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The following article by Lillian Hawkins with award-winning author Deborah Harkness
was originally published on Gothic Blend.
The material is copyright and is reprinted here with permission
Deborah Harkness is an extraordinarily gracious lady, as is Dee Marie. Both are gifted and talented authors and we were honored to make the connection for the two of them. The only thing that would have made it better would have been for Dee Marie to have also been there in person so we could all have shared some wine together.
We look forward to reading Deborah's books and hope Deborah enjoys Sons of Avalon: Merlin's Prophecy as much as we did.
Now, for a Sons of Avalon inside scoop: If you look closely at the image in my hand in the above picture, you will see a sneak peak of the book cover for the sequel to Merlin's Prophecy. We'll keep you posted on the publishing progress of Dee Marie's next book!
The first draft of the second book is now complete and editing has begun. The outline for the third book in the series has been compiled. Be ready for more majic from Dee Marie!
Shadow of Night, the sequel to A Discovery of Witches.
by Lillian Hawkins
Graphic Tales takes off on another majical adventure of literary proportions. Deborah Harkness, the prize-winning historian and novelist, was recently at Parnassus in Nashville for a book signing of her latest release Shadow of Night. Deborah's first work of fiction, A Discovery of Witches was an international bestseller. A synchronistic series of events led to us having the honor of meeting her, getting her books and in the process personally delivering a majical gift.
We weren't really sure what to expect as we pulled into the parking lot of the strip mall that is home to Parnassus by Green Hills Mall in Nashville. This assuming store seemed an unlikely place to find such a renowned author. But, once inside the doors of Parnassus we discovered a standing room only eclectic crowd and fantastic staff of people at the store. It was welcoming and had a delightful selection of books and events.
Deborah came out and introduced herself. She is a professor at the University of Southern California and teaches European history and the history of science. Deborah is very intelligent, warm and funny. It is her inquiring mind that led to her career in fiction back in September 2008 when she wondered "if there really are vampires, what do they do for a living?". Her first book, A Discovery of Witches was the unexpected answer to that question. Her first book debuted at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list, and was also a bestseller in the UK, France, and Germany.
As she read an excerpt from Shadow of Night you could feel her enthusiasm build and it quickly became clear why her books are so popular. But, it was during the question and answer session where her personality and ironic sense of humor really began to shine through.
We discovered there really is a mysterious, missing manuscript known as Ashmole 782. What it contains...we don't know...IT'S MISSING! But, Deborah's real-life quest to find the missing manuscript weaved it's self into the fabric of her stories. As did her desire for a home that would be less needy and more helpful. She had found her own home to constantly be in need of repairs and always needing something to be done. Her dream house found it's place in her writing as well.
We wrapped up the evening with signatures and pictures. Deborah's radiant energy and warmth was kindly shared with all that waited, including us. She reminded me of another special author, who is also a historian and a wonderfully warm woman.
We got our books signed and were honored to hand deliver a special gift to Deborah. Dee-Marie had mailed a signed copy of her Sons of Avalon: Merlin's Prophecy along with a personal note...one historical and majical author to another.
Lillian Hawkins with Deborah Harkness