JK Rowling's Website

I thought I'd start a topic for discussions about Jo's website, www.jkrowling.com , and so we can keep track of when she updates.

The site's been up a while now, but she updates it every so often.

Last week, she updated the FAQ poll with some interesting information about the Secret Keeper:

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What happens to a secret when the Secret-Keeper dies?

I was surprised that this question won, because it is not the one that I'd have voted for… but hey, if this is what you want to know, this is what you want to know!

When a Secret-Keeper dies, their secret dies with them, or, to put it another way, the status of their secret will remain as it was at the moment of their death. Everybody in whom they confided will continue to know the hidden information, but nobody else.

Just in case you have forgotten exactly how the Fidelius Charm works, it is

"an immensely complex spell involving the magical concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul. The information is hidden inside the chosen person, or Secret-Keeper, and is henceforth impossible to find -- unless, of course, the Secret-Keeper chooses to divulge it" (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)

In other words, a secret (eg, the location of a family in hiding, like the Potters) is enchanted so that it is protected by a single Keeper (in our example, Peter Pettigrew, a.k.a. Wormtail). Thenceforth nobody else – not even the subjects of the secret themselves – can divulge the secret. Even if one of the Potters had been captured, force fed Veritaserum or placed under the Imperius Curse, they would not have been able to give away the whereabouts of the other two. The only people who ever knew their precise location were those whom Wormtail had told directly, but none of them would have been able to pass on the information.

Yesterday, she updated her diary with progress on book 7:

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FEBRUARY 28th

This always happens. I make a plan, it looks nice and neat, then I get to actually write the book and realise that Harry can't possibly do all that in just one chapter. So what I thought were going to be two chapters have now become four. I still don't think the book will be as long as 'Phoenix', but if that keeps happening... no, it won't. I'm looking at the plan, and it can't. Surely. Please.

Nothing else I can tell you at the moment. Well, there's LOADS I could tell you at the moment, but I can't. Sorry.

Looks like book 7 might be longer than she thought it was going to be....

And today, she's wished Ron a Happy Birthday.

Happy Birthday to Ron, Happy Birthday to Ron, Happy Birthday dear Ron, Happy Birthday to Ron! :cheers:

Can't wait till book 7, but i don't want it to be over.

Most certainly, Happy Birthday to Ron!
Belated, of course.
You know, I just realised, the only way we can know whose birthday it is, is if we go onto her website! Only she knows!!!

HEY I know when Hermione's birthday is..... Haha. But we'll need to wait another 6 months for that....

I like it that book 7 is going to be very long! The longer, the better.

And Happy birthday Ron! :cheers:

Her website is really interesting...has anybody personally been behind the door?

Yes, I have! All the times it's been open, I've gone and looked - I wonder when she'll open it again?

I hope it's soon! I never could open it...what's your secret, duck?

My secret is being on another forum when the door opens, and getting them to tell me how to work out the clues.... :D

Hmmm. Maybe I'll try that...could work...let's just wait and see!

I couldn't stop laughing at one of the rumors that said something about Luna's Dad being a secret agent for Sirius Black, who had hired Mr. Lovegood to prove his innoncene... an so on. It was so 'out there' and random.

lol

Have you seen what kinds of titles people had made up for the sixth book? They were beyond laughable...

zomfg zomfg, HAPPY BRITHDAY RON! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! *huggles Ron*


Okay oaky, lol sorry xD Just ahd to do it.




Candy

JK Rowling has updated her website - there are new portkeys (a rubber, some glasses, a hairbrush) and apparantly there are 5 new easter eggs to find!

I'm going to try and find them now....

Edit 1: I found the first one! Teehee Draco's surname used to be Spungen

Edit 2: I found another one! It's a revision plan of OotP, very interesting. There's a column entitled 'Cho & Ginny', which shows us the parallels she was drawing between the two. Also, it looks like JKR originally wanted the DA to be called The Order of the Phoenix and the Order to be called the DA. Another interesting thing here is that Luna is not mentioned AT ALL in this plan - makes me think that she was a 'last minute' addition.

Edit 3: Got the next one! It's some notes on the teachers (Pettigrew was planned as DADA teacher in GoF!!) and some early names for Buckbeak.

Edit 4: Found the fourth one - the synopsis she sent to the publishers when trying to publish PS.

