Épisodes

  • Hallmarked Man Q&A with Nick Jeffery and John Granger (1)

    Hallmarked Man Q&A with Nick Jeffery and John Granger (1)
    Oct 15 2025
    While John Granger labors with the paid subscribers to chart each of Hallmarked Man’s ten Parts and one Epilogue (in preparation for a charting of the whole book structure), there will be a break in the series of conversations they have had about Strike 8 in which they have focused on a single Shed tool per episode. They will be discussing instead during the charting period a series of Q&A discussions about topics that have come up on the moderator back-channels, email from paid subscribers, and news from Rowling World.They had fourteen questions for the recording above and only managed to get through five. Deo volente and trans Atlantic work schedules permitting, they’ll record a second show this week to discuss the greater remnant of the original fourteen and questions that subscribers ask in the comment boxes below this post. Ask away! And share those theories and corrections of mistakes Nick and John have made!John referenced quite a few texts and resources in his answers to some of Nick’s questions. He’s taken pictures and provided urls for those who want to see what he was talking about. Enjoy!Links to and Pictures of Conversation PointsQ1: The Universal Humanitarian Church and FreemasonryThe Alchemical Dictionary (Abraham) entries for:* Griffin* Red Lion* QueenQ2: Freemasonry Library ‘Discoveries’Introductions:* The Idiot’s Guide to Freemasonry - John Calvin and GAOTU* The Freemasons — Pictures of Third Degree Initiation in Freemasonry: From Hallmarked Man:* Morals and Dogma - Hiram as Model Mason* Liturgy of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite* Bridge to Light — ‘Legend of Hiram’Histories:* The Craft - Baphomet!* The Templars* That Religion in Which All Men AgreeThe Secret Depths* The Hiram Key - Picture of Third Degree Initiation in Freemasonry: * The Book of HiramOccultist Guides:* Studies in Freemasonry and Compagnonnage (Rene Guenon)* The Lost Keys of Freemasonry (Manly Hall)Picture of Third Degree Initiation in Freemasonry (above, book’s frontispiece) Note Subtitle* A New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry (Arthur Edward Waite)Saint-Martin and Freemasonry: pages from A New EncyclopediaCarmen, the Opera: Wikipedia synopsisMeaning of ‘Dirk’ A woman named ‘Carmen’ names her son after the weapon that kills Carmen in the Bizet opera. With a husband whose signature characteristics are rage and impulsive violence. Beyond satire.Q3: Hallmarked Man as Rowling’s Welsh NovelQ4: The Murder of Hiram Abiff as the Strike 8 Story TemplateSee pages from Freemasonry guides above.Q5: The Meaning of ‘Calvin Osgood’Idiot’s Guide to Freemasonry: John Calvin and GAOTUNotable Osgoods: WikipediaThe Meaning of ‘Osgood’* EtymologyThe name Osgood has its roots in Old English. The first part of the name, “Os,” is derived from the Old English word “god,” which means “god.” The second part, “good,” is a common English word that means “good” or “virtuous.” Therefore, when combined, the name Osgood can be interpreted as “God is good” or “virtuous god.”* Venus!Astrologically, the name Osgood is linked to the planet Venus. Venus is the planet of love, beauty, and creativity, suggesting that individuals with this name may have a strong appreciation for art, aesthetics, and relationships. They may also possess a charming and diplomatic nature, finding pleasure in harmonious interactions with others.* Oggy!Oggie: A fun and unique variation that can be used as a nickname.Jacob Osgood: American Esoteric Christian Sect Leader Get full access to Hogwarts Professor at hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe
    Voir plus Voir moins
    1 h et 33 min
  • Hallmarked Man and Rowling's Tweets after the Shooting of Charlie Kirk

    Hallmarked Man and Rowling's Tweets after the Shooting of Charlie Kirk
    Oct 7 2025
