INTERVIEW OF J. K. ROWLING ( II )

How did you get the idea for Harry Potter?

I was taking a long train journey from Manchester to London in England and
the idea for Harry just fell into my head. At that point it was essentially the
idea for a boy who didn't know he was a wizard, and the wizard school he
ended up going to.


How long did it take to write the first book?

5 years, although during that time I was also planning & writing parts of the
six sequels.


What did you have to do to make sure readers could start with "Harry
Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" and not be confused?

It's becoming more of a challenge to keep new readers up to speed with every
new Harry book (I'm currently writing the fourth). In the case of 'Chamber of
Secrets' matters were relatively straightforward; I tried to introduce information
about Harry and his first year at Hogwarts in as natural a way as possible.
However, by the time I reach books five and six, this is going to be much
harder. It makes me think of 'previously on ER...' when you have to watch
thirty minutes of clips to understand that week's episode. Maybe I'll just write
a preface: 'previously in Harry Potter...' and tell readers to go back and read
books 1 - 4!


What kind of manuscript changes had to be made to make the U.S.
version more understandable to American readers? Specific things,
like the title change of the first Harry Potter book?

Very few changes have been made in the manuscript. Arthur Levine, my
American editor, and I decided that words should be altered only where we
felt they would be incomprehensible, even in context, to an American reader. I
have had some criticism from other British writers about allowing any
changes at all, but I feel the natural extension of that argument is to go and
tell French and Danish children that we will not be translating Harry Potter, so
they'd better go and learn English.

The title change was Arthur's idea initially, because he felt that the British
title gave a misleading idea of the subject matter. We discussed several
alternative titles and 'Sorcerer's Stone' was my idea.


Did you always plan to write Harry's story in more than one book? If
so, how many?

I always conceived it as a seven-book series because I decided that it would
take seven years from the ages of 11-17, inclusive, to train as a wizard, and
each of the books would deal with a year of Harry's life at Hogwarts.


Any hints you could share about what to expect in future Harry Potter
books?

The theme running through all seven books is the fight between good and evil,
and I'm afraid there will be casualties! Children usually beg me not to kill Ron
whenever I tell them this; they seem to think he is most vulnerable, probably
because he is the hero's best friend!


How do you come up with all the unique names, places and things
that help make Harry Potter so intriguing?

Many of the names are invented, for example 'Quidditch' and 'Muggle'. I also
collect unusual names, and I take them from all sorts of different places.
'Hedwig' was a saint, 'Dumbledore' is an old English word for 'bumble bee' and
'Snape' is the name of a place in England.


What do you think it is about Harry Potter that connects with so many
people?

It's very hard to think about my work in those terms, because I really wrote it
entirely for myself; it is my sense of humour in the books, not what I think
children will find funny, and I suppose that would explain some of the appeal
to adults. On the other hand, I think that I have very vivid memories of how it
felt to be Harry's age, and children seem to identify strongly with Harry and
his friends.


Did you ever expect Harry Potter to be so successful?

I would have been crazy to have expected what has happened to Harry. The
most exciting moment for me, against very stiff competition, was when I found
out Harry was going to be published. It was my life's ambition to see a book I
had written on a shelf in a bookshop. Everything that has happened since has
been extraordinary and wonderful, but the mere fact of being able to say I was
a published author was the fulfillment of a dream I had had since I was a very
small child.


Are you surprised to see Harry Potter connecting with so many adults,
as well as kids?

I didn't write with a target audience in mind. What excited me was how much
I would enjoy writing about Harry. I never thought about writing for children -
children's books chose me. I think if it is a good book anyone will read it.


Harry Potter was first successful in England, and then in the United
States. Where else has Harry Potter been released? What similarities
and/or differences have you found in the response to Harry Potter in
different countries? And, since each of the editions is packaged
differently, do you have a favorite?

Harry is now published, or will be published shortly, in Britain, America,
Brazil, Holland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece,
Czechoslovakia, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Japan. My favourite
cover is the American one - I am very much hoping to meet the illustrator,
Mary Grandpre - but I also love the Dutch edition.


Of the many things you must have heard people say about Harry
Potter, what are some of your favorites?

My very favourite was from a twelve-year-old Scottish girl who came to hear
me read at the Edinburgh book festival. The event was sold out and the queue
for signing at the end was very long. When the girl in question finally reached
me she said, 'I didn't WANT there to be so many people here, because this is
MY book!' That is exactly how I feel about my favourite books... nobody else
has a right to know them, let alone like them!


