Editing J. K. Rowling (section)

== Life and career ==

=== Early life and family ===
[[File:Platform 9 3-4 (King's Cross station, London, 2014).jpg|upright|thumb|left|Rowling's parents met on a train from [[London King's Cross railway station|King's Cross]]; her portal to the magical world is "Platform&nbsp;{{frac|9|3|4}}" at King's Cross.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=1, 39, 224}}|alt=A sign reading "Platform {{frac|9|3|4}}" with half of a luggage trolley installed beneath, at the interior of King's Cross railway station.]]

Joanne Rowling was born on 31 July 1965 in [[Yate]], Gloucestershire,<ref name="AboutJKR" />{{efn|Sources differ on the precise name of Rowling's place of birth. {{As of|2024|July}}, Rowling's personal website said she was born at "Yate General Hospital near Bristol".<ref name=AboutJKR>{{Cite web|title=About|url=https://www.jkrowling.com/about/|access-date=19 July 2024|publisher= JK Rowling}}</ref> She has sometimes said she was born in [[Chipping Sodbury]], which is near Yate.{{Sfn|Kirk|2003|pp=11–12}} [[Tison Pugh]] says she was born in Chipping Sodbury General Hospital.{{sfn|Pugh|2020|p=2}} ''The Scotsman'' lists Cottage Hospital in Chipping Sodbury.<ref name=JKRStory>{{cite news |url= https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/books/jk-rowling-story-2478095 |url-status=live |title=The JK Rowling story |work= [[The Scotsman]] |date=16 June 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623012944/https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/books/jk-rowling-story-2478095 |archive-date=23 June 2020 |access-date= 7 January 2022}}</ref> Biographer Smith describes Chipping Sodbury as "Yate's elegant neighbor", and reproduces a birth certificate that says District Sodbury, but lists the hospital as Cottage Hospital, 240 Station Road, Yate.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=4–6}} According to Smith: "...&nbsp;the [BBC Television] documentary still erroneously claimed that Joanne was born in Chipping Sodbury. Yet despite the mistake, the good folk of Yate are pressing for some kind of plaque or feature in their town to record it as her place of birth."{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=271}} }} to a middle-class family.{{sfn|Pugh|2020|p=2}} Her parents Anne ([[née]] Volant) and Peter ("Pete") James Rowling had met the previous year on a train, sharing a trip from [[London King's Cross railway station|King's Cross station]], London, to their naval postings at [[Arbroath]], Scotland. Rowling's mother was with the [[Women's Royal Naval Service|Wrens]] and her father with the [[Royal Navy]].{{sfn|Kirk|2003|p=10}} Pete Rowling was the son of a [[machine tool|machine-tool]] setter<!-- called Ernie --> who later opened a grocery shop.{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=2}} They left the navy life and sought a country home to raise the baby they were expecting,{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=2}} and married on 14 March 1965{{sfn|Pugh|2020|p=2}} when both were 19.<ref name="OldBio" /> The Rowlings settled in Yate,{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=4}} where Pete started work as an assembly-line production worker at the [[Bristol Siddeley]] factory.{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=2}} The company became part of [[Rolls-Royce Limited|Rolls-Royce]],{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=8}} and he worked his way into management as a [[Chartered Engineer (UK)|chartered engineer]].{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=8, 23, 72}} Anne Rowling later worked as a science technician.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=53–54}} Neither of Rowling's parents attended university.{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=79}}

Rowling is two years older than her sister, Dianne,{{sfn|Pugh|2020|p=2}} whose birth was Rowling's earliest memory.<ref>{{Cite web |title=JK Rowling|url=https://www.bloomsbury.com/ca/discover/harry-potter/jk-rowling/# |access-date=13 August 2024 |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing]] }}</ref> When she was four, Rowling's family moved to [[Winterbourne, Gloucestershire]].<ref name=OldBio/>{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=7–8}} She began at St Michael's Church of England Primary School in Winterbourne when she was five.{{sfn|Pugh|2020|p=2}}{{efn|St Michael's Primary School headmaster, Alfred Dunn, has been suggested as the inspiration for the ''Harry Potter'' headmaster [[Albus Dumbledore]];{{sfn|Kirk|2003|p=28}} biographer Smith writes that Rowling's father, and other figures in her education, provide more likely examples.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=19, 27–32, 51–52}} }} The Rowlings lived near a family called Potter – a name Rowling always liked.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=22, 29, 109}}{{efn|Rowling denies that her young playmate Ian Potter represents Harry.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=22, 29, 109}} }} Rowling's mother liked to read and the family's homes were filled with books.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=9–10; 39}} Her father read ''[[The Wind in the Willows]]'' to his daughters,{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=10}} while her mother introduced them to the animals in [[Richard Scarry]]'s books.{{sfn|Pugh|2020|p=6}} Rowling's first attempt at writing, a story called "Rabbit" composed when she was six, was inspired by Scarry's creatures.{{sfn|Pugh|2020|p=6}}

When Rowling was about nine, the family purchased the historic [[Church Cottage, Tutshill|Church Cottage]] in [[Tutshill]].{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=22, 25–27, 39}}{{efn|Smith describes Tutshill as "staunchly middle class",{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=25}} and Parker describes Church Cottage as a "handsome [[Gothic Revival]] cottage".<ref name=Parker2012/> In 2020, it was reported that a company listing Rowling's husband, Neil Murray, as director had purchased Church Cottage and renovations were underway.<ref>{{cite news |title=Harry Potter: JK Rowling secretly buys childhood home |date=14 April 2020|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-52286400|publisher=[[BBC News]] |access-date=12 January 2022}}</ref>}} In 1974, Rowling began attending the nearby Church of England School.{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=27}} Biographer Sean Smith describes her teacher as a "battleaxe"{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=28}} who "struck fear into the hearts of the children";{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=27–30}} Rowling's teacher seated her in "dunces' row" after she performed poorly on an arithmetic test.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=28–30}}{{efn|Pugh writes that "Rowling reportedly modeled the strict pedagogical style of [[Severus Snape]] after [Sylvia] Morgan's methods."{{sfn|Pugh|2020|p=2}} Kirk states that "Jo has admitted modeling Professor Snape on a few of her most memorable and least favorite people from her past, and she has said that Mrs. Morgan&nbsp;... was definitely one of them."{{sfn|Kirk|2003|p=31}} According to Smith, "Aspects of Mrs Morgan's fearsome character are embodied in the Hogwarts' Potions master, Professor Severus Snape."{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=21}} }} In 1975, Rowling joined a [[Brownies (Scouting)|Brownies]] pack. Its special events and parties, and the pack groups (Fairies, Pixies, Sprites, Elves, Gnomes and Imps) provided a magical world away from her stern teacher.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=36–38}} When she was eleven{{sfn|Pugh|2020|p=3}} or twelve, she wrote a short story, "The Seven Cursed Diamonds".{{sfn|Kirk|2003|p=37}} She later described herself during this period as "the epitome of a bookish child – short and squat, thick National Health glasses, living in a world of complete daydreams".{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=40–41}}

=== Secondary school and university ===
[[File:Church Cottage, Tutshill.jpg|thumb|right|[[Church Cottage, Tutshill|Church Cottage]], Tutshill, Gloucs, Rowling's childhood home]]

