To learn more about J.K. Rowling's life, her presence in the press, her honors and awards, and her charities, visit her website: http://www.jkrowling.com/ To learn more about Harry Potter, visit J.K. Rowling's newest site, Pottermore: http://www.pottermore.com/

You can also read this in-depth interview conducted by Oprah Winfrey: http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/The-Brilliant-Mind-Behind-Harry-Potter

Rowling admits that one of the most formative experiences of her life came from her earliest day job working in the African Research Office at Amnesty International.  Visit the website to learn more about the organization that informed much of what she would later write in Harry Potter:  http://www.amnesty.org/en