Strike on Twitter – Sixteen Characters in Search of a Story

Last week, while idly scrolling through Twitter, I came upon a fun bunch of accounts created after characters from the Strike novels. Two in particular caught my eye: Anomie was apparently created very quickly after the new plot synopsis was released, and Roddy Fforbes, who we never meet and is mentioned only twice in Troubled Blood. 

I have collected below the new accounts, while we are waiting for The Ink Black Heart why not follow? They are all acted in good humour, and not above poking fun at the ‘official’ accounts. I predict lots of shenanigans, as these accounts discover how their new story unfolds.

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‘The JKR:’ Rowling Honored by Boozer

On 2 July, The Harlequin Pub in Sheffield created a new cocktail, the ‘JKR,’ in Rowling’s honor. She pledged two days later to buy the necessary ingredients to try it out.

Well, she elected instead to drop in at the Harlequin at lunchtime today, a week later, and have the drink as made by its creator. [Read more…]

Tweeted Death Threats to J. K. Rowling

The good news? The Daily Mail reports that this death threat and incitement to lethal violence by a trangender activist has a happy ending (sort of):

Last night, a Police Scotland spokeswoman said: ‘Officers are carrying out enquiries.’

Fiona McAnena of campaign group Fair Play For Women told The Mail on Sunday: ‘The fact that people can make death threats publicly without worry is a telling indictment.’

Yesterday, the abusive profile was finally deleted for violating Twitter rules….

#IStandWith JKRowling was trending on Twitter last night. Ms Rowling’s representatives declined to comment.

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Rowling Pranked by Russian Comedians

Rowling, Inc., must be scrambling today in hopes of spinning what is perhaps the most embarrassing public gaffe by The Presence on record. In brief, a duo of Russian comedians named Vovan and Lexus were able to record a Zoom conversation with Rowling in which one played the part of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky; they not only fooled Rowling’s handlers but the author also clearly believed, despite the increasingly absurd requests made by the faux Zelensky, that she was speaking to the real deal.

TheRowlingLibrary summarized the humiliating call this way:

The prankster, claiming to be Zelenskyy, asked J.K. Rowling if it was possible to impose any sanctions on Russian actor Aleksandr Kuznetsov, who played Helmut in the latest Fantastic Beasts movie, at which the author replies “Fantastic Beasts has been a very interesting experience. I’ll certainly talk to people and see what we can do.” Later on, they explained to the author that Harry Potter’s scar looks like the “Z”, the symbol used by the Russian on their military vehicles, and ask her to change it to the Ukrainian trident. Rowling took notes and said “I will look at that. It might be good for me to do something with that myself on social media, because I think that will get into the newspapers.”

The conversation continued and the prankster told J.K. Rowling that they were writing “Avada Kedavra” on the Ukrainian missiles. They also asked for Boris Johnson’s gender and if Dumbledore was really gay. Then, they turned their webcam on to introduce the “The Order of Ukrainian Phoenix”, which was none other than a group of people pranking Rowling: their t-shirts said “Only Putin!” in Russian. To end the prank, the fake Zelenskyy asked Rowling to say “hello” to his two favourite Russian writers, Vovan and Lexus.

My three quick thoughts on this are available after the jump! [Read more…]

Beatrice Groves – Highgate Cemetery and The Ink Black Heart

Beatrice Groves, Research Lecturer and tutor at Trinity College, Oxford, and author of  Literary Allusion in Harry Potter, has written a Hogwarts Professor Guest Post: Highgate Cemetery and The Ink Black Heart. Join me after the jump for Prof. Groves’ quick look at what J. K. Rowling’s new Twitter Header can mean for The Ink Black Heart.

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