Rowling's secondary school was [[Wyedean School and College]], a state school she began attending at the age of eleven{{sfn|Kirk|2003|loc=p. 33. The years of British secondary school are equivalent to the United States grades of 6–12; Kirk compares them to the seven years of the books in the ''Harry Potter'' series}} and where she was bullied.{{sfn|Kirk|2003|p=39}}{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=66–67}} Rowling was inspired by her favourite teacher, Lucy Shepherd, who taught the importance of structure and precision in writing.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=56–58}}{{sfn|Kirk|2003|p=36}} Smith writes that Rowling "craved to play heavy electric guitar",{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=54}} and describes her as "intelligent yet shy".{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=61}} Her teacher Dale Neuschwander was impressed by her imagination.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=55–56}} When she was a young teenager, Rowling's great-aunt gave her ''[[Hons and Rebels]]'', the autobiography of the [[civil rights]] activist [[Jessica Mitford]].{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=62}} Mitford became Rowling's heroine, and she read all her books.<ref name=HarryMe>{{Cite news|last=Fraser|first=Lindsay|date=9 November 2002|title=Harry and me|url=https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/books/harry-and-me-2461742|access-date=7 January 2022|work=[[The Scotsman]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609191643/https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/books/harry-and-me-2461742 |archive-date=9 June 2021}}</ref>

Anne had a strong influence on her daughter.{{sfn|Pugh|2020|p=2}} Early in Rowling's life, the support of her mother and sister instilled confidence and enthusiasm for storytelling.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=12–13}} Anne was a creative and accomplished cook,{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=16–17}}{{efn|Smith compares the place meals held in the Rowling household{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=17}} and the descriptions of food in ''The Little White Horse'' to the elaborate food prepared for Hogwarts pupils.{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=45}} }} who helped lead her daughters' Brownie activities,{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=38}} and took a job in the chemistry department at Wyedean while her daughters were there.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=53–54}} The three walked to and from school together, with a relationship more like sisters than mother and daughters.{{tone inline|reason=Again - unencylopaedic. What is this supposed to mean? |date=August 2024}}{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=54}}{{sfn|Kirk|2003|p=35}} [[John Nettleship]], the head of science at Wyedean, described Anne as "absolutely brilliant, a sparkling character&nbsp;... very imaginative".<ref name=JKRStory/> Anne was diagnosed with a "virulent strain" of [[multiple sclerosis]] when she was 34{{sfn|Kirk|2003|p=40}} or 35 and Jo was 15,{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=71, 74}} and had to quit her job.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=74–75}} Rowling's home life was complicated by her mother's illness{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=xii}} and a strained relationship with her father.{{sfn|Pugh|2020|p=4}} Rowling later said "home was a difficult place to be",{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=72}} and that her teenage years were unhappy.<ref name=Parker2012/> In 2020, she wrote that her father would have preferred a son and described herself as having severe [[obsessive–compulsive disorder]] in her teens.<ref name=RowlingReasons/> She began to smoke, took an interest in [[alternative rock]],{{sfn|Kirk|2003|p=40}} and adopted [[Siouxsie Sioux]]'s back-combed hair and black eyeliner.<ref name=JKRStory/> Sean Harris, her best friend in the [[Sixth form|Upper Sixth]], owned a turquoise [[Ford Anglia#Anglia 105E (1959–1968)|Ford Anglia]] that provided an escape from her difficult home life and the means for Harris and Rowling to broaden their activities.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=76–78}}{{efn|Rowling later described Harris as her "getaway driver and foul weather friend"; his Anglia inspired a flying version that appeared in ''[[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]]'' as a symbol of escape and rescue.{{sfn|Pugh|2020|p=9}}{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp= 77–78}} }}

Living in a small town with pressures at home, Rowling became more interested in her schoolwork.{{sfn|Kirk|2003|p=40}} Steve Eddy, her first secondary school English teacher, remembers her as "not exceptional" but "one of a group of girls who were bright, and quite good at English".<ref name=Parker2012/> Rowling took [[A-level]]s in English, French, and German, achieving two As and a B, and was named [[Head Girl|head girl]] at Wyedean.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=79–81}} She applied to [[Oxford University]] in 1982 but was rejected.{{sfn|Pugh|2020|p=2}} Biographers attribute her rejection to privilege, as she had attended a state school rather than a private one.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=80–81}}{{sfn|Kirk|2003|p=42}}

Rowling always wanted to be a writer,{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=90}} but chose to study French and the classics at the [[University of Exeter]] for practical reasons, influenced by her parents who thought job prospects would be better with evidence of [[bilingualism]].{{sfn|Kirk|2003|p=44}} She later stated that Exeter was not initially what she expected ("to be among lots of similar people – thinking radical thoughts") but that she enjoyed herself after she met more people like her.<ref name=HarryMe/> She was an average student at Exeter, described by biographers as prioritising her social life over her studies, and lacking ambition and enthusiasm.{{sfn|Kirk|2003|pp=44–45}}{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=89–90}} Rowling recalls doing little work at university, preferring to read [[Charles Dickens|Dickens]] and [[J. R. R. Tolkien|Tolkien]].<ref name=Parker2012/> She earned a [[Bachelor of Arts|BA]] in French from Exeter,{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=95–97}} graduating in 1987 after a year of study in Paris.{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=97}}

=== Inspiration and mother's death ===
After university, Rowling moved to a flat in [[Clapham Junction (area)|Clapham Junction]] with friends,<ref>Smith 2002, pp. 104–5 says [[Clapham]]; Kirk 2003, p. 49 says Clapham but p. 67 says [[Clapham Junction (area)|Clapham Junction]]. Rowling tweeted in 2020 that she first put pen to paper in Clapham Junction. {{cite news |first=Bethany |last=Minelle |date=22 May 2020|title=JK Rowling reveals Harry Potter's true birthplace: Clapham Junction |url=https://news.sky.com/story/jk-rowling-reveals-harry-potters-true-birthplace-clapham-junction-11992918 |publisher= [[Sky News]] |access-date=17 January 2022}}</ref> and took a course to become a bilingual secretary.{{sfn|Pugh|2020|p=2}} While she was working in [[Temporary work|temporary jobs]] in London, [[Amnesty International]] hired her to document human rights issues in French-speaking Africa.{{sfn|Pugh|2020|pp=2–3}} She began writing adult novels while working as a temp, although they were never published.<ref name=JKRStory/>{{sfn|Kirk|2003|p=51}} In 1990, she planned to move with her boyfriend to [[Manchester]],<ref name=OldBio>{{cite web|title=Biography|url=https://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/biography.cfm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071226220404/https://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/biography.cfm|archive-date=26 December 2007|access-date=7 January 2022|publisher=JK Rowling}}</ref> and frequently took long train trips to visit.{{sfn|Pugh|2020|p=3}} In mid-1990, she was on a train delayed by four hours from Manchester to London,{{sfn|Kirk|2003|pp=66–67}} when the characters [[Harry Potter (character)|Harry Potter]], [[Ron Weasley]], and [[Hermione Granger]] came plainly into her mind.<ref>{{cite news|last=Loer|first=Stephanie|date=18 October 1999|title=All about Harry Potter from Quidditch to the future of the Sorting Hat|work=[[The Boston Globe]]|id={{ProQuest|405306485}}|page=C7}}</ref> Having no pen or paper allowed her to fully explore the characters and their story in her imagination before she reached her flat and began to write.{{sfn|Kirk|2003|pp=66–67}}

