In folk tales and ballads, as well as in life, women are often given roles that enable the hero’s journey, without having a journey of their own. The three stages of womanhood – maiden, mother and crone – are all viewed through the lens of what a woman can offer to men. The Maiden is either the hero’s reward, or the monster’s victim – both roles are dependent on her virtue and her desirability. The Mother (who can also take the role of the Wicked Stepmother) exists either to nurture her son, or send him into the wilderness; and the Crone (or her malignant double, the Witch), offers either wise advice, or a challenge to be met. In all three instances, the woman exists to serve the hero, to offer him what his story needs. Rarely do we hear the woman’s story, and even then, it’s a cautionary tale for women to guard their virtue, respect their husbands, obey their fathers, submit to men.

Not this time.

This omnibus edition of my three novellas comes with a new introduction from me, three new short stories set in my HONEYCOMB world, plus all Bonnie’s beautiful illustrations.

It’s out now, and look how gorgeous it would look under a loved one’s Christmas tree…

Order it here!

I’m not doing many official events around this new release, but if you’d like a signed, dedicated bookplate to put inside your copy, just buy me a coffee on ko-fi to pay for postage, and send your details to me at enquiries@joanne-harris.co.uk.

Or you could order a signed first edition from Goldsboro Books in London – and yes, they do ship abroad…

Here’s something nice for November, everyone: THE LOLLIPOP SHOES for just 99p on Kindle UK all this month…

Buy it here!

And here it is! The gorgeous omnibus edition of my three folk-inspired novellas, with a new intro by me, cover art by Sue Gent, glorious illustrations by Bonnie Helen Hawkins and THREE brand new short stories set in my HONEYCOMB world…

Comes out in November, but you can pre-order it here….

For all the audiobook fans out there, this month sees the release of not one, but FOUR new full-length audiobooks! 

All of them are narrated by me, and are released for the first time in their complete form. Check them out here on Audible!

FIVE QUARTERS OF THE ORANGE 

COASTLINERS

BLACKBERRY WINE

JIGS & REELS

Look at this beauty!

A lavish omnibus of my three novellas, A POCKETFUL OF CROWS, THE BLUE SALT ROAD and ORFEIA, with gorgeous illustrations from Bonnie, plus a new introductory chapter from me, and three brand-new short stories, all set in the HONEYCOMB universe…

On sale from November 2nd. Pre-order your copy here!

Right now, to celebrate the coldest, wettest summer we’ve had in decades, here’s a special offer on BROKEN LIGHT – here on Kindle UK for just 99p…

And here it is on Kobo, for the same ridiculous price.  Enjoy!

At last, I’m taking a little break, after over a months’ touring for the new book. Thank you so much to everyone who bought, borrowed or reviewed BROKEN LIGHT: your support means so much to me, as do your blog posts and comments. I’m more or less done with touring right now, with a few events still to go throughout the summer, but I’m adding to my schedule all the time, so keep watching my Events page if you’d like to attend one.

However, taking a break from touring doesn’t mean I’m stopping work altogether. Right now, I’m just finishing copy-editing a new fantasy novel for Gollancz, as well as putting together the new bumper edition of my three folklore-inspired novellas (including three new short stories and an introduction from me), which will be coming out in November.

Till then, here’s a little piece for the Telegraph about mermaids in folklore and literature. Read it here…

Thank you so much to everyone who helped the Bernie Moonwalkers reach their fundraising target – it was a great night, and we raised lots of money for breast cancer charities…

Have you ever felt invisible?

Bernie Moon has given her life to other people: her husband, her son, her friends (who are these days, mostly online). At nineteen she was full of dreams and ambitions. Now, at nearly fifty, she often feels like she’s losing her mind.

But when a young woman is murdered in a local park, it sparks a series of childhood memories in Bernie and with them, a talent that has lain dormant most of her adult life.

She promised herself she’d never think of it again. When she was a teenager, it almost destroyed her. But now she’s older, could it be the power she’s been missing?

Could it be the chance to, finally, make them look?

BROKEN LIGHT is the unforgettable new novel from no.1 Sunday Times bestselling author, Joanne Harris.

Pre-order your copy of Broken Light SIGNED by Joanne Harris from participating Independent bookstores.

(WHILE STOCKS LAST)

Bookstores who are stocking this signed edition:

BIG GREEN BOOKS

QUEENS PARK BOOKS

READ

HUNT’S BOOKSHOP

BOOKA, OSWESTRY

GOLDSBOROUGH

COLES, BICESTER

TOPPING & CO

LINGHAMS HESWALL

FOX LANE BOOKS

TRUMAN BOOKS, LEEDS

Visit your nearest store or check out their website in order to pre-order!

Love indie bookshops? Now you can order signed copies of BROKEN LIGHT from selected indies in the UK!

Click here for details!

This month I’m starting training for a new venture very much out of my comfort zone; and I’ll need all the help I can get!

Welcome to MOONWALK 2023: a marathon walk, starting on London’s Clapham Common, in aid of cancer charity Walk The Walk.

