The write way

She's known as J.K. Rowling – the author who created the Harry Potter fantasy series that have become a worldwide phenomena for children and adults alike.

Now, with the final book in the series coming out on Saturday, we take a look back at how it all began.

Rowling was born in 1965 in Gloucestershire, England, as Joanne Rowling. Interestingly enough, when she first started writing the books, Bloomsbury, her publisher at the time, was nervous that young boys wouldn't buy the books if the author were a woman. So she added her middle name Kathleen and simply used these initials with her last name as her pseudonym.

She grew up in England and studied French at the University of Exeter before working for Amnesty International. It was in 1990, while on a four-hour-delayed train trip between Manchester and London, the idea for Harry Potter first "popped into her head". Although excited about it, she didn't have a functional pen on her at the time and was too shy to ask anyone for one.

By the time she got home had a clear idea about the Harry Potter character in her head and immediately started writing Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Although Rowling had been writing since she was six-years old, nothing had excited her more than this.

Sadly, later that year her mother died of multiple sclerosis and it crushed her and her family. Rowling once commented, "I was writing Harry Potter at the moment my mother died. I had never told her about Harry Potter."

It prompted her to moved to Portugal to teach English as a foreign language. While there, she married Portuguese television journalist Jorge Arantes. They had one child, Jessica. But things didn't work out, so the couple divorced in 1993 and Rowling returned to England with her daughter.

Unemployed and a single mother, she would sit and write her book for hours upon hours in numerous cafés. Sometimes she had to wait until Jessica would fall asleep in her pushchair and would then run to the nearest café to write. According to Rowling, she wrote every single day during this time. She knew she had to finish the book. Imagine if she hadn't. At last, in 1995, Rowling finished Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

The first Harry Potter book was handed to 12 publishing houses, all of which rejected it. Finally, a year later, her book was accepted by Bloomsbury. And we all know what happened next… ah yes, the Harry Potter craze that seems to never fade. Since the day her book was first published the series has skyrocketed to immeasurable popularity.

To date, six of the seven volumes of the Harry Potter series have broken sales records. The last three volumes in the series have been the fastest-selling books in history, grossing more in their opening 24 hours than blockbuster films. Currently, the series has sold over 325 million copies worldwide and been translated into 65 languages since the first book was published in 1997.

At last, the wait is over as Rowling has finished her final book: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The 41-year-old has revealed she has no intention of giving up writing and might release a book consisting of all her unpublished notes and material. But the question is, will she write an eighth Harry Potter novel?

Rowling said in an interview recently on an episode of the television show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross that she doesn't rule it out entirely: "I think that Harry's story comes to quite a clear end in book seven, but I've always said that I wouldn't say ‘never'. I can't say I'll never write another book about that world, just because I think ‘what do I know'. In 10 years time I might want to return to it. But I think it's unlikely."

Fantasy fortune

J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter book series has won multiple awards, and sold over 325 million copies worldwide. In February 2004, Forbes magazine estimated her fortune at £576 million (Dh4.3 billion), making her the first person to become a US-dollar billionaire by writing books.

In 2006, Forbes named her the second richest female entertainer in the world, behind talk show host Oprah Winfrey. Forbes also ranked Rowling as No. 48 on the 100 most powerful celebrities list of 2007.

Did you know?

In June 1997, Bloomsbury published Philosopher's Stone with an initial print run of only 1,000 copies, 500 of which were distributed to libraries.

Today, such copies are each valued at between £16,000 (nearly Dh120,000) and £25,000 (nearly Dh187,000).

In June 2000, Queen Elizabeth II honoured Rowling by making her an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

In April 2006, the asteroid (43844) Rowling was named in her honour following a suggestion by astronomer Harry Potter fan Dr. Mark Hammergren.

In May 2006, the newly-discovered Pachycephalosaurid dinosaur Dracorex hogwartsia, currently at the Children's Museum in Indianapolis, was named in honour of her world.

In June 2006, the British public named Rowling "the greatest living British writer" in a poll by The Book Magazine.

In July 2006 Rowling received a Doctor of Laws (LLD) honorary degree from University of Aberdeen for her "significant contribution to many charitable causes" and "her many contributions to society".