Yep, Still Here!

Hello my friends!

I apologize for being away for so long. As He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named said upon his return, "I confess myself...disappointed." Disappointed that I haven't been here, on this blog, sharing with you my deep affection for everything Harry Potter.

It's been a busy week since I last posted. Most of you know by now of the legal battle between JK Rowling (and Warner Brothers) and RDR books. The case pits Rowling against the publisher, who is hoping to publilsh "The Harry Potter Lexicon," an unauthorized Harry Potter encyclopedia. At the center of this trial is Mr. Steve Vander Ark, the writer of the book and creator of the online website HP Lexicon. The site, as all Potter fans know, offers information about the books and Rowling, and has categorize thousands of details from the seven books, such as plot lines, character histories, etymological information and the like.

Anyway...

The trial has been quite emotional for all parties involved. For obvious reasons, Jo got quite emotional during the trial, especially when asked by the judge what Harry Potter meant to her. It is quite understandable that she has been emotionally overcome by a trial and spectacle over her long hard work.

Mr. Vander Ark got emotional during the trial too. He was asked whether he felt like he was still part of the Potter Fandom. His response was, "I did." Clearly he has understood that many in the Harry Potter fan community, including myself, have disowned him and no longer see him as one of us. Mr. Vander Ark is seeking to publish this book against Jo's wishes and without any proper acknowledgement - plagiarism. He is doing this for his personal gain, not for the millions of readers out there who consider themselves Potter fans. Further, he is putting Jo through an unnecessary emotional ordeal.

Doesn't he know what the Harry Potter series means to Rowling. Before Potter, she was a poor single mother just trying to live day by day. With the novels’ success, she has become a famous author worldwide. She went from having nothing to having everything all because of Harry Potter, and she worked SO incredibly hard to get there. At the trial, she said, “It’s very difficult to understand to someone who hasn’t created, what it means to be a creator. [It’s like asking] ‘How do you feel about your child?'...These books, they saved me...there was a time they saved my sanity.”

Were Vander Ark a devoted fan, he would not be attempting to paraphrase Rowling’s work and sell it for money. Although it must be very difficult for Steve Vander Ark to deal with the fact that former fellow fans have turned his back on him, the fact remains that by attempting to publish his Lexicon, Vander Ark has shown that he has his own financial interests at heart, over the interests of the Harry Potter fan base. In addition, a true fan would respect the rights of his or her favorite author.