 If you haven't heard of J.K. Rowling you live under a rock. She is one of the most popular writers of the past few years thanks to her Harry Potter series. But life wasn't always magical for Joanne Kathleen Rowling. She's had some tough times but she never gave up on her writing.
Born in Chepstow, Gwent in 1965, J.K. Rowling's favorite subjects in school were English and languages. JK went to Exeter University, worked as a secretary and as a teacher but then fell on hard times. She and her husband divorced shortly after the birth of their daughter and JK ended up unemployed and living in a tiny flat in Edinburgh with her daughter. Of course, maybe it wasn't all bad because it was during this time that she wrote Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone. The idea for the book came to JK Rowling while on a train ride. She said that she really liked the idea of creating a place where a child could have power, like Hogswarts (School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.)
Bloomsbury Publishing bought Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (published in England as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone) in 1997 and it was an instant success. Sorcerer's Stone won The British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year and the Smarties Prize and received rave reviews around the world. Since then there have been three more Harry tales - The Chamber of Secrets, The Prisoner of Azkaban and The Goblet of Fire. JK Rowling has plans to write a book for each of the 7 years that Harry is at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Warner Brothers has the rights to the first two books, and has already starting making one into a movie scheduled for release in November 2001.
JK Rowling Facts
The Scottish Arts Council gave her a grant to finish the first book.
JK Rowling named Harry Potter after a childhood friend, Ian Potter.
She writes all of her books by hand. Ouch! She must have been pretty tired by the end of Goblet of Fire.
When asked what mommies do, JK Rowling's daughter replies "Mommies write!"
JK Rowling has always written. She says, "My first book was called Rabbit and I was about six, and I haven't stopped scribbling since."
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