J.K. Rowling

J.K. Rowling (born 1965) is a British author best known for creating the Harry Potter series, which has become the best-selling book series in history with over 600 million copies sold worldwide. Her journey to success is a famous "rags-to-riches" story; she wrote much of her first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, as a single mother living on state benefits in Edinburgh cafes. The idea for the series famously came to her while delayed on a train from Manchester to London in 1990. Beyond the wizarding world, Rowling has found critical acclaim writing crime fiction under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith and is a prominent philanthropist, founding the international children's charity Lumos. Her work has not only defined a generation of literature and sparked a massive film franchise but has also earned her numerous accolades, including the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to children’s literature.