LA Times kicks off Potter interview series with Steve Kloves

The Los Angeles Times has some really cool news for Potter fans: “Each day, the blog will bring you new [Potter] interviews with the cast and crew, as well as exclusive news, photos, interactive polls and a few surprises.”

The first interview is with Potter screenwriter Steve Kloves, who provides some great insight on writing scripts for the series:

What kind of things do you run by Rowling?
A range of things, even something really simple. I once asked about the 12 uses of dragon’s blood, which is referenced in the books. There are writers who would write “12 uses of dragon’s blood” and not have a clue what they are; it just sounds cool. But I emailed her to ask (and this was 10 years ago), and 25 seconds later I get an email back with a list.

Do tell. She's only mentioned “oven cleaner” in interviews.
One is an oven cleaner, yes. Another is a spot remover. . . . It was really amazing. Really, the books are only the thinnest surface of what she knows about the series. Where Jo is helpful in a more serious way for me is when I want to know more about motivation or background, when Harry realized certain things, when characters understood things. There was one case where I was violating a plot thing — it had something to do with Dobby, I think — and she said, “No, you don’t want to do that,” as she knew what was to come. She’s a great resource for problem solving and she has such a facile mind, she can help with complicated things. Though her plots are so fiendish that they’re really difficult for cinema.