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J. K. Rowling with Roxanne Feldman (interview date September 1999)

SOURCE: “The Truth about Harry,” in School Library Journal, Vol. 45, No. 9, September, 1999, pp. 136–39.

[In the following interview, Rowling shares the origins of the “Harry Potter” books, her own background, and her expectations for the series.]

Slide over Mr. Clancy, Mr. King, and Ms. Higgins Clark. Make room for J. K. Rowling. In three short years, the 33-year-old British writer has been transformed from a hapless, yet-to-be-published novelist into one of the hottest authors on Earth. Her first novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the tale of an orphan who is sent to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, soared onto bestseller lists, and, for good measure, wowed the critics, winning Britain's Smarties Prize, and being named the U.K.'s children's book of the year. Beginner's luck? Not by a long shot.

Harry's two serial...

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1. Introduction
2. Criticism
   1. Shannon Maughan (review date 15 February 1999)
   2. Shannon Maughan (review date 19 July 1999)
   3. J. K. Rowling with Roxanne Feldman (interview date September 1999)
   4. Roger Sutton (review date September–October 1999)
   5. Judith Rosen (essay date 4 October 1999)
   6. Andrew Stuttaford (review date 11 October 1999)
   7. Francine Fialkoff (review date 15 October 1999)
   8. Shannon Maughan (review date 1 November 1999)
   9. Andrew Stephen (review date 1 November 1999)
   10. Brooke Allen (review date 1–15 November 1999)
   11. Lee Siegel (review date 22 November 1999)
   12. Christian Century (review date 1 December 1999)
   13. Alison Lurie (review date 16 December 1999)
   14. Charles De Lint (review date January 2000)
   15. Julia Eccleshare (review date 3 January 2000)
   16. J. K. Rowling with Brad Crawford (interview date February 2000)
   17. Cathi Dunn MacRae (review date March 2000)
   18. Michael Rogers (essay date 1 March 2000)
   19. Dot Wordsworth (review date 8 April 2000)
   20. Shannon Maughan (review date 17 April 2000)
   21. School Library Journal (essay date May 2000)
   22. Bobbie Combs (review date 10 July 2000)
   23. Chauncey Mabe (review date 10 July 2000)
   24. Kathleen Merryman (essay date 10 July 2000)
   25. Robert Munsch (review date 10 July 2000)
   26. Nancy Pate (review date 10 July 2000)
   27. Susan Perren (review date 10 July 2000)
   28. Andrea Sachs (review date 17 July 2000)
   29. Stefan Kanfer (essay date 19 July 2000)
   30. Makund Padmanabhan (review date 24 July 2000)
3. Further Reading
4. Copyright