Deborah Harkness Explained

Deborah Harkness
Birth Place:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation:Scholar, novelist
Education:Mount Holyoke College (BA)
Northwestern University (MA)
University of California, Davis (PhD)
Genre:Fantasy, historical fiction
Notableworks:A Discovery of Witches
Shadow of Night
The Book of Life
Time's Convert

Deborah Harkness (born 1965) is an American scholar and novelist, best known as a historian and as the author of the All Souls Trilogy, which consists of The New York Times best-selling novel A Discovery of Witches and its sequels Shadow of Night and The Book of Life. Her latest book is The Black Bird Oracle, a sequel to the All Souls Trilogy.

Early life

Born in 1965, Harkness grew up near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of an American-born father and a British-born mother.[1] She is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College (B.A., 1986), Northwestern University (M.A., 1990), and the University of California, Davis (Ph.D., 1994).[2] Harkness also studied abroad at Oxford University. She is a well-regarded historian of science and medicine,[3] as well as having taught courses about the history of magic and science.[4]

Career

Harkness is a professor of history and teaches European history and the history of science[5] at the University of Southern California. She has published two works of historical non-fiction, John Dee's Conversations with Angels: Cabala, Alchemy and the End of Nature (1999) and The Jewel House: Elizabethan London and the Scientific Revolution (2007).[6]

In 2011, Harkness published her first work of fiction, A Discovery of Witches. The first novel in the All Souls trilogy, A Discovery of Witches is a historical fiction novel that tells the story of a modern-day witch who inadvertently calls up an ancient enchanted manuscript at Oxford University's Bodleian Library[7] thereby attracting the unwelcome notice of a host of magical creatures who live among humans, including other witches, daemons, and a 1,500-year-old French vampire.[8] [6] The novel debuted at number two on The New York Times Best Seller hardcover fiction list,[9] and has been sold in at least 34 countries.[10] The book was called "a sophisticated fairy tale for adults" by the San Antonio Express-News.[11] The second novel in the series, Shadow of Night, was published a year later, becoming a number one success on The New York Times Best Seller list.[12] The third novel in the series is called The Book of Life.[13] The book was published on July 15, 2014, in hardback, e-book, and audiobook in the US, UK, Canada, and Ireland.On January 9, 2014, the United States front cover and a two-page excerpt were released to the public on USA Today. On May 12, 2014, chapter 1 was released on Harkness' website.[14] Harkness is also the author of the award-winning wine blog, Good Wine Under $20.

Harkness released a companion book in May 2018 entitled The World of All Souls: The Complete Guide to A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, and The Book of Life (All Souls Trilogy), followed in September 2018 by an All Souls series trilogy prequel/sequel entitled Time's Convert. The book features Marcus Whitmore, Matthew Clairmont's vampire son.

Harkness is an executive producer of BadWolf's television series based on Harkness' novel, A Discovery of Witches. The series premiered in the UK on Sky One on September 14, 2018, and streams on NOW TV and Netflix.[15] [16] The international distribution of the series is handled by Sky Vision.[17] [18] It was revealed by Sky One on All Souls Day (November 2) 2018 that the TV series would be extended by seasons 2 and 3, corresponding to the A Discovery of Witches sequels Shadow of Night and The Book of Life.[19] Season 2 (10 episodes) was released in early 2021, and season 3 (7 episodes) in early 2022.[20]

Personal life

Harkness married her longtime partner, Karen Halttunen, they had been together since 1995.[21] She currently lives in Southern California where she is a professor of history.[1] [22]

She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2021.[23]

Bibliography

Novels

All Souls

  1. A Discovery of Witches (2011)
  2. Shadow of Night (2012)
  3. The Book of Life (2014)
  4. Time's Convert (2018)
  5. The Black Bird Oracle (2024)

Companions

Other books

Journal articles

Awards

Harkness' faculty profile on the University of Southern California's website also lists the following honors and awards:[2]

Notes and References

  1. News: Deborah Harkness' 'A Discovery of Witches' started with airport bookstores . Scott . Timberg . . April 10, 2011 . July 12, 2012.
  2. Web site: Faculty Profile: Deborah Elizabeth Harkness . . July 12, 2012.
  3. News: Discovery of a writer: alum pens a preternatural tale . Persephone . Hernandez-Vogt . . February 24, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120323125038/http://themhnews.org/2011/02/books/discovery-of-a-writer-alum-pens-a-preternatural-tale . March 23, 2012 . July 12, 2012 . dead .
  4. Web site: USC Dornsife. August 9, 2023. Deborah Harkness.
  5. "Deborah Harkness: The All Souls Trilogy." (February 10, 2014).
  6. News: SoCal scholar bounds into the supernatural . Kit-Bacon . Gressitt . . February 20, 2011 . July 12, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110831010649/http://www.nctimes.com/entertainment/books-and-literature/article_3a8bb6fc-5418-5135-a883-249694c5c179.html . August 31, 2011 .
  7. Web site: McGee . Celia . February 2011 . 15 Books to Watch for in February 2011 . Book Finder . 4 . Oprah.com . July 12, 2012.
  8. Meyer. Michal. Facts and Fictions. Chemical Heritage Magazine. Fall 2011 – Winter 2012. 29. 3. 40–41. March 26, 2018. June 2, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190602103340/https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/magazine/facts-and-fictions. dead.
  9. Web site: Best Sellers. The New York Times. November 17, 2012. February 27, 2011.
  10. Web site: Deborah Harkness: Once bitten ... . Pellegrino . Nicky . April 11, 2011 . . September 27, 2011.
  11. News: A potent spell cast . Steve . Bennett . . February 12, 2011 . July 12, 2012.
  12. Web site: Best Sellers – Hardcover Fiction . . July 29, 2012 . January 4, 2013 .
  13. Web site: Deborah Harkness. www.facebook.com. en. March 14, 2018.
  14. Web site: Deborah Harkness author of The All Souls Trilogy official website. Deborah Harkness. en-US. March 14, 2018.
  15. News: August 30, 2024 . Love 'A Discovery of Witches' on Netflix? Read the Books The Show Is Based On . September 5, 2024 . en-US.
  16. Web site: A Discovery of Witches streaming: How to watch A Discovery of Witches online . October 31, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180905175923/https://worldnews.easybranches.com/entertainment/tv-web/a-discovery-of-witches-streaming-how-to-watch-a-discovery-of-witches-online-1322712/ . September 5, 2018 . dead .
  17. Web site: Sky Corporate. Sky. en-GB. September 25, 2018.
  18. Web site: » A Discovery Of Witches. bad-wolf.com. en-GB. September 25, 2018.
  19. 1058388271917481984. skytv. MAGICAL NEWS: We're absolutely.... November 2, 2018.
  20. Web site: A Discovery of Witches . IMDB.
  21. Web site: Haldeman. Peter. All Souls working magic on TV now A talk with author Deborah Harkness. NNY 360. September 18, 2024. January 24, 2019.
  22. News: Puckett-Pope . Lauren . July 12, 2024 . Deborah Harkness, the 'Accidental Novelist,' Has Years' Worth of 'All Souls' Books in the Pipeline . September 5, 2024 . en-US.
  23. News: August 1, 2024 . Deborah Harkness Has Never Read Jane Austen. Really. . September 5, 2024 . New York Times.
  24. Kavey. Allison. London Calling. Chemical Heritage Magazine. Summer 2008. 26. 2. 44. March 26, 2018. March 27, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180327084328/https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/magazine/london-calling. dead.
  25. https://www.comic-con.org/awards/inkpot Inkpot Award

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