Rowling's live reading thrills fans
Harry Potter author JK Rowling has thrilled fans by giving her first public reading in Scotland for four years.
More than 500 people had tickets to see the English novelist read from The Order Of The Phoenix - the fifth Harry Potter book - in her home city at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on Sunday morning and were delighted when she told them the young wizard will "survive to book seven", although she refused to reveal the book's title.
Writing on her official website, jkrowling.com, she told fans: "I am looking forward to this event very much, because there will be a relatively small audience, which means I can see faces and take questions directly from the fans.
"Of course, events such as the readings at the Toronto Skydome and the Albert Hall are incredible, but nothing can replace the pleasure of interacting with enthusiastic readers, as opposed to waving at a sea of skin-coloured blobs."
A spokesman for the festival said: "She's an Edinburgh writer and she lives in Edinburgh, so I think it is great to have local writers at the festival."
Rowling was amazed by the difference between her reading on Sunday and the first time she appeared at the event in 1997, when, billed as Joanne Rowling, she read to just 30 people in a tent.