Rowling moved to Manchester around November 1990.<ref name=HarryMe/><!-- says about a month before her mother died, which was December--> She described her time in Manchester, where she worked for the Chamber of Commerce{{sfn|Pugh|2020|p=3}} and at [[Manchester University]] in temp jobs,{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=108}} as a "year of misery".{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=106}} Her mother died of multiple sclerosis on 30 December 1990.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=109–110}} At the time, she was writing ''Harry Potter'' and had never told her mother about it.<ref name=dt>{{cite news|last=Greig|first=Geordie|date=10 January 2006|title='There would be so much to tell her&nbsp;...'|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|id={{ProQuest|321301864}}|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1507438/There-would-be-so-much-to-tell-her....html|page=25}}</ref> Her mother's death heavily affected Rowling's writing.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=109–112}} She later said that her literary creation of the [[Mirror of Erised]] is about her mother's death,{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=111}} and noted an "evident parallelism" between Harry confronting his own mortality and her life.{{sfn|Cruz|2008}}

The pain of the loss of her mother was compounded when some personal effects her mother had left her were stolen.<ref name=HarryMe/> With the end of the relationship with her boyfriend, and "being made redundant from an office job in Manchester", Rowling described herself as being in a state of "fight or flight".<ref name=Parker2012/> An advertisement in ''[[The Guardian]]'' led her to move to [[Porto]], Portugal, in November 1991 to teach night classes in English as a foreign language,{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=114–116}} writing during the day.<ref name=Parker2012/>

=== Marriage, divorce and single parenthood ===
[[File:VistadoPorto.jpg|thumbnail|Rowling moved to [[Porto]], Portugal, to teach English.|alt=A panned out image of city buildings]]
Five months after arriving in Porto,<!-- the 18 months reported in ''The Scotsman cannot be correct. Her mother died in December 1990, she arrived in Porto in November, which has to be 91, she has a miscarriage in summer 1992, so meeting him in March as Smith reports would be correct--> Rowling met the Portuguese television journalist Jorge Arantes in a bar and found that they shared an interest in [[Jane Austen]].{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=121–122}} By mid-1992, they were planning a trip to London to introduce Arantes to Rowling's family, when she had a miscarriage.{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=127}} The relationship was troubled, but they married on 16 October 1992.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=127–131}}{{efn|Pugh writes, "In a droll allusion to this ill-fated union, Professor Trelawney warns Lavender Brown, 'Incidentally, that thing you are dreading – it will happen on Friday the sixteenth of October'."{{sfn|Pugh|2020|p=3}} }} Their daughter Jessica Isabel Rowling Arantes (named after Jessica Mitford{{efn|Rowling says that Jessica was named after Mitford and a boy would have been named Harry; according to Smith (2002), Arantes says that Jessica was named after [[Jezebel]] from the Bible.{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=132}} }}) was born on 27 July 1993 in Portugal.<ref name=JKRStory/>{{sfn|Pugh|2020|p=3}} By this time, Rowling had finished the first three chapters of ''[[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone]]'' – almost as they were eventually published – and had drafted the rest of the novel.{{sfn|Kirk|2003|p=70}}

Rowling experienced [[domestic violence|domestic abuse]] during her marriage.<ref name=RowlingReasons/>{{sfn|Kirk|2003|loc=p. 57: "Soon, by many eyewitness accounts and even some versions of Jorge's own story, domestic violence became a painful reality in Jo's life."}} Arantes said in June 2020 that he had slapped her and did not regret it.<ref>{{cite web|title=JK Rowling: Sun newspaper criticised by abuse charities for article on ex-husband|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53023543|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=12 June 2020|access-date=12 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612132451/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53023543|archive-date=12 June 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Rowling described the marriage as "short and catastrophic".{{sfn|Pugh|2020|p=3}} She says she was not allowed to have a house key and that her husband used the growing manuscript of her first book as a hostage.<ref>{{cite news| last=Rawlinson | first=Kevin | title=JK Rowling reveals abuse in past relationship |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] | date=22 February 2023 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/feb/22/jk-rowling-reveals-abuse-in-past-relationship |access-date= 22 February 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230222131451/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/feb/22/jk-rowling-reveals-abuse-in-past-relationship |archive-date= 22 February 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> Rowling and Arantes separated on 17 November 1993 after Arantes threw her out of the house; she returned with the police to retrieve Jessica and her belongings and went into hiding for two weeks before she left Portugal.<ref name= JKRStory/>{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=133–134}} In late 1993, with a draft of ''Harry Potter'' in her suitcase,<ref name=Parker2012/> Rowling moved with her daughter to [[Edinburgh]], [[Scotland]],<ref name=AboutJKR/> planning to stay with her sister until Christmas.<ref name=HarryMe/>

Her biographer Sean Smith raises the question of why Rowling chose to stay with her sister rather than her father.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=136–137}} Rowling has spoken of an estrangement from her father, stating in an interview with [[Oprah Winfrey]] that "It wasn't a good relationship from my point of view for a very long time but I had a need to please and I kept that going for a long time and then there&nbsp;... just came a point at which I had to pull up and say I can't do this anymore."{{sfn|Pugh|2020|p=4}} Pete had married his secretary within two years of Anne's death,{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=136}} and ''[[The Scotsman]]'' reported in 2003 that "[t]he speed of his decision to move in with his secretary&nbsp;... distressed both sisters and a fault-line now separated them and their father."<ref name=JKRStory/> Rowling said in 2012 that they had not spoken in the last nine years.<ref name=Parker2012/>

Rowling sought government assistance and got £69 (US$103) per week from [[Department of Social Security (United Kingdom)|Social Security]]; not wanting to burden her recently married sister, she moved to a flat that she described as mouse-ridden.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=138–139}} She later described her economic status as being as "poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain, without being homeless".<ref name=Parker2012/> Seven years after graduating from university, she saw herself as a failure.<ref name=RowlingTED>{{cite web |first=JK |last=Rowling |title=JK Rowling: The fringe benefits of failure |publisher=[[TED (conference)|TED]] |quote=Failure & imagination |date=June 2008 |url=http://www.ted.com/talks/jk_rowling_the_fringe_benefits_of_failure.html |access-date=5 March 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110430171632/http://www.ted.com/talks/jk_rowling_the_fringe_benefits_of_failure.html |archive-date=30 April 2011 }}</ref> [[Tison Pugh]] writes that the "grinding effects of poverty, coupled with her concern for providing for her daughter as a single parent, caused great hardship".{{sfn|Pugh|2020|p=3}} Her marriage had failed, and she was jobless with a dependent child, but she later described this as "liberating" her to focus on writing.<ref name=RowlingTED/> She has said that "Jessica kept me going".{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=136}} Her old school friend, Sean Harris, lent her £600 ($900), which allowed her to move to a flat in [[Leith]],{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=140}} where she finished ''Philosopher's Stone''.{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=140}}

Arantes arrived in Scotland in March 1994 seeking both Rowling and Jessica.<ref name=JKRStory/>{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=141}} On 15 March 1994, Rowling sought an [[Interdicts in Scots law|action of interdict]] (order of restraint); the interdict was granted and Arantes returned to Portugal.<ref name=JKRStory/>{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=142}} Early in the year, Rowling began to experience a deep depression{{sfn|Kirk|2003|p=60}} and sought medical help when she contemplated suicide.{{sfn|Pugh|2020|p=3}}{{efn|The depression inspired the [[Dementors]] – soul-sucking creatures introduced in ''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Chaundy|first=Bob|date=18 February 2003|title=Harry Potter's magician|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/823330.stm|access-date=13 January 2022|publisher=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> }} With nine months of therapy, her mental health gradually improved.{{sfn|Kirk|2003|p=60}} She filed for divorce on 10 August 1994;{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=144}} the divorce was finalised on 26 June 1995.{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=150}}