    Nick Jeffery and John Granger were asked in the first week after the publication of Hallmarked Man what they thought of Rowling-Galbraith’s twitter storms after the assassination of Charlie Kirk. They promised to devote a conversation to just thast subject and today they deliver on that promise.Is it just about the tweets? No, it’s really about their importance or insignificance of those messages with respect to the author’s Lake inspiration, their tangential use as keys to her thinking as reflected in Hallmarked Man (and Christmas Pig!), and what they tell us or at least suggest about her struggles with “religious faith” and the seriousness of her thinking on theological subjects.It’s a wild conversation between friends who don’t agree on foundational issues of religion and politics — and a decent example of how men of good will respect and trust one another in a real discussion of tough issues to help reach a shared understanding of the other’s positions if not agreement. With a lot of Harry Potter, Robin Ellacott, Jack Jones, and Krystall Weedon thrown in; enjoy!Links to Resources Referenced in Today’s Post and Screenshots of the Rowling Tweets‘Get JK Rowling next’: Bluesky users celebrate death of Charlie KirkUsers of the social media platform have been warned after some shared ‘hit lists’, with calls to eliminate Elon Musk, Donald Trump and the Harry Potter authorSocial media platform Bluesky has been forced to warn users that “glorifying violence” is against its rules in the wake of a spate of posts celebrating the death of Charlie Kirk.The platform attracted millions of users as a left-wing alternative to X, after Elon Musk threw his support behind President Trump. Numerous posts shared this week have glorified the shooting of conservative commentator Kirk in Utah.Some users have even posted hit lists of other potential targets, including the British author and activist JK Rowling.’The Witch Trial of J. K. Rowling, Episode 5 (The Rowling Library)One of my very dearest friends is a committed and practicing Catholic, and he’s also pro life. Now, I’m a feminist, I’m pro choice. I understand exactly what his arguments are. And I respect his argument, and he is prepared to make his argument. I don’t agree with his argument, but he respects my argument. And we are both able to find shades of grey within our beliefs. I think that is healthy. I think that is productive. I am not going to cut that person out of my life because we disagree on something, albeit something that is very important to me. We have lost that [respect and ability to agree to disagree] in this particular debate.The Emma Watson Take-Down Truth TellingPeople Magazine: Emma Watson Says She ‘Profoundly’ Misses Acting Except for One ‘Soul-Destroying’ Part of the JobThe Jay Shetty Podcast’s ‘Emma Watson Exclusive’ (YouTube, cued to relevant part)* Daily Dot: Watson was being cancelled by TRAs for her conciliatory notes post podcast before Rowling gave her both barrels* And afterwards? LA Times: The TRAs went after Rowling for her “continued transphobia.”* Emma Watson Becomes Online Meme and Satire Target as a token Woke Zealot Waking Up to Not Being Cool Anymore vis a vis TransgenderismThe Rowling Response on Twitter:Rowling Confronted for Being as Clueless and Privileged as Watson: Get full access to Hogwarts Professor at hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe
    Voir plus Voir moins
    1 h et 53 min
  • The Hallmarked Man: A 'Blitz' Lake and Shed Reading (with a few Golden Threads)

    The Hallmarked Man: A 'Blitz' Lake and Shed Reading (with a few Golden Threads)
    Oct 3 2025
    It’s been a month since the publication of Hallmarked Man so Nick and John decide to have a ‘Pit Pony Pickleball’ match in which they serve and volley Strike 8 examples of Shed tools and Lake springs as fast as they can. After a round of back and forth between Team Lake and Team Shed, they do a flash round of Golden Threads against the clock and then John is given a ‘Final Jeopardy’ tie-breaker question about the most controversial perennial plot point in Rowling’s work.It’s a reverse Kanreki exercise, in other words. In their conversations about each of Rowling’s novels, screenplays, play script, text books, and short story collection, Nick and John discussed one Lake spring, a source point of story inspiration from Rowling’s life experience and core