Interview Amongst Writer Jojo Moyes...

Today I'd similar to welcome author Jojo Moyes to ! She's the wonderful author that pulled at our heartstrings amongst Me Before You, where nosotros originally cruel inward love amongst her grapheme Louisa Clark as well as a romance that seemed eternal. Jojo has written quite a few books, as well as a follow-up to Me Before You called After You, but today nosotros wanted to acquire some insight into her novel volume coming out the terminate of January, Still Me, where she brings dorsum the grapheme Louisa Clark inward a whole novel adventure "across the pond" as well as inquire her a flake close her writing...

In STILL ME, yous select Louisa Clark, the honey grapheme yous created inward Me Before You, to New York City. Why the transatlantic journey? 

I actually wanted to stretch Louisa inward a position where she would last out of her depth. What’s i of the wildest, most metropolitan places yous could dry reason a small-town girl? The optic of Manhattan. I have got spent a lot of fourth dimension inward the U.S. over the past times 5 years as well as most trips get amongst some fourth dimension inward New York hence I have got long been viewing the metropolis through alien eyes myself. It’s tough, exciting, challenging, as well as unforgiving as well as enormous fun. The perfect backdrop for Lou’s adventure.

NYC is far from Lou’s habitation inward Stotfold, England—what was your query procedure for finding the places as well as experiences that Lou enjoys inward the Big Apple?

As good every bit the fourth dimension I pass on piece of work trips, I came out inward Oct as well as did a week’s corporation research.  I tried to do all the things that I seat Lou through—except slumber inward a horrible hotel amongst bedbugs! Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 friend got me into i of the actually exclusive storey buildings overlooking Central Park, which was invaluable, as well as the possessor as well as hence seat me inward behave on amongst a rattling experienced realtor who gave me chapter as well as poetry on the realities of living inward i of these places. It’s VERY specific, inward the same agency that it would last if yous were a North or South Londoner, as well as it was of import to me that I didn’t acquire things horribly off-key.


Reading STILL ME is similar catching upwardly amongst an old friend. How did it experience to revisit the story of Lou Clark as well as some of the other familiar characters, such every bit Treena as well as Ambulance Sam?

I absolutely love writing Louisa. By straightaway she does experience similar an old friend. It’s actually hard sometimes to discovery your agency into a character, as well as amongst her it’s similar slipping on your favorite clothes. I know her. I know how she would react to whatever given circumstance. She’s genuine as well as funny as well as a flake daft. But what was fun inward this volume was to actually force her frontwards a bit. She grows upwardly a lot, peculiarly inward the concluding 3rd of the book. I call upwardly similar many of us she is actually nonetheless working out who she is.

One grapheme remarks that New York suits Lou. What is it close Lou that makes yous desire to accept her on novel experiences? Why do yous call upwardly she resonates amongst readers?

I call upwardly Lou is rattling identifiable for a whole raft of people. In Me Before You, it was close beingness aware that life had somehow slipped away from yous as well as reaching an historic menses as well as finding yourself leading a rattling pocket-sized life—and non beingness alone certain how yous got at that topographic point or whether yous fifty-fifty wanted to last somewhere else. But inward After You a lot of readers seemed to position amongst her grieving process—the difficulty of everybody else expecting yous to displace on as well as last cheerful as well as outgoing when yous actually don’t experience similar that at all. Most importantly, Lou is someone who actually tries to do the correct thing—but oft does the incorrect thing—which I call upwardly makes her similar an awful lot of us...

Class separate is a major subject inward your books—Lou oft finds herself inward circles far dissimilar from her working-class upbringing, amongst job to the Traynors inward Me Before You as well as the Gopniks inward STILL ME. Why is this dichotomy of import to yous as well as inward your writing?

I call upwardly inward this volume it’s much less grade than money. All practiced narratives thrive on tension, as well as if yous force together rich as well as pathetic or upper as well as working grade as well as hence yous have got an inbuilt tension inward your story. It’s a growing lawsuit inward society—the polarization of coin as well as opportunity—and for most people nosotros volition only ever have got our noses pressed against the window.

At the same time, I call upwardly a lot of us straightaway have got the lives of rattling rich people broadcast to us daily—whether they last Kardashians or flick stars, on Instagram or via other social media, which makes that divergence to a greater extent than obvious. With Lou, I wanted to inquire how it would experience to stride into i of those lives.

There is a thread inward STILL ME close a world library on the brink of closing inward Washington Heights. What significance does the library play inward your life as well as why is it of import inward the story?

I am passionate close libraries—they are i of the few cost-free resources that offering people non merely shelter but the take away chances to entertain or ameliorate themselves. I spent some fourth dimension at a library inward a rattling mixed surface area of Washington Heights where I saw quite how many dissimilar functions Earth library performed—from a learning chance to a rubber place, to somewhere people could brand project applications, or merely escape from their lives for a while. It actually worries me how hard libraries are beingness squeezed inward both the U.K. as well as the US. There are hence few places that don’t require a fiscal transaction, that actually are merely close the joy of learning. Once they are gone nosotros won’t acquire that resources dorsum again.

Another prominent subject inward STILL ME is the create out for women to “have it all.” Louisa finds herself betwixt the describe of New York high club as well as her life inward England; Mrs. De Witt was torn betwixt her fashion career as well as position unit of measurement life; Agnes struggled to hold her old friendships later marrying into wealth. Why is a woman’s unique ease to play many roles inward life patch staying truthful to herself of import to discuss?