Rowling wanted to finish the book before enrolling on a teacher training course, fearing she might not be able to finish once she started the course.<ref name=HarryMe/> She often wrote in cafés,{{sfn|Kirk|2003|pp=55, 60}} including Nicolson's, part-owned by her brother-in-law.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=144–146}} Secretarial work brought in £15 ($22.50) per week, but she would lose government benefits if she earned more.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=147–148}} In mid-1995, a friend gave her money that allowed her to come off benefits and enrol<!-- DO NOT CHANGE, this is British English spelling--> full-time in college.{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=149}} Still needing money and expecting to make a living by teaching,{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=173}} Rowling began a teacher training course in August 1995 at [[Moray House School of Education]]{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=148–149}}{{efn|name=Moray|Moray House was then part of [[Heriot-Watt University]] and later became part of the [[University of Edinburgh]].{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=148–149}}}} after completing her first novel.{{sfn|Anelli|2008|p=44}} She earned her teaching certificate in July 1996{{sfn|Kirk|2003|p=76}} and began teaching at [[Leith Academy]].{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=174}} Rowling later said that writing the first ''Harry Potter'' book had saved her life and that her concerns about "love, loss, separation, death&nbsp;... are reflected in the first book".{{sfn|Cruz|2008}}

=== Publishing ''Harry Potter'' ===
{{Main|Harry Potter{{!}}''Harry Potter''}}
<!--
Please note: The four booklets Rowling composed for charity are listed in the "Charity" section.
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[[File:Potter queue.jpg|thumb|A California bookshop in 2007, five minutes before ''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]'' was released]]

Rowling completed ''[[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone]]'' in June 1995.{{sfn|Anelli|2008|pp=41, 47}} The initial draft included an illustration of Harry by a fireplace, showing a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead.{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=152}} Following an enthusiastic report from an early reader,{{sfn|Anelli|2008|p=43}} [[Christopher Little Literary Agency]] agreed to represent Rowling. Her manuscript was submitted to twelve publishers, all of which rejected it.<ref name=JKRStory/> [[Barry Cunningham (publisher)|Barry Cunningham]], who ran the children's literature department at [[Bloomsbury Publishing]], bought it,{{sfn|Kirk|2003|p=75}} after [[Nigel Newton]], who headed Bloomsbury at the time, saw his eight-year-old daughter finish one chapter and want to keep reading.{{sfn|Pugh|2020|p=3}}<ref>{{cite news | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929175706/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/6/story.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10333960| archive-date=29 September 2007|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/6/story.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10333960 |title=Revealed: The eight-year-old girl who saved Harry Potter |last1=Lawless|first1=John |date=3 July 2005 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |access-date=6 October 2011}}</ref> Rowling recalls Cunningham telling her, "You'll never make any money out of children's books, Jo."{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=162}} Rowling was awarded a writer's grant by the [[Scottish Arts Council]]{{efn|The Scottish Arts Council grant was after Rowling had a contract for publication of ''Philosopher's Stone'' but before it was published.{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=176}} }} to support her childcare costs and finances before ''Philosopher's Stone''{{'s}} publication, and to aid in writing the sequel, [[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets|''Chamber of Secrets'']].{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=176}}{{sfn|Kirk|2003|pp=62, 76, 119}} On 26 June 1997, Bloomsbury published ''Philosopher's Stone'' with an initial [[Print circulation|print run]] of 5,650&nbsp;copies.{{sfn|Errington|2017|pp= 1–2, 7–8}}{{efn|According to Errington, 500 hardbacks and 5,150 paperbacks "were published on the same date and neither has bibliographical priority". It was previously believed that the initial print run was 500 copies total, but this number is "woefully inaccurate".{{sfn|Errington|2017|pp=7–8}} }} Before ''Chamber of Secrets'' was published, Rowling had received £2,800 ($4,200) in royalties.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=187–188}}

''Philosopher's Stone'' introduces [[Harry Potter (character)|Harry Potter]]. Harry is a [[Magician (fantasy)|wizard]] who lives with his non-magical relatives until his eleventh birthday, when he is invited to attend [[Hogwarts|Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]].{{sfn|Hahn|2015|pp=[[iarchive:oxfordcompaniont0000hahn/page/264/mode/1up|264–266]]}}{{sfn|Mamary|2020|pp=1–3}} Rowling wrote six sequels, which follow Harry's adventures at Hogwarts with friends [[Hermione Granger]] and [[Ron Weasley]] and his attempts to defeat [[Lord Voldemort]], who killed Harry's parents when he was a child.{{sfn|Hahn|2015|pp=[[iarchive:oxfordcompaniont0000hahn/page/264/mode/1up|264–266]]}}

[[File:JK Rowling 1999.jpg|left|thumb|upright|Rowling at the [[National Press Club (United States)|National Press Club]] in Washington, D.C. in 1999]]
Rowling received the news that the US rights were being auctioned at the [[Bologna Children's Book Fair]].{{sfn|Kirk|2003|p=77}} To her surprise and delight, [[Scholastic Corporation]] bought the rights for $105,000.{{sfn|Eccleshare|2002|p=13}} She bought a flat in [[Edinburgh]] with the money from the sale.{{sfn|Kirk|2003|p=79}} Arthur A. Levine, head of the [[Imprint (trade name)|imprint]] at Scholastic, pushed for a name change. He wanted ''Harry Potter and the School of Magic''; as a compromise Rowling suggested ''Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone''.{{sfn|Anelli|2008|pp=50, 58–59}} ''Sorcerer's Stone'' was released in the United States in September 1998.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jk-rowling/harry-potter-and-the-sorcerers-stone/|title=Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone|magazine=[[Kirkus Reviews]]|date=1 September 1998|access-date=14 December 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214105044/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jk-rowling/harry-potter-and-the-sorcerers-stone/|archive-date=14 December 2013}}</ref> It was not widely reviewed, but the reviews it received were generally positive.{{sfn|Anelli|2008|pp=60–61}} ''Sorcerer's Stone'' became a [[The New York Times|''New York Times'']] bestseller by December.{{Sfn|Anelli|2008|p=63}}

The next three books in the series were released in quick succession between 1998 and 2000: ''[[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]]'' (1998), ''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]'' (1999), and ''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]'' (2000), each selling millions of copies.{{sfn|Whited|2002|p=2}} When ''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]'' had not appeared by 2002, rumours circulated that Rowling was suffering [[writer's block]].{{sfn|Whited|2002|p=5}} Rowling denied these rumours, stating the 896-page book took three years to write because of its length.<ref>{{Cite interview|last= Rowling |first= J.K. |date= 19 June 2003 |title=Inside 'Order of the Phoenix' |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna3080035 |access-date= 19 July 2024|publisher=[[NBC News]] |interviewer= [[Katie Couric]]}}</ref> It was published in June 2003, selling millions of copies on the first day.<ref>{{Cite news|last= Kirkpatrick|first= David D.|date= 23 June 2003|title= New 'Harry Potter' book sells 5 million on first day|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/23/us/new-harry-potter-book-sells-5-million-on-first-day.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527235906/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/23/us/new-harry-potter-book-sells-5-million-on-first-day.html |archive-date=27 May 2015 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref> ''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]'' was released two years later in July 2005, again selling millions of copies on the first day.<ref>{{Cite news|last= Wyatt|first= Edward |date= 18 July 2005|title= Harry Potter book sets record in first day|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/18/books/harry-potter-book-sets-record-in-first-day.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529184415/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/18/books/harry-potter-book-sets-record-in-first-day.html |archive-date=29 May 2015 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref> The series ended with ''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]'', published in July 2007.<ref>{{Cite news|last= Rich|first= Motoko |date= 23 July 2007|title= Harry Potter's popularity holds up in early sales |work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/23/books/23potter.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080305150854/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/23/books/23potter.html |archive-date=5 March 2008 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>

