It’s a Practical Magic fall. The cult classic book series and movie adaptation have always been an autumnal favorite that many readers revisit once the leaves start to crisp. But the release of Practical Magic 2 in theaters and a new, witchy book from author Alice Hoffman have made this cozy season even more magical than ever.
What’s it like to write such a bestseller? And what other fall books does the Practical Magic author recommend? Alice Hoffman shares her thoughts.
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SV: When you wrote Practical Magic, did you have any idea you were writing what would become a cult classic?
AH: No, I wrote it because I had a title that I liked. I had the title Practical Magic beforehand but I didn’t know what the book was going to be about.
SV: You wrote Practical Magic as a standalone in 1995. In 2017, you started writing prequels and eventually a sequel. What brought you back to the book to turn it into a series over 20 years later?
AH: The only reason I turned it into a series was because my readers continued to write to me saying I should write a prequel or sequel, and I started to think they were right!
SV: What do you think of the Practical Magic 2 movie?
AH: I think it’s great, and I’m so glad they made it. It’s wonderful to see the characters be brought back to life and grow up.
SV: You have a new book out. What is it about, and what inspired it?
AH: The Witches of Cambridge is about a secret society, the Lilith Society, at Radcliffe, which was the women's college at Harvard in the ’50s. It was inspired by my time at the Harvard Divinity School, where I went back to get a Master’s in Religion and Public Life.
SV: Many of your books incorporate historical fiction or magical realism. What do you love about those genres?
AH: I love looking into the past to see how the present originated and I love magical literature and I always have. I started out as a reader of magic, and that greatly influenced what I wrote.
SV: Do you have a favorite book to read in the fall?
AH: I love to read Wuthering Heights in the fall because it feels so autumnal and it’s so haunting.
SV: What are some recent releases you’d recommend to our readers?
AH: The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, The Houndings by Xenobe Purvis, The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout, and The Author Weekend by Laura Zigman, especially if you’re curious about the publishing world!