Edit 5: :cheers: and I got the last one! Another early draft page of PS, describing DADA and transfiguration classes.

Now everyone else go find the prizes :D

I wouldnt mind if Book 7 was long.... I mean... ITS THE LAST ONE *crys* I WANT IT TO BE LONG!!!!!!

ive never been on j.ks site omg kills herself and i call my slf a fan lol. i want this book to never end lol.

I've been on JKR's site a couple times, its very very cool and interesting. Full of hidden surprises! Just like the books, lol.

I can't wait for her to reveal something new about the next book though. I'm hoping for a title or a release date myself....Fingers crossed!

Jo's updated her website with three things today, the last of which is very interesting indeed...

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Section: Diary

SEPTEMBER 13th

Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. I know it's been a very long time since I was last in touch. I've been writing a novel, you see.

My readings in New York with Stephen King and John Irving were so much fun. It's not often that I do something like that and wish I could do it all over again, but I would have happily done a third night. If you were there, and yelling, thank you: the crowds, both nights, could not have been more wonderful.

I did mess up one answer, though. I was asked, 'what question have you never been asked that you ought to have been asked?' - or something very similar – and my mind went blank. Blame long years of trying not to give away the plot. But it occurred to me almost as soon as I got off stage that there IS a question I've always been surprised nobody's put to me, and that I really should have said it while I was still on-stage. I can't make amends to the girl who asked, but it is in tribute to her that I give the answer, belatedly, under 'Miscellaneous', Extras section.

secondly...

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Section: News

Wednesday 13 September 2006
Book 7 Update

Now that I'm back from New York, the only real news is that I'm continuing to work hard on the book. I've done quite a lot, and I'm really enjoying it, though every now and then I look up and realise that it's THE LAST ONE. You might think I'd have got used to that idea during the sixteen years I've been planning seven books, but it still keeps hitting me... no more Harry after this... and then I bury myself in book seven again and tell myself I've still got plenty to write.

The heightened security restrictions on the airlines in August made the journey back from New York interesting, as I refused to be parted from the manuscript of book seven (a large part of it is handwritten, and there was no copy of anything I had done while in the US). They let me take it on, thankfully, bound up in elastic bands. I don't know what I would have done if they hadn't; sailed home, probably.

I am currently trying to decide between two possible titles. I was quite happy with one of them until the other one struck me while I was taking a shower in New York. They would both be appropriate, so I think I'll have to wait until I'm further into the book to decide which one works best.

And finally, and most interestingly...

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Section: Extra Stuff
NAQ

... which means, 'never asked question'.

Why did Dumbledore have James' invisibility cloak at the time of James' death, given that Dumbledore could make himself invisible without a cloak?

Prior to posting this I had a quick look on-line, and realised that some fans have been speculating about this question. However, nobody has ever asked me about it, and they really should have done. Just to allay the fears of the justifiably suspicious, this isn't what we in the know call 'a Mark Evans situation.'* There IS a significant - even crucial - answer.

* Note to newcomers: my attempt to put to rest certain wild theories about the unimportant character of 'Mark Evans' backfired when I inadvertently built up even more excitement by promising to explain his significance.

It's something to think about...why did Dumbledore have James' cloak?

Maybe...it means...something...important? :D *isnt thinking properly*

Ohh Ohh Ohhh WHY DOES SHE DO THIS TOO US MERE MORTALS!!!!!!

*marches off to Edinbourgh* I'll just knock on her front door and find out what that means, she could have given us the silly answer, now i am wondering like mad! Ohhhhhhh maybe it was DUMBLEDORE WHO WAS AT THE POTTERS HOUSE THE NIGHT THEY DIED!!!!!!!!!!HE COULD HAVE BEEN WEARING JAMES CLOAK!!!! oh caps nva mind

*thinks* Maybe he gave it to Dumbledore who gave it to Hagrid who wore it when flying Harry over Bristol? :P

hmmm, but knowing Hagrid as we do, he would have told us in the first book. If he couldnt keep the Stone secret, or anything else for that matter, he couldnt keep the cloak secret.

oh i didnt see this here until now - ive just posted a new post on that bit about jame, dumbledore and the cloak, though i think it needs a seperate thread because oh wow! i really need to know what it is!

Lol, yes, thanks for starting a new thread for this - I've just replied there :devil:

I love JK's site but i try not to visit it that often because i get so fraustrated that she wont give more away lol

The Door's Open!

