Die Chats mit Joanne K. Rowling bei Barnes&Noble (in Auszügen)

AOL-Chat Okt. 2000 B&N-Chats 1999+2000 Scholastic-Chat Okt. 2000 Scholastic-Chat Feb 2000

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Chat Nr. 3 am 20.10.2000 zu HP4:

On Friday, October 20th, Barnes & Noble.com and Yahoo! welcomed J. K. Rowling, the bestselling author behind the Harry Potter phenomenon, to chat about Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.


jandlcomm: Does Hagrid get a wife?

JR: Does Hagrid get a wife? You think anyone would want to live with a man who breeds Blast-Ended Skrewts?


Yahooligan_Erin: Is it true that you've already finished the end chapter for all your future books?

JR: I've written the final chapter of book seven, which was really an act of faith -- I was saying to myself, "You will get here!" It will probably need rewriting when I reach it, though.

Yahooligan_Stephanie: Is Hogwarts ever going to get a "Defense Against the Dark Arts" teacher who lasts for more than one book?

JR: Erm...maybe. Don't want to give too much away there!
hermione_rose_2000: Hello, Ms. Rowling. I am a big fan of the Harry Potter books. My name is Katherine Emily Rose, and I am 11. Is it true that Harry and Draco will have to get together and fight evil?

JR: Don't believe everything you read on the Net! I saw that rumor too, but it is just a rumor.

matiaskanfunfa: There is a girl named Susan Bones who was sorted in the first book, and there was a family called the Bones that Voldemort tried to destroy. Is this a coincidence, or will Harry meet her in future books?

JR: Susan Bones's grandparents were killed by Voldemort!

Yahooligan_Ana: Hello, I would like to know if you ever read any Harry Potter fan fiction on the Web.

JR: I have read some, and I've been very flattered to see how absorbed people are in the world.

blaise_42: In Chamber of Secrets, Hagrid is supposed to have raised werewolf cubs under his bed. Are these the same kind of werewolves as Professor Lupin?

JR: No. Riddle was telling lies about Hagrid, just slandering him.

sammyohyeah: Is it just me, or was something going on between Ron and Hermione during the last half of Goblet of Fire? I love your books, by the way, and two of them I've read straight through cover to cover in under 24 hours.

JR: Well done on the reading speed! Yes, something's "going on," but Ron doesn't realize it yet. Typical boy.

persik42: Are you considering starting a series about any of the other characters at Hogwarts?

JR: No, I think when I've finished the seven Harry Potter books I will be finished with the world. It will make me very sad to say goodbye, but it must be done!

lhhicks99: Why does Professor Dumbledore allow Professor Snape to be so nasty to the students (especially to Harry, Hermione, and Neville)?

JR: Dumbledore believes there are all sorts of lessons in life; horrible teachers like Snape are one of them!

Yahooligan_seachellie4: What house was Hagrid in?

JR: Hagrid was in Gryffindor, naturally!

Yahooligan_Tanya: Where do you come up with the words that you use, the names of the classes and spells and games, etc.? For example, the Patronus Expectumous, was it?

JR: Expecto Patronum -- you were close! That's Latin. Go and look it up -- a little investigation is good for a person! Mostly I invent spells, but some of them have particular meanings. Like "avada kedavra" -- I bet someone out there knows what that means.

faheem90: Who is the head of Ravenclaw? Professor Sinistra perhaps?

JR: No, the head of Ravenclaw is good old Professor Flitwick!

Yahooligan_siddharth: Is there really a new character named Icicle in your next book?

JR: Where are you people getting this stuff?! No, nobody called icicle, I promise.

Yahooligan_Eric_28: What does the K stand for?

JR: It stands for Kathleen.

wyzeguy719: The first four books have been getting longer, but number four was huge! Is number five likely to be shorter than number four?

JR: Yes, five is going to be shorter than four. I always knew four would be the longest, but even I didn't expect it to be that long.

Duck__69: Are you going to get more mature themes as your books age, or are you going to keep it geared toward younger kids?