beliefs, and one Shed tool, her deliberate artistry to craft that inspiration into edifying and engaging story. Here they have a ‘Blitz Chess’ match, to switch sporting metaphors, to try and cover as many Lake, Shed, and Thread points with examples from Rowling’s latest as possible.Perhaps the most important take-away, though, is the three conclusions about Hallmarked Man they’ve come to after a month of reading that they think will be the consensus view of Strike 8 after we have Strikes 9 and 10. Make some popcorn, find your score card and a comfortable place to watch and take notes; this is an episode for the ages! (Insert your preferred Wrestle-Mania or like programming promotional hyperbole here.)The Kanreki Index of Rowling’s Shed Tools, Lake Springs and Golden ThreadsIn July 2025, Nick Jeffery and I logged a marathon of Kanreki ‘Lake and Shed’ video posts at this site in celebration of Rowling’s life and work at her 60th birthday. For listeners of this ‘Blitz’ Lake and Shed reading of The Hallmarked Man, I repost below an easy-to-access-and-reference single place for readers to find much longer discussion of each Shed tool, Lake spring, and Golden Thread, as well as an introduction to Fourth Generation Rowling Studies hermeneutics. Enjoy!Introduction to the Kanreki Project* The Goal and the Methodology of the Hogwarts Professor Tag-Team Month-Long Birthday Party for Serious Readers of Rowling-GalbraithOn 31 July 2025, Joanne Murray, aka J. K. Rowling and Robert Galbraith, celebrated her 60th birthday. This specific celebration is considered a ‘second birth’ in Japan or Kanreki because it is the completion of the oriental astrological cycle. To mark JKR’s Kanreki, 還暦, Dr John Granger and Nick Jeffery, both Nipponophiles, read through Rowling’s more than twenty published works and reviewed them in light of the author’s writing process, her ‘Lake and Shed’ metaphor. The ‘Lake’ she said in 2019 and 2024 is the source of her inspiration and the ‘Shed’ is the alocal place of her intentional artistry, in which garage she transforms the biographical stuff provided by her subconscious mind into the archetypal stories that have made her the most important author of her age.Join us after the jump for the complete compendium of the Harry Potter, Cormoran Strike, Fantastic Beast, ‘Stand Alone’ stories, and Golden Thread posts!The Lake and Shed Conversations about the Harry Potter Novels and Extras* Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s StoneNick discusses Hogsmeade Comprehensive School, as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry should be properly called, and John explains the ten different genres that Rowling uses in Philosopher’s Stone* Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsJohn explores the Freudian parallels that Rowling paints into Chamber of Secrets, and Nick talks about her oldest, and probably best friend Sean Harris, the inspiration for Ron Weasley.* Harry Potter and the Prisoner of AzkabanNick shares the London institution of the (k)night bus. Part drunk carriage, part dormitory for the homeless in foul weather, zig-zaging across London between midnight and five in the morning. John shares the Parallel Series Idea (PSI) and compare Prisoner of Azkaban with Robert Galbraith’s Career of Evil.* Harry Potter and the Goblet of FireNick talks about the trip Rowling made as a teenager to Cornwall as a young woman in which some Quidditch World Cup camping may have been involved and about her core beliefs about bigotry and prejudice. John reviews Rowling’s tagging Goblet as a “crucial” and “pivotal” part of the seven book series and introduces how the ‘story turn’ in a ring composition reflects the beginning and end of the story.* Harry Potter and the Order of the PhoenixNick talks about the darkest period in Jo Rowling’s life, namely, her return to the UK from Portugal as a single mother in Edinburgh. With Order of the Phoenix in full nigredo mode John talks literary alchemy.* Harry Potter and the Half-Blood PrinceNick reveals the real life model for Severus Snape, Rowling’s Chemistry teacher at Wydean Comprehensive, and his remarkable story and melancholy end. John ...
