1–What is the title of your latest release?
THE SHADOW CABINET (Her Majesty’s Royal Coven Book 2)
2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A covert group of witches keep Britain safe from demonic forces, but the real threat comes from within the coven.
3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
It was always going to be Hebden Bridge. It’s a real town in Yorkshire. It’s very picturesque and has a diverse queer community. It’s a bit Portland-ish?
4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Book 2 sees the witch Ciara Kelly move into the spotlight right after killing her twin sister at the end of Book 1. Although she does some dreadful things, I actually adore Ciara. I hope readers come to understand why she is the way she is.
5–What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Misguided, vulnerable, and devious.
6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I thought a lot about misogyny while writing this book. Men barely featured in Book 1, but this second volume delves into how men feel about the existence of supremely powerful women.
7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
A bit of both. Sometimes I tidy as I go but always do a major edit once I’m finished.
8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I try not to think of any food as indulgent. In the past I’ve had disordered eating and don’t want to think of any foods as being ‘good’ or ‘bad’.
9–Describe your writing space/office!
I have a little desk at home, but I do most of my work from a trendy office hub thing.
10–Who is an author you admire?
Right now I’m obsessed with Emily St John Mandel. After I read Station 11 I thought about giving up forever.
11–Is there a book that changed your life?
Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman inspired me to start writing. That book has it all.
12–Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
For a while it looked like my first novel, Hollow Pike, wasn’t going to sell at all. I’d started to lose hope when all of a sudden there was this flurry of offers. The first one came in at 6pm on a Friday night and we went straight out to celebrate.
13–What’s your favorite genre to read?
I love female-written speculative fiction best of all. Even better if it’s a bit dark or horrific in some way.
14–What’s your favorite movie?
Clueless, Labyrinth, and Heathers.
15–What is your favorite season?
Increasingly spring. Weird, because I was such a morbid Halloween child.
16–How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Dinner and cocktails with my friends.
17–What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
My favorite right now is Yellowjackets. If you like Yellowjackets, you’ll enjoy Her Majesty’s Royal Coven – they both have the same time jumps.
18–What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Italian or Thai food.
19–What do you do when you have free time?
I’m part of a cabaret troupe called Club Silencio and we do strange theatre shows four times a year.
20–What can readers expect from you next?
Her Majesty’s Royal Coven Book 3 is in the works, but before that there might be a surprise next year…
THE SHADOW CABINET by Juno Dawson
A Novel
In the second installment of Juno Dawson’s “irresistible” fantasy trilogy (Lana Harper), a group of childhood friends and witches must choose between what is right and what is easy if they have any hope of keeping their coven–and their world–from tearing apart forever.
Niamh Kelly is dead. Her troubled twin, Ciara, now masquerades as the benevolent witch as Her Majesty’s Royal Coven prepares to crown her High Preistess.
Suffering from amnesia, Ciara can’t remember what she’s done–but if she wants to survive, she must fool Niamh’s adopted family and friends; the coven; and the murky Shadow Cabinet–a secret group of mundane civil servants who are already suspicious of witches. While she tries to rebuild her past, she realizes none of her past has forgotten her, including her former lover, renegade warlock Dabney Hale.
On the other end of the continent, Leonie Jackman is in search of Hale, rumored to be seeking a dark object of ultimate power somehow connected to the upper echelons of the British government. If the witches can’t figure out Hale’s machinations, and fast, all of witchkind will be in grave danger–along with the fate of all (wo)mankind.
Sharp, funny, provocative, and joyous, Juno Dawson’s sequel reimagines everything you think you knew about her coven and her witches in a story that spans continents and dives deep into the roots of England and its witchcraft. Ciara, Leonie, Elle, and Theo are fierce, angry, sexy, warm–and absolutely unapologetic as they fight for what they believe in, all in the name of sisterhood.
Fantasy | Paranormal [Penguin Books, On Sale: May 23, 2023, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780143137153 / eISBN: 9780593511145]
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About Juno Dawson
Juno Dawson is a bestselling novelist, screenwriter, journalist, and a columnist for Attitude Magazine. Her writing has appeared in Glamour, The Pool, Dazed and the Guardian. She has appeared on Pointless Celebrities, BBC Women’s Hour, Front Row, ITV News, Channel 5 News, This Morning and Newsnight. Juno’s books include the global bestsellers, THIS BOOK IS GAY and CLEAN. She also writes for television and has multiple shows in development both in the UK and US. An occasional actress and model, Juno appeared in the BBC’s I MAY DESTROY YOU (2020). This is her adult debut.
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