=== Films ===
{{Main|Harry Potter (film series){{!}}''Harry Potter'' (film series)}}
[[File:RH116 "Harry Potter Film 2011" - Flickr - D464-Darren Hall.jpg|thumb|Bus promoting ''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2|Deathly Hallows – Part 2]]'', 2011]]
In 1999, [[Warner Bros.]] purchased film rights to the first two ''Harry Potter'' novels for a reported $1&nbsp;million.{{sfn|Gunelius|2008|pp=8, 37}}{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=210}} Rowling accepted the offer with the provision that the studio only produce ''Harry Potter'' films based on books she authored,{{Sfn|Anelli|2008|pp=66–68}} while retaining the right to final script approval,{{sfn|Kirk|2003|p=94}} and some control over merchandising.{{Sfn|Smith|2002|p=210}} ''[[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)|Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone]]'', an adaptation of the first ''Harry Potter'' book, was released in November 2001.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Bradshaw|first=Peter|author-link=Peter Bradshaw|date=28 October 2021|title=Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone review – 20 years on, it's a nostalgic spectacular|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/oct/28/harry-potter-and-the-philosophers-stone-review|access-date=13 January 2022|work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> [[Steve Kloves]] wrote the screenplays for all but the fifth film,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Lyall|first=Sarah|date=12 November 2010|title=A screenwriter's Hogwarts decade|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/14/movies/14potter.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110820122255/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/14/movies/14potter.html |archive-date=20 August 2011 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=9 January 2022 }}</ref> with Rowling's assistance, ensuring that his scripts kept to the plots of the novels.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sragow|first=Michael|title=The wizard behind 'Harry'|date=15 November 2001|work=[[The Baltimore Sun]]|page=1E|id={{ProQuest|406491574}}}}</ref>
The film series concluded with ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'', which was adapted in two parts; [[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1|part one]] was released on 19 November 2010,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Barnes|first=Brooks|date=21 November 2010|title='Harry Potter' has $330 million debut weekend|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/22/business/media/22potter.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101122044053/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/22/business/media/22potter.html |archive-date=22 November 2010 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=2 February 2022 }}</ref> and [[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2|part two]] followed on 15 July 2011.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Barnes|first=Brooks|date=17 July 2011|title=Millions of Muggles propel Potter film at box office|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/18/movies/harry-potters-opening-weekend-breaks-box-office-records.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717213852/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/18/movies/harry-potters-opening-weekend-breaks-box-office-records.html |archive-date=17 July 2011 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=2 February 2022 }}</ref>

Warner Bros. announced an expanded relationship with Rowling in 2013, including a planned series of films about her character Newt Scamander, fictitious author of ''[[Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (book)|Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|last= Cieply|first= Michael|date= 12 September 2013|title= Warner and J.K. Rowling Reach Wide-Ranging Deal |work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/13/business/media/warner-jk-rowling-partnership-will-include-new-wizardry-film.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130912172123/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/13/business/media/warner-jk-rowling-partnership-will-include-new-wizardry-film.html |archive-date=12 September 2013 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref> The [[Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film)|first film]] of five, a prequel to the ''Harry Potter'' series, set roughly 70&nbsp;years earlier, was released in November 2016.<ref name=BBCOct2016>{{cite news|title=JK Rowling plans five Fantastic Beasts films|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37651586|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=14 October 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124091832/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37651586|archive-date=24 November 2016}}</ref> Rowling wrote the screenplay, which was released as a book.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Cain|first=Sian|date=25 November 2016|title=The screenplay of Fantastic Beasts is a rare miss for the wizarding world|url=http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/nov/25/jk-rowling-fantastic-beasts-screenplay|access-date=22 January 2022|work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> ''[[Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald|Crimes of Grindelwald]]'' was released in November 2018.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Dargis|first=Manohla|date=8 November 2018|title='Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald' review: apocalypse too soon|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/08/movies/fantastic-beasts.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181109014239/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/08/movies/fantastic-beasts.html |archive-date=9 November 2018 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=2 February 2022 }}</ref> ''[[Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore|Secrets of Dumbledore]]'' was released in April 2022.<ref name=Crouch2021>{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/fantastic-beasts-3-secrets-dumbledore-release-date-1235018522/|title='Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore' sets new 2022 release date |last=Crouch |first=Aaron |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=22 September 2021 |access-date=23 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210922155056/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/fantastic-beasts-3-secrets-dumbledore-release-date-1235018522/ |archive-date=22 September 2021 |url-status=live }}</ref> 
In November 2022, ''Variety'' reported that Warner Bros. Discovery was not actively planning to continue the film series or to develop any further films related to the Wizarding World franchise.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://comicbook.com/movies/news/fantastic-beasts-sequels-harry-potter-movies-dead-warner-bros-discovery/|title=Fantastic Beasts 4 and 5, Harry Potter Spinoffs Reportedly Stalled at Warner Bros. Discovery|first=Charlie|date=3 November 2022|website=comicbook.com|last=Ridgely|access-date=7 November 2022|archive-date=7 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221107042139/https://comicbook.com/movies/news/fantastic-beasts-sequels-harry-potter-movies-dead-warner-bros-discovery/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Religion, wealth and remarriage ===
{{further|Religious debates over the Harry Potter series{{!}}Religious debates over the ''Harry Potter'' series|List of celebrities by net worth}}
By 1998, Rowling was portrayed in the media as a "penniless divorcee hitting the jackpot".{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=187–188}} According to her biographer Sean Smith, the publicity became effective marketing for ''Harry Potter'',{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=187–188}} but her journey from living on benefits to wealth brought, along with fame, concerns from different groups about the books' [[#Religious reactions|portrayals of the occult]] and [[#Gender and social division|gender roles]].{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=218–222}} Ultimately, Smith says that these concerns served to "enhance [her] public profile rather than damage it".{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=222}}

Rowling identifies as a Christian.<ref name=Fantasia>{{Cite web|last=Nelson|first=Michael|date=31 January 2002|title=Fantasia: The Gospel According to C.S. Lewis|url=https://prospect.org/api/content/3229353b-1de2-5f2d-89cf-1440fe7c9594/|access-date=12 January 2022|website=[[The American Prospect]]}}</ref> Although she grew up next door to her church,{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=25–27, 76}} accounts of the family's church attendance differ.{{efn|Smith writes that the Rowling sisters "never attended Sunday school or services",{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=76}} and Parker writes that the other Rowling family members were not regular churchgoers, but that "Rowling regularly attended services in the church next door".<ref name=Parker2012>{{cite magazine |title=Mugglemarch: J.K. Rowling writes a realist novel for adults |last=Parker |first= Ian |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |date=24 September 2012 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/10/01/mugglemarch |access-date=13 June 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140730193324/http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/10/01/mugglemarch |archive-date=30 July 2014 }}</ref> }} She began attending a [[Church of Scotland]] congregation, where Jessica was christened, around the time she was writing ''Harry Potter''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Weeks|first=Linton|date=20 October 1999|title=Charmed, I'm sure; the enchanting success story of Harry Potter's creator, J.K. Rowling|page=C01|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|id={{ProQuest|408532236}}}}</ref> In a 2012 interview, she said she belonged to the [[Scottish Episcopal Church]].<ref>{{Cite episode |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01mx27g |title=J. K. Rowling |credits=Presenter: Mark Lawson |series=Front Row |series-link=Front Row (radio programme) |station=[[BBC Radio 4]] |time=17:45 |date=27 September 2012 |access-date=27 September 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001021842/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01mx27g |archive-date=1 October 2012}}</ref> Rowling has stated that she believes in God,{{sfn|Kirk|2003|p=105}} but has experienced doubt,<ref>{{cite news|title=The woman behind the boy wizard|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/16/arts/television/16rowling.html|access-date=13 June 2020|work=[[The New York Times]]|first=Mike|last=Hale|date=16 July 2009|url-status=live|url-access=registration|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715043903/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/16/arts/television/16rowling.html|archive-date=15 July 2011}}</ref> and that her struggles with faith play a part in her books.{{sfn|Cruz|2008}} She does not believe in magic or [[witchcraft]].<ref name=Fantasia/>{{sfn|Kirk|2003|p=105}}

