[ScarletSherlock]

http://www.cnn.com/2...reut/index.html

Authors to Rowling: Don't kill Harry Potter
Stephen King, John Irving join wizard creator for fund-raiser

Tuesday, August 1, 2006; Posted: 2:37 p.m. EDT (18:37 GMT)

John Irving, J.K. Rowling and Stephen King at the charitable reading.
Image:
John Irving
Stephen King
J.K. Rowling

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Two of America's top authors, John Irving and Stephen King, made a plea to J.K. Rowling on Tuesday not to kill the fictional boy wizard Harry Potter in the final book of the series, but Rowling made no promises.

"My fingers are crossed for Harry," Irving said at a joint news conference before a charity reading by the three writers at New York's Radio City Music Hall.

The author of "The World According to Garp" and a string of other bestsellers said he and King felt like "warm-up bands" for Rowling, who is working on the seventh and last book in the Harry Potter series, and who has said two characters will die.

King, who shot to fame in 1974 with "Carrie," said he had confidence that Rowling would be "fair" to her hero.

"I don't want him to go over the Reichenbach Falls," King said in a reference to Arthur Conan Doyle's effort to kill off fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. Pressure from fans eventually led Conan Doyle to resurrect Holmes, who was found in a later story to have survived.

Rowling, a Briton whose books have sold 300 million copies worldwide according to her publishers, said she was well into the process of writing the final book.

"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.

Asked about the wisdom of killing off fictional characters, Rowling said she didn't enjoy killing the major character who died in book six -- for the sake of those who haven't read it yet she avoided naming the victim -- but she said the conventions of the genre demanded the hero go on alone.

"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.

King recalled that when he had a character kick a dog to death in his novel "The Dead Zone," he received more letters of complaint than ever, to his surprise.

"You want to be nice and say 'I'm sorry you didn't like that,' but I'm thinking to myself number one, he was a dog not a person, and number two, the dog wasn't even real," he said.

"I made that dog up, it was a fake dog, it was a fictional dog, but people get very, very involved," King said.

Rowling noted that Irving had killed off many more characters than she had. (Irving said he makes up a "casualty list" before he starts his novels, and therefore death scenes seem like they've "already happened.")

"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."

Copyright 2006 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[Le Chat Noir]

ScarletSherlock, on Aug 1 2006, 05:04 PM, said:

"I don't want him to go over the Reichenbach Falls," King said in a reference to Arthur Conan Doyle's effort to kill off fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. Pressure from fans eventually led Conan Doyle to resurrect Holmes, who was found in a later story to have survived.

I know it's dark humor, but that's simply the best.

*tosses Harry off a cliff*

Good for King for referencing the Master. ...

And my name is Lady Kitty Cat.

Chat, cheery

[London Cabbie]

ScarletSherlock, on Aug 1 2006, 07:04 PM, said:

http://www.cnn.com/2...reut/index.html

"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."

Rowling is soooo sadistic, just because she always dangles that lil "oooh, someone's going to die...again, muwahahaha" before every book. Brilliant marketing, but cruelty to children. Evil woman.

*sketches Harry falling off cliff*

*signs*

*sells on e-bay*

[Adison]

I'm far more concerned about Lupin than Harry.

[jianna]

I agree about Lupin. The poor man is doomed

I'm hoping she doesn't kill Harry off just so no one writes more about him. I suppose there's no way to really tell but... That just feels kind of snobby to me. Everybody will still be writing ressurection fanfiction anyway. I can see it now, Draco repents of his former evil and teams up with Ron and Hermione to find a way to bring Harry back, along with a magical fairy wood nymph mermaid with purple eyes and special powers who is actually Draco's betrothed but neither of them know it.

.... ^^;

[ScarletSherlock]

I get sick of the "oh somebody's going to die in this book" junk too. I fear for Lupin also, and I just know Dumbledore is going to make some miraculous reappearance. Horcrux or something.

[A Study in Scarlett]

I agree. The ol' "someones gonna die!" ploy is a bit old. The books would sell regardless. I would rejoice at Dumbledore's return! *hopes*

[Sidhe]

No! Don't kill Lupin! Not when he's just found happiness with Tonks!

It's such a cruel world, isn't it?

[Adison]

Lupin and Tonks was the weirdest, most unexpected thing ever. I was beside myself with jubilation.

I have no feelings about Dumbledore returning, LOL. I think I'm still busy recovering from Sirius. Oh, how I wept.

[Sidhe]

Which is exactly why she needs to leave the last unscathed marauder alone. Grrrr, Ms Rowling. I love your books, but stay away from the werewolf of awesome!

[Adison]

That silver hand of Wormtail's made me awful nervous for a long, long time. I think JKR finally said that THAT wouldn't kill him, but she also didn't assure us that Lupie's safe.

HIDE, LUPIE!

[sherlocky-cookies]

Pfffffft. Stephen King is one to be talking about wacking off popular characters. Anyone read The Stand lately?

[jianna]

Adison, on Aug 3 2006, 06:26 PM, said:

Lupin and Tonks was the weirdest, most unexpected thing ever. I was beside myself with jubilation.

I have no feelings about Dumbledore returning, LOL. I think I'm still busy recovering from Sirius. Oh, how I wept.

I'm actually wasn't a big fan of Lupin and Tonks ending up together. It felt a bit too neat of a "let's pair off everybody yaaaaaay!" sort of thing. When they had her all depressed and with a wolfy patronus and stuff I thought the implication was that she had a thing for Sirius. I mean, I guess that's a bit obvious, but it would have worked, them both having really ... punk rock-ish attitudes xD

Oh Well. no matter what Rowling does she got me addicted and no matter how many times she enrages me I keep coming back for further abuse I'm not even talking plot necessarily, her prose leaves me distinctly unsatisfied. If her characters and universe weren't so dang interesting I wouldn't bother.

[Le Chat Noir]

sherlocky-cookies, on Aug 3 2006, 06:47 PM, said:

Pfffffft. Stephen King is one to be talking about wacking off popular characters. Anyone read The Stand lately?

So is Randall Flagg going after Harry too, eh?

That would actually be awesome, to watch Harry battle the Superfloo. And suffer horribly. Then live, but with a tiny scar on his lung.

But yeah, I'm with you Cookie.

*scribbles note to Mr. King*

Dear Mr. King,

Bring back Nick and Larry. Plzkthanx!

xoxo,
Chat

[Elektra]

*cough*



*runs*

[Adison]

!!!!
I <3 'Lektra.

[jianna]

Hahahahaha xD xD

Brilliant!

[SolitaryRider]

Elektra, that's awesome *LOL*

[Le Chat Noir]

E, that's gorgeous! The scarves crack me up...

Chat, cheery

[A Study in Scarlett]

Oh my!!! I can't stop laughing. Great job!