Categories: Arts & Culture

JK Rowling’s crime novels written under pseudonym will outnumber Harry Potter books

JK Rowling has revealed her crime novels written under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith will eventually outnumber her Harry Potter books.

The author said her plans as Robert Galbraith were “pretty open ended” and that his books would number more than the seven Harry Potter novels she wrote.

The second novel under Robert Galbraith’s name was published in June, and she said she was half-way through writing the third.

JK Rowling was speaking at a rare public talk at Harrogate’s Crime Writing Festival.

Robert Galbraith’s novels follow private detective Cormoran Strike, a former military police investigator in the Special Investigation Branch.

JK Rowling, who began using the pseudonym for her crime writing career after completing the Harry Potter series, said the third Robert Galbraith novel would centre on returning military personnel.

JK Rowling has revealed her crime novels written under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith will eventually outnumber her Harry Potter books (photo CNN)

She was interviewed on stage in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, on Friday by fellow crime author Val McDermid.

Asked whether it was true that she would write a total of seven novels under the Galbraith name, JK Rowling replied: “It’s not seven. It’s more. It’s pretty open ended.

“I really love writing these books, so I don’t know that I’ve got an end point in mind.

“One of the things I absolutely love about this genre is that, unlike Harry, where there was an overarching story, a beginning and an end, you’re talking about discrete stories. So while a detective lives, you can keep giving him cases.”

JK Rowling added: “I’m about half-way through the third [novel] and I’ve just started plotting the fourth.”

Wearing a grey suit and pink tie, which she described as “my Robert suit”, JK Rowling told the audience that she started writing under a pseudonym because: “I wanted to prove to myself that I could get a book published on the merits of the book.”

Asked why she chose to write crime stories after the Harry Potter series, JK Rowling replied: “I love crime fiction. I’ve always loved it. I read a lot of it and I think, in many ways, that the Harry Potter books are whodunnits in disguise.

“I enjoy, I suppose, the ‘golden age’ book. That’s very much what I was trying to do in these books – to take that finite number of suspects, the genuine whodunnit style, but make it very contemporary, bring it up to date, and make sure this is a credible person with a credible back story for nowadays.”

Referring to the “golden age”, JK Rowling said she was a fan of authors Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Margery Allingham and Ngaio Marsh, who wrote in the mid-20th Century.

“My very favorite of those four is Allingham, and she’s the least known,” she said.

“The Tiger in the Smoke is a phenomenal novel.”

JK Rowling is also currently working on her first film script, for Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Sonia Pantiss

Sonia is the heart and the artist of the team. She loves art and all that it implies. As Sonia says, good music, a well directed movie, or attending a music or film festival melts people’s heart and make them better. She is great at painting and photography. Working on scrapbooks is her favorite activity.

Recent Posts

Donald Trump and Elon Musk Celebrate Election Victory at UFC 309

Image source: Wikimedia Commons President-elect Donald Trump celebrated his election victory at the Ultimate Fighting…

5 days ago

White House 2024: Donald Trump Wins, Kamala Harris Calls Him to Concede Election

Millions of voters across the US chose to return Donald Trump to the White House…

2 weeks ago

Who Won? Donald Trump Declares Victory as He Addresses Jubilant Supporters in Florida

Donald Trump declares victory in the US election as he addresses jubilant supporters in Florida.…

2 weeks ago

Stocks Soaring as Donald Trump Closes in on US Victory

Stocks around the world are rising as Donald Trump appears to be on the cusp…

2 weeks ago

Who Won? Kamala Harris Cancels Election Night Party as Path to Victory Narrows

Donald Trump has won Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia and taken a lead over Kamala…

2 weeks ago

Quincy Jones Dead at 91

Quincy Jones, the celebrated musician and producer who worked with Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Ray…

2 weeks ago