Rowling married Neil Murray, a doctor, in 2001.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=271–273}} The couple intended to marry that July in the [[Galapagos]], but when this leaked to the press, they delayed their wedding and changed their holiday destination to [[Mauritius]].{{sfn|Kirk|2003|p=113}} After the UK [[Press Complaints Commission]] ruled that a magazine had breached Jessica's privacy when the eight-year-old was included in a photograph of the family taken during that trip,{{sfn|Holmes|2015|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=5MNzCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA203 203]}}<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.pcc.org.uk/cases/adjudicated.html?article=MjA0NQ== |publisher= Press Complaints Commission|access-date=1 February 2022|title=Adjudicated complaints: J K Rowling}}</ref> Murray and Rowling sought a more private and quiet place to live and work.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=261–262, 266–267}} Rowling bought [[Killiechassie House]] and its estate in [[Perthshire]], Scotland,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/hogwarts-hideaway-potter-author-2467790|title=Hogwarts hideaway for Potter author|work=[[The Scotsman]]|date=22 November 2001|access-date=25 October 2007|url-access=registration|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613172843/https://www.scotsman.com/news/hogwarts-hideaway-potter-author-2467790|archive-date=13 June 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> and on 26 December 2001, the couple had a small, private wedding there, officiated by an Episcopalian priest who travelled from Edinburgh.{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=271–273}} Their son, David Gordon Rowling Murray, was born in 2003,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/2883095.stm|title=Baby joy for JK Rowling|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=24 March 2003|access-date=24 March 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090201195555/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/2883095.stm|archive-date=1 February 2009}}</ref> and their daughter Mackenzie Jean Rowling Murray in 2005.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=JK Rowling |title= News: JKR gives birth to baby girl | url=http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/news_view.cfm?id=83 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112121859/http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/news_view.cfm?id=83 |archive-date=12 January 2012 |access-date= 19 January 2022 |date= 25 January 2005}}</ref>

In 2004, ''[[Forbes]]'' named Rowling "the first billion-dollar author".<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Watson|first1=Julie|last2=Kellner|first2=Tomas|date=26 February 2004|title=J.K. Rowling and the billion-dollar empire|url=https://www.forbes.com/maserati/billionaires2004/cx_jw_0226rowlingbill04.html|access-date=9 January 2022|work=[[Forbes]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729194610/https://www.forbes.com/maserati/billionaires2004/cx_jw_0226rowlingbill04.html|archive-date=29 July 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Rowling denied that she was a billionaire in a 2005 interview.<ref name=Couric2005>{{cite news |last=Couric |first= Katie |author-link=Katie Couric |date=18 July 2005 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/8599597 |title= J.K. Rowling, the author with the magic touch |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191128233720/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/8599597 |archive-date=28 November 2019 |publisher= [[NBC News]] |access-date= 13 June 2020}}</ref> By 2012, ''Forbes'' concluded she was no longer a billionaire due to her charitable donations and high UK taxes.<ref name="160M">{{cite news|title=J.K. Rowling: billionaire to millionaire|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/books/news/article.cfm?c_id=134&objectid=10791515|access-date=16 January 2013|date=12 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607200823/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/books/news/article.cfm?c_id=134&objectid=10791515|archive-date=7 June 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> She was named the world's highest paid author by ''Forbes'' in 2008,<ref name=BBCWealth2008>{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7649962.stm |title=Rowling 'makes £5 every second' |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=3 October 2008 |access-date=28 February 2022}}</ref> 2017<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-40825498|title=JK Rowling named world's highest-earning author by Forbes|date=4 August 2017|publisher=[[BBC News]]|access-date=5 August 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002155507/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-40825498|archive-date=2 October 2017}}</ref> and 2019.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Cuccinello|first1=Hayley C.|last2=Shapiro|first2=Ariel|title=Worlds highest-paid authors 2019: J.K. Rowling back on top with $92 million|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/hayleycuccinello/2019/12/20/worlds-highest-paid-authors-2019-rowling-patterson-obama/|work=[[Forbes]]|date=20 December 2019|access-date=20 December 2020}}</ref> Her UK sales total in excess of £238&nbsp;million, which made her the best-selling living author in Britain,<ref>{{cite news|title=J.K. Rowling: Casual Vacancy tops fiction charts|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/9584404/JK-Rowling-Casual-Vacancy-tops-fiction-charts.html|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|access-date=4 October 2012|first=Emma-Victoria|last=Farr|date=3 October 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004003423/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/9584404/JK-Rowling-Casual-Vacancy-tops-fiction-charts.html|archive-date=4 October 2012}}</ref> until 2025 when she was supplanted by [[Julia Donaldson]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=McTaggart |first=India |date=2025-01-17 |title=JK Rowling knocked off top of British best-sellers list |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/01/17/jk-rowling-knocked-off-top-british-author-spot/ |access-date=2025-01-18 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}</ref> The 2021 [[Sunday Times Rich List|''Sunday Times'' Rich List]] estimated Rowling's fortune at £820&nbsp;million, ranking her as the 196th-richest person in the UK.<ref name=wealth>{{cite news|date=21 May 2021|title=JK Rowling net worth – Sunday Times Rich List 2021|url=https://www.thetimes.com/sunday-times-rich-list/profile/article/jk-rowling-net-worth-sunday-times-rich-list-695xd7kzn|url-status=live|work=[[The Sunday Times]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20211113164421/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sunday-times-rich-list-jk-rowling-net-worth-rhrbq7ctc|archive-date=13 November 2021|access-date=1 January 2022|url-access=subscription}}</ref> As of 2020, she also owns a £4.5&nbsp;million [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]] house in [[Kensington]] and a £2&nbsp;million home in Edinburgh,<ref name=2020NetWorth>{{cite news |title=JK Rowling net worth 2020: How much the Harry Potter author earns and donates to charity |last=Hills |first=Megan C. |date=7 May 2020|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/insider/celebrity/j-k-rowling-net-worth-harry-potter-author-billionaire-a4234706.html|work=[[Evening Standard]]|access-date=12 January 2022}}</ref> where she lives with Murray and her two youngest children.<ref name=AboutJKR/>

