I'm back, with all kinds of news

I figured I had better post before people start thinking that my Potter break turned into a Sabbatical!

The hiatus was lovely. I went on hikes with my husband, got housework done, read slews of books (mostly old favorites), worked on a new version of the family website, and just relaxed. Prophecy was a blast, but it was an intense weekend on top of a really intense three months and I desperately needed a no-Potter-at-all break. Big thanks to AQ staffers Michael and Kim who got the Bloomsbury chat posted, and to Bel and Michele at the Lexicon who helped out with my character section over there.

I have posted a whole bunch of photos of Prophecy and the library's Potter parties over on my Flickr account. Only friends and family can see all of them (I don't have photo releases for the kids). Above is a really awesome Lockhart, all gussied up for the Grand Ball. Other notable costumes were the two Wizengamot ladies, and an amazing Umbridge who had three different outfits (including one with mud, leaves and centaur tracks all over it). She put my outfit for the local parties to shame. The Hagrid was good, but ours (Fergus!) was better. Hagrid often paired with a statuesque Madame Maxime, whom I couldn't resist photographing with John Granger.

Today I posted my summaries for the canon in the Bloomsbury chat. What a treasure trove of details that was! Soon I will begin adding the summaries to the theme pages.

That's all for now! I think I will post photos next.

Ross transcript posted

We've posted the transcript of the Jonathan Ross interview! [adult humor warning]. Although our transcript is based in part on the one posted at Leaky, the Accio Quote version includes the green room chit chat before the main interview, as well as substantial corrections and clarifications. Thank you again Jules and roonwit! Transcription typing is numbing, painstaking work.

And here are the official summaries we came up with:

* The trio all have aspects of Jo in them.
* Harry's story comes to quite a clear end in book 7.
* She won't say that she will never write another book set in the Harry Potter world but thinks it unlikely.
* Jo clarified that while there are 2 unplanned deaths in Book 7, overall there will be many more than that.
* The last word in Deathly Hallows is not "scar;" She won't tell us what it is.
* Jo "howled" after writing a particular chapter toward the end.

In case you're wondering, summaries are different from highlights in that they are restricted to what we learned about the books from the interview.

Time magazine republishes entire archive of Potter articles

Do you need some enjoyable, spoiler-free reading? Time Magazine has quietly been republishing their entire archive of Potter articles, and there are some real gems. In all, eight that are not archived here on Accio Quote! I will be adding them, but in the meanwhile, check this 2-page list out.

Highlights (so far -- I'm still reading them):
---Richard Corliss's scathing July 2000 editorial on the New York Times Book Review's decision to remove all children's books from their official list of bestsellers.
---Jennifer Hunt's early paeon (2000) to the adult Potter fan, and the letters readers wrote her in response.

Transcript of 1999 Donny and Marie interview

Laurel Carmer has sent another of her transcripts! This one is from the November of 1999 "Donny and Marie Show" when Rowling was touring the U.S. promoting Harry Potter and the Prince of OZ. Oh, darn I can't read the cuecard!

Thanks, Laurel!

New Theme Listing: Wands

AQ staffer Meann has created a new theme listing for everything Jo has said about wands in interviews or on her website. Nice work, Meann!

No Spoiler Zone

Jo posted to her website diary today to reiterate her opinion on spoilers and the lowlifes who will be trying to ruin the surprises she has in store for us.

It may seem obvious that Accio Quote!, as a site that collects interviews of author J.K. Rowling, would not print spoilers. We're not really a news site, though we try to post new interviews as quickly as possible.

But I want to say here that Accio Quote! will not print anything about the plot specifics of Book 7 from unofficial sources, and if an official source slips up and blurts something out about the Giant Squid, we won't print that either -- until the book is out for a few days. Examples of official sources would be Jo herself, Arthur A. Levine, Stephen Fry, and Jim Dale, all people whom we are certain will be careful about what they say. We will also continue our policy of posting non-Jo interviews to this blog but not the main website.

And I implore you, please don't attempt to spoil me or other AQ staff by e-mail. We're fans too and we desperately don't want this moment ruined.

And after Book 7? New quotes list on Accio Quote!

Today rumors are flying about a possible encyclopedia that Jo might write about Harry's world, so I combed through the archive and started a page for statements she's made about her plans after Book 7. Enjoy!

Scammer tries to rip off Potter fans

Do you know how Jo is always alerting us to scams? I want to make sure that no one wastes their money on an ebook that purports to provide the key to all the answers to Book 7. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

Here's the scam: He claims to be a private investigator who has spent 7 years compiling information from the books and interviews and developed a key that provides all the answers. It must not be much because in order to sweeten the deal, he offers copious amounts of bonus material he claims to have created himself. Don't believe it -- this bonus material is all from the Lexicon, from Accio Quote, and from Jo’s website. Much of what he is selling is available for FREE!

