Good News

This has been a red letter day! No, not about my book, but it is about a BOOK. For five long years the world has waited for this and finally it has been announced. A Scottish working mom with three kids has finally announced that she has signed on the dotted line with Little, Brown and Company to publish her 11th novel. Why is this such a big deal? Because that working mom is none other JK Rowling. Her seven part Harry Potter series with three companion books have sold millions all over the world, and in so many languages that I'm not sure anyone knows how many! Now she says she is writing a novel for adults. Other than her statement that "my next book will be very different to the Harry Potter series". There was no other mention as to what the book is about, or what the genre is, or when the release date will be.

Nevertheless, the news has electrified the book world. David Shelley of  Little, Brown Book Group said, "She is one of the best storytellers in the world, and I am looking forward enormously to helping bring her new novel for adults to her fans and admirers, and to introducing her writing to new readers the world over." Well I can certainly attest to that statement! Having studied the Harry Potter series, chapter by chapter in each book, over and over  again since 2006 as a reading group leader with The Leaky Cauldron , I can certainly state that Ms Rowling is an amazingly brilliant writer. Her plots are extremely tight, well researched and very, very clever. What is so fascinating about her writing is what is underneath the obvious story. She is a master of literary allusions; look closely and you can find allusions to a load of classical writings (See John Granger's book Harry Potter's Bookshelf: The Great Books Behind the Hogwarts Adventures.) Her naming of characters, objects and places have well thought out backgrounds and underlying meanings. She pays particular attention to numbers - with most numbers she quotes adding up to, or reducing to, either 3 (#12 Grimwauld Place), or 7 (Snape insisting the class read Page 394 ). Then there is the alchemical framework in each book, as well as the series itself of the Black, White and Red Stages of Alchemy.

I am looking forward to how she is going to construct a plot in a different genre other than fantasy. I know that her writing is good, but whether she can continue to amaze readers with her underlying meanings, literary allusions and plots twists is a question I can't wait to find out!

In the meantime I will plod along trying to rewrite and spruce up the manuscript I have. It's with total truthfulness that I can say I am not in the same class as JK Rowling, but I too love to write and construct stories, so my hat (sorting hat?) comes off to her. And I will labor on trying to at least write something that  readers will enjoy and remember. Come join me in my endeavors! Just click the  Join This Site button and you can then follow along on my adventure!