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The Fickle Finger Of Fate

Aug 06, 2013
by Caroline Miller
"The Casual Vacancy", "The Cuckoo's Calling", Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling
4 Comments

J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book saga, has been unmasked as the author of a new detective mystery, The Cuckoo’s Calling. She wrote it under the pseudonym, Robert Galbraith, hoping to escape inevitable comparisons between her youth series and her adult fiction. Her first adult novel The Casual Vacancy, hadn’t fared well at the hands of the critics.

 The Cuckoo’s Calling did get good reviews but sold only 1,500 copies. Then someone blew Rowling’s cover which she said she regretted. Writing under the name Robert Galbraith, she admitted had been “such a liberating experience. It has been wonderful to published without hype or expectations and pure pleasure to get feedback under a different name.” (http://shelf-life.ew.com/2013/07/14/j-k-rowling-cuckoos-calling-author-reveal/)

Of course, being exposed had its compensation. The moment the true author of The Cuckoo’s Calling became public, sales of the novel shot up to number 3 on British Amazon, causing some to wonder if Rowling hadn’t caused the leak herself.

 I hope she did. I’d like to think she played her cards well: that she reaped the rewards for her chicanery, which wasn’t the money, but the opportunity to leave egg on the faces of the critics who suggested that The Casual Vacancy proved she should stick to youth fiction.

 With her latest success, Rowling has pulled off a good joke on the literary world and made one or two other points that may have been unintended: 1) that being a good writer doesn’t equate with success. And 2) that readers stick with what they know.

Now that Rowling has fooled her detractors, I’ll bet she’s laughing all the way to the bank. Clever girl!

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(Courtesy of Wikipdia.com)

 

 

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4 Comments
  1. MaryBeth Kelly August 6, 2013 at 12:50 pm Reply
    I am listening to The Cuckoo's Calling and enjoying it. I also read The Casual Vacancy and think it is one of the best novelized accounts of the world of young people. While it is not YA fiction, it certainly captures the YA character. I would recommend it to everyone, but especially teachers of YAs.
    • Caroline Miller August 6, 2013 at 1:20 pm Reply
      I haven't read either, MaryBeth, but you make them sound interesting. Of course, I am a Rowling fan so it shouldn't take me too long to get around to them. Thanks for your comment.
  2. terri patrick August 7, 2013 at 10:25 am Reply
    I don't think Rowling wanted to be "found" as Robert, but now that she is I admire how's she's handling it. No lawsuits, just an OKAY, and all proceeds go directly to my favorite charity. I hope she tries for anonymity again, and the liberating joy of storytelling/writing without all the hype.
    • Caroline Miller August 7, 2013 at 10:31 am Reply
      You're right Terri. J.K. always shows class. I suspect she might try her experiement again. As you say, writing without having to meet expectations is liberating. Thanks for your comment.

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Contact Caroline at

carolinemiller11@yahoo.com

Portland, Oregon author Caroline Miller had distinguished careers as an educator, union president, elected official and artist/advocate.

Her play, Woman on the Scarlet Beast, was performed at the Post5 Theatre, Portland, OR, January/February 2015

Caroline published a serialized novelette, Marie Eau-Claire, on the website, The Colored Lens.  She also published the story Gustav Pavel,  a parable about ordinary lives, choice and alternate potential, on the website Fixional.co.

Caroline has published four novels

  • Ballet Noir
  • Trompe l’Oeil
  • Gothic Spring
  • Heart Land

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