 |
The wand chooses the wizard,
of course, but what magical creature would you select for your
own wand? |
 |
I'd like a phoenix feather,
which is why I gave it to Harry! |
|
What shape would a Boggart
take if it wanted to scare you? How would you defeat it? |
|
I think I'd probably have
Aragog, as Ron did. I hate spiders. |
|
I know you have had children
throughout the world tell you how Harry has changed their lives,
but is there any one story a child has told you that really stands
out in your mind? |
|
My favourite was the girl
who came to the Edinburgh Book Festival to see me. When she reached
the signing table she said "I didn't want so many people to be
here — this is MY book." That really resonated with me, because
that's how I feel about my own favourite books. |
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Is Voldemort some sort
of relative of Harry's? Possibly his mother's brother? |
|
I'm laughing...that would
be a bit Star Wars, wouldn't it? |
|
In your first book there
is a secret message on the Mirror of Erised. Are there any other
secret messages throughout the book that we should be watching
for? |
|
Not secret messages of
that type, but if you read carefully, you'll get hints about what's
coming. And that's all I'm saying! |
|
My impression is that the
Harry books are getting "darker" somehow. Is this because he is
growing up, and his readers have to do the same? |
|
It's really because Voldemort
is getting more powerful, but yes, also because Harry is fourteen
now. At fourteen, you really do start realising that the world
is not a safe and protected place — or not always. |
|
Can you give an example
of a surprise in your writing process, such as a character you
weren't expecting? |
|
Yes, it was a big surprise
to me that Mad Eye Moody turned out the way he did. I really like
him. I didn't expect to. |
|
How would you describe
the relationship between the wizard world and the Muggle world? |
|
Uneasy co-existence! Harry
discovers that life in the magical world mirrors, to a great extent,
life in the Muggle world. We are all human. There's still bigotry
and small-mindedness (unfortunately). |
|
In the fourth book, when
Harry tells Dumbledore about his fight with Voldemort and how
Voldemort could touch him after he took Harry's blood, Harry thinks
he sees Dumbledore smile slightly. Why? Is Dumbledore really on
Voldemort's side after all? |
|
Hmmmm....like all the best
questions I get asked, I can't answer that one. But you are obviously
reading carefully. I promise you'll find out! |
|
Are there any books you
would recommend to your fans to read while they await Book 5? |
|
Loads! Read E. Nesbit,
Philip Pullman, Henrietta Branford, Paul Gallico. Just read! |
|
Why did you choose to make
the sport Quidditch so important to life at Hogwarts? |
|
Because sport is such an
important part of life at school. I am terrible at all sports,
but I gave my hero a talent I'd love to have had. Who wouldn't
want to fly? |
|
With all the book tours
in different countries you've done, have you met any interesting
people or discovered a new place that might affect future writing,
or that left a special impression on you? |
|
I have always loved traveling,
but I can't say that I have met anyone who has influenced the
Harry books. You see, I planned them all so long ago before any
of this happened to me. |
|
If you were Animagus, what
kind of animal would you be? |
|
I'd like to be an otter
— that's my favourite animal. It would be depressing if I
turned out to be a slug or something. |
|
Why did Harry have a pet
owl instead of something else? |
|
Because owls are easily
the coolest! |
|
How did you think of all
the cool things that happened to Harry? |
|
Sometimes the ideas just
come to me. Other times I have to sweat and almost bleed to make
ideas come. It's a mysterious process, but I hope I never find
out exactly how it works. I like a mystery, as you may have noticed |
|
How would you like teachers
to use your books with students (e.g. discussion, worksheets,
book reports, etc.)? |
|
The teachers I have met
who have used the books in the classroom have all done so very
imaginatively. It's been wonderful to see the work students have
produced. I particularly enjoyed reading essays on what students
think they would see in the Mirror of Erised. Very revealing! |
|
Friends are very important
in your books. What do you think is the most important thing in
friendship? |
|
Acceptance, I think, and
loyalty. There are enough people in the world to give you a hard
time. A friend is someone who gives unconditional support. |
|
Do you ever get writer's
block? What do you do when this happens? |
|
I've only suffered writer's
block badly once, and that was during the writing of Chamber
of Secrets. I had my first burst of publicity about the first
book and it paralysed me. I was scared the second book wouldn't
measure up, but I got through it! |
|
Do you have a favorite
saying or motto? |
|
Draco dormiens numquam
titallandus, of course. |
|
Do you have a favorite
passage from one of your books? |
|
Hard to choose. I like
chapter twelve of Sorcerer's Stone (The Mirror of Erised),
and I am proud of the ending of Goblet of Fire. |
|
How did you make the spells?
