Rowling, J.K. (1965–)

English children's writer. Name variations: Joanne Kathleen Rowling. Born Joanne Rowling (since she had only one given name, added Kathleen, her grandmother's name, when the publisher asked her to use initials on the first book), July 31, 1965, in Yate, near Bristol, England; dau. of Anne and Peter Rowling (engineer for Rolls Royce); read French and Classics at Exeter University; married Jorge Arantes (Portuguese tv journalist), Oct 16, 1992 (div. 1993); m. Neil Murray (anesthesiologist), Dec 26, 2001; children: (1st m.) Jessica Rowling Arantes (b. 1993); (2nd m.) David (b. 2003), Mackenzie (b. 2005).

Author of the "Harry Potter" series, a publishing phenomenon, 1st worked for Amnesty International, researching human-rights abuses in French-speaking Africa, then taught English as a Foreign Language in Portugal; returned to UK, settling in Edinburgh (1994); began making notes for Harry Potter while on public assistance as a single mother; spent 6 years writing the 1st book and received 9 publishers' rejections before she introduced the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997), published in US as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (1998); followed this with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998) and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999); her Harry Potter and the Goblin of Fire (2000) had the biggest 1st printing in the history of trade publishing; Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince sold 6.9 million copies in US in 1st 24 hours on sale (2005). Awarded OBE.