It's all about the B.Ground

Joanne Rowling (pronounced like you 'row' a boat) was born on July 31, 1965. Her sister, Di, was born almost two years afterwards. When the two weren't at each others throats, which according to the elder sibling was a small amount of time, they would make up and act out stories that turned into long-running plays (jkrowling.com).

Ignoring a few years of history, Rowling ended up in Portugal teaching an English class (thescotsman.com). Long story short she ended up back in England with a daughter, a failed marriage, and a not-quite-finished manuscript for the first Harry Potter book. Rowling set to work furiously finishing the manuscript because she felt pressed for time with a daughter and possible classes to manage.

The first attempt to get a gig with a publisher was an utter failure. Rowling believes the manuscripts "must have been sent back the day they arrived" (jkrowling.com). But she did not quit. Her second attempt at getting an agent was a success. A year after finding her agent, in August of 1996, Bloomsbury was willing to give the Harry Potter series a try. The rest, as they say, is history.

Rowling, J.K. "Biography." J.K. Rowling Official Site. April 12, 2010.