=== Adult fiction and Robert Galbraith ===
{{Main|The Casual Vacancy{{!}}''The Casual Vacancy''|The Casual Vacancy (miniseries){{!}}''The Casual Vacancy'' (miniseries)|Cormoran Strike{{!}}''Cormoran Strike''|Strike (TV series){{!}}''Strike'' (TV series)}}
In mid-2011, Rowling left Christopher Little Literary Agency and followed her agent [[Neil Blair (agent)|Neil Blair]] to the Blair Partnership. He represented her for the publication of ''[[The Casual Vacancy]]'', released in September 2012 by [[Little, Brown and Company]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=27 September 2012|title=Review: 'The Casual Vacancy'|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/54123-review-the-casual-vacancy.html|access-date=10 January 2022|website=[[Publishers Weekly]]}}</ref> It was Rowling's first since ''Harry Potter'' ended, and her first book for adults.<ref>{{Cite news|date=12 April 2012|title=JK Rowling announces The Casual Vacancy as title of first book for adults|work=[[The Guardian]]|agency=[[PA Media|Press Association]]|url=http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/apr/12/jk-rowling-the-casual-vacancy|access-date=10 January 2022}}</ref> A contemporary take on 19th-century British fiction about village life,{{sfn|Pugh|2020|pp=114–115}} ''Casual Vacancy'' was promoted as a [[black comedy]],{{Sfn|Pugh|2020|p=110}} while the critic Ian Parker described it as a "rural [[comedy of manners]]".<ref name=Parker2012/> It was adapted to a [[miniseries]] co-created by the [[BBC]] and [[HBO]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Frost|first=Vicky|date=28 January 2015|title=Could the BBC/HBO adaptation of JK Rowling's The Casual Vacancy be an improvement on the book?|url=http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/jan/28/could-the-bbchbo-adaptation-of-jk-rowlings-the-casual-vacancy-be-an-improvement-on-the-book|access-date=10 January 2022|work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> 

Little, Brown and Company also published ''[[The Cuckoo's Calling]]'', the purported début novel of Robert Galbraith, in April 2013.<ref>{{cite news|title=Whodunnit? J. K. Rowling's secret life as a wizard crime writer revealed|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/books/article/whodunnit-jk-rowlings-secret-life-as-wizard-crime-writer-revealed-35k8dfw5nmz|work=[[The Sunday Times]]|page=1|date=14 July 2013|first=Richard|last=Brooks|access-date=13 June 2020|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613171343/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/whodunnit-jk-rowlings-secret-life-as-wizard-crime-writer-revealed-35k8dfw5nmz|archive-date=13 June 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Telling the story of detective Cormoran Strike, a disabled veteran of the [[War in Afghanistan]],{{sfn|Molin|2015|pp=15–18}} it initially sold 1,500&nbsp;copies in hardback.<ref name=Lyall2013/> After an investigation prompted by discussion on [[Twitter]], the journalist Richard Brooks contacted Rowling's agent, who confirmed Galbraith was Rowling's pseudonym.<ref name=Lyall2013>{{cite news|last=Lyall|first=Sarah|date=14 July 2013|title=This detective novel's story doesn't add up|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/15/books/a-detective-storys-famous-author-is-unmasked.html|url-status=live|url-access=registration|access-date=13 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170126065844/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/15/books/a-detective-storys-famous-author-is-unmasked.html|archive-date=26 January 2017}}</ref> Rowling later said she enjoyed working as Robert Galbraith,<ref>{{cite news|last=Watts|first=Robert|date=13 July 2013|title=JK Rowling unmasked as author of acclaimed detective novel|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/10178344/JK-Rowling-unmasked-as-author-of-acclaimed-detective-novel.html|url-status=live|url-access=registration|access-date=13 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191227125109/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/10178344/JK-Rowling-unmasked-as-author-of-acclaimed-detective-novel.html|archive-date=27 December 2019}}</ref> a name she took from [[Robert F. Kennedy]], a personal hero, and Ella Galbraith, a name she invented for herself in childhood.{{sfn|Pugh|2020|p=116}} After the revelation of her identity, sales of ''Cuckoo's Calling'' escalated.<ref name=Meikle2013>
{{cite news|title=JK Rowling directs anger at lawyers after secret identity revealed|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/jul/18/jk-rowling-anger-lawyers-secret-identity|access-date=19 July 2013|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=18 July 2013|first=James|last=Meikle|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131013065654/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/jul/18/jk-rowling-anger-lawyers-secret-identity|archive-date=13 October 2013}}</ref>

Continuing the ''[[Cormoran Strike]]'' series of detective novels, ''[[The Silkworm]]'' was released in 2014;{{sfn|Errington|2017|p=592}} ''[[Career of Evil]]'' in 2015;{{sfn|Errington|2017|p=618}} ''[[Lethal White]]'' in 2018;<ref name=LethalReveal>{{cite web|date=10 July 2018|title=Lethal White: JK Rowling reveals Strike release date|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-44779006|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181027174350/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-44779006|archive-date=27 October 2018|access-date=27 October 2018|publisher=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> ''[[Troubled Blood]]'' in 2020;<ref>{{cite news|last=Rodger|first=James|date=19 February 2020|title=JK Rowling announces fifth Cormoran Strike novel Troubled Blood under pseudonym Robert Galbraith|work=[[Birmingham Mail]]|url=https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/showbiz-tv/jk-rowling-announces-fifth-cormoran-17778415|url-status=live|access-date=13 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200620160956/https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/showbiz-tv/jk-rowling-announces-fifth-cormoran-17778415|archive-date=20 June 2020}}</ref> ''[[The Ink Black Heart]]'' in 2022;<ref name=Kerridge2022>{{cite news |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/ink-black-heart-robert-galbraith-review-jk-rowlings-strike-faces/ |title= The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith review: JK Rowling's Strike faces the social media trolls |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |first= Jake |last= Kerridge |date= 27 August 2022|access-date= 30 August 2022}}</ref> and ''[[The Running Grave]]'' in 2023.<ref name=Bookseller2023/> In 2017, [[BBC One]] aired the first episode<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/when-is-strike-the-cuckoos-calling-on-tv/ |title= When is Strike: The Cuckoo's Calling on TV? |first= How |last= Fullerton |date=24 August 2017 |work= [[Radio Times]] |access-date= 31 March 2022}}</ref> of the five-season series [[Strike (TV series)|''Strike'']], a television adaptation of the ''Cormoran Strike'' novels starring [[Tom Burke (actor)|Tom Burke]] and [[Holliday Grainger]], with a sixth season being shot in 2024.<ref>{{cite news |first= Jack |last= Seale |title=Strike: Troubled Blood review – the show's real hook: will Robin and Strike finally get together? |date= 11 December 2022 |work = [[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/dec/11/strike-troubled-blood-review-the-shows-real-hook-will-robin-and-strike-finally-get-together |access-date= 18 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kanter |first=Jake |date=1 February 2024 |title=JK Rowling's BBC Detective Series 'Strike' To Begin Season 6 Shoot This Month; HBO Back On Board |url=https://deadline.com/2024/02/jk-rowling-bbc-hbo-strike-season-6-shoot-february-2024-1235810746/ |access-date=18 March 2024 |publisher= [[Deadline Hollywood]] |language=en-US}}</ref> The series was picked up by HBO for distribution in the United States and Canada.<ref>{{cite web|publisher= [[Deadline Hollywood]] |url=https://deadline.com/2016/10/hbcormoran-strike-hbo-drama-on-j-k-rowling-crime-novels-1201843188/|title=HBO picks up 'Cormoran Strike' crama based on J.K. Rowling's crime novels|last1=Andreeva|first1=Nellie|date=26 October 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170112175803/http://deadline.com/2016/10/hbcormoran-strike-hbo-drama-on-j-k-rowling-crime-novels-1201843188/|archive-date=12 January 2017}}</ref>

In September 2024, Rowling [[Tweet (social media)|tweeted]] that she had begun work on a futuristic novel; she added that there were three different projects she could turn to, once the tenth and final planned ''Strike'' novel had been published.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2024/09/jk-rowling-writing-futuristic-novel-1236093909/|title=JK Rowling Reveals She Has Started Writing A "Futuristic" Novel|website=Deadline|last=Kanter|first=Jake|date=September 19, 2024|access-date=October 4, 2024}}</ref>

