Archive for JKR

JKR’s handprints set in stone in Edinburgh

Posted in Uncategorized with tags on 14th February, 2009 by Shaarang Gupta

Back in September, JK Rowling was honoured in Edinburgh, receiving an award for her contribution to the city. Her handprints have now been placed in the City Chambers alongside Ian Rankin’s, a fellow Edinburgh author who accepted the award in 2007.
JKR in her own words:

“I think it is particularly appropriate for a writer’s hands to be represented, so I am deeply honoured to have my keyboard-chipped fingernails, not to mention my pen-induced friction callous, commemorated in the place where I produced Harry Potter.”

Steve Vander Ark responds to JKR VS RDR trial verdict

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , on 10th September, 2008 by Shaarang Gupta

The Grand Rapids Press has spoken with the author of The Harry Potter Lexicon, which just yesterday had its publication halted by a New York City judge. Vander Ark’s thoughts after hearing the verdict:

“I’ve always been a fan of Harry Potter and of Rowling and my hope all along was that we’d find an amicable way to settle this. I’m disappointed, but this is the way it went and I don’t hold any ill will at all. It was a question of law over a difference of opinion and, in a way, I’m glad that it’s finally over.”

Tales of Beedle the Bard to be released on Dec. 4th, 2008

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , on 18th August, 2008 by Shaarang Gupta

Yep, the special book ‘The Tales of Beedle The Bard’ is going to be released on 4th Dec., 2008. This will be printed and marketed by Scholastic, Bloomsbury and Amazon and the royalties from the sales will go to Jo’s charity called CHLG(Children’s High Level Group). Last year only seven copies were auctioned for charity and fans were not able to get hands on them. But the wait will soon be over.

Jo said this:

“There was understandable disappointment among Harry Potter fans when only one copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard was offered to the public last December. I am therefore delighted to announce that, thanks to the generous support of Bloomsbury, Scholastic and Amazon (who bought the handwritten copy at auction) – and with the blessing of the wonderful people who own the other six original books – The Tales of Beedle the Bard will now be widely available to all Harry Potter fans. Royalties will be donated to the Children’s High Level Group, to benefit institutionalised children in desperate need of a voice. The new edition will include the Tales themselves, translated from the original runes by Hermione Granger, and with illustrations by me, but also notes by Professor Albus Dumbledore, which appear by generous permission of the Hogwarts Headmasters’ Archive.”

J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Prequel now online!

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , on 14th August, 2008 by Shaarang Gupta

This is an online version of the prequel written by J.K. Rowling and 12 other authors. This prequel was written for charity and yielded $50,000 for charity.

Here’s the story :-

The speeding motorcycle took the sharp corner so fast in the darkness that both policemen in the pursuing car shouted,”Whoa!” Sergeant Fisher slammed his large foot on the brake, thinking that the boy who was riding pillion was sure to be flung under his wheels; however, the motorbike made the turn without unseating either of its riders, and with a wink of its red tail lights, vanished up the narrow side street.

“We’ve got ‘em now!” cried PC Anderson excitedly. “That’s a dead end!”

Leaning hard on the steering wheel and crashing his gears, Fisher scraped half the paint off the flank of the car as he forced it up the alleyway in pursuit.

There in the headlights sat their quarry, stationary at last after a quarter of an hour’s chase. The two riders were trapped between a towering brickwall and the police car, which was now crawling towards them like some growling luminous-eyes predator.

There was so little space between the car doors and the walls of the alley that Fisher and Anderson had difficulty extricating themselves from the vehicle. It injured their dignity to have to inch, crab-like, towards the miscreants. Fisher dragged his generous belly along the wall, tearing buttons off his shirt as he went, and finally snapping off the wing mirror with his backside.

“Get off the bike!” he bellowed at the smirking youths, who sat basking in the flashing blue light as though enjoying it.

