Paige's Book Shelf: "Harry Potter and the Art of Spying" {Review and Giveaway}

I received a copy of this book for review, all views and opinions in my review are my own. Sponsor is responsible for prizing. 

“Harry Potter and the Art of Spying” will send you on a journey into the world of Harry Potter that you thought you would never go on. See Hogwarts school for witches and wizardry in a whole new light and in a way that just might leave you seeing a little more than you did before.

 "Harry Potter and the Art of Spying" By: Lynn Boughey and Peter Earnest.

The Harry Potter series is more than just a story about a young wizard who saves the world from He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. The seven book saga is an excellent primer to spying, intelligence, and politics.

Join authors Lynn Boughey and Peter Earnest as they take you on an adventure through the world of Harry Potter as a spy enthusiast instead of a wizard buff.

By taking J.K. Rowling’s masterpieces and analyzing it through the eye of a spy… particularly Book #5 “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” Boughey and Earnest enlighten us on some interesting alternatives to some of the wonders of the wizard world. For example, have you ever thought of the cloak of invisibility from the angle of it being a spying aid rather than something magical? Or how Harry spied on his professors and peers by using Marauder’s Map to better understand where they might be found in the castle?

“Harry Potter and the Art of Spying” is spectacular?

Double agents, traitors, missing pieces to the puzzle, it’s all something you think of when you think of a spy, and a case they might encounter…. Well it’s all there in black and white. Severus Snipe playing both sides, and killing Dumbledore for the side of the good, while making it appear that he was bad. Or Ron’s pet rat Peter Pettigrew being a traitor all along while being beloved by the Wesley’s. There are so many things that could be interpreted into something intelligent and spy like, however, you will never find out about those things unless you read this outstanding book.

From flying cars to extendable ears, decoding and deciphering clues, to incurable curiosity, and the ever ending need to know where Lord Voldemort is and what he is up to at all times, this book will excite and overwhelm you.

I defiantly suggest it you are as huge of a Potter fan as I am, that you check out “ Harry Potter and the Art of Spying” and feed your curiosity.

Was it all magic? Or was there something else there too?

Interview of authors Lynn Boughey and Peter Earnest.
  

Me-What authors/genres have influenced you writing thus far?

Lynn Boughey-I tend to read the classics, such as Dostoevsky, Camus, and especially Victor Hugo (I try to read Les Misérables once a year).  I read all the early Tom Clancy novels and decided to write my own spy novel based on all the places I had been.  And of course I thoroughly enjoyed reading the Potter series.

Peter Earnest- I've always been a reader but in the last twelve years as director of the Spy Museum, I've devoted a lot of my attention to new books and publications in the world of Intelligence and espionage, mostly non-fiction but some spy and mystery fiction.  My writing has also been in those fields.

Me-What was your inspiration for writing “Harry Potter and the Art of Spying”?

Lynn Boughey-I had the idea and even drafted an outline years before, but the real catalyst occurred as I was listening to Book 5 Order  of the Phoenix driving my weekly 500 mile trip on Interstate 94 to Bismarck and I began charting and listing all the spy craft chapter by chapter.

Peter Earnest-The original idea was Lynn’s and he was well into his draft  when he contacted me about joining him in the effort.  His enthusiasm for the work was contagious and I soon agreed to join him.

Me- Do you listen to music while you write? If so what kind?

Lynn Boughey-No.  I am one of those that needs silence when I write.

Peter Earnest-No, I do not usually listen to music when I’m writing unless it is already on and not too distracting.

Me- What made you choose to write about Harry Potter from this angle?

Lynn Boughey-Our combined experiences relating to using spy craft, and all the great spy craft used in the Potter series.

Peter Earnest-I’ll let Lynn describe how he decided to write about Harry Potter when he was making long commutes between Montana and South Dakota as an practicing attorney.  Once Lynn and I began collaborating, I quickly picked up on his approach which, of course, came quite naturally to me as a career operative in the CIA.  I have collaborated with other authors in writing books with a “spy” angle.

Me- What can readers expect to discover that is different from the actual series?

Lynn Boughey-Real world insights and “war stories” throughout our book.

Peter Earnest-Good question.  Careful readers, as most Potter fans are, will not really learn anything new.  Rather, they will learn to look at the various events and episodes in Potter through a different lens, the lens of a professional spy/counterspy which is what I was for many years.  So you will see the same characters and events as when you first read the book, but now you will see them in a different light, in a spy versus spy scenario which plays out over the entire narrative.

Me- What would your advice be to young authors who are trying to get their writing noticed?

Lynn Boughey-Keep writing and take every opportunity to “sell” yourself and your project.

Peter Earnest-Write what you know, it will make your non-fiction authentic and your fiction credible.  Then all you need is an interesting story.

Me- Who would you say has been your support through your literary career?

Lynn Boughey-Good friends who shared my interest in the Potter series and were always excited about the progress of the book.

Peter Earnest-I had a Jesuit education, 3 years in prep school capped by 4 years at Georgetown, which was intellectually challenging and gave me the solid foundation of an inquiring mind and a lively sense of curiosity about people and their motives.  A career in Intelligence at CIA fueled both those drives.

Me- What are you currently working on literary or otherwise?

Lynn Boughey-I am working on an adult legal-thriller-murder mystery, Murder at the Second Constitutional Convention.

Peter Earnest-I am in discussions with a writer about a one-man play based on the reflections of a former spy (surprise!).

Me- What book are your reading right now?

Lynn Boughey-Shakespeare’s Henry V.

Peter Earnest-I've just gotten into New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast’s graphic memoir about her experience coping with her aging parents.  Well told and quite moving.

Me- Is there anything you would like to add about yourself or "Harry Potter and the Art of Spying"
Lynn Boughey-Working with Peter was a true joy and the collaboration made the project ten times better, and ten times more fun!
Peter Earnest-The analysis Lynn and I did on “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” showing J.K. Rowling’s deep sense of spycraft in the various characters and plots could be done on any number of other works and showing them in a new light.  Lynn and I have talked about this as a possible “way forward,” as they say, though we may end up collaborating on something very different.  Stay tuned!  And thanks for your interest.

Enter The Harry Potter and the Art of Spying Book Giveaway! 

One lucky entrant selected by rafflecopter will receive the "Harry Potter and the Art of Spying" hard copy book!(ARV$19) Open to readers in the continental US, 18 years and older. Sorry No PO boxes. Open for entry from  4/6-4/27/15 at 11:59pm EST. Winner will have 24 hours to respond to notification email to claim their prize or a new winner will be selected. The Mommy Island is not responsible for prize fulfillment. Use the rafflecopter below to enter. Good Luck! 



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