Some of the comments sound rather bitter ...even envious! Jealousy is a terrible thing and I'm glad I am not infected by such an emmotion when it comes to JK Rowling herself.....from an idea to a book and then to a series of books and movies...all from one of our delightful own....we Brit's have a fair way of turning out fabulous stories and I for one am so proud of JK Rowling and long may she enjoy her forte of writing...and the money she deserves...after all, there isn't anything wrong with working for a living now is there?!
Maybe some of the critics coud simply work a bit harder? be a bit more creative? sounds like saddos trying to have their say....unfortunately the UK also has their fair share of these 'types'....pity Harry Potter isn't real...he could have turned them into little rats!!! tee heee....written by an adult...

Angela Porter-Ward, Northampton, Northants

PK -

The sword of Gryffindor could be pulled from the sorting hat (which had been Gryffindor's) by any worthy member of the house. Nevile had the hat placed on him by Voldemort, and puled the sword from there.

Since you asked ;)

Richard, Leighton Buzzard, UK

JK Rowling has made a fortune from writing derivative and towards the end quite dull books. Who cares what bshe has to say on anything? Apart from writing, what does she know anyway?

Neil Murphy, cromer,

She always seems to have a way, or comment to keep herself in the limelight doesn't she?. She'll be back with more Potter, she's just waiting for the huge paycheck to finish it off.

Jason, London,

As a 'very near' 70 year old ... may I ask what I believe is a pertinent question?
Enid Blyton wrote (amongst many other titles), 21 books about the adventures of "The Famous Five".
Why can we not have more of Harry Potter?
Why does Harry Potter have to age in real time?
I am highly disappointed and would love to pose this question to JKR herself ...

David Michael, London, UK

Lord Attenborough might be well cast as Aberforth Dumbledore.

I wish there were more stories coming. Maybe expand on some of the other schools? There must be more than the three we know.

ColeM, Houston Texas, USA

Dear JF
What is this hideous obsession with hating city traders? They maybe well paid, but contrary to popular belief the majority of them work very hard to achieve this. Long working hours in the city are not a myth. It is also a career open to anyone smart enough and with the ambition to try it - you can do it at home on your own PC if you wish.
And don't forget that many, many people in the city give substantial amounts to charity - take ARK (absolute return for kids), a charity set up by ahedge fund manager to support children's charities, and to which people in the city give many millions annually, or the charitable efforts organised by many banks (one city bank raised over 1 million pounds from its London-based staff for charity, in one day, before christmas - the same day, coincidentally, that staff discovered that their bonuses were going to be cut by 40% on average). Add to this the many donations from individuals and I suspect few people reading this compare favourably.

KG, London,

Also while I'm thinking about it, how on earth did the sword of Gryffindor suddenly reappear at the end of the last book when it had in fact been retained by the goblins?

PK, UK,

I think book 2, The Chamber of Secrets makes clear that Gryffindor's sword is always available when needed by a true Gryffindor. Let's just call it magic.

Gemma , Leighton Buzzard, UK

I wonder how Freudian her joke about Michael Gambon was. He really gives a terrible portrayal of a lovely character and it must make JKR cringe more with every film.

Gemma , Leighton Buzzard, UK

Great books!
I only wish JK wouldn't have completed the series then tried to create a new slant with info she had never before published in any of her works e.g. Dumbledore being gay.
Also while I'm thinking about it, how on earth did the sword of Gryffindor suddenly reappear at the end of the last book when it had in fact been retained by the goblins?

PK, UK,

Well done, Mrs. Rowling, well done.
You have spread the best of joy to the four corners of the
world!
You deserve all the best.

G.A. Hughes, Newark, U.S.A./ Ohio

Well, all that money and fame could not have gone to a nicer person. Well done, JK, you've deserved it!
(A great change from traders making huge bonuses for just playing the markets as they sit in front of their monitor screens! JK worked hard and suffered for her millions, and unlike those people, she's giving a lot of it to good causes.)

JF, Canterbury, UK