They did as they were told, finally pulling free from the broken wing mirror, Fisher glared at them. They seemed to be in their late teens. The one who had been driving had long black hair, his insolent good looks reminded Fisher unpleasantly of his daughter’s guitar-playing, layabout boyfriend. The second boy also had black hair, though his was short and stuck up in all directions; he wore glasses and a broad grin. Both were dressed in t-shirts emblazoned with a large golden bird; the emblem, no doubt, of some deafening, timeless rock band.

“No helmet!” Fisher yelled, pointing from one uncovered head to the other. “Exceeding the speed limit by-by a considerable amount!” (In fact, the speed registered had been greater than Fisher was prepared to accept that any motorcycle could travel.) “Failure to stop for the police!”

“We’d have loved to stop for a chat,” said the boy in glasses,”only we were trying–”

“Don’t get smart-you two are in a heap of trouble!” snarled Anderson. “Names!”

“Names?” repeated the long-haired driver.”Er-Well, let’s see. There’s Wilberforce…Bathsheba…Elvendork…”

“And what’s nice about that one is, you can use it for a boy OR a girl,” said the boy in glasses.

“Oh, our names, did you mean?” asked the first, as Anderson spluttered with rage.”You should’ve said! This here is James Potter, and I’m Sirius Black!”

“Things’ll be seriously black for you in a minute, you cheeky little-”

But neither James nor Sirius was paying attention. They were suddenly as alert as gundogs, staring past Fisher and Anderson, over the roof of the police car, at the dark mouth of the alley. Then, with identical, fluid movements, they reached into their back pockets.

For the space of a heartbeat both policemen imagined guns gleaming at them, but a second later they saw that the motorcyclists had drawn nothing more than-

“Drumsticks?” jeered Anderson. “Right pair of jokers, aren’t you? Right, we’re arresting you on a charge of–”

But Anderson never got to name the charge. James and Sirius had shouted something incomprehensible, and the beams from the headlights had moved.

The policemen wheeled around, then staggered backwards. Three men were flying-actually flying- up the alley on broomsticks-and at the same moment,the police car was rearing up on its back wheels.

Fisher’s knee bucked; as he sat down hard; Anderson tripped over Fisher’s legs and fell on top of him, as flump-bang-crunch- they heard the mean on brooms slam into the suspended car and fall, apparently insensible, to the ground, while broken bits of broomstick clattered down around them.

The motorbike had roared into life again. His mouth hanging open, Fisher mustered the strength to look back at the two teenagers.

“Thanks very much!” called Sirius over the throb of the engine.”We owe you one!”

“Yeah, nice meeting you!” said James. “And don’t forget: Elvendork! It’s unisex!”

There was an earth-shaking crash, and Fisher and Anderson threw their arms around each other in fright; their car had just fallen back to the ground. Now it was the motorcycle’s turn to rear. Before the policemen’s disbelieving eyes, it took off into thin air: James and Sirius zoomed away into the night sky, their tail light twinkling behind them like a vanishing ruby.

From the prequel I am not working on-but that was fun! J.K. Rowling.2008

[The above line is actually J.K. Rowling's signature. This is a typed version. The actual version was in her own handwriting and many people were having trouble reading it.]

Trick!

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , on 13th August, 2008 by Shaarang Gupta

You’ll find a phone on JK Rowling’s website on the top left corner of the table. Dial “62442″ on that phone and you’ll get a “Certificate of Appreciation” and a special reward which will be stored in your scrapbook. I tried to copy ad post my rewards on this blog for everyone to see but they are not normal text or photos. They are actually Flash applications, so you can’t copy them.:(

Tricks for jkrowling.com

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , on 11th August, 2008 by Shaarang Gupta

If you have not checked the JK Rowling section of Mugglenet, you should do it soon. Because, they have a huge collection of tricks which can earn you special content like really early drafts and scribblings of Harry Potter, some interesting facts and pictures made by JKR herself. Thanks again to Mugglenet.