When I was a daughter I assumed I was the equal to whatever man child as well as that I would last treated the same every bit an adult. For the most component that was the case—until I had children, at which request I discovered that at that topographic point is ever a alternative to last made, ever a compromise, as well as that inward most cases that belongs to the woman. I’m lucky plenty to have got a hubby who supports my piece of work as well as does his best to last an equal partner inward all ways—but I am a rarity. I know elderly women who had to surrender their careers to follow their husbands, as well as I know younger women who gave upwardly their jobs because their partners couldn’t last habitation for the children. I hope that i twenty-four hours nosotros tin discovery a agency to brand this a niggling to a greater extent than equitable. It’s practiced for men, too!

Fashion is a pregnant chemical ingredient inward Lou’s story, notably the reddish apparel as well as bumblebee tights inward Me Before You. In STILL ME, Louisa becomes involved amongst an East Village vintage emporium, as well as Mrs. De Witt is revealed every bit a quondam fashion mag editor. What is your involvement inward this world?

Well, most of my friends would express mirth at the thought that I was massively interested inward fashion. My default uniform is shirt, jumper, jeans, boots. I rarely article of apparel anything else. But it feels similar such an integral component of Louisa’s character, as well as over the past times few years I have got discovered a love of vintage clothes. I have got a issue of vintage outfits—and suppliers—and I discovery them hence much to a greater extent than enjoyable, both to purchase as well as wear, than merely a chain boutique. It’s partly textural—the piece of work that goes into some of these older clothes—beading, cutting, stitching—is merely beautiful. Even I tin appreciate it!

In a couplet of your books, including STILL ME, yous created dogs that, much similar your human characters, have got distinct personalities as well as quirks. Why do your animate beingness characters have such prominent roles?

I estimate because animals are such a primal component of my ain family. We joke that if nosotros didn’t have got our animals we’d have got cypher to beak about. All our animals have got distinct voices that nosotros utilisation for them (for some argue Eric, our shorthair cat, has a Castilian accent, whereas BigDog, our rescue Pyrenean, has a to a greater extent than lugubrious tone). I call upwardly anybody who has closed contact amongst an animate beingness knows that they have got merely every bit much personality as well as merely every bit many expressions every bit humans do. If I’m writing i into a story, I can’t encounter why it shouldn’t have got a fully formed grapheme inward the agency that a human does.

Your books ever evoke a broad arrive at of human emotion—on i page, yous move out readers laughing out loud as well as on the next, trim down them to tears. Is it a hard procedure to combine such an accurate portrayal of the comedies as well as tragedies of life? How do yous create such deep characters as well as storylines?

Thank you! I consider that an enormous compliment. I estimate it comes from the fact that I endeavour to write the books I similar to read—and if a volume tin brand me express mirth or hollo as well as hence that author earns my undying loyalty. The key to writing them, I think, is that both laughter as well as tears have got to come upwardly from a position that is honest—something that feels truthful to the character. If I know the grapheme as well as hence every bit I write their experiences I experience what they are feeling—it as well as hence becomes easier to interpret that emotion onto the page.

What was the Me Before You flick experience like? If yous were to cast STILL ME, who do yous encounter playing some of the novel top dog characters?

Writing as well as beingness component of the filming of Me Before You was, without doubt, the best—and most challenging—experience of my professional person life. I was on the steepest learning bend as well as I worked storey out for months. But I loved the cast as well as crew as well as the director, producers as well as I are nonetheless practiced friends, hence it never actually felt similar work.

If I were to cast STILL ME I would manifestly desire Emilia Clarke to provide every bit Lou. And having Sam Claflin every bit Josh would last a lovely agency of bringing him dorsum in! I have got no thought who would play Margot—but I ever saw her every bit looking a niggling similar Iris Apfel, the famous NY club fashion icon.

What's next? More adventures for Lou?

I’ve been maxim no, every bit I would loathe to last seen flogging her to death. But when I call upwardly close never writing her i time to a greater extent than I experience ridiculously sad. Maybe a brusk story?

About the Author... 
Jojo Moyes was born inward 1969 as well as grew upwardly inward London. After a varied career including stints every bit a minicab controller, typer of braille statements for blind people for NatWest, as well as brochure author for Club 18-30, she did a grade at Royal Holloway as well as Bedford New College, London University. In 1992, she won a bursary financed past times The Independent paper to attend the postgraduate paper journalism course of written report at City University.

Jojo worked every bit a journalist for x years, including a twelvemonth at South Cathay Morning Post inward Hong Kong, as well as nine at The Independent where she worked variously every bit News Reporter, Assistant News Editor as well as Arts as well as Media Correspondent.

Jojo has been a total fourth dimension novelist since 2002, when her showtime book, Sheltering Rain was published. Since as well as hence she has written a farther xi novels, all of which have got been widely critically acclaimed. Jojo has won the Romantic Novelist’s Award twice, as well as Me Before You has been nominated for Book of the Year at the U.K. Milky Way Book Awards. Me Before You has since gone on to sell over 8 1000000 copies worldwide.

Presently, Jojo lives (and writes!) on a farm inward Essex, England amongst her husband, journalist Charles Arthur, as well as their 3 children.

Look for Jojo Moyes newest book, Still Me, out on Jan 30th! In the meantime, for to a greater extent than information close Jojo as well as her books, delight see the webpage here.