Deborah Harkness is an accomplished American novelist, renowned for her horror and thriller fiction. She is also a distinguished scholar and historian of science and medicine. Harkness's literary career began to take shape when she stumbled upon an ancient, long-lost book of spells called the Book of Soyga during the research for her first novel. In addition to her writing, Harkness currently holds a position as a history professor at the University of South California.
Deborah Harkness was born in 1965 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her father was American, while her mother hailed from Britain, and Harkness had the opportunity to live in various parts of the United States throughout her life. She has resided in the western regions of Massachusetts, Northern California, upstate New York, some areas in Chicago, and Southern California, covering three of the five American time zones. Harkness also lived in the United Kingdom, specifically in London and Oxford.
As a bestselling author, Harkness has drawn upon her extensive background in the history of science, medicine, and the history of the book to craft narratives rich in magical realism, historical intrigue, and humanistic inquiries about self-identity. Her groundbreaking All Souls series, which includes A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, The Book of Life, and Time's Convert, has been translated into thirty-eight languages and captivated readers worldwide. The series' first installment, A Discovery of Witches, quickly became a New York Times bestseller, paving the way for the success of the subsequent books. The All Souls series has also been adapted into a popular television show, featuring Theresa Palmer and Matthew Goode, which aired in 2019 on Sky/Sundance Now and was later broadcast on AMC.
Harkness has dedicated over a quarter of a century to the study of history, earning degrees from Mount Holyoke College, Northwestern University, and the University of California at Davis. She currently serves as a professor at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where she teaches European history and the history of science. Throughout her academic career, Harkness has contributed to the field with scholarly articles on various subjects, such as the influence of theatrical conventions on the occult sciences, scientific households, female medical practice in early modern London, medical curiosity, and the impact of accounting practices on scientific record keeping. Her work has been recognized with prestigious fellowships, including Fulbright, Guggenheim, and National Humanities Center awards. Her most recent scholarly contribution is The Jewel House: Elizabethan London and the Scientific Revolution.