YAHOOLIGANS (USA)
(KIDS' SECTION OF YAHOO! SEARCH ENGINE)
PART 1

October 20, 2000

Yahooligans and Barnes & Noble (USA) teamed up to host this chat.

Jkrowling_bn: I'm here!!!

Barnesandnoble_host: Welcome, J.K. Rowling!

Jkrowling_bn: great to be here

Yahooligan_Heather asks: What are you plans after you have finished the Harry Potter series? Are you considering writing a sequel series with Harry's own children, or other characters we have met?

Jkrowling_bn: Harry's own children? Are you sure he's going to survive to have children?!

Yahooligan_Roxie asks: Which of the Harry Potter books is your favorite so far, and why?

Jkrowling_bn: My favorite two books are Goblet of Fire and Chamber of Secrets. They were the hardest to write; maybe that's why they mean most to me.

Missee3 asks: What did your daughter, Jessica, think of the fourth book? Was it too much for her to take?

Jkrowling_bn: My daughter loved the fourth book. She wasn't scared at all. As long as Harry was OK, she didn't seem to care.

Nessynoonoo asks: Greetings from California! How did you feel the first time you saw your book on sale? How have things changed with your success?

Jkrowling_bn: the first time I saw my book on sale was better than receiving any literary award! I wanted to sneak it off the shelf and sign it, but I was worried I'd be told off for ruining the books, so I didn't.

Yahooligan_MegMcGonagall asks: What would you see in the Mirror of Erised?

Jkrowling_bn: I would probably see my mother, who died in 1990. So, the same as Harry!

Jandlcomm asks: Does Hagrid get a wife? (Chad, age 13)

Jkrowling_bn: Does Hagrid get a wife? You think anyone would want to live with a man who breeds Blast-Ended Skrewts?

Goodyggtg asks: Is it true that you had nine rejection letters for your first HP novel? What advice would you offer to new novelists working to get their first manuscripts published?

Jkrowling_bn: I'm not sure there were nine rejection letters, but there were a few. I would say, persevere. If everyone's turned you down, then it's time to try writing something else, and if that doesn't suceed, it MIGHT be time to think about a different career. But some great writers had lots of books rejected before they got published, so don't lose heart.

Cynickel2 asks: We really enjoy the humor in the books, especially with the Dursleys. Are the Dursleys based on anyone you personally know?

Jkrowling_bn: Hee hee hee ... I wouldn't tell you if they were ... I don't want to be sued!

Yahooligan_Tanya asks: I meant to watch Today this morning, but I heard from a friend that you revealed a bit of information. Could you share it with us?

Jkrowling_bn: I can share it with you. A very cute 8-year-old boy asked me for the title of Book 5, and I couldn't resist those big brown eyes. The title is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. So, now you know!

Yahooligan_Stargull asks: How much input did you have on the marketing of Goblet of Fire? The marketing campaign has drawn at least as much media attention as the book itself. Thanks, love the series.

Jkrowling_bn: Well, I didn't really have any input. I just asked my publishers not to give too much away, because Book 4 was the culmination of 10 years' work for me. If the ending had been given away, it would have ruined a lot of people's pleasure.

Yahooligan_Amanda asks: You've hinted a little that you might KILL Harry! Please say something to put my mind at ease.

Jkrowling_bn: Hhmmmm ... Well, I think I'll leave you in suspense ... sorry!

Yahooligan_Erin asks: Is it true that Mrs. Rowling has already finished the end chapter for all her future books?

Jkrowling_bn: I've written the final chapter of Book 7, which was really an act of faith. I was saying to myself, "You will get here!" It will probably need re-writing when I reach it, though.

Yahooligan_David asks: I've heard about the two charity books that will be released in March 2001. Are these the types of schoolbooks that are referenced in the normal series books?

Jkrowling_bn: Yes, I've written two of the titles Harry reads in the first novel -- Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. All proceeds will go to Comic Relief UK, which is a great charity that mainly supports projects in Africa (famine relief and so on).

