Keris Stainton's Blog, page 22

Author interview: Jojo Moyes

I’ve only read Jojo Moyes’s last three books, but I adored them all. I plan to read the rest – starting with the first, Sheltering Rain – this year. I’ve been thrilled and fascinated to watch the enormous success she’s been enjoying with Me Before You (it’s just been announced that MGM have bought the film rights), particularly since it came after she’d had eight books published. Jojo’s story is one to bring hope to many authors, I think. So I asked her on Twitter if she’d answer some questions for me and she very graciously did. 

You mentioned on Twitter that the success of Me Before You has changed the way you look at life, not just publishing, can you tell me more about that?

For want of a better word, I think I’d just got used to feeling a bit stoic. I’d had eight books published, put my heart and soul into each, yet none ever seemed to achieve quite the success that everyone around me predicted they would. And I think I felt a bit that way about life too – that it was a matter of knuckling down and hoping for enough to go right so that you could just keep going. I counted my blessings – don’t get me wrong – but I didn’t have high expectations of anything really good happening.

And then it did. It started with Me Before You getting picked by Richard and Judy, and then it just kept going. The book kept selling. People wrote wonderful things about it. Creative people I admired wanted to talk to me. Readers started to pick up my backlist. In the early months I just kept waiting for it all to fizzle out. But it didn’t. And without wanting to sound like the most awful Smugger, life has just got better and better. I’ve had more lovely reviews, doors have opened, I’ve had amazing foreign trips, and I’ve been able to stop worrying about certain financial issues. It made me believe that sometimes, if you’re lucky, life can take the most wonderful and unexpected turns.

You had eight novels published before Me Before You. They were all successful, but then Me Before You has really taken you to another level. Did you know you had something special when you were writing it? At what point did you think this may be the book to change everything?

No! I wrote it without a definite home for it, and part of me wondered if, given the subject matter, I was about to kill off my career. And yet it was such a weirdly easy book to write, mostly because I felt really passionately about the storyline and had such a clear picture in my head of the lead characters. Which rarely happens.

The only real clue I had that I was writing something special was my husband. He reads all my books first, and usually we argue horribly and then I sulk like a child at his suggestions. But with this book he simply read it and said: “I love it.” No suggestions, no criticisms. (It made me wonder if he was actually ill.)

All your books are very different – did you feel a lot of pressure to follow up Me Before You with something similar?

No. When I moved to Penguin the whole team was very clear that I could carry on writing really diverse books. They said the thing they felt linked them was the emotional kick they delivered. So I followed MBY with a book set in 1916 Occupied France…

What’s been the best moment of your writing career so far? And the worst?

The best moment of my writing career was probably hearing that MBY had gone straight into the Top Ten at number 3. It was the first time in 10 years that I had hit the Top Ten. The worst was feeling, shortly before I moved to Penguin, like I couldn’t get arrested.

Do you ever feel like giving up and, if so, how do you convince yourself to keep going?

I never feel like giving up writing. I can’t. It’s how I translate my world. This doesn’t always mean that I find writing books easy. Often I find the easiest way to keep going is just to read a few pages of inspirational writing. Or I read The Bookseller and remind myself how many other people out there would be desperate to do this job…

Can you tell me anything about your next book?

It’s very different to The Girl You Left Behind. It’s a book about a cleaner who has a prodigal daughter, and what she does in her attempts to better her children’s futures. It’s about love, and bad decisions, and the apparent impossibility in today’s society of breaking out of your social stratum.

Have you got any abandoned manuscripts no one will ever see?

Three! I wrote three books before I got one published. Now, of course, I can see that they simply weren’t good enough.

If you had to live within the confines of one book, and only interact with its characters (but you would still be yourself), which book would you choose?

Oh – interesting question! The first that pops into mind is National Velvet by Enid Bagnold. That lovely, quirky ,realistic family. And that gorgeous horse.

Which three books would you take to a desert island?

It would probably change month to month. But today, Behind The Scenes at the Museum. Gone Girl. The Complete Works of Shakespeare (I realise this is a terrible cheat).

If a film was made of your life, who would you want to play you?