    Voir plus Voir moins
    1 h et 41 min
  • The Hallmarked Man's Mythological Template

    The Hallmarked Man's Mythological Template
    Sep 25 2025
    Url to TweetNick Jeffery and John Granger focus their Hallmarked Man Week Three conversation around the mythological content of Strike 8, a subject prompted by Rowling’s 8 September tweet above. They briefly review the author’s background in mythology, from her study in school to her use of it in Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, and Cormoran Strike. John explains the relationship of myth with Rowling’s ‘triple play’ combination of Shed tools and her ‘G-spot’ Lake and Shed wizardry that has enchanted readers for the last 25 years.The heart of this week’s conversation, though, is John’s work since 2021 in explaining the centrality of the myth of ‘Cupid and Psyche’ to the Cormoran Strike series. Nick and John discuss its role in understanding the otherwise mysterious Hallmarked Man, especially the murder of Tyler Powell and the imprisonment of Sapphire Neagle, the various trials of Psyche in the myth and correspondences with Robin’s agonies, and the critical distinction between ‘Eros’ and ‘Anteros’ as it plays out in the lives and relationships of Cormoran and Robin. John theorizes that the Ramsay Silver murder in the vault had to take place where it does, Strike’s location “necessity,” not for any logical reason but for a profoundly allegorical one.Hogwarts Professor is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.It’s a relatively brief conversation, but to get the importance of ‘Cupid and Psyche’ — and Rowling is either hat-tipping, confirming sans acknowledgement, or having some fun about John’s exegesis of this myth — there is a lot of material on the subject to read! Enjoy the review or first reading of this material via the links provided and let us know what you think in the comment boxes below.Paid subscribers to Hogwarts Professor have already received an only-in-book-form essay I wrote about the mythological template of Harry Potter, Paul Diel’s treatment of the Eros and Psyche myth per ‘Banalization’ and ‘Sublimation,’ and their invitations to a Q&A session about Hallmarked Man. If you’re a free rather than a paid subscriber, please consider upgrading that subscription to join the Hogwarts Professor Moderator Backchannels!Referenced ‘Cupid and Psyche’ Posts:Rowling Points to Myth of Cupid and Psyche in order to Console Strike Fans Disappointed with Hallmarked Man (8 September 2025, Nick Jeffery)Nick shares the context of Rowling’s tweet (fan disappointment!) and the background information about the illustration she chose for it.The Most Pleasant and Delectable Tale of the Marriage of Cupid and Psyche (Apuleius)A translation of the Silver Age Latin tale from Apuleius’ Golden Ass.A Mythological Key to Cormoran Strike? The Myth of Eros, Psyche, and Venus (22 April 2021, John Granger)The first post to discuss Rowling’s use of this specific myth within Cormoran Strike, it is essential reading and comes in four parts:* a discussion of Rowling’s stated beliefs about the soul and how it is the focus of her story-telling,* a review of her psychological artistry in Potter and the post Potter novels and screenplays,* a synopsis of the Eros and Psyche myth, and* a point to point look at the parallels in the story thus far with speculation about novels to come.Robin’s Two Perfumes: The Meaning of Philosychos and Narciso (9 June 2021, John Granger)The names of Robin’s baseline perfume, Philosychos, and the one she and Strike choose at story’s end, Narciso, both point less to the bedroom than to Robin’s allegorical, psychological, and mythological role as Psyche in the series.Erich Neumann in his Amor and Psyche: The Psychic Development of the Feminine describes this discipline as a “prohibition against pity” which “signifies Psyche’s struggle against the feminine nature.” …Psyche’s last trial involves her having to confront death, a “marriage” to which she was condemned as a sacrifice at the story’s start, a meeting she can only survive by transcending her feminine qualities of nurturing and pity. She must become, if only temporarily, a narcissist to pass through Hades and return to the world of the Sun and to Cupid. The myth, in Jungian lights, is about her transcending the accidental self, here her feminine and sexual relation to Eros or Cupid, for “ego-stability” leading to “individuation,” ascent to the greater, immortal Self.Robin as resident psychologist and loving soul is the Psyche-cipher of the Strike mysteries. She differs from the relatively passive Human Beauty of the myth in her active and determined “struggle against the feminine nature,” her “What. I. Do!” She not only wrestles with her desires for domesticity and maternity in her thinking but stands up to Strike-Cupid in their Valentine’s Day Street Fight and demands his respect or at least more considerate behavior. But she is still struggling with her...
