lost” manuscript was entirely accidental. I was looking for something else in
the Bodleian’s catalogue and in the upper corner of the page was a reference to
a book called “Aldaraia.” I knew it couldn’t be Dee’s book, but I called it up
anyway. And it turned out it WAS the book (or at least a copy of it). With the
help of the Bodleian’s Keeper of Rare Books, I located another copy in the
British Library.
Q: Are there other lost books like this in the world?
A. Absolutely! Entire books
have been written about famous lost volumes—including works by Plato,
Aristotle, and Shakespeare to name just a few. Libraries are full of such
treasures, some of them unrecognized and others simply misfiled or mislabeled.
And we find lost books outside of libraries, too. In January 2006, a completely
unknown manuscript belonging to one of the 17th century’s most
prominent scientists, Robert Hooke, was discovered when someone was having the
contents of their house valued for auction. The manuscript included minutes of
early Royal Society meetings that we presumed were lost forever.
Q: Unlike Twilight’s Bella and Edward—hormonal teenagers who meet in the
halls of a high school—your leading characters Matthew and Diana are
established academics who meet in the library of one of the most prestigious
academic institutions in the world.
This is a world where vampires and witches drink wine together, practice yoga and discuss philosophy.
Are these characters based on something you found missing in the fantasy
genre?
A. There are a lot of adults
reading young adult books, and for good reason. Authors who specialize in the
young adult market are writing original, compelling stories that can make even
the most cynical grownups believe in magic. In writing A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES, I wanted to give adult readers a world no
less magical, no less surprising and delightful, but one that included grown-up
concerns and activities. These are not your children’s vampires and witches.
Thank you Deborah for taking the time to answer these questions
Visit Deborah's website here to learn everything you ever wanted to know about Deborah and her All Souls Trilogy.
Thank you Deborah for taking the time to answer these questions
Visit Deborah's website here to learn everything you ever wanted to know about Deborah and her All Souls Trilogy.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I have totally love for this series and author. I will be hosting this giveaway in June and recommend this series all the time. I cannot wait for book three and Matthew *swoons*
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post Kim, I had a chance to talk to Deborah right after A Discovery of Witches was published she said she was afraid that Matthew might have been too perfect.
ReplyDeleteHe is but in a totally good way.
deb
Love this series! I can't wait for book three! I will be getting it as soon as it comes out!
ReplyDeleteKim, Me Too! Thanks for the comment
Deletedeb
Probably not
ReplyDeleteHI bn, thanks for the comment
DeleteI love all the promotion around the paperback of SON! It gives me more opportunities to read what people are saying about my favorite series. This is not a usual romance or paranormal book. Prof. Harkness leaves a trail of history on every page. Anyone interested in geography, mythology or history will find something on every page. Virtually every name and place in the story have meaning for readers willing to do the research.
ReplyDeleteI have my fingers crossed that we will get movie news soon! The book has been optioned by Warner Brothers and a script written. I hope that the powers that be see Richard Armitage as Matthew Clairmont. I'm part of a crusade to have him cast - you can learn about it here: www.armitage4clairmont.com or www.facebook.com/armitage4clairmont
Hi Sheila, Thanks for the comment this is one of my very favorite trilogies and I cannot wait for book three. It's exciting news on the movie front too let's keep our fingers crossed that the screenwriter actually knows how to create an adaptation.
Deletedeb