As readers will recall, author J.K. Rowling has stated several times recently that she is at work on two new projects, one for adults and one for children. The Telegraph has more today on Jo’s efforts with the new book for children, with a brief interview where Jo says she is returning again to write in cafes, just as she did writing the Harry Potter series. Quotage:
“I will continue writing for children because that’s what I enjoy,” reveals Jo, who greatly misses the child wizard. “It’s left me with the biggest emptiness in my life.” She will, however, leave behind the magical world of Hogwarts. “I believe that it’s good for me and good for my readers that I bring myself to work on something different,” she declares.
In a search for inspiration, Jo discloses that she has returned to the Edinburgh cafes where she completed her first novel while unemployed and living on benefits: “I am very good at finding a suitable cafe. I blend into the crowd and, of course, I don’t sit in the middle of the bar staring all around me. In 90 per cent of cases, it’s the cafe’s staff who allow me to work without being bothered.”
On a related note, the worst sort of Muggles or Death Eaters have been out and about recently, as vandals have apparently made off with one of two plaques at the cafe in Edinburgh, Scotland where she wrote much of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s (Philosopher’s) Stone. The Scotsman reports:
Staff at the Buffet King restaurant on Nicolson Street, which used to be Nicolson’s Cafe, said a small brass plaque dedicated to the city author had been taken from the front entrance…One restaurant worker said:”It is only a small plaque and we didn’t even know it had been stolen until someone pointed it out to us.We haven’t contacted the police about it. It’s probably a waste of time for them to even try and find out who stole it.”The city’s culture leader, Deidre Brock, said: “I am hopeful that it is found and put back soon.” The plaque was one of two set up on the street in honour of the writer. The other – which was unveiled by the Edinburgh City of Literature Trust in 2006 – is still in place, fixed to the outside of the building.
Susan Cooper has never again (IMO) written anything as good as The Dark is Rising series. But some of the other stuff she’s written is still well worth reading: “not as good as TDiR” still leaves a lot of room for excellence.
Just to clarify one thing: I have been a huge fan until Deathly Hallows came out.
And the first part of my post just said that there are people in the world (me included) who cannot occupy themselves with many tasks at the same time. And I wondered if Jo belonged to them. It was actually a defense for Jo!
And it is a fact that many adult readers turned away after DH (or even before). You just had to check the debate that was going on at amazon when they had this forum for beedle the bard.
And again I stress that this is a discussion forum here not a one-opinion-borg-ship
Lynn,
I hope that you are not as obtuse as you sound. “One trick pony” indeed! How incredibly insulting!
To minimalize Jo’s accomplishment (and her dedication to the Harry project) by saying that she should have written something else at the same time, is just absurd. The magnitude and complexity of what she created not only the main story of Harry, but all the subplots, the characters, microscopic DETAILS, and entire Wizarding Universe, is mind boggling! Plus, all the history (muggle, magical, and mythological), intricately woven in … wondrous indeed!
IMO, Granted, several inspirations for future stories, probably ran through her brain during the time she was writing the HP novels, but she just jotted the ideas down for consideration at a later date … once Harry’s adventure had come to it’s conclusion. She refused to “sidelined” or distracted … for that she has my undying gratitude! Even getting married and having two more children, did not slow her down that much!
IF her future works do not garner as much success as the Harry Potter series has, SO WHAT? Does that diminsh what she has already done?
JKR is an extraordinarily creative writer! She gave us a beautiful gift! Enjoy it and quit being so small minded and petty!
If any cretins out there believe that Harry Potter is all that she has in her, you are as myopic as you present yourself.
We will be able to share with future generations the stories about the agony of waiting for the next Harry Potter book. The ECSTASY of finally getting it into our hands and devouring every word. They will be blessed because they will be able to read them back-to-back!
Jo has written something for the ages, the not so simple adventure of a little orphaned boy named Harry that was a wizard! Thank You Jo, from Me and those yet to be!
I think it’s wonderful that she is enjoying writing in cafes again. It’s so poetic; the scribe, concentrating on her work as the world of the cafe moves around her – people coming and going like characters in her tale. It ranks right up there with writing on parchment under candlelight!
I wish you Jo all the inspiration in the universe to create new worlds with characters we will love and despise. Enjoy taking time – there are many of us who want you to enjoy your own life.
Secunda, if you hate HP/JKR so much as this point, why are you always on Leaky? Just wondering. If it were me, I’d occupy my time with something that actually made me happy.
And I also wonder how anyone can judge Jo’s capability to write outside of the Potterverse before having read any of her post-Potter works.
For some reason this part of my posting got mangled, but it does bear repeating:
Jo has written something for the ages, the not so simple adventure of a little orphaned boy named Harry that was a wizard! Thank You Jo, from Me and those yet to be!
Many an artistic person,albeit books ,art,music ,film,stage, etc have had one
thing that drew them the fame they retained ,but went on to other less famous or profitable works.It doesn’t mean those were any less good are
worthwild ventures.Often they are far better than most works.The thought that a work of anykind has to amass mega $$ and
recieve mass acclaim is rediculious that that work was not as worthy of prase as the work that attained mass acclaim.
Smaller ventures are very worth while too and should not be rediculed as not as important [or of any improtance]as all of that persons work should be concidered
worthy .And SO I think will be true of Jo Rowling.
Ananin I say write your own darn books and get your own rewrds ,if YOU are worthy.
I’m guessing we’ll see one of her new books NEXT summer, 2 years after the publication of Deathly Hallows. It’s gonna be wonderfully weird reading something by her that’s NOT got Harry as the main character!
I always wondered whether she ever considered releasing something new under a pseudonym because her name is so synonymous with HP. She may have already done so for all we know.
I live in edburgh, and im sure i saw her in a small coffee house on Laurenston place after OoTP came out… Its nice to hear that people are leaving her be to write. For myself, i would find it difficult not to go up and speak to her. I do all my Uni. revision in coffee houses and i am alwase hoping she will turn up…
"Stand aside! I will kill him! He is mine!" shrieked Voldemort.[br]Harry's hand had closed on Cedric's wrist; one tombstone stood between him and Voldemort, but Cedric was too heavy to carry, and the cup was out of reach --[br]Voldemort's red eyes flamed
Susan Cooper has never again (IMO) written anything as good as The Dark is Rising series. But some of the other stuff she’s written is still well worth reading: “not as good as TDiR” still leaves a lot of room for excellence.