I was one of the lucky people who managed to get a ticket to
meet J.K. Rowling on October 16th in New York City! And guess what?
She really was even more amazing,
charming, genuine, and funny than I ever thought! Not gonna lie, it was one of
the best experiences of my life. Not only is Rowling the first person to become
a billionaire through fiction writing (and an outstanding writer), but she
basically wrote my childhood. One of the magical aspects of Harry Potter is that I grew up alongside
him. I read the first book when I was 10, and the last book came out when I
graduated high school. And the last movie came out the year I graduated
college. So when I got the ticket, nothing was going to stop me from going to
New York.
At the event, Rowling was interviewed by writer Ann Patchett,
who did a fantastic job. After their discussion, Rowling read an excerpt from The Casual Vacancy and then answered
some fan questions. Everyone got a free copy of The Casual Vacancy, and we had the
opportunity to get it signed.
September C. Fawkes and J.K. Rowling |
We each received "rule cards" that let us know how the
signing process would go (and that she wouldn’t sign body parts). The line moved surprisingly fast, and I
figured Rowling was signing each book very quickly, but as I got closer to her,
I realized she was talking to everyone. And when she was with someone, she was really with that person. She even talked
to me when she didn’t have to. For a moment, she had eyes for only me. I had
ALL her attention. And she had such a
genuine countenance about her. She really is
that great. When I do book signings someday, I hope to emulate her.
And by the way, she has two more books she is working on—and I know
one is a book for children.
If you would like a rough transcript of the event, send me a message.