Ott, Cindy. Pumpkin: The Curious History of an American Icon. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2012.
Rose, Peter G. Food, Drink, and Celebrations of the Hudson Valley Dutch. Charleston: The History Press, 2009.
White, Deborah Gray. Ar’n’t I A Woman?: Female Slaves in the Plantation South. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1985.
Acknowledgments
This novel is very much a book of my heart. So much love and hard work and inspiration went into it, and as such there are a lot of people whose own love, hard work, and ability to inspire allowed me to make this book what it is.
First I must thank Washington Irving, for giving our young country some of its first great literature and one of my very favorite stories. Obviously, this novel would never have come to be without his work. If his ghost is out there somewhere, I hope he likes Katrina’s story.
Enormous thanks and my boundless gratitude, as always, to Lindsay Fowler, the kind of friend who would ride out with you at dawn to break up a duel if you asked her. As always, your notes and critiques have made this book better than it was before you read it. I don’t know what I’d do without your close reads and your patience with me when I get excited about a new project and can’t stop talking about it. Life is easier, and more fun, knowing you’re always just a text away.
This is a book very much about friendship, particularly female friendship, and so I must thank—forever and always—my dear circle of friends. I am so, so fortunate to count among my friends some strong, resilient, and amazing women, whose love and support inspired me to try to fully depict the power of female friendship on the page. To my Pumas: Amanda Beck, Andrea Heuer Bieniek, Alex Dockstader, and Jen Hark-Hameister, I love you all and am so incredibly lucky to have you. I’d face down a headless ghost for you all any day, and I know you’d do the same for me. I can’t wait for all of our crazy adventures to come.
Special thanks to Jen and Amanda for road-tripping to Sleepy Hollow with me and letting me drag them to all the historical sites. I think that road trip has become our own personal legend! And thank you for all the Halloweens past, present, and future.
Extra thanks to Jen for taking my author photo for this book, and for creating AMAZING promotional graphics for this novel. You are so talented I can’t even handle it. And if anyone loves this book as much as I do, I know it’s you.
My eternal gratitude to my agent, Brianne Johnson, who is so wonderful I’m pretty sure she is magic, and whom you all can blame for letting me write books where people’s heads are chopped off! Thank you for loving this witchy book so much, for your unflagging support of me and my work, and for your excellent notes and inspiring advice. I am such a better writer now than when we first started working together, and much of that is due to your guidance.
All of the thanks to that most fabulous of editors, Vicki Lame. I am so, so lucky to get to work with you. This is our best book yet! Thanks for all of your tireless work, for answering my email questions at the speed of light, and for all the Tom Mison GIFs!
Thank you to the art department at St. Martin’s Griffin for creating a cover that perfectly captures the vibe of this book. I love it and will never be tired of looking at it!
Thank you to the publicity and marketing teams at St. Martin’s for the great job they do spreading the word about my books, especially Staci Burt and Jordan Hanley. Thanks to the foreign rights team for getting my books into the hands of readers all over the world.
My deepest gratitude to my fellow authors who have lent their words of support to this novel: Greer Macallister, Erin Lindsay McCabe, Cat Winters, and Gwendolyn Womack. I am so incredibly honored by your kind words about my work, especially as I am such a fan of each and every one of you!
Thanks to my Canisius Alumni Writers for reading various parts of this manuscript. You guys always make me see my work from a new angle, usually while making me laugh as well.
Thanks to my Wednesday night writing group, in whose presence much of this novel was written. Thanks as well to Public Espresso, my favorite coffee shop, where much of this novel was also written (and revised, and revised again).
My sincerest thanks and appreciation to the Canisius College Creative Writing department for their continued support of me and my work. A special thanks to Dr. Jennifer Desidero, professor of American literature at Canisius, for letting me write a ten-page paper on Washington Irving’s famous short story as well as Tim Burton’s version. To this day, that’s my favorite college paper.
All my gratitude to Talking Leaves Books, for all you’ve done for me and my books and for all you do for so many authors and for our community as a whole. Buffalo is lucky to have you.
