Throughout her teens Rowling honed her taste in reading material. It is unsurprising that she was greatly influenced by JRR Tolkein©–s The Lord of the Rings but she also loved Jane Austen, whose work Emma she has read over 20 times. Another seminal influence was Jessica Mitford, whom she adopted as a personal heroine, and whose biography, Hons and Rebels, became a significant text for Rowling.

But as with all teenagers, Rowling became more and more interested in pop music. It was the early 1980s and so she was inspired by The Smiths and Siouxsie Sioux, whose look she adopted early on and maintained for many years; when she began university she still sported startling back-combed hair and heavy black eyeliner.

... During this time she read Charles Dickens©– A Tale of Two Cities, a literary discovery that may have influenced her alleged intention to kill off Harry Potter at the end of book seven. The death of Charles Darnay, sacrificing his life for a friend, and his moving last words had a major impact on Rowling: "It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known."

... It was while Rowling drifted aimlessly through these years that the most important moment of her life occurred. In summer 1990, Rowling©–s boyfriend had moved to Manchester and she found herself returning to London by train after a weekend spent flat-hunting with him. Quite spontaneously during that trip an idea took shape: "All of a sudden the idea for Harry just appeared in my mind©–s eye. I can©–t tell you why or what triggered it. But I saw the idea of Harry and the wizard school very plainly. I suddenly had this basic idea of a boy who didn©–t know who he was, who didn©–t know he was a wizard until he got his invitation to wizard school. I have never been so excited by an idea."