Mary Hoffman; Stravaganza

Oww, big fan of the Stravaganza series! And.. well... I sold them quite a lot too, back when I was still selling books. I remember pitching the first book to a woman in the store, who turned out to be the woman at the Dutch publishers that brought Stravaganza in. That was funny.

You know how they say not to judge a book by its cover? I still bought the first part because I thought the cover looked cool. Fortunately I loved the story as well.
 
The things people take to bed with them in your books, Mary! First a notebook: sad though it may be, I can relate to this. Next an ornament of a winged horse: unusual, but given the character, I did not question it. Now a seventeen year old lad takes a perfume bottle to bed ... how do you do this and make it sound so plausible?

I can only take my hat off to you and shake my head in amazement. There are some unusual folk around, I grant you, but I would never have pictured a seventeen year old boy taking an empty perfume bottle to bed until you popped the image into my mind. Every time I say it, I keep thinking it would never happen ... yet I find myself believing. You're one devious lady, Mary!
 
Thank you, Amethystprincess!

You know, when I was a kid I took not just soft toys to bed but a metal string puppet of Muffin the Mule!

Quite apart from dating me, this was seriously bad health and safety practice! I remember waking up with hoof marks in my face, often. Accounts for a lot.

So I feel fairly relaxed about what people might take to bed with them. Let's face it, they HAVE to take their talismans to bed for the stravagation to work and I can't limit myself to the sort of items teenage boys and girls would be likely to choose.

It's another sort of book in City of Secrets (a leather-bound spellbook) but will be a silver tessera (mosaic tile) in Ships and a dagger in Swords - if that book ever happens.

It's funny what different readers pick up - I'd never even thought about the likelihood or otherwise of Sky's taking the perfume bottle to bed. I suppose I was more focussed on the plot complications to come. And HE didn't raise any objections, so it happened.

Mary
 
I get a look in the Stravaganza forum, and I was dissapointed reading latest post dates of 2006, so I fell here. Yay! Much better ^^

I became a fan of City of Masks since... 4 days... The book was read in 3 days and now it's not in my hands...

I get hooked by the fact that Arianna it's too much like a friend named "Adriana", and then fell in love with Talia and Belleza.

Now the book it's on a friend hands, and I hope she likes it, and do that "fangirl stuff" with Rodolfo together XD

And... I sleep with notebook under the pillow since many yers ago! I like to write on bed, before sleeping (and before my mom shouts: "It's too late!!!! Turn the light off!!". So I turn the light off, slide the notebook under the pillow and put the pen/pencil near to bed). I don't get awake in a strange world, but I get some interesting dreams...
 
"I get a look in the Stravaganza forum, and I was disappointed reading latest post dates of 2006, so I fell here. Yay! Much better."

Yes, that's a real pain; it's because of the invasion of the spammers but we can't even close it down because the originator and chiefr mod has gone awol. Actually there are posts even from this year but I have to go on periodically and delete Spam in what looks like Finnish and Japanese.


"And... I sleep with notebook under the pillow since many yers ago! I like to write on bed, before sleeping (and before my mom shouts: "It's too late!!!! Turn the light off!!". So I turn the light off, slide the notebook under the pillow and put the pen/pencil near to bed). I don't get awake in a strange world, but I get some interesting dreams"

I've heard of many people trying to use talismans to stravagate but with no success as yet. I've always had weird dreams - I think writers do!

Mary
 
Oh, wow. Hi to everyone from the old forum! I'm Alex from the old forum. Hola to everyone at sffchronicles, I'm new here but I've been a stravaganza fan for a while. Welcome to the world of Stravaganza new fans!
 
Hi! I love the Stravaganza Series and read it 2 years ago! I didn't know that there was The City Of Secrets! when is it out in the UK? Are Georgina and everyone else still in it?! :)

Sorry, Animal Lover, I've been away.

Uk publication date, straight into paperback, is 7th July. And I'm expecting my advance copies today! So exciting!

There's a bit of Georgia, Sky, Nick etc but more of Luciano and Arianna.

Hope you enjoy it when you read it.

Mary
 
Dear Mary Hoffman

I'm from the Netherlands, and my english is not really good.
I have a few questions, I hope you could answer them.
I would like to know the publication date of the book(in the Netherlands), if you now that.
Could you give me any information of the new book, and are you write a fifth book after this one. I've read the other 3 many times.

Marian
 
Dear Mary Hoffman

I'm from the Netherlands, and my english is not really good.
I have a few questions, I hope you could answer them.
I would like to know the publication date of the book(in the Netherlands), if you now that.
Could you give me any information of the new book, and are you write a fifth book after this one. I've read the other 3 many times.

Marian

I'm sorry Marian, I don't know when it is coming out in the Netherlands. Your best bet is to contact my Dutch publisher. I don't know that kind of information until the foreign copies arrive. But I hope it won't be too long.

It takes place in Padavia the autumn after the spring featured in City of Flowers. I also have a contract for City of Ships, which will come out in 2010. In between I have been writing Troubadour, which will be out next year.

I'm glad you like the books so much!

Mary
 
Dear Mary Hoffman,
I would like to get some questions. :)
First I want to know why Luciano go to university? And the marriage with arianna there will be?

Thanks, martina
 
Dear Mary Hoffman,
I would like to get some questions. :)
First I want to know why Luciano go to university? And the marriage with arianna there will be?

Well why not? He is going to be a Duke after all, when he marries Arianna, and this si a period when learning is valued in and by the aristocracy, not like now when princes (apart from William) do a cut down university course in order to get with military training. And Rodolfo went to university in Padavia.

As for the marriage, you just have to read the book.

Mary
 
I'm sorry Marian, I don't know when it is coming out in the Netherlands. Your best bet is to contact my Dutch publisher. I don't know that kind of information until the foreign copies arrive. But I hope it won't be too long.

It takes place in Padavia the autumn after the spring featured in City of Flowers. I also have a contract for City of Ships, which will come out in 2010. In between I have been writing Troubadour, which will be out next year.

I'm glad you like the books so much!

Mary

Dear Mary Hoffman,


I've contact the Dutch publisher. End they said the 4th book is coming out in the netherlands at the end of october. So you now it when someone else ask it to you.

I was thinking about, making a Dutch site of the books.


Marian
 
Dear Mary Hoffman,


I've contact the Dutch publisher. End they said the 4th book is coming out in the netherlands at the end of october. So you now it when someone else ask it to you.

I was thinking about, making a Dutch site of the books.


Marian

Yes, I got that information shortly after you posted here but only because I asked! I get a lot of e-mail through the Stravaganza website asking for the publication dates of translations in different countries and it is not very often that I know the answers!

My Dutch editor wrote asking me for a photo and biography to go with some features in a Dutch magazine - Elf Fantasy Magazine. Also she told me that The Falconer's Knot is coming out in the Dutch translation by the end of this month.

As for a Dutch site, that would be wonderful!

The English Stravaganza site is being re-designed and has lots of new material; it should be ready to go live by the end of next week, so it might be worth waiting till you can see it.

Thanks for your enthusiasm!

Mary
 
hay
I'm new here and I love the stravaganza books. I've bought City of Secrets today in the Netherlands in a normal bookstore, but above says that the release is not today (29 juni) but 7th July. that's strange..
anyway I love the books :)

Nina
 

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