    Voir plus Voir moins
    1 h et 4 min
  • Hallmarked Man's Three 'Whose My Daddy?' Set-Ups to Shock Readers in Strikes 9 and 10

    Hallmarked Man's Three 'Whose My Daddy?' Set-Ups to Shock Readers in Strikes 9 and 10
    Sep 15 2025
    Nick Jeffery and John Granger opened the Orthodox New Year with a conversation about, you guessed it, Rowling-Galbraith’s Hallmarked Man. Both of them confessed that they were struggling with the most complex and carefully integrated novel in the author’s oeuvre, with five different candidates for the body in the silver vault, a cast of characters for each candidate, all of them spun together with the Strike-Ellacott cum Murphy-Bijou ‘shipping madness as it unfolded. Neither of them was ready to talk about the book’s structure in any detail.They chose instead to discuss the most obvious and most neglected of Rowling’s Seven Shed tools, the signature writing elements she uses to craft the inspiration from her Lake springs and from her touchstone Golden Threads into the stories that fascinate her admirers around the world. That tool is her ‘Big Twist’ finish, the surprise ending that shocks the reader caught in Rowling’s narrative misdirection, the story clues sprinkled throughout a story to foster believing something that isn’t true. Every Rowling reader knows this is what she is doing, but very few are conscious of the set-up until the narrative trap is sprung.One thing that readers can be looking for, consequently, are the ‘pushes’ Rowling puts into her story to have us accept as facts that we have some reason based on textual evidence (and Tools, Springs, and Golden Threads) to think may not be true. Whence John’s prediction post Running Grave that Robin was sterile. Whence Nick’s theories that Charlotte was murdered and that Cormoran and Robin will forever be best mates, not husband and wife.The ‘pushes’ in Hallmarked Man that John felt were positioning of a Strike-Ellacott reader for a judo move in Strike 9? There are five, three of which turn on paternity):* Per Ed Shardlow, that Murphy is not a good guy deserving of Robin’s sympathy but a very bad man, in fact the man behind the gorilla mask (and if his surname has any mythological weight, the likely murderer of Castor and Pollux in Strike 10);* That “proper man,” Edward ‘Uncle Ted’ Nancarrow, is Cormoran Strike’s biological father consequent to an incestuous union with his much younger sister, Margaret (aka ‘Peggy,’ aka ‘Leda Strike’);* That Cormoran Strike is the biological father of Bijou Watkins, Esq.’s daughter, Ottolie, and that he was risibly reckless in his DNA testing for paternity;* That Jonny Rokeby was fooled by Peggy-Leda and Ted’s management of his positive paternity test the way that Cormoran was hoodwinked by Bijou’s sleight of hand with his negative result; and* Peggy-Leda told her older brother that she was going to tell Whittaker that Rokeby wasn’t Cormoran’s father, which led to her execution staged as a suicide.On to Week Three of Hallmarked Man! Next week we’ll discuss Rowling’s consolation tweet to Strike and Robin fans in “extreme trauma” from Strike 8’s last chapter, a message that included a Cupid and Psyche painting, in addition to conversation about the importance (and difficulty!) of getting the surface story straight before diving beneath it Thank you for your support!The Quadrigal or ‘Reading at Four Levels’ (John Granger, December 2021)The ‘Locked-Room Mystery’ or ‘Impossible Crime’ Subset of Detective Fiction (Wikipedia)Boris Akunin (Gregori Chkhartishvili) and the Erast Fandorin novels (Wikipedia)Who Killed Leda Strike? Uncle Ted Did It (John Granger, January, 2020)Who Killed Leda Strike, Suicide Victim? Leda, Rokeby, Whittaker, Ted, or Dave? (John Granger, December 2020)The Value Of Interpretive Speculation or “Why We Know Dave Didn’t Kill Leda” (John Granger, January, 2021) Get full access to Hogwarts Professor at hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe
    Voir plus Voir moins
    1 h et 16 min
  • Three Cheers for The Hallmarked Man! Thoughts After the First Reading

    Three Cheers for The Hallmarked Man! Thoughts After the First Reading
    Sep 8 2025
    Spoilers Warning! If you haven’t finished reading the 900 pages of The Hallmarked Man and don’t want to hear details from the novel, you will not enjoy this conversation about Strike8.John read the latest Strike-Ellacott novel by Thursday morning using the pre-publication head start, the Robert Glenister audiobook dropped early Tuesday morning, a bootleg epub version on his wife’s iPad, and the codex hardcover that arrived at 5:00 on the day of release. Nick didn’t finish until early Saturday but was already half-way through his second reading via audiobook by Sunday night.John didn’t especially enjoy reading the book as fast as he did; Nick was frustrated that he could not read it faster than he did. Both were delighted by Rowling’s work and are looking forward to the coming weeks of re-reading and ‘Tools, Springs, and Threads’ analysis of its artistry and meaning.In this week’s conversation, they touch on fandom disappointment with the new book before discussing how three predictions they’d made about Hallmarked Man played out, the three Real World targets of Rowling’s wrath in her current work, John’s preliminary work on the novel’s epigraphs (and the Aurora Leigh-esque forgotten tome of epic poetry that may be Strike8’s Rosmersholm or Faerie Queene), and what’s next in their reading of Cormoran Strike.As is their wont, Nick and John refer to ideas and to people that Serious Readers will want to check up on or learn more about. Here are a selection of links to many of these subjects with their apology for those they’ve missed and their invitation to share counter-sources or requests for other links.They thank everyone who listens to these Lake and Shed conversations, those who join in the discussions in the comment thread below (how was your first reading of Hallmarked Man?), and especially for our paid subscribers who were polled for their questions and concerns last week for our consideration before we put our notes together.Hogwarts Professor is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Anteros-Eros Distinction in Cormoran StrikeCormoran & Robin and Odysseus & Penelope (Joanne Gray, 2019)I found out that this is actually the statue of Anteros—not Eros as it is popularly called. Anteros is the subject of the Shaftesbury Memorial in Piccadilly Circus, London, where he symbolizes the selfless philanthropic love of the Earl of Shaftesbury for the poor. The memorial is sometimes given the name The Angel of Christian Charity and is popularly mistaken for Eros, cf., Lloyd & Mitchinson (2006) The Book of General Ignorance “Because of the bow and the nudity… everybody assumed it was Eros, the Greek god of love.”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anteroshttps://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/ErosAnteros.htmlEros is the brother of Anteros and also pretty much the opposite of Eros.Reading Rowling at Four Levels (John Granger, 2021)Robin and Cormoran, even if you want to include Sam Barclay, are not a soul exteriorization akin to Harry, Hermione, and Ron. The psychomachia of the Strike novels is built on the Shakespearean soul-Spirit romantic model rather than the Platonic-Patristic body-mind-spirit soul triptych of ancient, Medieval, and contemporary film and written fiction. In this model, the man and woman lede players take the part of soul and spirit, Coomaraswamy’s duo sunt in homine human and divine aspects, either as fixed roles as in Othello and The Tempest or in relation to the other, each being soul and embracing the other as supra-natural as in Romeo and Juliet and Antony and Cleopatra (see Lings and Pogson for that). Rowling’s embedded models for this exteriorized drama of human sanctification are the myths of ‘Leda and the Swan‘ and ‘Psyche and Cupid‘ and the psychomachia spiritual allegories of Eros and Anteros, true and false Cupid, within Spenser’s Faerie Queen, the Redcrosse Knight and Una as well as Britomart and Artegell.On Valentine Longcaster as the Erotic Cupid (Strike being the Anterotic Cupid)Valentine Longcaster is a hilarious cryptonym for Cupid, for whom Valentine is a second name (see the post on Valentine’s Day in the Psyche and Eros post) and ‘Longcaster’ is a reference to his weapon of choice, the bow and arrow of the god of love. He pricks Strike at the direction of Venus-Charlotte, in some myths his mother, in others a lover and cousin or brother (murky waters!), and sets in motion the long-range plan of the envious ex to destroy Robin and Cormoran’s budding relationship.Add ‘Valentine Longcaster’ to the pile of evidence for this particular backdrop and let’s continue to look for parallels and links Rowling has playfully embedded in the psycho-spiritual, neo-mythological allegory of the soul’s journey to perfection, and specifically the souls of women.For much more on this Eros-Anteros distinction and its importance in grasping the allegorical ...
    Voir plus Voir moins
    1 h et 44 min
  • How Are You Going to Read 'Hallmarked Man'?

    How Are You Going to Read 'Hallmarked Man'?
    Sep 1 2025

    What can you say about Hallmarked Man that doesn’t include anything beyond epigraph authors from the latest pre-publication drops from the leak-ing ship of Rowling, Inc.?

    Nick and John elect to discuss their respective plans for reading the latest Cormoran Strike-Robin Ellacott murder mystery cum Modern Romance. Enjoy that conversation in the hours left before the books arrive — and tune in here this time next week for our first thoughts on another epic-length novel from the world’s most popular author!



    Get full access to Hogwarts Professor at hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe
    Voir plus Voir moins
    1 h et 22 min
  • Is Rowling a Romance Writer or What?

    Is Rowling a Romance Writer or What?
