Hello I'm Kirstie Young and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive

for rights reasons we've had to shorten the music.

The program was originally broadcast in the year 2000 and the presenter was Sue Lawley. My castaway this week is a writer. She carries in her mind a unique and extraordinary world.

So far she's told us four stories about it and plans a further three.

They've already made her a millionaire. She's sold a total of

40 million copies in as many countries. It's a remarkable achievement for a

single mother of 35 who dreamed up the whole thing on a delayed train journey to

King's Cross. She's the author of the Harry Potter books J.K. Rolling, Joanne

rolling. J.K. in case the boys didn't like reading what a woman had written according to

your publisher. Very sexist thought. It was I argued and then what it came down to

was I was so grateful to be published they could have called me anything well quite they could have called me Graham if they'd wanted really I put up a token resistance and in the end I said all right it is a wonderful story yours as well as Harry's it must seem as magical as his do you do you still have to pinch yourself

Yes, yes, I feel that I've spent three years in a state of shock.

What about your friends from the past?

You know, they all come out of the woodwork at moments like this, don't they?

Are they amazed that it happened to you and not one of them?

My closest long-term friends always knew that I wrote.

So definitely if you'd said to them,

which of you will end up a best-selling author?

I think they would have still be very surprised about the best-selling bit,

but they probably would have said all Joe.

What about the getting of honorary degrees?

My old friends from Exetera found it quite hysterical that I was given an honorary degree.

...