<p>Days before its official launch, excerpts from JK Rowling's first book in the post-Harry Potter era have begun to emerge online - and it is clear that it is for grown-ups only.<br /><br /></p>.<p>While the full text of 'The Casual Vacancy' is a closely guarded secret, an American journalist who has read it in the offices of publishers Little, Brown has revealed some of the book's more risque passages, the Daily Mail reported.<br /><br />Far from her 'fantasy' world of Potter books where good battles evil, Rowling's new tale is said to be one of class warfare, prostitution, heroin addiction and teen sexuality.<br /><br />A female character is introduced with the description that the "leathery skin of her upper cleavage radiated little cracks that no longer vanished when decompressed", the paper reported.<br /><br />Although some fans may be upset by the direction she has taken, Miss Rowling - who has sold 450 million Harry Potter books worldwide, amassing a personal fortune of 560 million pounds insists she should be free to write about whatever she wants.<br /><br />"There is no part of me that feels I represented myself as your children's babysitter or their teacher," she said.<br /><br />"I was always, I think, completely honest. I'm a writer, and I will write what I want to write," she was quoted as telling the New Yorker magazine.<br /><br />Rowling, 47, who has three children, also revealed that she was ready for a change in genre after years of writing magical tales.<br /><br />"The thing about fantasy - there are certain things you just don't do. You don't have sex near unicorns. It's an ironclad rule. It's tacky," she added.<br /><br />However, she insisted her decision to write for adults was "not that I just wanted to write about... sex".<br /><br />The Casual Vacancy - which is due to be published on Thursday – is already a record breaker, with the novel receiving the largest number of in-store pre-order sales this year, according to Waterstones.<br /><br />It is also said to have reached over a million online pre-orders.</p>
<p>Days before its official launch, excerpts from JK Rowling's first book in the post-Harry Potter era have begun to emerge online - and it is clear that it is for grown-ups only.<br /><br /></p>.<p>While the full text of 'The Casual Vacancy' is a closely guarded secret, an American journalist who has read it in the offices of publishers Little, Brown has revealed some of the book's more risque passages, the Daily Mail reported.<br /><br />Far from her 'fantasy' world of Potter books where good battles evil, Rowling's new tale is said to be one of class warfare, prostitution, heroin addiction and teen sexuality.<br /><br />A female character is introduced with the description that the "leathery skin of her upper cleavage radiated little cracks that no longer vanished when decompressed", the paper reported.<br /><br />Although some fans may be upset by the direction she has taken, Miss Rowling - who has sold 450 million Harry Potter books worldwide, amassing a personal fortune of 560 million pounds insists she should be free to write about whatever she wants.<br /><br />"There is no part of me that feels I represented myself as your children's babysitter or their teacher," she said.<br /><br />"I was always, I think, completely honest. I'm a writer, and I will write what I want to write," she was quoted as telling the New Yorker magazine.<br /><br />Rowling, 47, who has three children, also revealed that she was ready for a change in genre after years of writing magical tales.<br /><br />"The thing about fantasy - there are certain things you just don't do. You don't have sex near unicorns. It's an ironclad rule. It's tacky," she added.<br /><br />However, she insisted her decision to write for adults was "not that I just wanted to write about... sex".<br /><br />The Casual Vacancy - which is due to be published on Thursday – is already a record breaker, with the novel receiving the largest number of in-store pre-order sales this year, according to Waterstones.<br /><br />It is also said to have reached over a million online pre-orders.</p>