海角大神

If you鈥檙e among those mourning the imminent release of J.K. Rowling鈥檚 new adult book because it is not another Harry Potter story, Potterphiles, take heart: Rowling plans to return to writing for young adults 鈥� and she hasn鈥檛 ruled out a return to Hogwarts.

That鈥檚 right, the author behind the seven-novel Potter saga whose first adult novel, 鈥淐asual Vacancy鈥� will be released Thursday, told the press she鈥檚 eager to get back to young adult books.

鈥淚 think it very likely that the next thing I publish will be for kids,鈥� she told BBC News. 鈥淚 have a children鈥檚 book that I really like. It鈥檚 for slightly younger children than the Potter books.鈥�

Though she seemed to close the door on more Potter books, however, she didn鈥檛 shut it completely.

鈥淚t was murder saying goodbye, but where Harry鈥檚 story is concerned I鈥檓 done,鈥� she told the BBC. 鈥淣ow if I had a fabulous idea that came out of that world 鈥� because I loved writing it 鈥� I would do it. But I鈥檝e got to have a great idea. I am very adverse to the prequel/sequel scenario.鈥� She added, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to go mechanically back into that world and pick up a load of odds and ends, glue them together and say, 鈥楬ere we go, we can sell this.鈥� It would make a mockery of what those books were to me.鈥�

Rowling, who can鈥檛 escape talking Potter even while promoting her new adult release, also told the press that writing the 鈥淗arry Potter鈥� series wasn鈥檛 always easy and she wasn鈥檛 satisfied with some of the novels.

鈥淭here are a couple of the Potters that I definitely knew needed another year,鈥� she told the BBC. 鈥淚 had to write on the run and there were times when it was really tough. And I read them, and I think, 鈥極h God, maybe I鈥檒l go back and do a director鈥檚 cut鈥�.鈥� But you know what, I鈥檓 proud I was writing under the conditions under which I was writing, no one will ever know how tough it was at times.鈥�

Though she seemed averse to the prequel/sequel idea, Rowling did say she might consider what she called 鈥渁 sidestep.鈥� We鈥檙e eager to see what she envisions.

Rowling鈥檚 latest novel, 鈥淭he Casual Vacancy,鈥� a slice-of-life commentary on class warfare and small town politics, hits bookstores Thursday. Rowling has described it as 鈥渁 contemporary version of what I love, which is a big, fat 19th century novel set in a small community.鈥�

Husna Haq is a Monitor correspondent.