In May it was
announced that J.K.Rowling, Stephen King and John Irving would participate in charity readings at
Radio City Music Hall, New York, in August, to benefit the Haven Foundation and
Doctors Without Borders.
Prior to the first reading, that is due to happen tonight, (and is being attended by SS Staffers) Jo Rowling has arrived in New York and
spoken at a press conference. In regards to book 7, she said,
Quote:
"I feel quite liberated," she said.
"I can resolve the story now and it's fun in a way it wasn't before because finally I've reached my resolution, and I think some people will loathe it and some people will love it, but that's how it should be."
"We're working towards the end I always planned but a couple of characters I expected to survive have died and one character got a reprieve," she said, declining to elaborate.
Quote:
"I understand why an author would kill a character from the point of view of not allowing others to continue writing after the original author is dead," she added, leaving the door open to the worst fears of some fans -- that Harry could die.
Quote:
"When fans accuse me of sadism, which doesn't happen that often, I feel I'm toughening them up to go on and read John and Stephen's books," she said. "I think they've got to be toughened up somehow. It's a cruel literary world out there."
Both Irving and King appealed to Rowling to not kill Harry at the end of the series.
Pictures from the conference can be seen
here courtesy of
HPANA.
UPDATE: A full transcript from the conference can be found
here courtesy of
The Leaky Cauldron.
J.K.Rowling arrives in New York & talks book 7 (UPDATED) 
