New York Times Best-Selling Author Deborah Harkness Debuts New Fan-Friendly Website
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- New York Times Best-Selling Author, Deborah Harkness, has become a global phenomenon with readers of historical fiction and fantasy. This week, she debuts a new website that has been redesigned to extend the experiences that her readers have around her books. The website's unveiling coincides with the start of the annual, global Real-Time Reading of Harkness' book, A Discovery of Witches, from September 18 to October 31.
Harkness' first book, A Discovery of Witches (2011), debuted at #2, then went to #1, on the New York Times Best-Seller List. Shadow of Night (2012) and The Book of Life (2014) debuted at #1 on the prestigious list. Known as the "All Souls Trilogy," more than 3.5 million copies have sold through Viking and Penguin Books, imprints of Penguin Random House LLC and 37 publishers worldwide.
Since 2011, fan enthusiasm for Harkness and the world of "All Souls" has grown at a fever pitch, spreading information via social media, discussion groups, conventions and global traveling pilgrimages to the places that Harkness references in her books. "I want my fans to know about my activities as a writer and historian," said Harkness. "The website is the easiest way to connect with me, meet other fans, learn about history, and stay updated on future activities, like the projected television series."
Nearly 200,000 fans connect with Harkness online each week. The website's clean design, colorful graphics, and personal tales from the author take the concept of book websites to the next level of interaction.
A true social hub, the site is not merely a landing page of basic information. Visitors see Harkness' personal musings about life as an author (updated regularly); news on Harkness' activities; and a live feed from the author's educational Twitter account (@DebHarkness). Posts by Harkness herself occur multiple times daily, offering an authentic snapshot into how she thinks about the writing process, historic people and places. The site's navigation has quick-links to Harkness' social media pages; and major sections include details on "News & Events," "About Deb," "The All Souls World," and "A Discovery of Witches TV."
"For Fans" facilitates readers' interconnectivity with a new #tagboard, under "Fans Respond," that aggregates social posts by fans who tag #DeborahHarkness. There are "Fan Links" to find people with whom to explore the world of All Souls. Visitors discover custom downloads for computer/mobile devices, ambient soundtracks from the Old Bodleian Library and book jackets from around the world.
Harkness has fun with videos on everything from tongue-in-cheek "Unknown Vampire Facts" (#12: "Wines to Drink with a Vampire") to "A Walking Tour of Oxford from The Perspective of A Discovery of Witches."
"The All Souls World" dives into the land of witches, demons and vampires with information on the books and foreign editions, all the books' characters, reading guides for book clubs, and recommended fiction and non-fiction literature that inspired the Trilogy. There are custom-developed music lists, by book and title characters. To satisfy the most avid fans, Harkness makes shopping easy.
The website's unveiling coincides with the annual, global Real-Time Reading of A Discovery of Witches. Events in the book occur over a 40-day period (September 18 to Oct 31). Each chapter takes place on one day, so fans around the world read, in real time, along with the events. Harkness posts in social media about each chapter and comments ensue using the hashtag #RealTimeReadingADOW. Download The All Souls Real-Time Reading Companion to Kindle for free from Amazon.com.
SOURCE Deborah Harkness
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