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Life for J. K. Rowling wasn't always magical. Through the good and the bad time, Harry was always there, just waiting to be released into the world. One thing is for sure, if Joanne Kathleen Rowling had never wrote the beloved stories of our dear boy wizard, Harry Potter, she wouldn't have brought magic back into our Muggle world! Born July 31 (also Harry's Birthday) 1965 in Chipping Sudbury, Gloucestshire, England, near Bristol and just a few miles south of a town called Dursley (Harry's Muggle Family) Joanne Rowling started her life. Her mother, Anna Volent and her father, Peter Rowling met at King's Cross Station and a year later married. Jo has one younger sister named Dianne (nickname Di). At the age of five, Rowling began making up stories for her sister. These stories often featured rabbits. Jo recalls really wanting a rabbit of her own and this is why her earliest stories were about rabbits. One story named Rabbit was about a rabbit with measles that was visited by a large bee named Miss Bee. This was the first story Jo had ever written. In 1971, the Rowling family moved to a near by village, Yates then called Winterbourne, when Jo was four years of age. It was at this time, Jo and Di were friends with an Ian and Vikki Potter. They would often play witches and wizards and other games suggested by Rowling. Jo then attended St. Michaela's Primary [grade] school. At the young age of seven, Rowling wrote yet another story. This time her storytelling took a turn into an action packed adventure with plenty of chills. Her story was called "The Seven Cursed Diamond". Rowling remembers thinking that she was writing a novel. "But I think now that it was only a very long short story." Jo recalls. Three years later, in 1974, just around Rowling's 9th birthday, the family moved to Tutshill, which is near Chepstow, South Wales. "This move happen coincided almost exactly after the death of my favorite grandmother, Kathleen." Jo remembers. Kathleen was the middle initial, Jo would later take when her publisher were worried that the target audience of young boys might be reluctant to buy books written by a female author. They requested that Rowling use two initials, rather than reveal her first name.She attended Tutshill Primary School. Jo just like all of us went through a stage of finding out where she belonged. "It was a very small, very old-fashion place," she remembers for an interview for the Okubooks website. She had a hard time fitting in. She was the new kid in school and she had to deal with having one of her teachers, Mrs. Morgan identify her as dumb! Jo had a tough first year at her new school, but quickly found the group of kids who saw her for the wonderful person she is. Jo then graduated from Tutshill Primary School and moved onto secondary school. She attended secondary [middle/high] school at Wyedean School at the age of eleven. Yet again, Rowling had to find her place in the new school. She managed to find girls just like her and quickly joined in on the fun of high school. Here she met Sean Harris while in the Upper Sixth [12th grade]. Chamber of Secrets is dedicated to him and he is the rightful owner of the Ford Anglia car featured in Chamber as the Weasley family's enchanted flying car. At the young age of 15, Rowling's mother, Anna was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), which is a disease that affects the central nervous system and can be deadly. With time her condition only worsened. In her senior year at Wyedean, Jo was made Head Girl, which is a great honor. She graduated with high honors in 1983. Today, the school's library is dedicated to her. The idea for the famous boy wizard, Harry Potter came to Jo while she was on a four hour delayed train ride from Manchester to London in 1990. "I was sitting on the train, just staring out the window at some cows. It was not the most inspiring subject. When all of a sudden the idea for Harry just appeared in my mind's eye. I can't tell you why or what triggered it. But I saw the idea of Harry and the wizard school very plainly. I suddenly had the basic idea of a boy who didn't know what he was," she said in an interview for School Library Journal. Jo had no pen or paper with her, so instead she let the famous boy who lived and the magical world that he lives in, simply full her head with ideas. That evening Jo poured her ideas onto paper. Little did she know that Harry really was going to become famous. Over the next six year, she wrote and rewrote what was going to be the start of the epic series. On December 30,1990 tragedy struck Rowling as her mother, Anne past away from a long battle with MS. Shortly after the death of her mother, Rowling moved to Porto, Portugal to teach English as a foreign language. While she was there, she met a Portuguese television journalist, Jorge Arant who she married on October 16 1992. They had one child together. Her name is Jessica Isabel, born July 27 1993. Jessica after Jo's heroine, Jessica Mitford, the feminist author who was one of Jo's all time favorite authors. Shortly after, in 1993, the couple divorced. In December 1994, Rowling and her 3-month-old daughter moved closer to her sister, Di, just in time for Christmas. They moved to Edinburgh, Scotland. This is where the Rowling family presently lives. While there, Rowling finished the first book of her seven book series. "Rowling found herself in the classic single-mother trap," explained a Time contributor. She had no reliable job and was living on state founding. Inspire the popular belief, Rowling did not write Harry on napkins. She wrote on regular paper but however, she did write the entire book by hand. Jo spent her time writing in local cafes and pubs such as, Nicholson's in Edinburgh. In 1996, Jo handed her finished manuscript of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone to a publishing agent only to get rejected. JK was determined to get her book published, so she tried yet again. This time she handed her manuscript to Christopher Little, who fell in love with our favorite wizard, Harry Potter. They contacted a number of publishers over a year's time. Finally, in August 1996, Bloomsbury Publisher, who publishes the Harry Potter series over in Britain, said the magic words and the first of the seven book series was published. The rest is history! Meanwhile over in the US, Arthur Levine, of Scholastic, who is the American publishers of Harry Potter, bid $105,000 for publishing right for the award winning series. In June 1997, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was named Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone magically appeared in bookstores worldwide! Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was released worldwide in July of 1998. And Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban found it's way onto bookshelves, in July 1999. Warner Brothers bought the film rights to the book in 1999. Production began in 2000, with Chris Columbus as the films director. Rowling insisted that the entire cast be British same as the books; and that any change away from the books, must be approved by her. The screenplay was written by Steve Kloves. The film was primarily filmed in Leavesden Film Studios located on the outskirts of London. Around the same time as filming for first movie started, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire flew into stores in July 2000. With the film following right behind, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone hit theatres on November 16, 2001. On December 26 2001, Joanne married Dr. Neil Murray in the library of their new home in Perthshire, Scotland. Murray is perfect for Jo. He has been described as an adult version of Harry and both Murray and Rowling have gone through a divorce. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets hit the big screen on November 15, 2002. Then in March of 2003, Jo gave birth to David Gordon Rowling Murray. Three years came and went before the 5th installment of the series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix hit bookstores on June 21, 2003. On May 31, 2004, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban flew into theatres. Then in January 2005, Mackenzie Jean Rowling Murray was born. Later in July 2005, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince casted a spell on Muggles of all ages. The book quickly became the fastest selling book in history! No surprise there! Borders reported sales over one million books within the first 48 hours of release [E! Online, 2005]. Then in November 18 of 2005, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire appeared into theatres. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is now playing in a theatre near you! Released on July 11, 2007, under the direction of David Yates, who will also be directing Half-Blood Prince, is a wonderful 5th installment for the film series. The last and final book of the Harry Potter series, Book seven Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out in bookstores worldwide on July 21st of 2007.
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