J.K. Rowling went from unemployment to a multi-millionaire in the

space of 5 years! J.K Rowling's story is almost as amazing as Harry Potter! She is the best-selling living author in the UK and

her books are popular all over the world! Rowling has described writers such as Jane Austen and C.S. Lewis as those who have inspired them the most.

J.K Rowling was born on the 31st July 1965 in Gloucestershire. She enjoyed writing fantasy stories from an early age, reading them to her younger sister. As a teenager, Rowling began studying French and classics at Exeter University. Having graduated, she moved to London to work as a researcher for Amnesty International, an organisation which works to protect human rights around the world. She also lived and worked in Manchester.

It was in 1990 when Joanne was on a delayed train journey from Manchester to London that the idea for a series of boos came into her head.

During the first writing of the first Harry Potter book, Joanne's mother died and this huge loss affected her writing. Because of that, she decided to include more detail about the loss of the main characters parents as she knew how it felt.

After living and working as a teacher in Portugal, Rowling moved to Edinburgh with her daughter.

The early days of Scotland weren't easy for Joanne- she had no job but she dedicated her time to finishing her book. When the story was finally completed, it was sent to 12 different publishing houses, all of which turned it down.

In 1997, the book was finally published under the name of J.K. Rowling. As Joanne didn't have a middle name, she incorporated her Grandmother's name, 'Kathleen' into her initials. Her real name wasn't used as the publishers didn't think that boys would want to read a book written by a female author.

Shortly after being published, the book won its first award and proved to be very popular. She later released, 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets', followed by, 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban. It was the fourth book, 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,' that broke sales records in both the UK and America. Rowling was also named Author of the year at the 2000 British Book Awards and awarded an OBE for writing such popular children's books.

The second final book in the series, 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' , was released in 2007 the fastest-selling book in history. Each book has also been made into a successful film.

Today, original copies of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone sell for around £20, 000.