Harry Potter author JK Rowling has launched a mysterious new website.

A spokeswoman for the writer said it was a new project for the author, but was not a new book.

Clicking on the site, pottermore.com, takes readers to a clock counting down the seconds until Rowling makes an announcement about the project on June 23.

It is not directly related to the final Potter film, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2, which comes out next month.

Rowling's spokeswoman, Rebecca Salt, said: "There is a holding page up at the moment. It is a new project and not a new book and it's not directly related to the film. We are not saying anything more at the moment."

The web page features two watchful owls and the scrawled message "Coming Soon". It takes users to a YouTube page with the message "The owls are gathering... Find out why soon" and an invitation to watch Rowling's announcement later this month.

"Pottermore" was trademarked in 2009 by Warner Bros, which distributes the Potter films.

The trademark description of Pottermore suggests an interactive site "providing online chat rooms and electronic bulletin boards" and "online facilities for real-time interaction with other computer users concerning topics of general interest".

Edinburgh-based Rowling already has a personal website, at www.jkrowling.com. Pottermore.com also has a Twitter account, twitter.com/pottermore.

News of Pottermore.com emerged with messages sent to nine Potter fan sites and an official Potter Twitter account. Each site received one letter, the letters spelling out "pottermore".

Source: Press Release