Who would I want? Naomi Watts. Who would be more suitable? I don’t know. Bagpuss.

Thanks so much, Jojo.

Homeschooling Harry: We can’t always do what we want…

I was reading through the many comments on the home ed post I wrote for Parentdish – Why I am homeschooling my child –  and a couple of them jumped out at me because I’ve heard this kind of thing before:

Home-schooling removes children from the real world. Being able to do whatever, whenever we like, is a poor preparation for a world of work in which (like it or not) we have tasks to complete and can’t just go to the beach, much as we would like to, but must persevere until a responsibility is fulfilled.

Ignoring the fact that school really isn’t “the real world” (how could school be more real than home?!), this comment makes me a bit sad. Being able to do whatever, whenever we like may be a poor preparation for a job you hate, but why base children’s education on the idea that their future is going to be miserable? I spent 15+ years “fulfilling responsibilities” and “completing tasks” in a traditional work environment and I hated it a hell of a lot of the time. Since then I’ve been lucky enough to work for myself and I’m much happier. I can go to the beach if I want to, but I can also persevere until a “responsibility is fulfilled” if that responsibility is mine and it’s fulfilling to me. Does that make sense?

Even some positive comments addressed this:

This lady sounds as though she will do a good job,my only concern is that no matter how rounded and well balanced her son `turns out` he will still need the paper qualifacations [sic] to open the `doors` for a fullfilling career in later life !!

Do people have such narrow ideas of what a fulfilling career is? I have paper qualifications and they were basically cock-all use. The thing that’s brought me the most fulfilment has nothing to do with qualifications. Plus, of course, just because a child is home educated doesn’t mean s/he can’t still get paper qualifications if s/he wants to.

I’m currently reading How Children Succeed by Paul Tough and he suggests that academic achievement isn’t a true indicator of success later in life, but rather character is more important. I’m still mid-way through, but so far, what’s important seems to be grit and determination and, yes, following through on tasks you find hard. But why should those tasks not also be something you enjoy? I find writing hard. I have been known to have epic flail spirals. I sometimes think about how much easier my life would be if I didn’t feel compelled to write bloody stories all the time. (Seriously – what do people do when they’re not thinking of writing, writing, worrying about writing, worrying that they’re not writing? It must be so relaxing…), but I keep doing it anyway. Because it brings me fulfilment. Why wouldn’t I want the same for my children?

One of the main things I hope will come out of home educating the boys is that they will find jobs they love and that inspire them. Not work that – “like it or not” – they just have to get on and plod through.

(Plus, some experts have suggested that 65% of kids starting school this year will end up in jobs that don’t exist yet so how do we ‘train’ them for work we don’t yet understand?)

I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do

Last night Harry, my mother-in-law and I went to see an Abba tribute. I went to see Bjorn Again will my MIL years ago (during the interval of which she uttered the immortal words “Nice to see so many men here without their wives…”) and Harry and I saw an Abba tribute on holiday in Majorca last year and he loved it. I must admit I wasn’t overkeen on going – it was a bit of a miserable night, weather-wise, and I’ve got this stupid head-cold, which means I feel fuzzy and slightly bilious almost all the time, but off we went. And I’m so glad we did. Not because of Abba Forever – although they were great – and not because I just bloody love Abba songs so much, but because of this couple.

Now I know you shouldn’t take photos of strangers and post them on the internet, but I just couldn’t resist. They were sitting in front of us and looked to be in their eighties at least. During Summer Night City, the band told everyone to stand and have a dance and the couple stood up and danced, holding each others’ hands. I couldn’t stop looking at them. And then the band played I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do and they sang it to each other. THEY SANG IT TO EACH OTHER!

It was just one of the best things I’ve ever seen.

The Saturdays’ USA Photo Diary featuring Emma Hearts LA

The current issue of Look magazine has a feature about The Saturdays in LA and, um, LOOK!

Thanks so much to Rachel Ward for the tip-off.

