In news that is likely to send shivers of anticipation up the spines of publishers worldwide, J.K. Rowling has told Oprah Winfrey she would consider another instalment of her mega-selling Harry Potter series. The Sydney Morning Herald quotes Rowling, whose previous seven books about the eponymous boy wizard have sold more than 400 million copies worldwide, as saying, “I’m not going to say I won’t [write another instalment]. I don’t think I will. I feel I am done, but you never know.” (Which, if you’re a betting person, doesn’t sound like much of a sure thing.)

The SMH also quotes Rowling’s feelings on the publication of the final (?) instalment of the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:

“The end was huge. Like a bereavement. Although I knew it was coming “ we all know the people we love are mortal, we know it’s going to end – you can’t prepare yourself for it. I was in a slight state of shock,” she said.

While it is doubtless the case that novelists become emotionally involved with their characters, Quillblog would like to remind Rowling of the difference between fictional creations and “the people we love.” Although the possibility of bringing her hero back for further adventures (not to mention the royalty cheques from 400 million book sales) should serve as a balm to the author’s bereavement.