Did you make them up, or are they real names of people and places? |
|
The spells are made up.
I have met people who assure me, very seriously, that they are
trying to do them, and I can assure them, just as seriously, that
they don't work. |
|
Are you going to write
a book about other characters than Harry Potter? |
|
Yes, when I've finally
finished all seven Harry Potter books, I will write something
else. |
|
When you were a little
girl, did you dream or ever think of Harry Potter or someone like
him? |
|
Not really, though some
of the fantasies I had as a child (like flying) are in the books. |
|
There are hundreds of rumours
and theories going around about your books! Have you seen these,
and do you plan to use any of the ideas found in them? |
|
No, I'm not using any of
the ideas. To be honest, I avoid reading most of that stuff. Some
of it is funny, some of it is weird, and some is just downright
crazy. |
|
We're doing a lot of writing
at our school. At what age did you start writing, and did you
love to write as a child? |
|
Yes, I loved writing as
a child. I wrote my first "book" when I was six years old about
a rabbit, called "Rabbit." |
|
What do you think about
the movie? Do you think that it'll destroy the adventure of the
books? |
|
If I believed that, I wouldn't
have sold the film rights! |
|
What got you started writing?
And how did you get your breakthrough to get the first book published? |
|
I've been writing since
I was six. It is a compulsion, so I can't really say where the
desire came from — I've always had it. My breakthrough with
the first book came through persistence, because a lot of publishers
turned it down! |
|
Did you use the library
a lot as a child? |
|
Yes, I loved the library,
though I was very bad at returning books on time. I once ran up
a bill at university of over fifty pounds in overdue fines, which
was a lot of money to a struggling student. (It didn't stop me
doing it again though!) |
|
How did you come up with
the idea of the underground chamber in Chamber of Secrets? |
|
I always knew the chamber
was there. I don't know what first gave me the idea; I just liked
the thought that Slytherin had left something of himself behind. |
|
Are you having a lot of
input on the new Harry Potter movie? |
|
I've been allowed a lot
of input. They have been very generous in allowing me to make
my opinions heard! |
|
What person from history
has influenced you the most? |
|
Hmmmmm.....Well, my heroine
(though she's not really from "history") was Jessica Mitford.
I named my daughter after her. I found her inspiring because she
was a brave and idealistic person — the qualities I most
admire, in other words. |
|
Did you write another book
before writing the Harry Potter series? |
|
Yes, I wrote (and almost
finished) two novels for adults and a lot of short stories. I
never finished the first two books because I realised in time
that they were...very bad. |
|
How hard was it to pick
the actors to play the characters in the movie? |
|
I didn't pick them, so
easy for me! But I think they are wonderful. |
|
Are the Harry Potter books
being translated in other languages, like Portuguese/Brazil? |
|
The Harry books are available
in Portuguese, both a Portuguese and a Brazilian version. |
|
How did you get the idea
to send Harry to a wizard school? |
|
The idea as it first came
to me was about a boy who didn't know he was a wizard until he
got his invitation to wizard school, so there was never a question
that Harry would go anywhere else! |
|
Has the huge popularity
of Harry Potter changed the direction of the plot in any way? |
|
No, not at all. People
have asked me whether Rita Skeeter was invented for that purpose,
but in fact she was always planned. I think I enjoyed writing
her a bit more than I would have done if I hadn't met a lot of
journalists, though! |
|
Do wizards and witches
have to go Muggle school before they go to Hogwarts? |
|
No, they don't have to. |
|
How does the Dark Lord
affect American wizards and witches? |
|
He affects everyone, but
his plan is European domination first. |
|
Which house was Lily Potter
in, and what is her maiden name? |
|
Her maiden name was Evans,
and she was in Gryffindor (naturally). |