I think it's to take the Wombat test - here's how to access it...if you don't want to know and want to figure it out yourself, don't look lol.

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First, click the door open. Then light the candle on the desk by clicking it. Then click the quill on the desk; it will move into the inkwell. Then click the WOMBAT test paper, which will rustle and close. Then click the four-leaf clover sitting on Jo's desk. It will turn into a key. Click and drag the key to the desk drawer (the top part of the key image as you drag it will be the part that must hit the desk). The WOMBAT part 2 will appear - click the Time Turner on the desk (it looks like a round wooden disk but will flip when you click it) to start. Good Luck!

I'm just going to try it now...

EDIT: Done the test, now we have to await the results...

There are some other updates on the site too:

-Snape was not under the invisibility cloak at Godric's Hollow:

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Section: Rumours
Snape was hiding under the Invisibility Cloak on the night the Potters died

No, he wasn't.

-Diary page updated:

Quote :

Section: Diary

SEPTEMBER 29th

Sitting at my desk trying to invent a word yesterday brought back memories of the last time I did so. I had tried for days and days to hit upon the right name for 'the receptacle in which a Dark wizard has hidden a fragment of his soul for the purposes of attaining immortality.' Finally, after much transposition of syllables, I scribbled 'Horcrux' on a piece of paper and knew it was The One. But what if somebody had already used it? With some trepidation I typed 'Horcrux' into Google and, to my delight, saw what I was looking for: 'Your search - "Horcrux" - did not match any documents.'

So anyway, yesterday I Googled 'Horcrux' again. 401,000 results. As you might imagine, this gave me something of a lift as I went back to scribbling nonsense words on the back of a takeaway menu.

-Other rumours, including the title of book seven and something about stubby boardman:

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Section: Rumours
Book Seven will be called "Harry Potter and the Graveyard of Memories"

Wow, I never thought of that! Now I've got three titles to choose from!

Only kidding. It won't be called HP & the GOM.

Quote :

Section: Rumours
Stubby Boardman is Regulus Black

No, he isn't. Nice idea, though.

I tried the test thingy.. and I'm quite sure my results will be dreadful rofl

oh oh oh oh *cries happily* this day cant get any better for me!

Um i cant find the desk drawer!!!!!

When you look at the desk there is some kind of grey thingy which form half a circle, drag the key there in the middle of that circle (wow that was so not clear rofl)

done it, done the test, although i totally just went ip dip dog ... well u know the rhyme!

ok that was difficukt. Thats the first time i have done a wombat - arnt you all glad the owls on this site arnt that hard? lol

The WOMBAT results are in - if you go put your code in you'll be able to see them. I got Exceeds Expectations - not sure how that happened!

oh no! i missed it :(

I love JK's website. I got an E with the wombats as well. I didnt think i did that well.

I was surprized when i found out I had an E it was the first Wombat I had ever taken

JKR's updated her site today, in the diary & rumours sections:

Quote :

Section: Diary

DECEMBER 19th

The long lack of updates has been due to some very hard work. I'm now writing scenes that have been planned, in some cases, for a dozen years or even more. I don't think anyone who has not been in a similar situation can possibly know how this feels: I am alternately elated and overwrought. I both want, and don't want, to finish this book (don't worry, I will.)

For years now, people have asked me whether I ever dream that I am 'in' Harry's world. The answer was 'no' until a few nights ago, when I had an epic dream in which I was, simultaneously, Harry and the narrator. I was searching for a Horcrux in a gigantic, crowded hall, which bore no resemblance to the Great Hall as I imagine it. As the narrator I knew perfectly well that the Horcrux was jammed in a hidden nook in the fireplace, while as Harry I was searching for it in all kinds of other places, while trying to make the people around me say lines I had pre-arranged for them. Meanwhile waiters and waitresses who work in the real café in which I have written huge parts of book seven roamed around me as though on stilts, all of them at least fifteen feet high. Perhaps I should cut back on the caffeine?

I made another daytrip to Leavesden a few weeks ago, where I saw twenty minutes of Order of the Phoenix, which looks fantastic. Also got a chance, before they all took off in their different directions (it was the last week of live actor filming) to talk to Dan, Rupert, Emma and Evanna, which is always wonderful. Dan has changed his theory on Snape; he says he doesn't want to be like one of those people who are photographed, beaming, next to mad dictators.

and

Quote :

Section: Rumours
At the end of book seven, Harry and Voldemort will 'merge' to form a single persona who will command both the forces of good and of evil

This is not really a rumour, more a lone theory on the net that the son of a friend of mine pointed out to me. He wants me to repudiate it, so I'm repudiating: Harry will NOT merge with Voldemort to become a single entity, nor would Harry ever wish to command Death Eaters/Dementors/Inferi.

