Is there a spell for an instant celebratory party? Because beloved Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling is on her way to delivering a new book to her hungry fans.
Rowling, who released her last book – the final installment of the Harry Potter series – in 2007, has promised fans an “adult novel” and a Harry Potter encyclopedia, but since Potter mania waned to a dull murmur in the wake of the final Potter film’s release, talk of a new novel has quieted. Now, Rowling has settled with Little, Brown and Company in the U.S. – a name you may recognize as the publishers of the world’s other unrelentingly famous young adult series, Twilight.
And while it’s interesting to see the publisher behind Twilight pick up Rowling’s latest offering, the real question on everyone’s minds is: “What is this new book about?” Unfortunately, the details of the plot are being kept under wraps, but her in her statement regarding the new novel, Rowling said, “Although I’ve enjoyed writing it every bit as much, my next book will be very different to the Harry Potter series, which has been published so brilliantly by Bloomsbury and my other publishers around the world.”
Her words suggest that perhaps this new book will stray away from the Harry Potter realm, but what about the magic? Could it be that the new novel will bring a wizarding, whimsical element into the world of adult literature? She certainly captured the hearts of grown-ups and children alike with her first series.
While the clues are vague, it’s a safe bet that magic is not in the cards for the new project. In a statement to The Washington Post, Rowling’s agent Neil Blair assures us Rowling’s new venture is unlike anything we’ve seen her produce in the past: “As her new book is for a different audience, and marks a new literary direction for her, it made sense to separate the two and for her new book to be launched by a different publisher.” That sounds like a true departure from her claim to fame is on its way, but without the magical hook, can she arrest our attentions yet again?