I’ll be walking on May 2oth – at midnight, in my bra – with my team, the Bernie Moonwalkers. We’re aiming to raise £10,000 for charity. If you’d like to support us, either by donating, sharing, or just cheering us on, you can do it right here. I’ll be updating regularly, and there might be a chance to win some merch, get exclusive news – or even join us on the night! The team at Orion are sponsoring 5 people to walk with us – so if you think you’d like to, click here to check it out!

I always start to feel more alive once February gets into double figures. And the ice is starting to move at last on some long-frozen projects, including a summer book I shelved at the start of winter, but which is beginning to show signs of green shoots again. I’m also doing more in-person events for the SOA and the ALCS, including attending the SOA Translation Prizes at the British Library last year. Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you for giving me the chance to discover so many amazing new authors. The #Storytime Band and I just did a gig in Ravenscourt, London, alongside the stellar John Hackett Band: we had a great time, it was a terrific audience, and it gave us the morale-boost we needed to start recording the new CD. Watch this space! BROKEN LIGHT now has a jacket design, and my publicity team at Orion is working on the book tour in May; I’ll be adding dates between now and then, so if you’d like to attend and event, check out if there’s one in your area. And I’m doing something else, too – something very much out of my comfort zone. I’m keeping quiet about it for the moment, but I’ll be free to talk about very soon.

And as Valentine’s Day approaches, and if, like me, you’d rather stay in and read a book, here are a couple of special offers:

FIVE QUARTERS OF THE ORANGE and HOLY FOOLS, both for just 99p on Amazon Kindle UK. Enjoy!

And for fans of short stories and fantasy, do watch out for this book, in which my little story is in most excellent company…

On February 11th, 2023, the #Storytime Band and I are playing in London alongside the  John Hackett Band at Ravenscourt Arts, 7, Ravenscourt Rd. London W6 OUH.

Doors open 7pm: everybody welcome.

Stories, original music, and more!

Details here. 

If you’re feeling washed-out and in need of something to help you through till Spring, here’s a nice thing for readers in the UK: THE STRAWBERRY THIEF, on Amazon Kindle and on Kobo, for the special price of just 99p throughout the month of January…

Tempted? Buy it here!

New Year is just a social construct, and yet, like so many other social constructs, we choose to give it significance. We do this because it’s good for us to have a time to put bad memories behind us, and to create for ourselves new beginnings, new plans, the hope of happier times ahead. These things exist only because we choose to believe in them. We dream them into existence. We choose to hope, and to change, and to dream, and in dreaming, we change our reality.

So, don’t let anyone tell you that your dreams and your feelings don’t matter. They do. In dreaming, we change our world.

All power to your dreaming.

Happy Shedvent! And here’s a nice piece of news for the season – A NARROW DOOR is available for the whole of the month of December for the special price of 99p on UK Amazon Kindle…

Tempted? Buy it here…

People are always asking me what Vianne puts in her hot chocolate. The answer varies according to people’s tastes – but this is the classic recipe: rich, sweet and with just a kick of chilli.

For two people, you’ll need:

500ml (18fl oz) full-fat milk
½ a cinnamon stick
1 chilli, halved and deseeded
100g (3½oz) dark chocolate, broken into small, even-sized pieces
Unrefined brown sugar, to taste
A dash of Cognac, Amaretto, Cointreau or Tia Maria, to taste
100ml (3½fl oz) whipped double cream

½tsp cocoa powder, or grated chocolate

Heat the milk in a saucepan with the cinnamon stick and chilli. Bring to a shivering simmer.
Remove from the heat and add the chocolate to the milk. Blend until it melts. Add sugar to taste and leave to infuse for 10 minutes. Reheat to a simmer, strain and pour into mugs. Add a dash of your favourite liqueur for a more grown-up taste, and top with whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa or grated chocolate.

Chocolate chestnut truffles!

As you know, I’m highly light-sensitive, and the failing light always makes me crave certain kinds of food, so here’s another cheering recipe for those miserable days between Hallowe’en and Christmas, when the sun scarcely ever seems to rise, and even cooking seems too much of an effort.

These gorgeous truffles are easy to make – and nicely-wrapped, make terrific gifts!

And in case you need encouragement, here’s a sunny, cheery little video of me and Fran Warde in the kitchen together, talking ALL THINGS CHOCOLATE…

It’s getting to the darkest part of the year, and the creative part of me is finding it harder and harder to function. I combat my tendency to just hibernate on dull days with SAD lamps, comfort food and a promise to myself to take Vitamin D, exercise every day, and go for a walk whenever I can (natural light is so important, and even fifteen minutes outdoors makes an enormous difference to me).

For those of you who feel the same way about winter, I’ll be posting some of the things I find helpful on here over the next few weeks, so keep an eye on what’s going on. And to start us off, here’s my favourite chocolate mug cake recipe, from my friend, the chocolate chef David Greenwood-Haigh. It takes five minutes, it’s simple, and it’s the perfect brain food for those lightless, wintry days…