J.K, Rowling

Sonia from The Story Queen was great enough to write this post about J.K. Rowling. I hope you like it! :)

 J.K. Rowling

J.K. Rowling is something of a hero for me. The world that she paints with her words is stunning in its vibrancy and the storylines she creates are so very intricate. The Harry Potter novels have made me cry and laugh, sometimes in the same sentence. I've held my breath, both mesmerized and horrified. I'm not exaggerating in the slighest when I say that J.K. Rowling's novels have changed my life.

There are so many things that I could talk about, so many reasons I love these books. They are entrancing and captivating, with real characters that grow and leap off the pages. The places JKR invents are so amazing - I can imagine exactly what Hogwarts would be like, how the Ministry would appear. One of my favourite things about the books though is all of the messages scattered within their pages. It's more than the typical good versus evil; it's about hope, bravery, respect, equality. It's about how love conquers all and that everyone has the potential to be good, to make a difference. J.K. Rowling's works have valuable lessons, no doubt, but I would never consider them preachy if someone just wanted a fun, inventive story. After all, there are plenty of other amazing things about the novels to enjoy ;)

The Harry Potter world is so vast. I don't know if you could get everything just reading through the series once. Personally, I've read the series dozens of times, but that sounds a little obsessive so I'll stop right there ;) Another thing that I really liked about it is how involved you can become in the series - I've spent so much time daydreaming about getting my Hogwarts acceptance letter and being sorted into the house that fits me best (HUFFLEPUFF, I hope!). I want to taste a Chocolate Frog and roam the streets of Diagon Alley where my wand will pick me and sparks will fly from its tip.

So, thank you, J.K. Rowling. Thank you for creating a universe that grabbed me from the start and that refuses to let go even now. You rock.

Thank you, Sonia! :)

J.K. Rowling

This weekend is dedicated to J.K. Rowling! I hope you like it.

Author's Profile:

Author. Born Joanne Kathleen Rowling, on July 31, 1965, in Chipping Sodbury, near Bristol, England. A single mother living in Edinburgh, Scotland, Rowling became an international literary sensation in 1999, when the first three installments of her Harry Potter children's book series took over the top three slots of The New York Times best-seller list after achieving similar success in her native United Kingdom. The phenomenal response to Rowling's books culminated in July 2000, when the fourth volume in the series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, became the fastest-selling book in history.

A graduate of Exeter University, Rowling moved to Portugal in 1990 to teach English. There, she met and married the Portuguese journalist Jorge Arantes. The couple's daughter, Jessica, was born in 1993. After her marriage ended in divorce, Rowling moved to Edinburgh with her daughter to live near her younger sister, Di. While struggling to support Jessica and herself on welfare, Rowling worked on a book, the idea for which had reportedly occurred to her while she was traveling on a train from Manchester to London in 1990. After a number of rejections, she finally sold the book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (the word "Philosopher" was changed to "Sorcerer" for its publication in America), for the equivalent of about $4,000. The book, and its subseqent series, chronicled the life of Harry Potter, a young wizard, and his motley band of cohorts at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

By the summer of 2000, the first three Harry Potter books, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban earned approximately $480 million in three years, with over 35 million copies in print in 35 languages. In July 2000, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire saw a first printing of 5.3 million copies and advance orders of over 1.8 million. After a postponed release date, the fifth installment, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, hit book stores in June 2003. The sixth installment, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, sold 6.9 million copies in the United States in its first 24 hours, the biggest opening in publishing history. Prior to its July 2007 release, the seventh and final installment in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was the largest ever pre-ordered book at chain stores Barnes & Noble and Border's, and at Amazon.com.

Rowling, now Britain's 13th wealthiest woman—wealthier than even the Queen—does not plan to write any more books in the series, but has not entirely ruled out the possibility.

A film version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, directed by Chris Columbus was released in November 2001. In its opening weekend in the U.S., the film debuted on a record 8,200 screens and smashed the previous box office record, earning an estimated $93.5 million ($20 million more than the previous recordholder, 1999's The Lost World: Jurassic Park). It ended the year as the top-grossing movie of 2001" 

J.K. Rowling's Books: 

I'm sure you know these but I'll leave pictures of the Harry Potter series anyway. :)