In The News
J. K. Rowling Talks Marriage, Writing and More at Open Book Tour Stop in New York City
J.K. RowlingMore news has come from author J. K. Rowling’s Open Book Tour stop this morning in New York City as we have received a few reports from this morning’s event. The first comes from Bloomberg which reports of a senior from Concord High School on Staten Island, Kristian Cuzco, question to Jo regarding marriage. She asks, “If you could marry anyone from the Harry Potter series, who would it be?” Jo’s reply:
“I actually married Harry Potter. My husband’s here, and if you have seen a photo of my husband, I think Harry Potter will look like that once he hits a certain age,”...
I married a really good person. Harry is a really good person. And he’s a gutsy person.”
This article features more on this morning’s event and notes Jo’s comments on two other male characters in her series, Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy. She references the popularity of Draco, especially among girls, and playfully cautions readers by saying: “But as I’ve said before: No! No! Please don’t pass for Draco. I’ve given you an array of pleasant characters.” She also talks of creating Ron, a character she admits she has dated “more than once,” and that, “Ron is funny, very funny; he’s insensitive. There’s a lot of immaturity about Ron, and that’s where a lot of the humor comes from. He’s not much fun to date, but he’s great as a friend.’‘
Further news comes from TLC Reader GraceAnne, who was also lucky enough to see Jo’s reading this morning. She writes of an event she felt privileged to attend and describes Jo as ”...the perfect author.”
She writes:
She read the chapter where Harry departs from Privet Drive and the Dursleys. It was terrific to hear her words in her own voice.Then she answered questions. About ten children, from 9-17, from all over the city, introduced themselves, their grades, ages, and schools, and asked their questions.
To an aspiring writer, her advice was read, write, and “stories are better if they are rooted in your feelings.” She said with heartfelt intensity that she loved writing the Harry Potter books – just loved it.
“The desire for magic is a deep-rooted desire” in humankind, she said, and that “Human nature remains the same whether or not you have a wand.”
In response to some questions about the couples, Jo allowed as how “in my younger days, I dated Ron more than once.” She said Hermione and Ron were meant to be together from the first. Ginny and Harry are soulmates, with a passionate connection. And, “Girls! Don’t fancy Draco!”
She said she did marry Harry Potter, and that her husband was in the audience (!)
Rowling suggested that Dudley and Harry had a Christmas card sort of keeping in touch, and that Harry’s kids and Dudley’s probably didn’t like each other very much but now and then would all get together while the adults sat in awkward silence. She said that the lightning scar was chosen for its “elemental power … and it’s cool shape,” answered a question about how complicated it is for the wealthy Harry to give money to the poorer Weasleys, and stressed that Dumbledore loved Harry like a son.
Then the adults left and she sat down to sign 1600 books, one for each child. As I left, the first set of children were leaving too, and one little boy just kept chanting, “I touched her! I touched her!”
Fashion alert: a midnight navy or black (the lights made it hard to tell) silk shantung suit: pencil slim short skirt, open jacket, scoop- neck blouse. Black stockings, high heels. Red nail polish, elegant white gold lariat necklace. Her manner was warm, polished, open, and perfectly delightful. The noise level when the audience cheered was louder than it was when I saw Bruce Springsteen the other week.
What an amazing experience.
Finally, we have a few new pictures from the event. Reader Tina sent us in some pictures she snapped during the book signing this morning. You can see these pictures in our Image Galleries right here.
In a matter of hours Jo will be reading before an audience of contest winners at Carnegie Hall. More info when we get it!
Many thanks to GraceAnne and Tina!
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Hey Ron fans, now you know how it feels to be a Draco fan girl everytime Rowling speaks! :p She really dislikes the idea of any of her female fans being attracted to any other male other than her Harry Stu, doesn’t she? It’s creepy, especially now with the added “I’m married to harry in real life11!!” stuff. Ew.
I found both the Ron/Hermione and Harry/Ginny couples pretty obvious since the second book, so it’s nice to hear JKR planned it all along.
J.K. Rowling, you were thought of as a genious writer who brought back hope into the existence of goodness, of unconditional devotion, of good guidance through the personality of Dumbledore; a professor who reached a level of spirutuality and put his whole life to build a generation which can discern good from evil and learn how to fight it while keeping themselves whole and pur. How ridicule and pitiful to discuss such character’s sexuality; it shows nothing but how superficially people took your books and the messages – we thought – you were trying to communicate to generations to come. What a pitty!