So that puts an end to all those "evil Harry" theories...

Here's hoping she'll give us a Christmas present of the title and/or release date!

DOUBLE POST I KNOW BUT THIS DESERVES IT!

DOOR IS OPEN!

WE HAVE A TITLE!

*FAINTS*

EDIT:

OK, I've calmed down a bit...

Gah and I could so do with spoiler tags right now...

Anyway, here's how to get the title:

Go to JKRowling.com. Click on the eraser on her desk.
# 1. Click doorway in mirror to see Christmas tree.
# 2. Click on the top half of the door to get the wreath.
# 3. Click on the top of the mirror to get the garland.
# 4. Click on the spider web right next to the door to make them go away.
# 5. Click the 4th chime in the window and get the key for the door.
# 6. Drag key to unlock the door.
# 7. Door opens to show a desk with a package.
# 8. Click the bow on the package and it will open.
# 9. Click the inside of the package and a game of Hangman is shown where you can play a game to guess the name of the 7th book.

AND THE TITLE IS...











Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Woohoo!! I love the title...I am really getting excited now!!
*faints*

It's officially been confirmed by Bloomsbury that it's the title!

HP DH...sounds good!

it does ionfdeed! I'm SO EXCITED! Why can;t it come out now :'(

Well, as well as the update we had last week about the release date, JKR has updated her site with a quashed rumour, a diary entry and a couple of FAQ:

Quote :

Section: Diary

FEBRUARY 6th

Charles Dickens put it better than I ever could:

'It would concern the reader little, perhaps, to know how sorrowfully the pen is laid down at the close of a two-years' imaginative task; or how an Author feels as if he were dismissing some portion of himself into the shadowy world, when a crowd of the creatures of his brain are going from him for ever.'

To which I can only sigh, try seventeen years, Charles...

I always knew that Harry's story would end with the seventh book, but saying goodbye has been just as hard as I always knew it would be. Even while I'm mourning, though, I feel an incredible sense of achievement. I can hardly believe that I've finally written the ending I've been planning for so many years. I've never felt such a mixture of extreme emotions in my life, never dreamed I could feel simultaneously heartbroken and euphoric.

Some of you have expressed a (much more muted!) mixture of happiness and sadness at the prospect of the last book being published, and that has meant more than I can tell you. If it comes as any consolation, I think that there will be plenty to continue arguing and speculating about, even after 'Deathly Hallows' comes out. So if you're not yet ready to quit the message boards, do not despair...

I'm almost scared to admit this, but one thing has stopped me collapsing in a puddle of misery on the floor. While each of the previous Potter books has strong claims on my affections, 'Deathly Hallows' is my favourite, and that is the most wonderful way to finish the series.

Quote :

Section: Rumours

The announcement of the publication date on JKR's website was unusually brief. This means that JKR is unhappy about the date.

This could not be further from the truth! The 21st July publication date has given me enough time to write the book I wanted to write, and for the manuscript to be properly edited. These are the most important things to me. An earlier date - eg, 7/7/07 - would have meant that either the writing or editing was rushed, and neither my publishers nor I wanted that. Any brevity in my announcement was down to the fact that I was busy editing!

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Section: F.A.Q.

Please will you tell us what were the other two titles you considered?

You asked so politely, and yet I have to decline... maybe after publication...

What does 'Deathly Hallows' mean?

Any clarification of the meaning of 'Hallows' would give away too much of the story - well, it would, wouldn't it? Being the title and all. So I'm afraid I'm not answering.

I know this is a double post, but the last one was a while ago.

Anyway, the Wizard of the Month has been updated on JK's site, and it's none other than Helga Hufflepuff.

I think this is quite interesting, because it's the first time someone 'big' in canon has appeared as the WotM...plus she's holding a golden cup.

From this, can we assume that Helga Hufflepuff will be important and integral to the plot of book seven?

EDIT:JKR's updated today with some FAQ's:

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What are the properties of Draco’s wand? Can we assume that its wood is hawthorn, as per the chart on your site?