|
Did you write Harry Potter
because you like fantasy books, or just because the idea came
to you? |
|
The latter. In fact, I
am not a great fan of fantasy books in general, and never read
them! |
|
Do you imagine the pictures
or images in your head before you write, or do you have to draw
them? |
|
I imagine them very clearly
and then attempt to describe what I can see. Sometimes I draw
them for my own amusement! |
|
What grade and subject(s)
did you teach? |
|
French, but it should have
been English. I don't know why I did French at university, except
that my parents wanted me to. So learn from my mistake —
do what you want, not what your parents want! |
|
I'm hooked! My son and
I read them every night. Thank you so much for giving us this
time to share something so wonderful together! He's to be Harry
for Halloween. We'd like to know how soon for the next book (like
everyone else), but mostly just wanted to thank you for sharing
Harry with us! |
|
That's wonderful to hear,
thank you. Well, book five is underway, but I don't yet know when
it will be available. It'll be ready when it's ready, is the best
I can say! |
|
How do you write the really
long books without getting bored? |
|
Oh dear...does that mean
you get bored reading them?! I never get bored with the writing.
I could (and often do) write all day and evening. |
|
Does Harry have a middle
name? |
|
Yep, James after his dad. |
|
From where did you get
the name for Harry Potter? |
|
'Harry' has always been
my favourite boy's name, so if my daughter had been a son, he
would have been Harry Rowling. Then I would have had to choose
a different name for "Harry" in the books, because it would have
been too cruel to name him after my own son. "Potter" was the
surname of a family who used to live near me when I was seven
years old and I always liked the name, so I borrowed it. |
|
Which book was the most
fun for you to write? |
|
Prisoner of Azkaban,
without a doubt. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's my favourite
book. I love them all, but bizarrely the two that were most difficult
to write, Chamber of Secrets and Goblet of Fire — are my favourites. |
|
Do you like being a writer? |
|
I love being a writer.
I am very lucky my life's ambition turned out to be just as much
fun as I thought it would be. |
|
As an adult reader, I loved
the books and was surprised at how much humour is in them. The
Dursleys sound like something out of Monty Python! Do you like
British comedy? |
|
British comedy is an obsession
of mine. I love Monty Python. |
|
There are an extraordinary
number of names that start with "H" (Harry, Hermione, Hedwig,
Hogwarts, Hagrid, Hufflepuff). Is there any reason for that? |
|
Erm...no! |
|
Will you ever write an
official autobiography? |
|
No, I don't think so. My
life is really very boring. You wouldn't want to read about me
cleaning out the rabbit cage! |
|
What is Bonfire Night? |
|
Good question! We celebrate
November 5th in Britain every year. There was a plot to blow up
the Houses of Parliament. The ringleader of the plot was called
Guy Fawkes (spot any Harry Potter connection?!), and we burn him
in effigy and set off fireworks to celebrate not losing our government. |
|
What did you want to be
when you were a kid? |
|
A writer...always. |
|
What books do you read
in your free reading time? |
|
Loads...usually novels
and biographies. |
|
Harry Potter for grownups
again! Is Voldemort the last remaining ancestor of Slytherin,
or the last remaining descendent of Slytherin? |
|
Ah, you spotted the deliberate
error. Yes, it should read "descendent." That's been changed in
subsequent editions. (Keep hold of the "ancestor" one, maybe it'll
be valuable one day!) |
|
Will you ever include more
illustrations? |
|
I don't like too many illustrations
in novels; I prefer to use my imagination about what people look
like. So the answer is, probably not. |
|
What do you think of fan
fiction being written about your characters, and have you read
any of them on the Internet? |
|
I've read some of it. I
find it very flattering that people love the characters that much. |
|
Is there something more
to the cats appearing in the books than first meets the eye? (i.e.
