#obscurusbooks

What motivated you to get into archaeology and magizoology?:

General interest! When your family includes muggles you get exposed to certain things which will influence you, and for me that was two sets of things on television. One: Time Team, an archaeology program dedicated to exploring the history of the British Isles (I later learned that a few excavations were uncomfortably close to a few magical hamlets), and Two: David Attenborough.

When we moved to the Mistley area (which has had a hearty magical population despite the efforts of the so-called “Witchfinder General” Matthew Hopkins) we were near to Colchester, known as one of Britain’s oldest recorded towns – it even has a charcoaled layer in the archaeology, where Boudicca razed the colonia to the ground (incidentally one of the only known occasions where the now largely lost traditional Druidic magical practices overcame martial Latinate magical practices). With all of that around, the interest in history and archaeology grew, and learning of the constant interplay between humans and animals – dogs have been companions to the genus Homo for longer than Homo sapiens has existed, according to some research – led to a deep interest in animals, magical and not, and how they interact with not just us, but the world at large. Watching David Attenborough, and his quiet attentiveness to the animals he studied and explained to his viewers, only made me want to know the animals in person, see them up close, which influenced my selecting Care of Magical Creatures come third year.

How long have you been running this magizoology blog? What is the best and most frustrating thing about running it?:

Since January of 2014! Nearing two years now. The best thing is probably writing the entries and seeing the feedback, there’s something very pleasing about writing it out, finding the format which works, and seeing people’s thoughts and opinions.

The most frustrating thing… probably repetitive questions (What’s a wix? WE HAVE A GLOSSARY) but those are rare, and I try to take them as an opportunity to teach someone about the term, rather than just redirecting them. Lack of information on some creatures is incredibly frustrating, especially creatures which don’t fit into one category – like, say, Bundimun – and magical diseases. Unless you have access to Healer’s tomes a lot of information on magical diseases is quite well hidden.

What is the most startling or interesting thing you found while researching this book?:

Tie between the sheer number of people who seem to be interested in it, and the possible evolutionary links between Sphinxes and Griffins.

I never expected so many people to want to know about so many creatures, or to – in some cases – offer their own experiences and information forwards for entries, and studying the various kinds of beasts has led to some curious interlinks – while not all Sphinxes do have wings, some do, and some Griffin-like creatures (Criosphinxes for example) are named sphinxes despite lacking a human head. The creatures are very different, and it’s not always particularly clear when or even if they may have interbred, but the presence of wingless griffins (Keythongs, Minoans and Alces) and the presence of both wingless and winged Sphinxes suggests that it may not actually be impossible.

What hobbies do you have besides research and writing?:

Potions! And cooking. I find there are certain similarities between the two, you need to understand your ingredients, and while following a recipe can get you a certain result, sometimes going free form can get you unexpected and interesting ones. Some ancient potions – such as Kamrusepa’s Calming Draught – have only recently been rediscovered and successfully brewed again, largely due to the willing experimentation of Archaeologists and Potioneers with sometimes only partial translations of ancient texts.

Why a new Monsters Book?:

Because more creatures have been found! There’s so much more out there than the books say, and eventually everything needs to be updated. Not everyone goes for the online updates, or even Owled-Out newsletters, so an updated book for everyone to dig their fingers into might help open up a field often viewed as either simple or dangerous to people who might not otherwise consider it.

What do you hope readers will gain from this book?:

Information. That’s why it and the blog are out there – to be sources of information. Curiosity as well, I think. Hopefully seeing it will make them want to see more, just like when I was little and watching David Attenborough and Time Team.

Do you envision it becoming mandatory reading for students around the world?:

Merlin, no! Mandatory tends to suck the fun out of things. Consistent recommended reading though, I’ll take that.

What advice would you give to those looking for a profession in magical research?:

Patience. Some people will take an age to get back to you. Some people will get back to you quickly. Patience is a virtue, as my mother says, possess it if you can. Be prepared to slog through a lot of sources. Be prepared for your favourite source to fail you utterly when you most need it, and have to go and find a new one. Talk to people, especially those of other cultures, religions and magical views, and be open to what they say – some wixes interpretations of why a creature does something may make no sense to you, some theories of magic may seem nonsensical at first, but different routes of logic does not negate the logic in existence.

Anything else you would like to add?:

Live! Enjoy the world. Learn about all you can, if it interests you, because knowledge can help a lot, and always try to appreciate the world, minute, massive, and all between.

Other blogs you run that we can include in our promotions:

Wandmore – www.wandmore.tumblr.com

Thelethifoldwitch (indefinite hiatus) – www.thelethifoldwitch.tumblr.com