Tattle Tart

Author J.K. Rowling has spoken of the childhood traumas and mystical influences that inspired her to write the epic Harry Potter.

In a US television special screened on ABC, Rowling said the saga of childhood confusion, danger and adventure was driven by her own experiences growing up.

At the age of nine, Rowling’s family moved from a suburban Bristol street to the Gloucestershire countryside, near the Forest of Dean. It was a place that inspired the mystery of forests and magical creatures.

“I’m very drawn to, to a forest and it’s my favorite part of the Hogwarts grounds,” the author said in a November 2006 interview obtained by ABC News and used in the documentary J.K. Rowling: A Year in the Life.

“The advantage of a forest is it can be so many things: it can be a place of enchantment; you never imagine a crowd in a forest, it’s a solitary place. But there’s just something, is it because it used to be a place of shelter and safety to us, I suppose, so I think I am very drawn to them, even though they can be spooky.”

Rowling, who started writing from a young age, also spoke about the pain she suffered when her mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1980. “She had a very virulent form of the illness and at that time there were no drug treatments at all. And they said ‘Well, you’ve got multiple sclerosis, see you’.”

Rowling, whose books have sold more than 400 million copies, was distraught and she revealed that her mother’s illness strained her relationship with her father.

“I was very frightened of my father for a very long time,” she said in the 2006 interview. “I also tried desperately to get his approval and make him happy, I suppose, and then there came a point quite shamingly late in life where I couldn’t do that any more, and so I haven’t had any contact with my father now for a few years.”

Source: Splash News

One of David Beckham’s LA Galaxy team-mates has said that his comments about the footballer were taken out of context in a soon-to-be released controversial new book.

Galaxy midfielder Chris Klein was quoted in The Beckham Experiment, supposedly questioning the British football star’s ability as a captain.

But Klein now claims that his comments – which he admits he did make – may have been taken out of context.

“It’s the context I have an issue with,” he said.

“I would think it’s a shame if [the book] comes out as an attack on him.”

In the book, written by Grant Wahl, Klein is quoted as saying: “I really like David as a person… but it’s a different type of leadership that has to go on with all this…

“It’s difficult for a foreign player to do that because [he doesn't] know what the college kid had to go through, [he doesn't] know what it’s like to make $12,000 a year.”

Galaxy captain Landon Donovan also criticised Beckham. He is quoted as saying: “I can’t think of another guy where I’d say, ‘He wasn’t a good team-mate, he didn’t give everything through all this, he didn’t still care.’

“But with [Beckham], I’d say: ‘No, he wasn’t committed.’”

Beckham returns to LA Galaxy on 16 July, when the team is scheduled to play in New York.

Lauren Conrad, a reality star who believes that she’s part of the Hollywood A-list, has acquired a three book deal with Harper Collins. LC will write a series of teen fiction novels called “L.A. Candy” which tells the story of a rich young girl who tries her luck in Los Angeles. SOUNDS FAMILIAR? Lauren says the story will mirror her own life.

Lauren says, “I’ve always loved books that I could lose myself in, ones that would transport me to another place, but had characters I could relate to… I’m so excited to have this opportunity to write books like that for other readers.”

My dreams have come true! I have always wanted to read a book version of the Hills. That’ll be so exciting. Can’t wait!

Wait, aren’t you supposed to write a memoir when you have nothing else to do with your life; when you have no career left?
The tennis champ is set to release her memoir some time in 2009 – by Grand Central Publishing.
It will detail her life story as one of the world’s best women’s tennis players.
Editor Karen Kosztolnyik says, “Serena Williams is one of the world’s most remarkable athletes. We’ve watched her rise to No. 1 despite physical and emotional setbacks, and her hard work and determination have inspired legions of fans young and old. Serena will give her memoir a strong motivational slant.”
But is it really worth reading? According to insiders the bidding reached at least $1.3 million.
Let’s hope that was good investments for the publishers, we all know that these we are experiencing are very financially rocky times!

Ex-Atomic Kitty and English reality train wreck Kerry Katona actually has something good to go for her as she won her battle against Brit rag Sunday Mirror. The paper claimed that Kerry worked as a prostitute before having a taste of fame and that her mom Sue had secured a six-figure publishing deal for her autobiography which will air the dirty laundry out on her daughter. However, there’s no publishing deal nor is there any proof of Kerry’s past. Who would pay for that anyway? A settlement was reached in court that involves the payment of a five-figure sum as well as Kerry’s legal costs.

A good measure of how big you’ve gotten in the showbiz scene is when books are written about you. How big are you when a book is written on your life when you’re just 15 years old? We better just ask Miley Cyrus. The ‘Hannah Montana’ star’s autobiography is said to be in the works. but it should come as no surprise that Miley will not be the one who will actually write it. OK! magazine is reporting that the teen queen signed a multimillion-deal with Disney Books and a ghostwriter will be the one to put Miley’s life down on paper. An insider says that “The plan is to move her away from ‘Hannah Montana’. She’s outgrown it.” With her working girl poses, obviously!

There were reports earlier this week that Britney Spears’ mother Lynne Spears was writing a “tell-all book” that would chronicle her daughters rise and fall from the limelight, well it turns out that rumor was only half true. It has just been confirmed that Lynne is writing a book on parenting for Christian publisher Thomas Nelson. Okay…I am going to defend Lynn Spears here. I would like to be speaking as a mom of grown children. First of all…Lynn is NO Dina Lohan! Second, Lynn didn’t raise Britney to do the things she is doing. Britney wanted a career; Lynn helped her to get that. Britney, as an adult, made the choices to screw up her life, not Lynn. No matter what Lynn said or did, as an adult, Britney would not have listened to her…and she hasn’t. Since no one has seen the manuscript Lynn is doing, it’s not fair to judge it yet. She could be bringing up all the perils and pitfalls of giving in too much to your children’s wants and desires over their actual needs.