J.K. Rowling - Author of the Month

Image from
www.jkrowling.com

Since its October, it seems only fitting to highlight the author who penned the most popular book series about wizardry and magic in the history of the world - J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books.

Joanne Rowling was born in England and currently lives in Edinburgh, Scotland. She went from being a struggling single mother on welfare to one of the wealthiest women in the world in less than a decade due to the success of her novels. The first installment of the Harry Potter series was published in the UK in 1997, and the final book was published in 2007. These 7 books captured the imagination of readers all over the globe. According to Biography.com, the 6th book (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) sold 6.9 million copies in the first 24 hours in the United States alone, and the final book (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) was "the largest ever pre-ordered book at chain stores Barnes & Noble and Borders, and at Amazon.com."

Since the success of her work, Rowling has been active in charity work for organizations like Gingerbread (a charity for lone parent families), Lumos, and the Multiple Sclerosis Society (her mother died of MS at the age of 45). You can find out more about these charities at jkrowling.com.

Because of her immense popularity as an author, Rowling doesn't interact with fans as much as some authors, but you can find her on Twitter (@jk_rowling) or on Facebook. You can also keep up with the latest news and notes (including info about her latest novel for adults titled The Casual Vacancy) on her official website.