James Potter and the Curse of the Gatekeeper Official Launch Exceeds 40,000 Worldwide Reads Thanks to the many readers from over sixty countries (the download countries changed throughout each day based on when everyone was awake, so it was really hard to keep track!) who have shown me such great support and encouragement. Needless to say, I was truly overwhelmed by the response to this story, especially considering that it did not garner a tenth of the media attention the first book received on account of its initial "conspiracy factor". Now that the official chapter-a-day release is over, those of you who wanted to enjoy the entire book in one marathon reading can do so. The entire PDF document is available via the link at the top of the chapters page, so have at it, and I look forward to hearing what you think. On a related note, the reader response to the excerpt of the new novella, "The Girl on the Dock", has been remarkably positive. Keep checking back for updates as the story progresses.
JPHEC Compendium Now Available The official James Potter and the Hall of Elders' Crossing Compendium, written and compiled by the efforts of The Grotto Keep's own Gigabot, Kaydle50 and Tom, is finally fully edited and available for download. Complete with color illustrations (colored by Gigabot herself), the Compendium features a full character list, plot breakdown, explorations of essential themes and concepts, and loads of intriguing extras facts and details that didn't make it into the text of the story (like how is it that Mrs. Norris is still alive and hissing?) Additionally, the final release of the Compendium includes select James Potter inspired poetry by you, the fans! Click here to get your copy of the official PDF release, but be aware: if you have not yet read James Potter and the Hall of Elders' Crossing, the compendium will be a pitfall of spoilers. You can go read the full text of JPHEC here.	Hall of Elders' Crossing "Merlin" Bust Cast T his amazing bust of JPHEC's version of Merlinus Ambrosius was created by Rick at Big Bang Toys. He approached me a while back asking if he could help me create a line of figures based on JPHEC. I told him that, for obvious reasons, I'd have no legal right to authorize such a line. Rick, a reader and fan, offered to sculpt the Merlin bust anyway. How could I refuse? I provided some specific details on how my Merlin might look, and Rick went to work. The result, which he says is not quite finished, is fantastic, isn't it? I am endlessly amazed, humbled, delighted and completely inspired by the ways people like Rick continue to express their enjoyment of these stories. The fact that my creation has inspired the artistic passions of other artists (in exactly the same way that MY artistic passion was inspired by Ms. Rowling) is the greatest compliment imaginable. From Kellen and friends' upcoming JPHEC films to the original song written for the James Potter series by Oliver Boyd and the Remembralls to Kadyn-Syris' and Kaydle50's JPHEC-inspired poems, to the amazing numbers of James Potter fan-fictions that seem to be in the works, I can only say thanks to you all-- and I hope JPCG inspires you even more!	Warner Bros. on JPCG Press Coverage R ecently, I spoke to a representative from Warner Brothers about my upcoming story and the press coverage it is receiving. You will be happy to know that it was a very positive conversation, and that Warner Bros. as well as Ms. Rowling and her agency, are very friendly toward fan-fictions and fan-sites such as "James Potter and the Curse of the Gatekeeper". I did discover, however, that despite what I understood from my conversations with Ms. Rowling's agency, their accepted advance copy of my first story, "James Potter and the Hall of Elders' Crossing", was not shown to her. The offer had been made by me for Ms. Rowling's perusal, and since the offer was accepted, I assumed that it had been passed on to her. I am certain, however, that there are legal reasons why it might be unwise for Ms. Rowling to view fan-fictions, and that her agency was only looking our for her. While I understand this care, I am, of course, a bit disappointed, if only because Ms. Rowling, more than anyone else, might best appreciate the story for what it is: a tribute and an homage. Nevetheless, you, the readers, recognize those things, and for that I am extremely gratified. Many of you have asked if these stories will ever be available in book form, and the answer to that is, of course, "when George Weasley becomes Minister of Magic!" (which, for the Muggles in the audience, means "not a chance!") Still, look on the bright side: at least you will never have to pay for these stories. They will always be free (although you may have to pay more for printer ink than you would the cost of the book if you'd rather not read 350 pages on your computer screen. Drat). On a fun note, do check out the upcoming fan-made film series based on "James Potter and the Hall of Elders' Crossing". This looks to be a very interesting and exciting retelling of the story through the eyes of some talented young film-makers from multiple countries.