Rowling told Britain's Sunday Times newspaper that she thought about killing herself while penniless and suffering from depression as a single mother.
She had talked about the depression before, but never admitted to suicidal thoughts.
Rowling said after separating from her husband, a friend had to loan her more than a thousand dollars to pay rent for her and her baby daughter.
"We're talking suicidal thoughts here, we're not talking 'I'm a little bit miserable,'" Rowling said.
Rowling added that her daughter "earthed me", made her seek professional help.
Soon after, she began writing the first Harry Potter book.
The books about the boy wizard have earned Rowling stature as one of the world's richest women.