The one that makes you all back away, fearfully…

So in , from left to right, top to bottom, we had

Andrew Ridgeley, Sonia, Lenny Kravitz

Christian James from Halo James, Jean Paul Gaultier, James Coburn

Mark, Jason, Gary, Howard (Take That)

Robbie Williams, Jamie J Morgan (?), Neneh Cherry, Philip Schofield

I went to Capitol Radio especially to meet Andrew Ridgeley. It was 1990, he had a solo single out (anyone remember it? No). I had loved him for a long time. He was ok. Not unfriendly, but not friendly either. On the same show was Sydney “If Only I Could” Youngblood. He was much nicer. But, you know, he was only Sydney Youngblood.

Sonia was apparently at The Dominion, 1 April 1990, which I think was a Capitol Radio Roadshow, but I don’t remember anything about it. Unless Jive Bunny was on. I do remember seeing Jive Bunny.

Lenny Kravitz was appearing on Wogan. I’d been to look at a flat on the Goldhawk Road (it was an attic flat and so tiny I could barely stand up in it – and I’m 4’11″). While I was talking to the landlord, I noticed that Lenny Kravitz was on Wogan, which was just up the road. So I walked back that way and, as I got there, he was just coming out. His hands were huge and really soft and he smelled delicious. And, yes, I’m wearing a bum bag. It was 1991. Shut up.

Christian James from Halo James just happened to be passing through the airport when a bunch of us were waiting for Matt Goss. I think he was a bit startled when we all descended on him. I still bloody love that Halo James album…

Jean Paul Gaultier was on his way in to the Madonna gig at Wembley Stadium – the show he designed the costumes for – 20 July 1990. That’s a pretty cool signature, isn’t it? I’ve got an original JPG doodle! Go me.

Apparently I met James Coburn on Carnaby Street in October 1991. I have no recollection of this.

Take That, well, I’m not sure. I don’t think it was this time though…

I don’t remember who Jamie J Morgan was, but I think he was with Neneh Cherry, who was getting coffee at Raoul’s in Maida Vale, just round the corner from Matt Goss’s flat. What? Shut up.

Philip Schofield. Probably at Broadcasting House. I don’t know when. Or why.

And I found another one:

Julian from Curiosity Killed the Cat, Wandsworth Common, 28 July 1990. I was on the bus. I don’t know where I was going or where I’d been (Wandsworth Common wasn’t really my “manor”). I saw Julian out of the window. He was in a cafe with Migi from CKTC (who was a total fox). Reader, I got off the bus. (But I missed Migi, who was just leaving.) (Not because he saw me coming.) (Probably.)

Name that celebrity!

During the clear-out, I found one of my old notebooks… very old. At the back were messages from friends and at the front were celebrity (and some “celebrity”) autographs. Recognise any of them? Click to embiggen.

This may come back to haunt me…

I’m decluttering. And I’m being strict. And in a minute, I’m tackling the under stairs cupboard (hold me) because Harry can’t find his DS (yes, the one he got for Christmas) and I’m worried it’s in a bag for the charity shop (I’m really worried that it was in a bag that’s already gone…)

Our lounge. Five minutes ago:

Me: “We’re going to do these jigsaws to check we’ve got all the pieces, then they’re going in the charity shop bag.”

Joe: “No! I yove them!”

Me: “They’ve been under Harry’s bed. I can’t remember the last time you did one. You didn’t even remember we had them.”

Joe: “I did! I do! I yove them!”

Me: “Think of it this way: if we get rid of this stuff, it means we’ve got space for new stuff…”

Joe: “Get-a-rid of it! And that! And THAT! And… what else can we get-a-rid-of?”

Homeschooling Harry: Snow days

Snow was responsible for me first questioning Harry’s school. A couple of years ago, we had very heavy snow. David was stuck in Paris with work (the poor love) and I was stuck at home with Harry and Joe.

One morning, when we got to school, I didn’t think it was at all safe. Children and parents were sliding and falling on the path up to the main door and I asked the Head whether she was sure school should be open. She said, condescendingly, “You can’t wrap them up in cotton wool, Mrs Stainton.”