JR: I think an eight- or nine-year-old will be able to read all seven books. That's my intention. However, Harry is growing up, so obviously he will face certain issues an eight-year-old won't. I don't think, however, that that will be uninteresting for an eight-year-old.

moakes40: I was wondering about Dumbledore's facial expression in Goblet when he found out that Voldemort had touched Harry. The narrative says that Dumbledore reacted with a look of triumph. Aside from the problem of interpreting triumph on someone's face, I was wondering if that is an attempt to throw question on Dumbledore's character, or is he triumphant, perhaps, that Harry can be touched by Lord Voldemort without being destroyed (or something like that)?

JR: I frequently look triumphant, I'll have you know. Well, I'm sure you won't be surprised that I'm not going to explain why Dumbledore looked that way. Well-spotted though.

Yahooligan_Brian: Will Ron ever get a girlfriend?

JR: I'm laughing again.... Why wouldn't he?! Though he's not doing too well at the moment, is he? But then, Fleur Delacour was really aiming a bit high.

monicapilman: The character of Professor Snape fascinates me. Will you reveal his back story further in the next Harry Potter book?

JR: You will find out more about Snape in future books. Keep an eye on him!

Yahooligan_Jennifer: Did Harry ever use magic on Dudley in the real world?

JR: Not so far (hint).

deac20187: I am a 57-year-old clergyman and loved the series. How do you answer fundamentalist clergy objections?

JR: I am sending you a hug across cyberspace. I think you understand that these books are fundamentally moral (that is how I see them, in any case). I'm afraid there are some people who object to seeing magic in a book, per se. And therefore a debate isn't really viable.


michaelbeeee: Ms. Rowling, are you aware that more adults read the books than children? If so, might there not be a place for a series on an adult Harry Potter following the seventh book?

JR: I'm not sure whether it's true that more adults read the books than children. But in any case, I think I should stop before we get to Harry Potter and the Mid-Life Crisis!


Yahooligan_KYLE: How long did it take you to write Harry Potter.

JR: Between having the idea for Harry and the first book being published was five years. But during that time I was also doing day jobs and planning the whole series. So I'm not as lazy as that might make me sound!

Chat Nr. 2 am 8.9.1999 zu HP3:

On Wednesday, September 8th, bn.com welcomed J. K. Rowling to discuss HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN and her other bestselling Harry Potter books.

Michelle from Cambridge, England: Jo, I want to say a big thank you for making me feel 12 again and bringing me so much joy when I read your books. I have a few questions: (1) How do you keep track of all the strange names in the world of Harry Potter that you created from scratch? Do you compile a list of characters as you go along, or did you already have a clear idea from Book 1? (2) Did you do any substantial research on wizardry and witchcraft when you were writing these books? You've quite convinced a lot of us that Hogwarts and the world of wizards and muggles do exist! Thanks again. Michelle, age 23.

JR: It is wonderful to hear that I've knocked 11 years off someone's age. I had nearly all of the characters worked out, including names, for all seven books by the time I finished Book 1, but I do change names sometimes. I like to play around with names, and I collect unusual ones from all sorts of sources, like maps, books of Saints, war memorials, and some names I just invent myself. And, yes, I have done research on witchcraft and wizardry, but I tend only to use things when they fit my plot, and most of the magic in the books is invented by me.

Jennifer from United States: You've said in interviews that there will be casualties in the Harry Potter series. Now, everyone at a web site I visit says someone (probably Hagrid) will die in Book 4. Will someone die or is this a terrible rumor? I love Hagrid!

JR:  It is true that there will be deaths in Book 4 for the first time. It is likely that the reader will only care about one of the deaths. I can't say who it is, but I have certainly never told anyone that it's Hagrid -- hint, hint.

Molly Katz from Denver, CO: In PRISONER OF AZKABAN, Professor Dumbledore mentions Professor Trelawney's "second true prediction." What was Professor Trelawney's first true prediction?

JR: I love a perceptive reader! Professor Trelawney's first prediction was a very important one. And you will find out in due course what it was, but I'm not going to reveal it at this stage. Sorry.


Wade from MI: What is Harry's middle name?

JR: James, after his father.


Molly Katz from Denver, CO: Without giving away any plot details, can you tell us if we might expect to hear any more from Crookshanks in future Harry Potter books? He seems to be a very smart cat!

