One of the most keenly anticipated books of the year will be published tomorrow.

The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling is the first time the creator of Harry Potter has turned her hand and mind to fiction for adults.

Profanities abound in a parochial story set in a pretty English town in which a rough council estate becomes a divisive issue in a community riven with hate, prejudice and exclusion.

Speaking to the BBC's arts editor Will Gompertz, Rowling said: "No part of me felt 'right, got to prove', I had nothing to prove. I don't mean that in an arrogant way. I can pay my bills every day, I am grateful for that fact. I don't need to publish.

"All along people would say to me: 'Do you feel you need to write a book for adults?' No I don't, and I think it very likely the next thing I publish will be for children."

You can hear the full interview with JK Rowling on Front Row , broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Thursady 27 September at 19:15 BST.

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