Interestingly (to me) I decided that Draco had a hawthorn wand independently of the chart. So yes, it is hawthorn, and by a bizarre coincidence I assigned him that wood, as I assigned Harry holly, without realising it was the ‘right’ one. Spooky... but for various reasons hawthorn seems to suit Draco as holly suits Harry.

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We learned in book six that Merope Gaunt staggered into the orphanage of New Year’s Eve and gave birth to Tom Riddle ‘within the hour’. Was Voldemort born on December 31st or January 1st?

He was born on December 31st.

What is Draco Malfoy’s Patronus?

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As of the end of Half-Blood Prince, he has no idea how to produce one, so nobody knows. You must remember that the ability to produce a Patronus demonstrates an advanced level of magic not routinely taught to young Hogwarts students (hence the surprise of the prospective members of Dumbledore’s Army when they find out that Harry can make a Patronus).

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What houses were Tonks and Myrtle in?

Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw respectively.

OK, I've decided that double posting in this thread is allowed, by me at least

Anyway, JKR has updated the diary on her site today:

Quote :

Section: Diary

MAY 14th

A couple of weeks ago (April 28th, if you want to go and search the archive) the Potter fansite The Leaky Cauldron posted an editorial on potential spoilers for "Deathly Hallows". It made me laugh, but I was also incredibly moved and grateful.

We're a little under three months away, now, and the first distant rumblings of the weirdness that usually precedes a Harry Potter publication can be heard on the horizon. The Leaky Cauldron's early mission statement on spoilers (ie, don't, and we're not putting them up if you do) is deeply appreciated by yours truly.

I add my own plea to Melissa's for one reason, and one only: I want the readers who have, in many instances, grown up with Harry, to embark on the last adventure they will share with him without knowing where they are they going.

Some, perhaps, will read this and take the view that all publicity is good publicity, that spoilers are part of hype, and that I am trying to protect sales rather than my readership. However, spoilers won't stop people buying the book, they never have - all it will do is diminish their pleasure in the book.

There will always be sad individuals who get their kicks from ruining other people's fun, but while sites like Leaky take such an active stance against them, we may yet win. Even if the biggest secret gets out - even if somebody discovers the Giant Squid is actually the world's largest Animagus, which rises from the lake at the eleventh hour, transforms into Godric Gryffindor and... well, I wouldn't like to spoil it.

And as the very wise-woman herself said, spoilers are bad! We don't want them! Remember to read HE's own spoiler policy which is stickied in this forum.

Jo's updated the news section of her site:

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Section: News

Wednesday 23 May 2007
The Moonlight Signing

On July 21st 2007, at 12.01 am, 1700 Harry Potter fans will have the opportunity of hearing me read from ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ at the Natural History Museum in London. They will receive a free copy of the seventh Harry Potter book, courtesy of Bloomsbury, my UK publishers, and I shall be doing a mammoth signing!

To receive tickets for this event, you will need to enter a ballot via the following websites: bloomsbury.com (for UK and Ireland residents) and scholastic.com (for the US). Other English-speaking publishers may also be allotted tickets; keep an eye on their websites.

It has been a long time since I’ve done a signing and had the chance to speak to readers individually, so I’m delighted that we are launching the book in this way. It will be wonderful for me to get the chance to speak to people who have already read a few chapters while in the queue!

Good luck if you’re applying for tickets, and if you’re successful, I’ll see you shortly after midnight on July 21st!

I've entered (of course!), and I really hope I win lol

You know, there are only 58 days to go. I think it's about time she opened the door again...

Oh, and Bloomsbury have also got a new website linked to this event:

http://www.bloomsbury.com/swot/

Good Luck Amy!!!! I hope somebody I know gets to do it....if I was from London, I would sign up to...but I'm not...so I won't...If you win you have to do like a webcam cast for all of us who don't get to go!!

wow Amy! That would be so cool for you to win!

but.. why doesn't she say anything about the rest of Europe? .. and the rest of the world? .... .. me wants to go, too....

The door is open! It's a wombat!!

Who wants to bet we get something from the book when our results are in!

Everyone go do it ASAP because they're only there for a limited time! Click the spoiler below if you want to know how to do it.

Spoiler:

Squees!!

NOOO!!! It won't work for me

squeeeeee! :D I've just done it, I hope I won't lose my code again