Will Gompertz vs. JK Rowling.

Books Will Gompertz is doing that metablogging thing he does, on this occasion with JK Rowling, in which he writes about the process of creating the television interview rather than simply regurgitating the content. As ever it's a wayward pleasure, especially the moment when he compares JK to Walter from Breaking Bad:

""I'm sorry," says the bemused writer, "I don't understand what you are asking". She is being generous; the twitching muscles around her mouth indicated a laugh being suppressed with the utmost difficulty.

"Have you ever seen Breaking Bad?" I ask awkwardly.

"No," she says.

"It's about a school teacher- a Mr Chips type who becomes a crystal meth dealer."

She explodes with laughter.

"I see," she says, hugging herself. 'So I'm Mr Chips who's now selling crystal meth?"

Not in the text but in the video is the admission from JK that she wished she'd had more time for write some of the Harry Potter novels, one of the early ones, one from later which she says were created "on the run". Then she makes a squirmy face about reading some of the prose. Which goes to show that even best selling authors aren't entirely happy with the work which is published in their name.