JR: You're right. He is a very smart cat, and you will be hearing more from him.

Icicle from United States: You have such a phenomenal imagination! Is it a result of a very imaginative childhood?

JR: First of all, I will be using your name in a future book. To answer your question, yes, I lived a lot in a fantasy world when I was younger and spent a lot of time daydreaming -- to my parents frustration.


Mike from New York, NY: Dear Ms. Rowling, I'd like to ask if there would be a lot of romances between the characters in the upcoming books?

JR: Good question. I'm having so much fun writing Book 4 because for the first time Harry, Ron, and Hermoine are starting to recognize boys and girls as boys and girls. Everyone is in love with the wrong people. Let no one say my books lack realism.


Robin from New Jersey: Will Aragog appear in any later books?

JR: Yes. But I'm not telling you anymore than that!


Margaret from Michigan: Will we ever hear from Mr. Weasley's car again?

JR: Yes, you will hear from Mr. Weasley's car again, but yet again, I'm not telling you how.

Sally Haig from rhaig_99@yahoo.com: Is Hogwarts possibly located in Scotland? I am an American and have never been to the United Kingdom, but from reading the first book and going by the train station Harry leaves from and how long the trip takes, I am guessing it may be Scotland? Thank you.

JR: You are absolutely right. If you travel north from King's Cross, you do indeed arrive in Scotland.

Andi Morris from Normal, IL: With the huge success of the first three books and your seemingly endless imagination, do you think that you might (please, oh please) consider continuing the story past the originally planned seven books? Maybe continuing with Harry as an adult or books about his children?

JR: So you're convinced I'm not going to kill Harry??!! I try never to say never, because it seems that every time I do I end up by doing the thing I've forsworn. So, there is a remote possibility that there will another Harry book, but at the present time I am planning only seven.

.

Chat Nr. 1 am 19.3.1999 zu HP1:

On Friday, March 19th, barnesandnoble.com welcomed J. K. Rowling to discuss HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE.


Mary Ann from Great Falls: What is the inspiration for Harry Potter? What's the story behind your amazing book? I love it!

JR: Thank you for loving it. I never get tired of hearing that! Explaining where the story came from is always very difficult, because I don't really know. The idea came to me very suddenly on a train journey from Manchester to London in 1990, and I have been writing about Harry ever since.

Miss Osgood's 2nd graders from Graland CDS, Denver: How did you decide what to name your characters and places?

JR: I collect unusual names. I have notebooks full of them. Some of the names I made up, like Quidditch, Malfoy. Other names mean something -- Dumbledore, which means "bumblebee" in Old English...seemed to suit the headmaster, because one of his passions is music and I imagined him walking around humming to himself. And so far I have got names from saints, place-names, war memorials, gravestones. I just collect them -- I am so interested in names.



Michael S. from Illinois: How many more sequels will you be writing about Harry Potter?

JR: There are going to be seven Harrys all together. He will be 17 in the final book, which means he will have come of age in the Wizarding World. In Book 7, he will become a full wizard, and free to use his magic outside school. I am currently writing Book 4, and Book 3 will be out in July.


Ms. Tallman's class from Graland CDS, Denver: Why did you name Harry Potter -- Harry Potter?

JR: Because Harry is one of my favorite boy's names. But he had several different surnames before I chose Potter. Potter was the name of a brother and sister who I played with when I was very young. We were part of the same gang and I always liked that surname.


Kate from Portland, OR: Why did they change the name of the book from HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE to HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE in the US?

JR: Well, once again that was my American editor's choice. He felt "philosopher's stone" gave a false impression of what the book was about. He wanted something more suggestive of magic in the title, so we tried a few alternatives and my favorite was "sorcerer's stone."


Andy S. from Illinois: How did you think of all the strange things that wizards do, like the post arriving by owl, or floo powder, or what unicorn blood is used for?

JR: I spent a lot of time inventing the rules for the magical world so that I knew the limits of magic. Then I had to invent the different ways wizards could accomplish certain things. Some of the magic in the books is based on what people used to believe really worked, but most of it is my invention.

Hogwarts und HP: Die Zeittafel Zurück zur HP-Infozentrale