The Lexicon's lawyer has sent him a cease and desist letter. They are suing him for "unfair competition through [his] fraudulent, deceptive and dishonest trade practices."

This scumbag is advertising his book on fan forums and in local (Utah) newspapers. Don't get taken in, OK?

New canon: Slytherin = "warped wizards?"

AQ reader Louise told us a few months ago about a 2001 interview in Candis Magazine, so we added it to our Fan Challenge list. Well, this week, AQ staffer Jules got her hands on a copy and has made us all a transcript. Big thanks to Louise and Jules! Here's the new canon we gleaned:

• JKR: "The Harry books are supposed to be full of surprises, but I try to make sure that they unfold in a realistic way."
• Slytherin house is the "home of warped wizards."
• Riddle, "twisted by ambition and lack of love," desires power.
• On the diary Horcrux: "Though he's supposed to have died years before, his malign spirit manipulates events through an enchanted diary."

Did you save clippings of articles we don't have on AQ? Well, you can be a Canon Niffler, too!

New Accio Quote artwork by Riikka Jäntti!

I am thrilled to announce that Finnish painter and children's book writer/illustrator Riikka Jäntti has completed her redesign of our site graphics! When I discovered her work over on the Harry Potter Lexicon and then saw her delightful book illustrations, I knew I wanted to hire her for Accio Quote. My high hopes have been exceeded. Thank you, Riikka! This is a dream come true.

New artwork coming!

Artist Riikka Jäntti just sent me nearly 40 banners and buttons for Accio Quote, so soon we will have gorgeous, professional new artwork!

Riikka doesn't have a website, but there is a mini-gallery of her work over at the Harry Potter Lexicon.

Another new staff member: Mary Ann

You've read her transcripts, now Mary Ann Ortiz (aka 'daydreamcharms' and 'Meann') is our newest staff member!

Mary Ann has been a Harry Potter fan since 2000 and is a regular visitor of the Floo Network websites. She co-administers a local fan club, Hogwarts Philippines, and is part of a research team for the producers of a Harry Potter podcast. She is also one of the organizers of the annual Philippine Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention.

Meann is a geodetic engineer and quality management engineer who lives in Manila, Philippines. She loves books, movies, transcripts, and land quidditch.

New Leaky Interview with Michael Goldenberg

As I search the internet for new articles I often wonder: "How do I know someone didn't just make this up and post it?" So I try to corroborate the existence of the interview several different ways, unless my source is from an official news database or archive. I have gradually been adding "source" notes to the bottom of our interviews as the information is re-confirmed.

Fan reports of interviews are problematic too, unless there is a video to check against. For example, when the Owen Jones interview was finally transcribed I realized that one of the fan reports we had relied upon added a statement that wasn't broadcast (don't worry, it has been removed from our listings). I guess they couldn't resist editorializing.

So yesterday I read with dismay about the supposed interview of OotP screenwriter Michael Goldenberg that turned out to be wholly fabricated. Today Melissa from Leaky News has released a real interview of Goldenberg that sets the record straight. It's a good read.

By the way, I will not be archiving or indexing non-JKR interviews on Accio Quote! even if they have something juicy. However, I will be posting about them here on the blog.

Official transcript of Owen Jones interview!

AQ reader Joanne Hill has transcribed the Owen Jones interview that was televised by ITV in 2005! I have been busy correcting all the references to the previous, incomplete reports, because the quoted text is slightly different. Here is the adjusted list of canon summaries for the interview:

• JKR: "Ravenclaw will have its day!" Jo makes this seem like it will be important.
• Wormtail won't kill Lupin.
• Jo is implying that Dumbledore had a hand in ending WWII when he defeated the dark wizard Grindelwald.
• She gave Harry a fortune as she was poor at the time and wanted him to have a lot. It was wishful thinking.
• Loves fan-theories. People have been very close to figuring out things.
• JKR: "Bits of the final book have been guessed."
• Ron is a character who would swear, but her editor won't let her use swear words.
• A Hogwarts graveyard will not play a role in the last book; it is something fans made up. [Ed: the source was actually Alfonso Cuarón]
• JKR: "When people have finished reading this book, they will really know what to expect in book seven. I think I give very clear pointers to what Harry will do next."
• JKR: "The final chapter, as I've always said, really relates to what happens to the people who survive the story, after the end of the story. And I have made small tweaks to it over the intervening years. And I'll have to rewrite it when I get there."

Note: I have also removed something that Jo was reported to have said because it was *not* in the interview. Although it really sounds like her, she apparently did NOT say: "There is plenty to guess at... at least one thing I think people will probably deduce, there is a mystery left at the end, but I think they might already know the answer if they think about it."

