August | 2016 | Writer Side UP!

(*Please note: this has not been updated since first posted, but most links should still work; there is a plethora of new and archived interviews to enjoy!)

The first time I became aware of the term “podcast” was over 10 years ago. When I was immersed in the online “Harry Potter” fandom, I heard of the “Mugglecast” podcast. At that time, for whatever reason, I couldn’t or simply didn’t know how to access it. It was launched through Mugglenet, whose team was attending and hosting all kinds of events pre-Deathly Hallows, and broadcasting Live. I didn’t get to hear any of it, and not until JUST NOW, when I googled it for this post, did I know they’re still doing it! 😎

Anyway, it was not until I became active on Twitter a few years ago, and wove my way into its wonderful online community of KidLit, did “podcast” come up again. That’s when “Let’s Get Busy” with host Matthew Winner became one of my favorite pastimes. It was the first one I began listening to Continue reading →

(NOTE: while this post is current, scroll on the sidebar —in a separate tab or window—to click to listen to Hedwig’s Theme while reading 😀)

Back in July 2007, the anticipation was palpable for the release of the last installment in the one-and-only Harry Potter series. The day on which there would be midnight release parties throughout the world for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I made very definite plans to enjoy it. I’d never attended a midnight release and that being the last one (so I thought), I didn’t want to miss it. (You can read about how I spent that unforgettable day in a blog post I wrote when having done a “Harry Potter Re-Read“.)

The question of whether or not there would be additional books to the series was discussed by many and certainly posed to the author herself. J. K. Rowling said she’d “never say never.” The characters and world she built had become a part of her and her life in a very profound way, and the truth is—you can’t turn off the imagination of a writer—certainly not one of her caliber. Aren’t we LUCKY?! Continue reading →