Jo and baby Jessica went to live in Edinburgh, Scotland. Jo’s sister, Di, was already living there with her husband. More than anything, Jo wanted to finish her book. Every time Jessica fell asleep, Jo pulled out her notes and wrote—usually in coffee shops and cafés. She wrote as much and as fast as she could.
Because she didn’t have a job yet, Jo lived on public assistance. This meant that the government sent a check each month for rent and food. Sometimes there was only enough money to buy food for Jessica, and Jo went hungry. While Jo was struggling to make ends meet, the government in England started a campaign called Back to Basics. It said that single mothers like Jo were something the country should be ashamed of. Jo vowed that if she ever had money to spare, she would use it to help women like her who had to take care of children on their own.
Luckily, Jo had friends to help her. When she needed a place to write, she went to Nicolson’s Restaurant, where the owner, Di’s husband, let her sit for hours with Jessica. Jo’s old friend Seán lent her money to get a flat. With her friends’ and family’s encouragement, Jo finally finished Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. It was only a first draft. She knew she would have to make a lot of changes before it was good enough to be published.
She shared it with Di, who had always been the first to hear her stories. Di loved it. Jo got a job as a French teacher. When she wasn’t teaching, she spent time working on her manuscript. She worked very hard. She wanted to make it as good as it could be. Jo wrote and rewrote every chapter. Finally, seven years after Jo first had the idea of Harry Potter, she was ready to show her book to the world.