=== Later ''Harry Potter'' works ===
{{Main|Pottermore|Harry Potter and the Cursed Child{{!}}''Harry Potter and the Cursed Child''}}
{{for|the material written for [[Comic Relief]] and other charities|#Philanthropy}}
[[File:Palace Theatre - May 2017 4.jpg|thumb|upright| ''[[Harry Potter and the Cursed Child]]'' at the [[Palace Theatre, London|Palace Theatre]] in the [[West End theatre|West End]], 2017]]

''Pottermore'', a website with information and stories about characters in the ''Harry Potter'' universe, launched in 2011. On its release, ''Pottermore'' was rooted in the ''Harry Potter'' novels, tracing the series's story in an interactive format. Its brand was associated with Rowling: she introduced the site in a video as a shared media environment to which she and ''Harry Potter'' fans would contribute. The site was substantially revised in 2015 to resemble an encyclopedia of ''Harry Potter''.{{Sfn|Brummitt|2016|pp=112, 114–115}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Pottermore website launched by JK Rowling as 'give-back' to fans |first=Alison |last=Flood |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/jun/23/pottermore-website-jk-rowling-harry-potter |access-date=4 July 2011 |date=23 June 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715090227/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/jun/23/pottermore-website-jk-rowling-harry-potter |archive-date=15 July 2014 }}</ref>

''Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'' premiered in the [[West End theatre|West End]] in May 2016{{sfn|Brummitt|Sellars|2019|pp=108–111}} and on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in July.<ref name=Sulcas2018>{{Cite news|last=Sulcas|first=Roslyn|date=21 February 2018|title=How much magic can 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' make on Broadway?|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/21/theater/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-jk-rowling.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180221124643/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/21/theater/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-jk-rowling.html |archive-date=21 February 2018 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=16 January 2022 }}</ref> At its London premiere, Rowling confirmed that she would not write any more ''Harry Potter'' books.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Babington|first1=Deepa|last2=Maguire|first2=Francis|date=30 July 2016|title=J.K. Rowling bids farewell to Harry Potter at 'Cursed Child' gala|publisher=[[Reuters]]|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-entertainment-harrypotter-idUSKCN10A0OP|access-date=8 January 2022}}</ref> Rowling collaborated with writer [[Jack Thorne]] and director [[John Tiffany]].{{sfn|Brummitt|Sellars|2019|pp=108–111}}<ref name=Sulcas2018/> ''Cursed Child''{{'s}} script was published as a book in July 2016.{{sfn|Birch|2016|pp=96–97}} The play follows the friendship between Harry's son Albus and Scorpius Malfoy, [[Draco Malfoy]]'s son, at Hogwarts.<ref name=Sulcas2018/>

In April 2023, it was announced that the [[Harry Potter (TV series)|''Harry Potter'' television series]] will span 10 years of production<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weprin |first=Alex |date=23 February 2024 |title=Harry Potter TV Series Aiming for 2026 Debut on Max |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/harry-potter-tv-series-2026-debut-hbo-max-1235833774/ |access-date=18 March 2024 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref> and feature a season dedicated to each of the seven [[Harry Potter books|''Harry Potter'' books]], with Rowling as [[Executive producer (television)|executive producer]].<ref name=HPseries>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/harry-potter-tv-series-hbo-max-1235578295/|title='Harry Potter' series adaptation officially ordered at HBO Max, will feature entirely new cast|access-date=15 April 2023|date=12 April 2023|first=Joe|last=Otterson|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref> It will release in 2026.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=23 February 2024 |title=Harry Potter TV Series Targeted for 2026 Premiere on Max, J.K. Rowling Recently Met With Studio Execs to Discuss Show |url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/harry-potter-tv-series-2026-premiere-date-max-1235920338/ |access-date=18 March 2024 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=White|first=Peter|title='Harry Potter' & 'Welcome To Derry' Moving From Max To HBO As Part Of Big-Budget Streaming Strategy Rethink|url=https://deadline.com/2024/06/harry-potter-welcome-to-derry-moving-from-max-to-hbo-1235983023/|publisher= [[Deadline Hollywood]] |date=25 June 2024|access-date=25 June 2024}}</ref>

=== Children's stories ===
{{Main|The Ickabog{{!}}''The Ickabog''|The Christmas Pig{{!}}''The Christmas Pig''}}

''The Ickabog'' was Rowling's first book aimed at children since ''Harry Potter''.<ref name="bbc20201011">{{Cite news|date=10 November 2020|title=JK Rowling's The Ickabog child illustrators chosen for book|publisher=[[BBC News]]|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-54892322|access-date=17 January 2022}}</ref> Ickabog is a monster that turns out to be real; a group of children find out the truth about the Ickabog and save the day.{{sfn|Quealy-Gainer|2020}}<ref>{{Cite news|last=Lyall|first=Sarah|date=5 December 2020|title=J.K. Rowling's new non-Potter children's book|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/05/books/review/rowling-the-ickabog.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205163200/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/05/books/review/rowling-the-ickabog.html |archive-date=5 December 2020 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=17 January 2022 }}</ref> Rowling released ''The Ickabog'' for free online in mid-2020, during the [[COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom]].<ref name="flood20200526">{{cite news|last=Flood|first=Alison|date=26 May 2020|title=JK Rowling announces new children's book, The Ickabog, to be published free online|work=[[The Guardian]]|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/may/26/jk-rowling-announces-new-childrens-book-the-ickabog-to-be-published-free-online|access-date=13 June 2020}}</ref> She began writing it in 2009 but set it aside to focus on other works including ''Casual Vacancy''.<ref name="flood20200526" /> Scholastic held a competition to select children's art for the print edition, which was published in the US and Canada on 10 November 2020.<ref name=CBC2020>{{Cite news|date=24 November 2020|title=J.K. Rowling's new children's book The Ickabog features illustrations from 9 Canadian kids|publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]|url=https://www.cbc.ca/books/j-k-rowling-s-new-children-s-book-the-ickabog-features-illustrations-from-9-canadian-kids-1.5814195|access-date=17 January 2022}}</ref> Profits went to charities focused on COVID-19 relief.<ref name="bbc20201011" /><ref name=COVIDIndia/>

In ''The Christmas Pig'', a young boy loses his favourite stuffed animal, a pig, and the Christmas Pig guides him through the fantastical Land of the Lost to retrieve it.<ref name="seymour20211012">{{Cite news|last=Seymour|first=Miranda|author-link=Miranda Seymour|date=12 October 2021|title=In J.K. Rowling's latest fantasy novel, pigs do fly|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/12/books/review/jk-rowling-the-christmas-pig.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211012164203/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/12/books/review/jk-rowling-the-christmas-pig.html |archive-date=12 October 2021 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=17 January 2022 }}</ref> The novel was published on 12 October 2021<ref name="kirkus20211021">{{Cite web|date=21 October 2021|title=The Christmas Pig|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jk-rowling/the-christmas-pig/|access-date=17 January 2022|publisher=[[Kirkus Reviews]]}}</ref> and became a bestseller in the UK<ref name="obrien20211019">{{Cite web|last=O'Brien|first=Kiera|date=19 October 2021|title=Rowling's Christmas Pig jingles all the way to number one|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/christmas-pig-jingles-all-way-number-one-spot-1284979|access-date=17 January 2022|website=[[The Bookseller]]}}</ref> and the US.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Egan|first=Elisabeth|date=2 December 2021|title=Veteran authors and mistletoe descend on the best-seller list |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/02/books/review/richard-paul-evans-the-christmas-promise.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202100950/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/02/books/review/richard-paul-evans-the-christmas-promise.html |archive-date=2 December 2021 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=31 January 2022|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>