I left Harry there, but when I got home I phoned the LEA to ask if I felt the school was unsafe, could I keep Harry home. They told me no – the school’s decision was final and that if the school was open and I kept Harry home, that would represent an unauthorised absence. It horrified me that I had to abide by the school’s decision against my own instincts, not least because the Head later complained about how the weather affected the school’s attendance figures (isn’t the children’s welfare more important than attendance figures?) and a child died from falling on an icy path on the approach to another local school.

Yes, I know some of you will be rolling your eyes and thinking ‘health and safety gone mad’, but that’s not really my point. We all have different ideas of what is safe for our children, I know. (Just yesterday on Facebook I saw one friend complaining that because school was open she had to drive on icy roads she considered unsafe while another friend was complaining that her children wouldn’t be allowed out to play in the snow because the school considered it unsafe.) What bothered me was that I wasn’t allowed to make that decision myself, that the school could override me.

This year it’s been such a relief to look out of the window and know that we don’t have to go anywhere if we don’t want to… but we have been to the park a couple of times, mainly because Joe insists and that kid doesn’t take no for an answer.

I *heart* Oliver Jeffers

Hawt! Wait. I mean, I love his books. (I really do. Stuck is one of our favourites – watch Oliver reading it – and This Moose Belongs to Me is glorious.)

{via Laura Clempson}

Homeschooling Harry: Wrestling

I wasn’t planning to write this today, but it literally just happened and I’m still a bit giddy about it so I thought I’d get it down right now.

I’ve been reading The Art of Roughhousing by Anthony Benedet and Lawrence Cohen. I can’t remember how I came across it – I imagine it was mentioned in one of the dozens of parenting/home ed books I’ve read lately and it appealed to me partly because I don’t really do roughhousing and partly because Playful Parenting by Lawrence Cohen is one of the best parenting books I’ve ever read.

The book begins with the many benefits of roughhousing with your kids – apparently it’s good for emotional intelligence, physical strength, motor skills, it can “nurture close connections, solve behavior problems, boost confidence”. As I was reading I was thinking it all sounds great, but do I really want to wrestle? Not so much. Plus I’ve no idea how to go about it. Where do you begin? I needn’t have worried. In the next chapter, the authors give examples and they’re as simple as putting the kids in a trap (you know, with your arms or legs around them rather than an actual trap) and challenging them to get out. David’s always done this with Harry and Joe – he calls it a “cuddle trap”. Or sitting down on your kid and pretending you don’t know they’re there – I do this all the time: “This cushion is surprisingly lumpy!” Or standing palm to palm and trying to push each other over. Or simple horsey-rides on your knee. As I read, I thought it sounded doable.

This morning, Harry came up to the bedroom and flopped down on my bed. So I sat on him. As I told him about the book I’d been reading, I started to do stuff like grab him with my legs and roll him over. He was already laughing and starting to join in and he looked both a bit surprised and a bit thrilled. I told him if either person wanted to stop and get free they could say a word like “Peanut” and the other person had to stop immediately. He said, “Peanut!” I stopped. I said, “Didn’t you like it?” He said, “Un-peanut!” We started again.

We wrestled for about five minutes, trapping each other with our legs and trying to get free. He is surprisingly strong! And we were laughing so much that Joe came up to join us. I told Joe the rules and added “No biting and no jumping” and we did it for a bit longer. Then I told them there’s a list of activities in the book, from very simple to much harder and would they like to work through them. They both said yes and so we tried the pushing with our palms things and Harry beat me 4-1, FFS. Joe couldn’t quite manage it and got a bit giddy, so we stopped. Then there may have been some trumping and we all ended up lying on the bed in fits.

And it was just fantastic. The whole thing. I loved how excited the boys were – Harry in particular seemed really thrilled. I loved that it was me doing it and not David because it’s not the kind of thing I usually do with them – I noticed when we looked through last year’s photos that when anything physical was going on, David was doing it and I was taking photos of it.

But mainly it was just really good fun (and good exercise – I should think I’ll feel it in my thighs tomorrow).

Bit perturbed that the Amazon blurb says ‘Arriving just in time for Father’s Day … the perfect gift for rowdy dads everywhere’, but the book makes clear it’s great for mothers and daughters too, obviously.