Imagine a world without Harry Potter. Frankly I am kicking myself for not thinking of the idea myself. While you can’t miss what you never had, the $14 Billion dollar Potter empire almost never happened.

The lovely and uber-wealthy J.K. Rowling almost took her own life after a tumultuous divorce. After divorcing first husband, Portuguese journalist Jorge Arantes, she found life beyond repairable. She had considered suicide as an option.

“We’re talking suicidal thoughts here, we’re not talking ‘I’m a little bit miserable. Mid-twenties life circumstances were poor and I really plummeted. The thing that made me go for help was probably my daughter,” said Rowling, referring to the then-infant, Jessica, reports the Telegraph. “She was something that earthed me, grounded me, and I thought, this isn’t right, this can’t be right, she cannot grow up with me in this state. The funny thing is, I have never been remotely ashamed of having been depressed. Never,” she says. “I think I’m abnormally shameless on that account because what’s to be ashamed of?”

Cheers to that. If it took depression to bring out a multi-billion dollar idea, imagine what she could do when happy or drunk. Why is it that I merely drown myself in brownies and mojitos when bummed and she pens a giant money maker?

[People]