The path to success of JK Rowling, author of the book about wizard Harry Potter, was not easy.

Her parents did not have college degrees, she lived on government assistance as a single mother for years and overcame dozens of rejections from publishers. Then, almost overnight, she became one of the most successful and widely read authors in history.

Joanne Rowling was born on 31 July 1965 at Yate General Hospital near Bristol and grew up in Gloucestershire, England. Her parents married in their 20s but never went to college. Her father, Peter, was an aerospace engineer at Rolls Royce, and her mother, Anne, was a science technician in high school. They called her desire to write novels excessive, and her imagination would never be able to pay the mortgage or secure a pension. Her mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when Joanne was still a teenager.

Little Joanne grew up surrounded by books, loving to read them to her younger sister Dianne. She wanted to become a writer since she was young. She wrote her first book at age 6, a story about a rabbit named Rabbit. At just 11 years old, she wrote her first novel about seven cursed diamonds and their owners. She studied French at the University of Exeter, where she graduated in 1986. After graduating, she worked for the humanitarian organization Amnesty International, where she worked as a translator.

In 1990, on an evening train from Manchester to London King’s Cross, the idea for a Harry Potter book took root in her. Over the next five years, she outlined the plots for seven books. She also began writing a separate novel for adults, which she never finished. The most traumatic day of her life was New Year’s Day 1991, when her mother died. Joanne was 25 at the time. Later, one of her projects was to establish a regenerative neurology clinic, named after her mother, Anne Rowling. The clinic was to be located at the University of Edinburgh, and she donated $16 million to it.

Shortly after her mother’s death, she moved to Porto, Portugal, at the age of 26, to teach English. There, in July 1993, she met and married Portuguese television journalist Jorge Arantes. They had a passionate relationship that ended in violence and left a bitter taste in their relationship. He noticed her chatting with friends in a café. He was immediately drawn to her piercing blue eyes and knew he wanted to meet her. During their conversation, they quickly discovered that they shared a great love of literature, and an incredible chemistry developed between them. At the end of the evening, they exchanged phone numbers. Two days later, they had their first date, which ended in bed. They were two young independent people who enjoyed life. They saw each other three times a week, and they had an intense and passionate relationship. They soon moved in together in a two-room apartment with a small kitchen. A few months later, they were delighted to learn that Joanne was pregnant. At that time, Jorge also proposed to her. They had a baby girl, Jessica Mitford. She named her after one of her favorite authors. Two months after their daughter was born, the love story was over, Jorge ordered her to leave the apartment, but Joanne did not want to go anywhere without her daughter. Even if he managed to force her out of the apartment, she returned in the morning to pick up her daughter. It all led to physical violence, which was also the reason why Joanne returned to Edinburgh with her daughter at the end of the same year. Jorge followed her and tried to fix the situation, but Joanne was determined that their marriage was over. Soon after, Jorge also lost his journalism career, as he succumbed to the influence of drugs. His mother said in one of her interviews that he stole a lot of family jewelry and heirlooms to be able to buy drugs.

Joanne lived with her daughter in a small flat, was unemployed and lived on government benefits. During this time, she visited various cafes in Edinburgh, where she wrote her first novel on a typewriter. Jessica slept next to her in a stroller. She often mentions in interviews that without this period in her life she would never have been able to write the book. The experience defined her political activism later in life, as she often criticized politicians who tried to cut social welfare programs. Throughout her career, the label ‘single mother’ followed her, which is why she later became president of Gingerbread, an organization that supports single parents and their children.

In a 2008 interview with the Sunday Times, Rowling said that she was severely depressed during this period, even needing professional help. Her life circumstances were so bad that she even considered suicide several times. She also described her experiences with depression in her books. “Depression is the most unpleasant thing I have ever experienced,” she said in the interview.

In 1995, Rowling completed the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and sent it to publishers. As with many other authors, Rowling received a dozen rejections. Eventually, her book was accepted by London literary agent Christopher Little. After a year, he agreed to print 500 copies of the book with Bloomsbury. The publisher, anticipating that boys might not want to read books written by a woman, suggested that she choose a name with two initials. The ‘J’ stands for Joanne, her real name. She has no middle name, so she chose ‘K’ for Kathleen, the name of her father’s mother. The book was first published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books in June 1997 under the name J.K. Rowling.

In 2001, Warner Bros. released a film adaptation of the first book, followed by six more. With a cast (Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, and many other successful British actors), they created the most successful film franchise in history. The film, directed by Christopher Columbus, grossed a whopping $974.8 million at the box office.

In 2007, Rowling wrote the final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The seven-book series has sold more than 450 million copies and been translated into 67 languages.

JK Rowling has decided to launch a new children’s book, The Ickabog, during the coronavirus crisis, and offer it to readers for free online. She will release chapters for seven consecutive weeks for her readers to read. The Ickabog is a story about truth and the abuse of power. She has created a competition together with Scholastic, where she is asking children to help contribute artwork for the story.

JK Rowling never gave up on her dreams. She never stopped hoping that things would get better one day, even after she hit rock bottom. Today, she is one of the most successful authors in the world.