Author J.K. Rowling, left, is in the U.S. for the first time since 2000 to take part in an authors' reading for charity. She, Stephen King, at right, and John Irving are reading from their own works Aug. 1 and 2 at New York's Radio City Music Hall.
J.K. Rowling participates in an Aug. 1 news conference for "An Evening With Harry, Carrie and Garp," supporting two organizations: King's choice, The Haven Foundation, which helps performing artists whose accidents or illnesses have left them uninsured and unable to work; and Rowling's pick, Doctors Without Borders, a humanitarian group that delivers emergency aid in more than 70 countries.
At the news conference, Rowling said writing the last of her seven Harry Potter books is proving to be "fun in a way that it hasn't been before. To an extent the pressure's off, I suppose, because it's the last book so I feel quite liberated. Now I can just resolve the story."
Authors John Irving and J.K. Rowling, in talking about the writing process, both said they planned their plots out in advance so that they knew going into the writing whether they would be killing off characters, something which made writing the death scenes somewhat easier.
"I don't always enjoy killing my characters, I didn't enjoy killing the character who died at the end of book 6," said Rowling at the news conference, declining to name that person in case someone had yet to finish the book. "I really didn't enjoy doing that but I had been planning that for years so it wasn't quite as poignant as you might imagine. I'd already done my grieving when I actually came to write it."
Author Stephen King participates in a news conference for "An Evening With Harry, Carrie and Garp," a reading with King, J.K. Rowling and John Irving, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Aug. 1, 2006.
Author Stephen King came up with the idea of the powerhouse literary event after doing a reading for a favored cause of John Irving's. He said they hope to raise at least $250,000 for each group (The Haven Foundation and Doctors Without Borders).
Stephen King, author of works including "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Carrie," said he was looking forward to J.K. Rowling's last Potter book. "I want to read the book. I love that series," he said. John Irving said he and King considered themselves as "warm-up bands" for Rowling, and assumed the crowd at the readings would be younger than those who read his works, and largely made up of her fans.
Authors John Irving, J.K. Rowling and Stephen King attend a news conference for "An Evening With Harry, Carrie and Garp," a reading with the trio at Radio City Music Hall Aug. 1, 2006 in New York City.
Author John Irving participates in a news conference for "An Evening With Harry, Carrie and Garp," a reading with Irving, Stephen King and J.K. Rowling at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Aug. 1, 2006.
J.K. Rowling and Stephen King attend a news conference for "An Evening With Harry, Carrie and Garp," a reading with Rowling, King and John Irving, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Aug. 1, 2006.
John Irving and J.K. Rowling attend a news conference for "An Evening With Harry, Carrie and Garp," a reading with Irving, Rowling and Stephen King, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Aug. 1, 2006.
J.K. Rowling, right, and John Irving listen during a press conference Aug. 1, 2006, in New York, in support of reading their books as a fundraiser for Doctors Without Borders and The Haven Foundation.
John Irving, J.K. Rowling and Stephen King pose for a picture during a press conference Aug. 1, 2006, in New York.