Happy New Release Day: Guest Post & Giveaway: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

I'm so, so excited to be able to share a "letter from the author" by  debut author, Ms. Deborah Harkness, here today at Among the Muses! 

Having just finished this amazing, extremely well-written, highly captivating book, I, personally, feel as though this may be the best paranormal romance book I've ever read! A Discovery of Witches exceeded every expectation I had and threw every thing I ever thought about witches and vampires out the window! (You'll need to come back tomorrow when I post my review of it!) 

This is not only an author to sit up and take notice of, but a carefully crafted story that I have no doubt, will become the next highly sought after and talked about book -- and trilogy -- amongst paranormal romance readers!

Without further ado, here is Ms. Deborah Harkness to talk about her debut book, A Discovery of Witches!

~*~Book Blurb~*

A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together.

Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.

~*~ About the Author ~*~

Deborah Harkness is a professor of history at the University of Southern California. She has received Fullbright, Guggenheim, and National Humanities Center fellowships, and her most recent scholarly work is Th Jewel House: Elizabethan London and the Scientific Revolution. She also writes an award-winning wine blog.

~*~ Letter From the Author ~*~

Why does a history professor decide to write a novel about witches? It's a good question! 

Writing a novel is a mysterious process and many of my life experiences went into A Discovery of Witches. One of my favorite books as a child was Elizabeth George Speare’s The Witch of Blackbird Pond. The history of alchemy and magic caught my interest as an undergraduate, and I'm still fascinated by these subjects today. And, once upon a time, I discovered a lost alchemical manuscript—although it was not (so far as I know) enchanted. 

A Discovery of Witches tells the tale of a reluctant witch named Diana Bishop and her discovery of a long-lost alchemical manuscript at Oxford’s Bodleian Library. There, Diana meets Matthew Clairmont: a geneticist who happens to be a very old, secretive vampire. Witches and vampires are traditional enemies, but Diana and Matthew grow closer as they try to puzzle out the manuscript's significance. Their search for answers takes Diana and Matthew from Oxford, to his ancestral home in France, to her family’s farm in upstate New York. But they are not the only creatures who want to solve the mystery of manuscript, and their fellow daemons, vampires, and witches frown upon their unorthodox relationship. Are these just old prejudices, or is it something more?

Our culture’s renewed obsession with witches, vampires, and other things that go bump in the night has been fascinating to me as a historian. I’ve gone from needing to explain what alchemy is to having my students all nod wisely whenever Nicholas Flamel is mentioned. Parents have confessed that they've been staying up late to read their kids’ copy of the latest Harry Potter. Our reading habits reveal that even grownups need a little magic—with the limitless possibility, unpredictability, and even chaos that inevitably comes with it.

My goal with A Discovery of Witches was to write a fairy tale that was mesmerizing but spoke to adult issues and concerns. I tried to create characters who were strange—yet strangely familiar. Many of us will recognize ourselves in Diana, who has so much power but is afraid to use it. Others will empathize with Matthew’s inability to let go of his 1500-year past—even though we have less of a past to worry about! And still more will wonder, while riding the train or sitting in a meeting, if that strange creature opposite just might be a daemon or a vampire.

It it's magic you need this winter, I hope that you find some in A Discovery of Witches.!

~*~ Information ~*~

 @ Goodreads 

A Discovery of Witches @ Amazon
A Discovery of Witches @ Book Depository

Giveaway:

• Viking Publishing has so generously offered up a copy of A Discovery of Witches to one very lucky commenter!!

• Open to US/Canada residents only!!

• Winner will be selected via random.org and be notified through email.

• Contest runs Feb.8 - Feb.12

You Must:

• Comment on the letter from the author by answering: Do you find it fascinating that our culture is obsessed with vampires, witches, and all the other creatures that go bump in the night? Do you think we'll always hold the level of fascination that we currently do?

• Leave your email addy with your comment.

Good Luck, and thank you for coming out to support Deborah Harkness and her AMAZING debut! 

Check back tomorrow when I post my review of A Discovery of Witches!! :)