How has your success as an author impacted your lifestyle? Is there
something you always wanted to do that you are able to do now that
you have the chance?

I never expected to be talking to journalists or doing lots of promotional work,
and I have reached the point now where I have to say 'no' to a lot of things just
to make sure that I get enough time to write. On the other hand, I love
travelling, and the chance to visit places I have never seen before - my trip to
the U.S. last October to promote the book was my first ever, and I fell in love
with New York and San Francisco - is absolutely wonderful.


Are you recognized, now? Do you get stopped for autographs? How
does that feel?

I am rarely recognized and I am very happy about that, because I like being
an anonymous person! It usually happens when I'm writing in cafes, because
the connection between me and cafes is strongly imprinted in Edinburgh
peoples' minds. Occasionally I have handed over my credit card and people
have recognized the name, which is a very comfortable level of
recognisability. One shop assistant told me she had taken the second Harry
to read on her honeymoon! The most embarrassing occasion was when I took
my daughter to see 'A Bug's Life' with some friends, and a woman with a
party of a dozen little girls asked me if she could take a picture of me with all
her charges.


Are you excited about the movie deal for Harry Potter? Where else
might we see Harry Potter in the future (toys, video games, etc.)?

I am very excited (and a little bit nervous) about Harry Potter the Movie.
Warner Brothers have bought merchandising rights, so it is possible that we
will be seeing Harry Potter toys.


Is this the first book/story you ever wrote?
If not, is it the first one ever published?

It is the first book I have ever
published. At the time I got the idea for Harry I had written and put aside two
adult novels.


Did you always want to be a writer?

Yes, ever since the age of five or six, when I wrote my first 'book' - a story
about a rabbit called 'Rabbit'.


Where, when, and how do you write?

Any time, any place, and longhand!


Do you have any plans, as a writer, beyond Harry Potter?

I have always written and I know that I always will; I would be writing even if I
hadn't been published. However, Harry is a large and all-consuming project,
and I really haven't got time, at the moment, to decide what will come next.


What books and authors did you read as a kid? Which are your
biggest influences?

I most admire E. Nesbit, Paul Gallico and C.S.Lewis. My favourite book as a
child was 'The Little White Horse' by Elizabeth Goudge.


What are you reading now?

The last novel I read was 'Captain Corelli's Mandolin,' by Louis de Bernieres,
which I loved.


What advice would you give to young writers today?

I doubt a writer who has got what it takes will need me to tell them this, but -
persevere!


What do you like best about your life as a children's book writer?

The writing!


If you were not writing, what might you be doing, instead?

Well - as you can see by the answer above, I would be at a dead loss.
Profession-wise, I would still be teaching, which I enjoyed.


What are your hobbies? Favorite holidays (and how do you celebrate
them)?

I was embarrassed the other day to discover that I didn't have much to say to
the question 'what are your hobbies?' (asked by a nine year old boy). The
truth is that if I'm not looking after my daughter, spending time with friends or
reading, I am writing. The boy who'd asked seemed quite frustrated by this
answer, but the truth of the matter is that even if writing is now my full-time
profession, it is also my greatest pleasure.

I doubt if it will come as a surprise to anybody that I love Hallowe'en. Although
I missed last year, because I was in the U.S., I usually hold a big Hallowe'en
party for my friends and their children.


Other things that help define who you are (foods, TV shows, etc.)?

I will eat almost anything except tripe, which unfortunately was the speciality
in Oporto, where I lived for three years. TV shows: I love comedy, mostly
British, though I love Frasier and The Simpsons.


You live in Scotland, but what other countries have you visited?
Which are your favorites? If you were to move, where would you choose?

I have lived in England, France and Portugal, and visited many others. I loved
Portugal (my daughter is half-Portuguese) and I'm looking forward to taking
her back there and trying to explain why we left the blazing sunshine for fog
and snow.


What does your daughter think of your work? What books do you want
and like to read with her? And her to read on her own?

She is still too young for me to read the Harry Potter books to her, but I am
really looking forward to a time when I can share them with her. She loves the
Beatrix Potter books and I recently read her 'The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe', which she thoroughly enjoyed.

http://www.gigglepotz.com/