JK Rowling
Although the inspiration to write the Harry Potter books came on an InterCity train, most of her books were written in Edinburgh. Where, one might ask? Well, there are three cafés in the city that are definitely known to have been her place of work, and all can still be visited today. Nicolson’s Café was her first haunt, then owned by her brother-in-law. It is now called Spoon. The Elephant House, on George IV Bridge, and the Traverse Theatre café were also venues for Rowling’s writing. You can also visit or stay in the very hotel where she wrote the seventh and final Harry Potter book, HarryPotter and the Deathly Hallows. By then, her fame made her too noticeable in cafés so she found a suite in the hotel – room 552 – to complete the story. It has since been named the JK Rowling Suite. But why cafés, and not a reference librar y or other literary building? Simply because if she suffered writers’ block, she could walk to the nearest café while her mind cleared. With the Harry Potter series finished, she has turned her hand to other aspects of writing. I wonder if she has thought of a guide to cafés in Edinburgh? She’d surely not need much research!