Thank you for the transcript Joanne, you have advanced our knowledge of canon! And thanks too to Owen. You asked some really great questions.

Do you have an interview treasure hidden in a box? Check out our "fan challenge" list of interviews we're still searching for.

Snapshot of what early fandom was like

There is something about the first-hand accounts of Jo's book tours that makes me misty-eyed, and an article I just added to the archive is a perfect illustration of this.

Perhaps because I am the veteran of many author visits; perhaps because one of my biggest regrets is that I didn't chuck my graduate school work in 1999 and fly to San Marino Toy and Book Shoppe (where I used to work) and stand in line to meet Jo. You see, I was confident that she'd tour again.

Anyway, Ted Brock's November 1999 article for the Modesto Bee is a delightful read -- it captures perfectly those early days of fandom.

Julia Crimmins joins the staff

Julia Crimmins (aka 'Jules') has joined Accio Quote! She been a long time fan of both the Lexicon and Accio Quote and its predecessors, Madam Scoop and QQQ and has been submitting articles and transcripts to AQ for some time now. She has just send in a bunch of articles from Irish press that I am working on, and her future plans include compiling a gallery of J K Rowling's drawings. Julia is an historic buildings consultant who lives in Dublin, Ireland. She enjoys reading, cinema and indie bands. Welcome, Julia!

Thief!

And on a disgusted note, it has come to our attention that someone is selling a guide to book 7 that steals original content from the Harry Potter Lexicon, Jo's website and Accio Quote (our summaries), and then calls our work "bonuses" in order to charge you extra. No, we're not speaking of Mugglenet's book. They asked.

Nine new articles added

Nine new articles added, but alas, no new canon. Some of the news ones I'm adding aren't interviews at all, such as Time Magazine's review of the first movie, Judy Blume's editorial, and Arthur A. Levine's explanation of how he came to buy Rowling's first book. I found them interesting, and I hope you do too!



1999: Time | Time | NYT | NYT
2000: Time | Time
2001: Time | Dish
2003: Time

New format for year indexes

Last year when we combined Madam Scoop's Index to J.K. Rowling Interviews and the Quick Quotes Quill I wasn't quite satisfied with the way the "by year" pages functioned.

On one hand, adding Madam Scoop's summaries to the list of citations made it easy to see what articles had canon-level information; but on the other hand, the pages were harder to use because they were so cluttered. Well, I think I found something I'm happy with -- the "by year" pages are now in chart form (samples 1997 - 2001 - 2005). Well most of them! The really big ones (1999 and 2000) aren't converted yet. Let me know what you think.

Six New Articles added to Accio Quote

I have added six new articles to our archive. Enjoy!

• "Boy wizard frees trapped mother," Sunday Times (London), December 6, 1998
  [Excerpt] Potter was drawn as a bespectacled hero because Rowling had worn thick glasses as a child and had been frustrated that spectacle-wearers were always the swots but never the heroes. The qualities that Rowling admires in Harry are also the ones that she has probably had to develop herself.
  
• "Wizard with Words," Telegraph Magazine (London), July 3, 1999
  [Excerpt] She has a large working occult library and it's hard to catch her out on her magic. She was pleased to be quizzed by a boy on the difference between charms and transfiguration.
• "Just Wild About Harry," The Scotsman (Edinburgh), July 8, 1999
  [Excerpt] Adele Geras: ... when you embark on a saga like this you commit yourself, and that's part of the fun. You're one of the ones in the know: a Harry Potter fan. You can swap words and catchphrases which mere mortals won't recognise. You can make allusions that go over the heads of the ignorant.
• "HP's novel encounter," The Times (London), June 27, 2000
  [Excerpt] "To Bryony - who is the most important person I've ever met in a signing queue & the first person ever to see merit in Harry Potter. With huge thanks. J.K.Rowling." The "huge" has been underlined four times, signifying the contribution that Evens has made to this particular phenomenon. For it is she who, while working at the Christopher Little Literary Agency as office manager, opened the post one morning in 1996 to find her attention drawn to a black folder.
• "Mother of all Muggles," The Irish Times, July 13, 2000
  [Excerpt] No one would ever pick Rowling out as the creator of these books. She is not sufficiently weird or offbeat. She doesn't even have bright purple socks.
  
• "Media: Harry Potter and the Horrible Hackette; Which Interviewer Inspired the Venomous Portrait in J.K. Rowling's Latest Bestseller? Severin Carrell Rounds up the Likely Suspects," The Independent (London), September 5, 2000
  Jo has said that the character Rita Skeeter was written long before she had to deal with unscrupulous reporters, but this writer tries to guess anyway.

Since February I have added 22 new items to the archive. Woo hoo!