Music is what fuels my writing (and revising, and editing) day in and day out, so thanks as always to the musicians whose work inspired me as I wrote this novel: Delain, Nightwish, Autumn, Lacuna Coil, Kamelot, Xandria, Sirenia, Garbage, Stream of Passion, The Murder of My Sweet, Auri, and Danny Elfman. Special thanks and shout-out to Phantasma, whose album The Deviant Hearts very much became the soundtrack of this novel.
Thank you to Lin-Manuel Miranda, for writing Hamilton and making me fall back in love with the history of my country.
All my gratitude and love to my family, Mike and Kathy Zimmerman, and Tom and Mary Zimmerman, for your support and relentless promotion of my books! I am so lucky to have you all.
Thanks and love to my brother, Matt Palombo, for being so proud of me. And, hey! This book has a duel! FINALLY!! See, I told you I’d get there eventually!
Thanks to Fenway the silky terrier, for inspiring me to add a dog to this novel. You may be a lot smaller than Nox, but you are no less ferocious.
I have the best, most supportive parents anyone could ask for. Thank you to my dad, Tony Palombo, fellow Headless Horseman aficionado, who loves Halloween as much as I do. Thanks for always encouraging my love of all things dark, creepy, and spooky. And for encouraging my love of history. It all came together in this book! Thank you to my mom, Debbie Palombo, who loves me even with my Goth side, and who is, I think, better at selling my books than I am. I love you both and could do none of this without you.
To all the friends and family members I haven’t mentioned by name, thank you for your continued support and love and enthusiasm.
Last but certainly not least, thank you to my readers. It still surprises and thrills me that people read my books, love my books, connect with my books, and want to read more of my books. It means the world to me that my books mean something to others. It is because of you that I am able to continue doing what I love. I am so, so fortunate to have my dreams come true.
Discussion Questions
1. Were you familiar with Washington Irving’s short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” before reading this novel? How did your familiarity with the story—or lack thereof—influence your reading of The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel?
2. Though much of the novel focuses on Katrina and Ichabod’s romance, in many ways Katrina and Charlotte’s friendship is the true focal point of the story. Discuss how their friendship changes the course of the story and both of their lives. In what ways is their relationship similar to or different from your own friendships?
3. In what ways might Katrina and Charlotte be viewed as feminist characters despite the restrictions on women of their time?
4. Charlotte knew what truly happened to Ichabod long before Katrina discovered it for herself. Do you think she made the right choice in keeping it from her friend? What would you have done in her position?
5. When Ichabod disappears and Katrina is left alone and pregnant, she makes a difficult decision to protect her child, without knowing whether or not Ichabod will ever return. Did you understand why she did what she did? Would you have made the same choice in her place, or would you have acted differently?
6. If Ichabod hadn’t disappeared, what do you think might have happened to Katrina, Ichab
od, and their unborn child?
7. Discuss the character of Brom Van Brunt. How did you feel about him over the course of the novel? Did your feelings towards him change at any point? Are there any ways in which redemption could have been possible for his character?
8. What do you think happened to Brom Van Brunt? Do you think the outcome of his story is deserved, or was he—much like Katrina—a victim of his time period and circumstances?
9. What role does grief play in the novel and how does it consume Katrina? Do you think she dealt with it constructively? Or did her obsession with the truth prevent her from finding her way to peace sooner?
10. Stories and legends are very much at the heart of this novel. Are there any stories told about the place where you live? Do you have any family stories that have been handed down over the years? What are the ways in which stories connect the characters in this novel, and how do stories function in our own world to bring us together?
St. Martin’s Griffin
ALSO BY ALYSSA PALOMBO
The Violinist of Venice
The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence
PRAISE FOR
ALYSSA PALOMBO
THE SPELLBOOK OF KATRINA VAN TASSEL
“An enthralling lovers’ tale woven from ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,’ Alyssa Palombo’s captivating story, told through the eyes and heart of Katrina Van Tassel, is like visiting a treasured childhood friend and finding out all her secrets.”
—Gwendolyn Womack, award-winning author of The Memory Painter and The Fortune Teller
“Palombo has conjured up a dark, sexy twist on Washington Irving’s classic tale. The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel will satisfy romance fans who crave a dash of spine-tingling horror.”
