JK Rowling's encouraging letter to a bullied fan goes viral

She may be one of the most successful authors on the planet, but JK Rowling still manages to find time to inspire her fans.

The Harry Potter creator penned a heartfelt letter to a fan, praising him for finding the courage to overcome bullying.

Johnnie Blue first reached out to the 49-year-old star on Twitter in June 2014. After coming face-to-face with his idol a month later at an event for her new book The Silkworm, he sent her a letter thanking her for helping him through difficult years.

"I told Jo 'thank you so much, you've really changed my life,' " Blue told Buzzfeed Books. "She replied 'wow, that's an amazing thing to say.'" He also presented her with a hand-crafted notebook that included a note about how much her books had inspired him.

In a letter shared with BuzzFeed, Rowling complimented the youngster's handwriting, describing herself as a "connoisseur", and also thanked him for the "stunningly beautiful" notebook.

"What you say about Harry helping you at what was clearly a dreadful time in your life means more to me than I can easily express. I freely confess that I loathe bullying and the way it is so often 'handled' in schools," the writer said.

Rowling, who has campaigned fiercely against bullying, said she was proud he had "turned out to be a compassionate, moral, highly motivated person" despite his shocking experience.

"Thank you so much for the stunningly beautiful notebook. I love it," she added.

"This letter seems to be a series of non-sequiturs, but why break the pattern: I have family roots in Ayrshire - Arran, to be precise. And I've never been there. Embarrassing, isn't it? Don't tell the Nationalists. I'm sure we'll see each other again.

"In the meantime, I'll watch out for you on Twitter. Love from Jo."

And it seems that she stayed true to her word because the duo still chat on Twitter.