But get this, the new book is not a Harry Potter spin-off.
I have a small announcement, but before I get started, I
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 26, 2020
want to head off one possible source of confusion.
********************************************
THIS IS NOT A HARRY POTTER SPIN-OFF
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1/13
In her tweet, Rowling says, over the past 10 years, she had invested her time in writing a standalone fairytale called “The Ickabog” but she never got around to publishing it.
I always meant to publish it, but after the last Potter
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 26, 2020
was released I wrote two novels for adults and, after some dithering, decided to put those out next.
Until very recently, the only people who’d heard the story of
The Ickabog were my two younger children.
3/13
She further stated that she thought of the book as just for her family. She kept the manuscript in the attic and almost forgot about it, up until now.
Over time I came to think of The Ickabog as just for my family. The manuscript went up into the attic, where it remained until a few weeks ago.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 26, 2020
This is the very dusty box I got down from the attic.
(It's a Net-A-Porter box and might well have held a premiere dress.)
4/13 pic.twitter.com/vg8F5Qx33M
She also said that opening the box after so long took her back in time.
Opening the box was like opening a time capsule. Most of the story was handwritten, but bits had been typed up. When I put it into some kind of order (I'm not renowned for my filing skills) I had a patchwork first draft.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 26, 2020
5/13 pic.twitter.com/mz1qaGyyUt
While sitting at home, over these past few weeks she made a few changes in the manuscript and decided to publish the book for free online so that children have something to keep themselves busy with, during the lockdown.
Anyway, over the last few weeks I’ve done a bit of rewriting
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 26, 2020
and I’ve decided to publish the Ickabog for free online,
so children on lockdown, or even those back at school during these strange, unsettling times, can read it or have it read to them.
7/13
But, there’s a twist. The author has requested participation from readers to illustrate it.
Well, this news has got Twitter all excited.
My heart almost stopped
— Flávio Bessa Jr. 🇧🇷✊🏼🚫🐮 (@flaviobessajr) May 26, 2020
❤️❤️❤️
— (((Barbara Mazor))) (@StopBDS_PSFC) May 26, 2020
I love you.
My son surmounted dyslexia by reading through your books with me. You will always be close to our hearts.
Love every bit of this. Brilliant.
— Dani Beck (@_DaniBeck) May 26, 2020
I love reading your books ma’am. You’re an inspiration 🥰
— Andre (@gamermaniac25) May 26, 2020
Hell yeah! Bring it on. Are you excited?