Mrs. Figg's cats, Crookshanks, Prof. McGonagall as a cat, etc.) |
|
Ooooo, another good question.
Let's see what I can tell you without giving anything away....erm....no,
can't do it, sorry. |
|
If you could be a wizard,
who would you be? |
|
If I were a character in
the book, I'd probably be Hermione. She's a lot like me when I
was younger. (I wasn't that clever but I was definitely that annoying
at times!) |
|
When will the movie of
Harry Potter be out? |
|
November 2001 was the last
I heard! |
|
Ms. Rowling, in an article
I read in Good Housekeeping, you stated that the character Hermione
received her personality from her likeness of you at the age.
What other things inspired you for other aspects or details in
your books? |
|
Ron is a lot like my oldest
friend, who is called Sean and with whom I went to school. I never
intended Ron to be like Sean, but he turned out that way. Gilderoy
Lockhart is also a lot like someone I once knew, but I don't think
I'd better elaborate! |
|
What is your favorite wizard
candy? |
|
Chocolate frogs...I'd like
to collect the cards! |
|
How did the Dursleys explain
away the tail when Dudley had to have it removed at the hospital? |
|
They went to a private
hospital where the staff was very discreet, and said that a wart
had got out of control. |
|
How much control do you
have on all of the products flooding the marketplace with a Harry
Potter theme? Do you think they will sell well? |
|
Unless it's a Warner Bros.
product, it shouldn't have Harry's name on it at all, so I have
no control and accept no responsibility! Warner Bros. has allowed
me to have a say in merchandise relating to the film. |
|
Is it true that since Voldemort
took Harry's blood by force, that Harry can kill Voldemort, but
Voldemort can't kill Harry? |
|
It's an interesting theory,
but I wouldn't trust it too much! |
|
Do you still have the napkins
that you wrote the first book on? |
|
I'm giggling...where did
you read that? I didn't write on napkins; I wrote in notepads.
We really need to squash this myth before people ask to see the
used tea bags on which I drafted the first book! |
|
Is the Mrs. Figg with all
the cats in the Dursleys' neighborhood the same Arabella Figg
that Dumbledore mentioned at the end of book 4? |
|
Well spotted! |
|
The Harry Potter series
has lots of humorous moments. Do you consider yourself to be a
really funny person? |
|
No, not really. I think
I am funnier on paper than I am in person; the exact reverse of
my sister who is very funny in person, but writes dull letters! |
|
Can you explain how Lupin
turns into a werewolf, since he didn't turn in the Shrieking Shack
in Prisoner of Azkaban, but instead he turned only when
the full moonlight hit him outside the tunnel? If he only turned
into a wolf in the moonlight, why didn't he just stay inside?
Did it have to do with the potion? Or was the moon not up yet? |
|
The moon wasn't up when
he entered the Shrieking Shack. |
|
As the author, when reading
your books, can you enjoy them as a reader and sympathize with
Harry, or is it too hard to be "objective"? |
|
Too hard to be objective.
When I re-read the books, I often catch myself re-editing them.
It's an uncomfortable experience. However, the more time elapses,
the less I find myself doing that — I can now read Sorcerer's
Stone fairly comfortably. |
|
How many students attend
Hogwarts, and how many students per year per house? |
|
There are about a thousand
students at Hogwarts. |
|
Did you ever make a study
of herbs and other Hogwarts subjects, or did you create all those
classes from inspiration? |
|
Most of the magic is made
up. Occasionally I will use something that people used to believe
was true — for example, the "Hand of Glory" which Draco gets
from Borgin and Burkes in Chamber of Secrets. |
|
You said Ron's cousin was
taken out of Book 4, and you developed Rita Skeeter more after
that. Do you still think that it would have been more fun to keep
her? Can you tell me anything about what she was going to be like? |
|
Well, maybe I will use
her in another book, so I don't want to talk about her too much.
