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Saturday, July 16, 2011

Potter Envy and Night of the Giving Dead

I miss Harry.

And I am envious of JK Rowling.  Oh, I don't envy her cash (richer than the queen..richer than this queen for sure!) or her fabulous life-style or her fame or really anything except this one thing.  This one Special Thing.

You see, Jo connected with readers (middle grade and up) in a way that no one else had before...or likely will again for a long time.  She resonated with the hearts and minds of her readers in such a close, close way.

Harry, Ron and Hermoine....they are like family.

What a gift to be able to touch so, so many readers and make them wish for an owl, clutching an acceptance to Hogwarts, flying down the chimney flue and into their lives.

My kids grew up with Harry.  And in a way, I did, too.  Reading Harry's story made me admit to myself that someday I wanted to write more than just picture books.  JK Rowling made me feel like such a dream was worth pursuing.

So, Harry and Jo, thanks.  From the bottom of my heart.

And yes, I went to a midnight showing.  It.Was.Awesome.



Speaking of AWESOME, hilarious author Carrie Harris is doing something really cool.  Yes, this is even cooler than her year of Give Backery.  This time, she has organized an auction called Night of the Giving Dead.  The auction will benefit the children of CS Mott Children's Hospital.  This event is very close to Carrie's heart and WOW, she certainly has a lot of support from the writing community!  She got donations from MANY great authors including some NYT Bestselling folks (I am not going to tell you who they are...just look at the list, my friends.  Look now.)

Again.  WOW.

And, somewhere in there is little ol' me.  (Okay, stop twisting my arm...I'll give you the link!) Here it is.

So, help Carrie help some kids who are dealing with stuff we all hope we never have to deal with.  (And you don't have to bid on my books...bid on something...ANYTHING!)  Er...um...but don't bid against me on anything.



hrh

20 comments:

Jemi Fraser said...

JK Rowling has indeed done something so very, very special by creating Harry & his world. It has touched an incredible amount of people - including me! I haven't seen the movie ... yet! :)

Thanks for the other links - I'm off to check it out! :)

Ruth Donnelly said...

Agree with you about JK Rowling. I just got back from the movie, and it was great... but it's the books that hold a special place in my heart.

Anonymous said...

I love JKRowlings books and I am proud to say that via a friend we introduced them to a whole school. They had 1 copy of he book untouched in the library and soon the whole school was reading their own copies... :O)

MG Higgins said...

Wow, that is a butt load of wonderful auction items. I am indeed going to bid on a few things. Thanks for the heads-up.

Being the introvert crowd-disliker that I am, I'll be seeing Harry in a couple of weeks.

Aylee said...

Great post! I agree. I feel such a connection with her characters after getting to know them over the course of the series.

Jess said...

I miss Harry too. I've comforted myself for the last month or so by devouriing all of RL Lafevers's books (both the Beastologist series and the Theodosia series). That's taken the edge off, but still...

Thanks for the Carrie Harris links. Those auctions always get me misty-eyed and open-walleted :)

Sarah Allen said...

I completely absolutely agree with you. I am absolutely green with Rowling envy, but like you said, its not the cash or lifestyle. Its the number of readers she's been able to reach, and not just reach, but form a very meaningful connection with.

Sarah Allen
(my creative writing blog)

Christina Lee said...

SO.VERY.TRUE!!!! *sniff*

well said, my friend--off to check out your link!

Corey Schwartz said...

I think it would be hard to find an author anywhere who is not suffering form some degree of Potter envy!

Kelly Polark said...

I love how Rowling made middle grade novels more relevant.
I saw the movie this weekend too. I was on the verge of tears from the beginning. I'm so sad it's over! I thought it was amazing. The only flaw is it should have had more Fred and George in it.

Stina said...

No, you're not supposed to mention the auction. I'm waiting for the last moment to bid (like everyone else no doubt). ;)

Unknown said...

I loved the final Harry Potter. It was so well done and the nailed the emotional rise and fall.

I can't wait to buy all 8 on bluray!

Angela Ackerman said...

I can't wait to see HP. I'm putting it off, because I know once it's over...it's really over, you know?

Angela @ The Bookshelf Muse

Stephanie Perkins said...

I miss Harry, too. The impact that series has had on my life . . . my word.

But he'll ALWAYS be in our hearts. :)

Also, I wanted to drop you a quick note to say: OHMYGOSH, YOU'RE COMING TO MY SIGNING! Thank you!!! I can't wait to meet you!!!

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed reading the Harry Potter series. I have yet to see the final HP movie. Won't be seeing that until it comes out on DVD. Then my hubby and I will have a HP movie marathon.

Kiki Hamilton said...

I went to the midnight showing also! I totally agree that Harry and gang are family - even the bad guys!

and yay for Night of the Giving Dead - an awesome charity!

Cynthia Chapman Willis said...

It really is amazing how JK Rowling connected with so many readers of all ages. Wouldn't we all love to do that? I know I'll be re-reading the books even after I watch the last (*sniff*) movie.

Thanks for the links, too!

Lydia Kang said...

I totally agree. She made characters we truly cared about. Good luck on the auction!

Laura Pauling said...

Yes, I understand that kind of envy. We all want to connect with our readers like that! And I think what Carrie is doing is wonderful!

Elana Johnson said...

Yes, this is why I love Harry Potter so much. And Jo! Great post. And wasn't the movie absolutely amazing??!! I loved it.