(Permission for J.K. Rowling photos from www.darkmark.com)
Joanna Kathleen (J.K.) Rowling was born on July 31, 1965 in Chipping Sodbury, England. When she was born her name was Joanna Rowling, but when her favorite grandmother died she took her grandmothers name as part of hers (Kathleen). After this tragic event, J.K. Rowling started to write her first Harry Potter book. In her first Harry Potter book she made a special mirror . This mirror showed people their wish. J.K. Rowling made this part of the book in memory of her grandmother. After she wrote this she wished she could find a mirror like this and see her grandmother again. As for her home life, even though her marriage fell apart with her working husband, J.K Rowling still had probably her greatest joy in life, her daughter named Jessica.
J.K. Rowling got the idea for Harry Potter while she was riding on a four-hour delayed train. At this point she had the idea of a young boy who didn't know he was a wizard and the idea for the other characters. She even had a basic plot for the first book. This book (called Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in England but is known as Hary Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) was published in 1996. She then continued to write Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (the second book), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (the third book), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (the fourth book), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (the fifth book), and has just recently written Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (the sixth and newest book). Isn't it strange that her first published book was written in a train cafe' while her daughter slept. Harry Potter helped drag her out of her depression. Wow! What a success story!