Foofy, I so agree with you. Ron is one of or maybe my favourite characters in the book, and I got so mad about what J.K. Rowling said about how insensitive he was. He matured a lot in the last book, look at the silver doe chapter, he heard hermione’s voice from the deluminator and realized he ought to be with her, that he loved her. And his brother died for god sake’s! Being through war doesnt leave you without any maturing at all. And foofy, you are right, Ron is insecure because he feels overshadowed, and i understand him, and i understand that he loves hermione too. I hate the fact that JK had to say that she married harry in real life, now its like hermione married harry in real life too and dated ron a few times but prefers him as a friend. What the hell was that??? Hasnt she always said that Ron and Hermione were meant to be together and Harry and Hermione were very platonic?? I hate when she writes something in the books but says something completely different in the interviews.
“I hate when she writes something in the books but says something completely different in the interviews.”
Rock on girl! The books say something but the author gives totally diferent interviews. That Dumbledore is gay bomb totally spooked me. What if she says that Harry and Hermione are unconsciously in love with each other all along but just CHose another path? That seems to be the big theme in the HP series: CHOice.
“What if she says that Harry and Hermione are unconsciously in love with each other all along but just CHose another path? That seems to be the big theme in the HP series: CHOice.”
But she didn´t say that. She said Harry and Ginny are soulmates and Ron and Hermione love each other. That´s what she wrote in the books and that´s what she elaborated on in interviews. She clearly said in NY (albeit in refernce to another question) that Ron has grown up in DH. Why do people harp in her comment that Ron is immature and insensitive. She obviously was referrig to pre-DH, pre-adult Ron. And she is right. Book 1 -6 Ron was quite immature and insenstive. Most of it born out of insecurity. As far as I am concerned, she cemented the canon couples in NY. H/Hr shippers have nothing to go on there. It´s not canon and it will never be. Most of them enjoy their fanon ship and that is wonderful.
I just got so mad you know…JK confuses me sometimes. She said Harry wasnt a Hurcrux after all, and she wrote in the books that he was, and then she marries Harry, and then… AAAHHHH!!! I actually reread the chapters in Deathly Hallows when Ron goes away, how Hermione cries for him, and the reason he returned. The Deluminator. It’s so obvious in the books that Ron loves Hermione and Hermione loves him. And it made me feel much better what you said Accio_HP7, Ron and Hermione is canon and it always will be! JK just confuses me a lot sometimes. Dumbledore gay??? Never saw that one coming.
Granger-Weasley: “JK just confuses me a lot sometimes. Dumbledore gay??? Never saw that one coming.”
Yes, it seems she contradicts herself sometimes, but i think mostly it´s because some of her statements are not put into context. And we should cut this woman a bit of slack, IMO. ;) She is bombarded with questions in the face of 1,600 people and hasn´t the time to elaborate fully on an issue. I guess that´s why some of what she says seem to be contradictory although she basically refers to a development rather than to a fix status quo.
And no one writes such scenes like the one you have just re-read, without being certain that the two characters involved really love each other and are suited for a long-term relationship. :D
You really think so, Accio_HP7? You comfort me. I just love Ron and Hermione so much. So you don’t think Rowling meant Hermione really chose Harry instead of Ron when she said she herself had married Harry in real life?
No, really not. JKR chose someone like Harry for herself. But Hermione is not JKR. So while boys like Ron were not right for JKR, Ron is absolutely right for Hermione. JKR, at least that´s my impression, loves this fictional relationship herself too much. I can imagine she had loads of fun with it. LoL And they are fictional. It happens what JKR writes and nothing else and she has written them happily married in the epilogue. Why should she write a marriage in the epilogue which she imagines would not work out? I don´t think we have to worry at all. I love Ron and Hermione very much also. Had a lot of fun reading it.
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There’s no reason why H/Hr shippers would go crazy over what JKR said. There’s a little bit of JK’s personality in both characters. I mean Hermione is not Jo! And about her saying that Ron is insensitive is being taken too seriously (although I also didn’t like her choice of words). He was insensitive, but he matured a lot in the last book. Ron and Hermione work well together because their differences compliment each other. Hermione is a know it all and can be a bit too opinionated and crazy herself. Instead of just asking Ron to the Yule Ball herself she goes with Viktor Krum and even while seeing Ron’s jealousy snogs Krum later on. Then she hurls canaries at him when he starts dating Lavender. Ron is not very tactful sometimes but that is what I love about him. Fans of Ron understand the pains of what it’s like to be him. The youngest boy, always overshadowed, and insecure. The locket scene made me cry because it was one of those moments where the readers actually got to understand his fears and vulnerable feelings. Ron is the most insensitive but he’s also the one least understood and appreciated. I wish JK could have had some better things to say about him.