—Cat Winters, award-winning author of The Uninvited and In the Shadow of Blackbirds
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN FLORENCE
“This captivating, beautifully written novel may be more fiction than fact, but readers will be entranced and will feel they are an integral part of the unfolding story. Palombo joins the ranks of Tracy Chevalier, Rosalind Laker, and those who perfectly merge history and reality.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Alyssa Palombo follows up her outstanding debut, The Violinist of Venice, with this stunning novel … a reflection on beauty and how it can be a curse.”
—Historical Novel Society, Editor’s Choice pick
“In the tradition of Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring, Palombo has married fine art with romantic historical fiction in this lush and sensual interpretation of Medici Florence, artist Sandro Botticelli, and the muse that inspired them all.”
—Booklist
“Strikingly feminist … a compelling narrative that is difficult to put down.”
—Publishers Weekly
THE VIOLINIST OF VENICE
“Mesmerizing.… So gorgeous are the relationships and music reflected here that the reader will want to spend hours listening to truly beautiful music created by both Antonio Vivaldi and Adriana d’Amato. Stunning, lovely historical fiction that is a must-read!”
—Historical Novel Society
“Alyssa Palombo’s training as a classical musician is evident in her first novel, The Violinist of Venice, a historical romance set in the eighteenth century.… Palombo skillfully blends historical facts with innovative and colorful fiction, creating a delightful, fast-paced romance that is sure to please music lovers and romance readers alike.”
—Shelf Awareness
“We are in the hands of not only a master storyteller but also a dedicated music lover.”
—Roberta Rich, international bestselling author of The Midwife of Venice
About the Author
ALYSSA PALOMBO is the author of The Violinist of Venice and The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence. She is a recent graduate of Canisius College, with degrees in English and creative writing. A passionate music lover, she is a classically trained musician as well as a big fan of heavy metal. When not writing, she can be found reading, hanging out with her friends, traveling, or planning for next Halloween. She lives in Buffalo, New York, where she is always at work on a new novel. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Epigraph
Prologue
1. The Schoolmaster
2. Brom Bones
3. Singing Lessons
4. Scale
5. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
6. The Old Dutch Church
7. Declarations
8. The Kitchen
9. Lovelorn
10. Dreams and Nightmares
11. Charlotte
12. Ichabod’s Tale
13. Rendezvous
14. Night in the Forest
15. Gunpowder
16. Herbs and Warnings
17. Friends and Lovers
18. Fear and Ecstasy
19. Suitors
20. Courting
21. Tarot
22. The Sight
23. Nightmares
24. The Challenge
25. The Duel
26. Healing
27. A Night for Lovers
28. Fears and Tears
29. All Hallows’ Eve
30. The Proposal
31. Broken Things
32. The Disappearance of Ichabod Crane
33. God or the Devil
34. Search for Salvation
35. October’s Legacy
36. Star-Crossed Lovers
37. Wedding Plans
38. Mistress Van Brunt
39. Husband and Wife
40. Vows
41. The Haunted Clearing
42. The Spellbook
43. The Body in the Hudson
44. The Birth
45. Anneke
46. New Beginnings
47. The Light in the Woods
48. Secrets
49. Death in the Cards
50. The Secrets of the Flame
51. The Woman in White
52. Giles and Charlotte
53. Ghosts
54. Warmth
55. Impotent
56. The Fate of Ichabod Crane
57. What Charlotte Knew
58. The Headless Horseman
59. The Ambition of Macbeth
60. The Mystery of Brom Bones
61. Let It Die
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
Discussion Questions
Also by Alyssa Palombo
Praise for Alyssa Palombo
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE SPELLBOOK OF KATRINA VAN TASSEL. Copyright © 2018 by Alyssa Palombo. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Danielle Christopher
Cover photographs: woman © Richard Jenkins; forest © Denis Belitsky/Shutterstock.com; branches © Ihnatovich Maryia/Shutterstock.com
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-12761-7 (trade paperback)
ISBN 978-1-250-12768-6 (ebook)
eISBN 9781250127686
Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please cont
act the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at [email protected].
First Edition: October 2018
The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel Page 39