|
|
What
the World is Looking for
 |
|
 |
|
MAIN
Most recently, it was announced that a hand-written children's book entitled The Tales of Beedle the Bard, was hand-written by the author as a sort of "therapeutic" farewell to the Harry Potter saga. Only a few copies will be printed as gifts to friends, and one will be subsequently auctioned off to a children's charity at year's end. The former single mom and now billionaire publishing phenomenon has also reportedly turned her hand to crime fiction following one of the most successful childrens book series in publishing history. Her last blockbuster Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince broke sales records even before it hit bookshelves in 2006, only topped by the seventh and final Harry Potter book released in 2007.
Related
Bios, News & Pictures | Quotes Conjuring Harry Potter The
rags-to-riches success story of J.K. Rowling began near Bristol,
U.K. where she was born Joanne Rowling on July 31, 1965. Rowling's college days were spent majoring in French at Exeter University in the UK. Subsequent postgraduate work took place in Paris, then in London, where she worked for Amnesty International. The idea for Harry Potter was first germinated during the Rowling's long train commute each day from her home in Manchester to Amnesty International's London office. She kept working on the tale during a brief stint in Portual, where she taught English as a second language, and continued her writing through a failed first marriage to Portugese TV journalist, Jorge Arantes. Suddenly cast in the role as a single mother, Rowling returned to the UK and survived on welfare benefts as she struggled to raise infant daughter, Jessica, in a mice-infested flat in Edinburgh, Scotland.
"I could not afford the luxury of writer's block," the
author later recalled, "so I kept writing." Almost
Like Magic Thinking that young boys would be put off by a woman storyteller, Rowling decided to go under the the pen name J.K., incorporating the K after her grandmother, Kathleen. And the rest is Potter publishing history. When the book, entitled Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, hit the bookshelves in 1997 it won almost instant critical notice and garnered 8 international book awards and a cult following of children and adult readers. With millions captivated by the the fully-realized story of boy wizard Harry Potter and his adventures with friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, the book skyrocketed to the top of bestseller lists around the world. And Rowling - in an equally astonishing reversal of fortune - fast switched circumstances from welfare mom to one of the most recognized authors on the planet. To date, equally popular subsequent titles include Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003) and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (2005). - all earning Rowling the distinction of being one of the world's richest women. With
profits from related movie and merchandising rights, the author
has overtaken even Queen Elizabeth II on the world's lists
of the most wealthy. Now a reported billionaire, Rowling currently
lives in Edinburgh, Scotland with her husband, Dr
Neil Murray, and has three children. All told, more than 250 million books in the Harry Potter series have been sold in some 61 translations in over 200 countries worldwide. Book 6 in the series, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, (HBP to rabid fans) predictablly broke sales records when it sold 7.9 million copies in the first 24 hours of being published on July 16, 2006, with pre-orders on Amazon.com already having climbed to more than one million. In a TV interview on the Today Show, the down-to-earth author expressed mixed feelings over the success of Harry Potter, downplaying her glittering success story saying, "life was purer and less complicated in some ways" during her days of single motherhood. Confirming book 7 as the finale to Harry Potter, the author also admitted to somewhat enviable confusion over her future direction, adding... "The world is my oyster now. I can do whatever I want." One of latest of the Harry Potter films, based on Book 4 in the series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, was released in 2004. The last film in the series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix opened in 2007 and starred Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson reprising their roles as Harry Potter and Hermione Granger.
Related Pictures, News & Biographies: Hello! Profiles - J.K. Rowling The Leaky Cauldron - Harry Potter News & Updates
Quotes: • Poverty is a lot like childbirth - you know it is going to hurt before it happens, but you'll never know how much until you experience it. • Always have a vivid imagination, for you never know when you might need it. •
It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more
than our abilities. •
Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself. •
Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright
dislike.
|
In
the news for a lawsuit against a fan touting an unauthorized 
|
Sponsored
Links
|
Sponsored
Links
Privacy | Mission
Statement | Contact
us | Sitemap
| Advertise with
Us
All
contents copyright © Chiff.com 1999 - 2009