Author Spotlight: J.K. Rowling

Every Monday I will be spotlighting or highlighting some of my favorite authors. This will be a "Author Spotlight" series. For the first in the series I will be spotlighting one of my favorite authors of all time: J.K. Rowling.

Name: J. K. Rowling 

About Author: J.K. Rowling officially known as Joanne Rowling is best known for her development and writing of the international bestselling Harry Potter series. She was born July 31, 1965, in Yate, South England. Rowling successfully developed the idea of the Harry Potter series while traveling on a train from Manchester to London. It is in the development of this story that J.K Rowling truly became the epitome of "rags to riches." Through the sales of Harry Potter, Rowling went from living on state based income to becoming a multi-millionaire. In addition to breaking several records through book sales, Rowling has also obtained many different awards including the Nestle Smarties Book Prize, the British Children's Book of the Year, the Locus Award, the Hugo Award for Best Novel, the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award, and the Bram Stoker Award for Best Work for Young Readers. She has also written several works under the pen name of Robert Galbraith. 

Published Works: 

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003)
• Harry Potter and the Half - Blood Prince (2005)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007)
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2001)
• Quidditch Through the Ages (2001)
• The Tales of Beedle the Bard (2008)
• The Casual Vacancy (2012)
• The Cuckoo's Calling (2013) as Robert Galbraith
• The Silkworm (2014) as Robert Galbraith

My Recommendation: J.K. Rowling truly has a gift for writing. Although I have only read her Harry Potter series and the companion novels, I truly and wholly recommend her novels to a reader that loves fantasy and adventure. While she spends so much time and detail to her world building, J.K. Rowling also develops her characters into morally conscious figures that the reader understands and loves. It is not often that you come across an author that creates such a wave of sensationalism over a fictitious world and fictitious characters. It is in her gift of writing that J.K. Rowling creates a safe haven, a beautiful place of imagination for readers of all ages and backgrounds.