Yahooligan_Stephanie asks: Is Hogwarts ever going to get a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who lasts for more than one book?

Jkrowling_bn: Erm ... maybe. Don't want to give too much away there! Thank you very much!

Dramaangel217 asks: Hey, Jo! I love your books! Ever since I encouraged people to read Harry Potter, people have been calling me Hermione! :-) Well, what inspired you to become a writer, and what sort of advice would you give to someone that wants to follow in your footsteps?

Jkrowling_bn: I've wanted to be a writer as far back as I can remember. I couldn't think of anything I'd like to do more, and still can't. I think aspiring writers should firstly read a lot and resign themselves to the fact that they will waste a lot of trees before they produce anything they're happy with!

Hermione_rose_2000 asks: Hello, Ms. Rowling, I am a big fan of the Harry Potter books. My name is Katherine Emily Rose, and I am 11. Is it true that Harry and Draco will have to get together and fight evil?

Jkrowling_bn: Don't believe everything you read on the Net! I saw that rumor, too ... but it is just a rumor.

Tnt1326 asks: Is Hogwarts a complete fictional creation, or is it based upon a place you've experienced?

Jkrowling_bn: It's completely fictional ... but I feel like I live there a lot of the time.

Yahooligan_Liz asks: The fourth book was very different from the other three, in format and action What prompted the change?

Jkrowling_bn: I'm not sure that it was so different. There was no conscious change. The plot is becoming more complex, certainly, but that was always the plan.

Matiaskanfunfa asks: There is a girl named Susan Bones who was sorted in the first book, and there was a family called the Boneses that Voldemort tried to destroy. Is this a coincidence, or will Harry meet her in future books?

Jkrowling_bn: Susan Bones' grandparents were killed by Voldemort!

Yahooligan_Allison asks: Who is your favorite character in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone?

Jkrowling_bn: Harry himself, of course, but also Ron, Hermione and Hagrid ... then there's Dumbledore... I love all of them, to be honest, even Dudley.

Yahooligan_Mrs. C. asks: My class is here with me, and they want to know if you would answer letters if they write to you?

Jkrowling_bn: if you write to my publishers, you'll get a response!

Yahooligan_Ana asks: Hello, I would like to know if you ever read any Harry Potter fanfiction on the Web.

Jkrowling_bn: I have read some, and I've been very flattered to see how absorbed people are in the world.

Spccbflo asks: Everything that happens has a meaning, sometimes in a later book. Do you have everything planned out in your head, or do you tie things in as you go?

Jkrowling_bn: Yes, it's all planned out, but I still give myself room to have some fun if a good idea arrives while I'm writing.

Mere2898 asks: I am a 30-year-old woman who fell in love with your books this summer. I believe they contain some real-life lessons for adults as well as children. What do you say to the critics who think that the books deal with the "dark side"?

Jkrowling_bn: Thank you very much for the kind words! To the critics I say ... get out more! Either they haven't read the books properly, or they can't read at all.

NEToys asks: Being close to 30 years old, I have found that the Harry Potter series has progressed from an originally labeled "children's series." Was this purposeful, or the way it just happened?

Jkrowling_bn: It was always planned that way. I think most readers understood that things would get darker. They knew Voldemort was always out there and wasn't going to go quietly!

Yahooligan_Jung asks: How are you, Ms. Rowling? I've really been enjoying your books, even as a high school student! At what age did you begin dreaming of having a writing career, and what were the steps you took? I'm learning English as a second language; however, I am hoping that I would be a writer someday, and am also striving for the goal. Congratulations for your success! (How's the fifth book going? :) )

Jkrowling_bn: The fifth book's going well, though I haven't done very much yet. Book 4 was a mammoth job and left me a bit tired! Good luck with your ambition. I have wanted to be a writer since age six, when I wrote my first "book," a story about a rabbit called "Rabbit."

TO YAHOOLIGANS CHAT WITH J.K. ROWLING, PART 2 >>