[NOTD] News for the day 17/03/07

We briefly interrupt our regular news to express our shock, disgust, and sorrow at the events that unfolded today at Virginia Tech. After fatally shooting 32 people in a senseless, murderous rampage, the lone gunman turned the gun on himself. This, for many, was the sole source of consolation from today's atrocities.

We wish to offer our deepest condolences to the friends and families of the victims. They will most certainly be in our thoughts and prayers.

Harry Potter fans are showing their muscle: MuggleNet.com's What Will Happen in Harry Potter 7 is receiving glowing reviews, and this week it jumped to #3 on the New York Times Children's Bestseller List. On top of that, it jumped to #46 on USA Today's list of the bestselling books in the nation - that includes everything from the Bible to the Da Vinci Code.

If you wish to buy the book, we hope you'll support the site and order it through our partner Alivan's as opposed to other retailers such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Event Update: For those of you planning on attending Saturday's discussion/signing in Bloomingdale, Ill., the event will begin at 2 PM.

Mark your calendars: Our summer book tour schedule is complete! Ben and I will be hitting up bookstores all over California on our West Coast tour from May 25th to June 5th, and from June 7th to June 20th we'll start in Ohio and travel up and down the East Coast. We really hope you'll come out and see us if you live in any of the areas we're scheduled to attend!

Check out this new photo of Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny Weasley in Dumbledore's office after hearing the news that Mr. Weasley was attacked, and this one of Draco, Crabbe, Neville, and Hermione in Umbridge's office just after the DA members escaped from the Room of Requirement.

We hope to have larger versions of these photos later. Thanks to Mike!

UPDATE 2: Use the links above to view high-res images sent to us by Warner Brothers!

The Guardian has compiled a "definitive list" of the 50 most influential Britons who have not been elected to government. Jo Rowling is placed at #13, with the following blurb:

"You can't sell 375m books and not influence someone. Especially when those books lead to a multi-film movie franchise and all the concomitant gewgaws and plastic toys. But perhaps the most important contribution she's made is the way that she and Harry Potter have reached millions of children who'd previously not exhibited any enthusiasm for reading, leading not just to an enthusiasm for more reading but also to the creation of millions of words of fan-fiction and perhaps a revitalised generation of creative readers and writers."

^
Just had a look at the full list. It puts the CEO of Tesco, the governor of the Bank of England and the editor of the Daily Mail, ahead of the Queen.... now tell me isn't that intriguing. atleast to me it seems so.....

what da ya say.....

tejas

In an introduction written for a new guide to children's books set in Edinburgh, J.K. Rowling describes how she once took to wandering through the some of the great art collections in Scotland seeking inspiration while writing some of the Harry Potter novels. The Scotsman reports tonight that Jo "took to wandering the halls of the National Galleries of Scotland in a 'desperate and random measure' as she sought inspiration. However, it only left her feeling miserable."

The newspaper goes on to cite further quotes from Jo via the Reading Round Edinburgh book:

Memories of Edinburgh "leap out of the pages of Harry Potter for me", Rowling writes, "the places I wrote particular chapters and passages; where I despaired of ever having another idea; where I experienced all the delights and the frustrations of living in a fictional world."

But while the city has many "Potteresque vistas", she cannot point to particular buildings or streets featured in her books.

She slaps down the idea that Hogwarts was based on a "certain public school" in the city.

You can learn more about this book, here and here. It is also available via TLC's Cauldron Shop as well.

thatz all the news for the day...

till next time...

ciao n tc... my pals....

tejas

Hey thanx a lot!!! The pics are nice....Ginny n Hermione look pretty cute 😳

Poor Jo...wandering around for getting inspiration...!!! Don't worry Jo....I'm sure you'll get many ideas! 😃

And well...Jo's popularity is on the rise!

thnx 4 da news
wow new pics 😛 ima chek them out
i seriously cant wait 4 da movie n da book 😃