Happy birthday J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter! Today, Rowling celebrates her 47^th birthday, while her beloved fictional character, Harry Potter, turns 32. Where does the time go?

J.K. Rowling

J.K. Rowling was born in Yate, Gloucestershire, England on July 31, 1965. She was a bright and curious child, and began penning fantasy stories at a young age. In fact, Rowling loosely based the character of Hermione on herself, saying “she's a caricature of me when I was eleven, which I'm not particularly proud of.”

Rowling’s adult years were a bit rocky at first - her mother died, she and her husband divorced, and she found herself an unemployed mother on government assistance. However, Rowling refused to give up on her writing and finished Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 1995.

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More book news from J.K. Rowling. The author recently announced that she has started working on a Harry Potter encyclopedia that will address some of the series’ unanswered questions. Rowling broke the news while answering an inquiry on the FAQ section of her website.

"For a long time I have been promising an encyclopedia of Harry's world, and I have started work on this now — some of it forms the new content in Pottermore,” Rowling writes. “It is likely to be a time-consuming job, but when finished I shall donate all royalties to charity."

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In February, publisher Little, Brown announced that J.K. Rowling, the author behind the phenomenally popular Harry Potter series, is penning a novel for adults. Now, word comes that book will be called The Casual Vacancy and that it’s set to hit shelves September 27.

“Blackly comic, thought-provoking, and constantly surprising, The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling’s first novel for adults,” Little, Brown announced in a statement. 

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Author J.K. Rowling has landed a new book deal, only this novel will be for grownups. The author announced an agreement with publisher Little, Brown on Thursday and said she is eager to begin the next phase of her writing career.

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WizardingWorldHarryPotter.com

One of the most popular attractions at Universal Orlando’s the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is Butterbeer, a real-life beverage based on the fictional drink in the Harry Potter series. However, as the Huffington Post’s Jim Hill reports, developing the popular beverage was no easy feat. 

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