Inspiring Person : J.K.Rowling

J. K. Rowling is a British novelist, best known as the author of the Harry Potter fantasy series. Rowling was born to Peter James Rowling, a Rolls-Royce aircraft engineer, and Anne Rowling, on 31 July 1965 in Yate, England. Rowling was working as a researcher and bilingual secretary for Amnesty International when she conceived the idea for the Harry Potter series on a delayed train from Manchester to London in 1990. The Potter books have gained worldwide attention, won multiple awards, and sold more than 400 million copies. They have become the best-selling book series in history, and been the basis for a series of films which has become the highest-grossing film series in history. Rowling had overall approval on the scripts and maintained creative control by serving as a producer on the final instalment. The seven-year period that followed entailed the death of her mother, divorce from her first husband and poverty until Rowling finished the first novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997). Rowling subsequently published 6 sequels—the last, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007)—as well as 3 supplements to the series. In 1995, Rowling finished her manuscript for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone on an old manual typewriter. Upon the enthusiastic response of Bryony Evens, a reader who had been asked to review the book's first three chapters, the Fulham-based Christopher Little Literary Agents agreed to represent Rowling in her quest for a publisher. On 26 December 2001, Rowling married Neil Michael Murray (born 30 June 1971), an anaesthetist, in a private ceremony at her home, Killiechassie House, near Aberfeldy. Rowling's and Murray's son, David Gordon Rowling Murray, was born on 24 March 2003.Shortly after Rowling began writing Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince she took a break from working on the novel to care for him in his early infancy. Rowling's youngest child, daughter Mackenzie Jean Rowling Murray, to whom she dedicated Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was born on 23 January 2005. The family reside in Edinburgh, Scotland near the authors Ian Rankin, Alexander McCall Smith and Kate Atkinson. Rowling has received honorary degrees from St Andrews University, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier University, the University of Exeter, the University of Aberdeen and Harvard University, for whom she spoke at the 2008 commencement ceremony. In 2009 Rowling was awarded the Légion d'honneur by French President, Nicolas Sarkozy. This is J.K. Rowling’s masterpiece: • Harry Potter series Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (26 June 1997) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2 July 1998) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (8 July 1999) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (8 July 2000) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (21 June 2003) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (16 July 2005) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (21 July 2007) • Other children's books Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (supplement to the Harry Potter series) (1 March 2001) Quidditch Through the Ages (supplement to the Harry Potter series) (1 March 2001) The Tales of Beedle the Bard (supplement to the Harry Potter series) (4 December 2008) • Adult books The Casual Vacancy (27 September 2012) • Cormoran Strike series The Cuckoo's Calling (as Robert Galbraith) (18 April 2013) The Silkworm (as Robert Galbraith) (24 June 2014) • Short story Harry Potter prequel (July 2008) In 2004, Forbes named Rowling as the first person to become a U.S.-dollar billionaire by writing books, the second-richest female entertainer and the 1,062nd richest person in the world. Rowling disputed the calculations and said she had plenty of money, but was not a billionaire In addition, the 2008 Sunday Times Rich List named Rowling the 144th richest person in Britain. In 2012, Forbes removed Rowling from their rich list, claiming that her over $160 million in charitable donations and the high tax rate in the UK meant she was no longer a billionaire. In February 2013 she was assessed as the 13th most powerful woman in the United Kingdom by Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4.