I had never "killed" a character before (in either sense) until
Goblet of Fire, so that made writing the book a little more stressful! |
|
Why was a different cover
illustration chosen for the books sold in the United States? Why
do those books have illustrations at the beginning of each chapter
but the British books do not? |
|
Publishers choose to do
things differently, and I'm glad about that. It's very exciting
for authors to see their work in many different versions. I love
the look of the American books, especially the chapter illustrations. |
|
In the second book, Harry
and Ron went to the girls' toilet and met McGonagall. They told
her that they were going to visit Hermione, and she started crying.
Why? |
|
She found it very touching
that Harry and Ron were missing Hermione so badly (or so she thought).
Under that gruff exterior, Professor McGonagall is a bit of an
old softy, really. |
|
How old is old in the wizarding
world, and how old are Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall? |
|
Dumbledore is a hundred
and fifty, and Professor McGonagall is a sprightly seventy. Wizards
have a much longer life expectancy than Muggles. (Harry hasn't
found out about that yet.) |
|
How does the wizarding
world protect Muggle banks and vaults, etc. from wizards apparating
into them and stealing the contents? |
|
Well, the Ministry of Magic
keeps tabs on people apparating. That's why you have to have a
license to do it, and the moment you abuse it you can find yourself
in serious trouble (or Azkaban!). |
|
What position did James
play on the Gryffindor Quidditch team? Was it seeker like Harry,
or something different? |
|
James was Chaser. |
|
How painful is the editing
process for you? Compared with writing a first draft, how long
do you spend editing? Who do you conference with? |
|
I work with my editors.
I enjoy the editing process, but I edit fairly extensively myself
before my editors get to see the book, so it's never a very long
job. |
|
Are you writing all the
books at the same time, like in little pieces, while concentrating
mostly on the present one, or do you just have a general idea
about them? |
|
During the first five years
that I was writing the series, I made plans and wrote small pieces
of all the books. I concentrate on one book at a time, though
occasionally I will get an idea for a future book and scribble
it down for future reference. |
|
Any plans for a video game
soon? |
|
I think there probably
will be a video game, but when, I have no idea. |
|
Do you think elementary-age
children will be able to read the other three books in the series? |
|
Yes, I do. I personally
feel the books are suitable for people aged 8 years and over.
Though my daughter, who is seven, has read them all and not been
very frightened — but maybe she's tough, like her mother! |
|
When you are not writing
or reading, what things do you enjoy in your free time? |
|
Let's see.....when I'm
not reading, writing or spending time with my daughter, there
isn't much time left over, but I like travelling most. |
|
Some sets on the movies
are already being created. Do you think they represent how you
envisioned them in the book? Have you had any input on the shooting
locations? |
|
I know they look as I imagined
them (those that have been done so far)! |
|
Hello, I was wondering
how much Tolkien inspired and influenced your writing? |
|
Hard to say. I didn't read
The Hobbit until after the first Harry book was written, though
I read Lord of the Rings when I was nineteen. I think, setting
aside the obvious fact that we both use myth and legend, that
the similarities are fairly superficial. Tolkien created a whole
new mythology, which I would never claim to have done. On the
other hand, I think I have better jokes. |
|
Ms. Rowling, for being
fictional books, the Harry Potter books have a great grasp of
the Latin language. I have noticed that many, if not most, of
the names and incantations are of Latin heritage. How much research
does it take to give these books their Latin heritage? |
|
My Latin, such as it is,
is self-taught. I enjoy feeling that wizards would continue to
use this dead language in their everyday life. |
|
Will you have a cameo in
the Harry Potter movie? |
|
No, definitely not. I hate
watching myself on-screen! |
|
If there were one thing
you could change about the world, what would it be? |
|
I would make each and every
one of us much more tolerant. |
|
Do any of the things that
happen in the Harry Potter books reflect any of your childhood
fantasies? |
|
Flying, definitely. And
who wouldn't want to be able to use the Jelly-Legs Curse? |
|
Why did you choose the
owl as the animal messenger in your books? |
|
Owls are traditionally
associated with magic, and I like them. |
|
Our thanks to J.K. Rowling
for joining us today. Any thoughts you would like to leave us
with? |
|
Keep reading! (And it doesn't
have to be Harry Potter!) |
