By Scott Martelle
Los Angeles Times


J.K. Rowling's only U.S. media appearances coinciding with the release of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" will be a taped interview on NBC's "Today" show and an interview with Time magazine.

For the midnight July 16 release itself, Rowling will do a reading at Scotland's Edinburgh Castle in front of 70 young fans selected by newspapers in England and several other countries (but not the United States). The fans will be given books and will act as journalists for a kids-only news conference with Rowling.

Tight security over the book's release has led to some attempts to bust the embargo. London tabloid the Sun reported that thieves offered to sell it a purloined copy of the book three weeks ago, and that when its reporter arrived gunfire broke out. Two men were arrested. The Sun said it had planned to turn the book over to authorities, and Rowling has since obtained a legal injunction barring anyone from violating the embargo in England.

Earlier, British bookmakers suspended bets on which character would be killed off in the new book after they noticed a flurry of bets on Professor Dumbledore from gamblers in Bungay in Suffolk, where the book is being printed, suggesting details had leaked out.