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 Time's Convert: A Novel, both an origin story of the trilogy's Marcus Whitmore character, set in the American War of Independence and the French Revolution, and 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 eight episode television series based on Harkness' novel, A Discovery of Witches. The series premiered in the UK on Sky One on September 14, 2018, and is now streaming on NOW TV.[15] The international distribution of the series is handled by Sky Vision.[16] [17] 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.[18] Season 2 (10 episodes) was released in early 2021, and season 3 (7 episodes) in early 2022.[19]

Personal life

Harkness currently lives in Southern California where she is a professor of history.[1]

Bibliography

Novels

All Souls

  1. Book: A Discovery of Witches. 2011. Viking. New York. 9780670022410. 635459436. A Discovery of Witches (book series).
  2. Book: Shadow of Night. 2012. Viking. New York. 9780670023486. 760974138. Shadow of Night.
  3. Book: The Book of Life. 2014. Viking. New York. 1202304348. 9780525427223. The Book of Life (Harkness).
  4. Book: Time's Convert. 2018. Viking. New York. 1111582969. 9780399564512. Time's Convert. *

*Many of the events in Time's Convert take place in the present-day, however a portion of them take place prior to the events of A Discovery of Witches. In other words, Time's Convert acts as a sequel to the trilogy while also containing a prequel component.

Companions

Books

Journal articles

Awards

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

External links

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. 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 .
  16. Web site: Sky Corporate. Sky. en-GB. September 25, 2018.
  17. Web site: » A Discovery Of Witches. bad-wolf.com. en-GB. September 25, 2018.
  18. 1058388271917481984. skytv. MAGICAL NEWS: We're absolutely.... November 2, 2018.
  19. Web site: A Discovery of Witches . IMDB.
  20. 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.
  21. https://www.comic-con.org/awards/inkpot Inkpot Award

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