    Aug 26 2025
    We’re counting down the days until the publication of The Hallmarked Man! Nick Jeffery and John Granger take perhaps the last look at Rowling’s most recent postings before they dive into discussion about the meaning and artistry of Strike8.In today’s conversation, they review Rowling’s relationship with Stephenie Meyer, the author of the Twilight series, a New York Times feature article ‘The Wizard’s Everlasting Spell’ about the growth of Potter fan fiction with a romantic twist, and Rowling’s acerbic review of Nikola Sturgeon’s memoir Frankly. Nick and John discuss along the way the initial response of cultural gatekeepers to the quality of the writing in Harry Potter, the history of Rowling’s relationship with the writers of romantic fan fiction using her characters in light of Fifty Shades of Gray, and Hogwarts Professor’s role in making ‘Rowling Studies’ legitimate and the culture-wide acceptance of Rowling as a writer of merit “something we’ve always known” rather than a controversial assertion.And what does all that have to do with the imminent release of Hallmarked Man? Nick and John share their more-than-tentative plans for reading Strike8 and the best way — not the only way, of course, but a much better way than, say, cataloging predictions everyone will forget by mid-September — to prepare for our first reading of an epic Rowling-Galbraith title.We hope you are as excited as we are to the advent of Hallmarked Man and that you’re looking forward to exploration of its breadth and depth beneath the surface plot with us in the coming month!Links To Subjects Discussed Above:The Wizard’s Everlasting Spell Why Magic, Dragons and Explicit Sex Are in Bookstores Everywhere: Romantasy is propping up the fiction market. Thanks to a generation that grew up reading about a boy wizard. (The New York Times, 20 August 2025, Alexandra Alter)The new version of the [‘Dramione’ Potter fan fiction] story that so captivated Ms. Stallone will soon be released as “Alchemised,” and the novel’s publisher, Del Rey, is betting that the feverish devotion to its fanfiction predecessor will translate into blockbuster sales. Del Rey has ordered a first printing of 750,000 copies for the novel’s release in late September; translations are lined up in 21 languages.Besides appealing to hordes of existing fans, “Alchemised” has another advantage: It taps into the raging appetite for romantasy, a subgenre that blends fantasy elements like magic, fairies and dragons with love, yearning and explicit sex.In a way, the romantasy explosion — driven by the success of blockbuster authors like Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros, whose series have sold millions upon millions of copies — stems from the legacy of popular young adult series like “Twilight” and “Harry Potter.” Those books molded generations of young readers who have grown up but still crave big fantasy novels — now with a dose of erotica.“They grew up with the characters, and the stories ended, but there’s still such a huge appetite,” said Leah Hultenschmidt, publisher of the romance imprint Forever. “They’re still hungry for that magical world building, an epic cast of characters and heroism, and maybe they just want it a little spicier.”Publishers are frantically searching for the next breakout romantasy series. Last year, romantasy sales topped more than 32 million copies in print alone, a 47 percent jump over the previous year, according to Circana Bookscan. Five of the 10 best-selling adult fiction titles this year are romantasies. At the same time, adult fiction sales overall have stagnated.The kind of romance that’s selling like crazy now — erotically charged genre mash-ups — first took off in fanfiction before publishers recognized there was an appetite for it.“For a long time, you had to go to fanfiction to find that,” said Anne Jamison, a professor of English at the University of Utah who has studied fanfiction. “Romantasy basically is what fanfiction made.”* Alchemized Sen Lin Yu* ‘Romantasy’ Novels on Amazon, Etc.The twilight of Nicola Sturgeon: J.K. Rowling reviews FranklyI know I’m stating the obvious, and I’ll probably be one of countless reviewers making the same point, but it’s impossible to read Nicola Sturgeon’s memoir without remembering the smash hit fictional franchise, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. For those who don’t know (ie, everyone who wasn’t a tween or teenage girl, or living with one, 2005-2015), Twilight was massively popular for roughly a decade, each new book or film being greeted adoringly by its devoted fans. [opening paragraph)Rowling and Romantasy:* ‘The Twenty Richest Authors in the World:' Rowling #2 (!), Meyer #18, Collins #20* The Sunday Times’ List of the “100 Bestselling Books of the Last Five Decades:” Rowling #23, Meyer #42, 58, 59, and 64* Twilight Book Sales * Stephen King: “Stephenie Meyer Can’t Write Worth a ...
    Voir plus Voir moins
    1 h et 36 min