Ask Elin and Jojo here! > Likes and Comments

Welcome to the group! Elin and Jojo will be answering questions throughout the day on Tuesday, June 17th in this thread only. In the meantime if you have a question for them, or just want to introduce yourself, feel free to do so in this thread.

Hi Elin and Jojo! I have read several of each of your books. Summerland and Me Before You, respectively, are two of my favorite books that I've ever read! What are the biggest challenges you face when it comes to your writing? Also, what is the biggest inspiration? Thanks so much!

Hello Elin and Jojo! I have read many of your books and I have enjoyed all of them! For Jojo- I loved "The Girl You Left Behind" and "Last Letter From Your Lover". Both span many years. How do you come up with the ideas for your books, and how much research goes into writing the books?
For Elin- all the books I have read so far have been set on Nantucket. Do you have any plans to write books set in a different location, or in another era?
For both-what is your favorite location or historical era to read about, and who is/are your favorite authors?
Thank you!

JoJo, I have read "Me Before You" and am starting "One Plus One." Both main characters (Lou and Jess) are in situations that seem tough and everyday at once. Even though they could happen to anyone, you keep them from seeming mundane. How do you go about keeping the readers interested?

Dear Jojo
I absolutely love The Last Letter from Your Lover, Me before You and The Girl You left behind. I'm wondering if any parts from these books are real
experiences and where and how long do you typically research on one book? :)

Love,
Yvonne

Hello JoJo, I have read (and LOVED) The Last Letter from Your Lover, The Girl You Left Behind, and Me Before You. Each was so emotional for me. I'm wondering what feeds your soul, so that you are able to come up with stories that are new and different, and continue to evoke reader's feelings? How many books do you have swirling about in your head at one time, and how do you ferret out what happens to whom? Please continue to give us such great reads!!

Best, Jan

Hello Elin and Jojo. When you are in the middle of writing, how do you balance your writing time and your family / personal time?

Congratulations, Elin and JoJo on both of your new books. I am looking forward to reading both The Matchmaker and One Plus One. Some books have the ability to seep into your soul, to affect you so profoundly that you can't forget them and think of them often. Are there any books that affected either of you to such a degree? Did they influence your writing?

I don't have a question but would like to let Jojo Moyes know that the only word I can use to describe Me Before You is "haunting".

As a mother of a severely disabled child, I was affected so deeply by the story. My son has a neurodegenerative disorder and although he cannot move on his own, is tube fed and nonverbal, he is very cognitively aware. I can't help but wonder what Jacob would think about this story but at the same time, I am afraid of his answer.

I love the way the story unfolded. I was relieved that you had the courage to write the ending the way you did and not have Will learn to accept his disability and live "happily ever after". He was a strong man before the accident and he remained one after.

It is undoubtedly one of my all-time favorite books.
Marcy
www.curepmd.com

Jojo, I have not read your books yet but they are on my list! Elin, I have read all of your books and I anxiously await each one! I think my favorite was Blue Bistro. I think that has something to do with when I read it-the place and time period in my life. For each of you-if you want to escape into a great novel-what author do you go to? Thanks!

Elin I love to read your books in the summer, it really puts me in the beach mood. I haven't read Matchmaker yet, but I plan on reading it soon. Are any characters from this book in any of your other novels?

Elin, I loved "The Blue Bistro!" Would you consider revisiting those characters?

Elin, I loved "The Castaways". Would you consider a sequel a possibility?

Hi Jojo and Elin,
I always like to hear the story of how someone became an author. When did you decide to start writing novels? Was there a special reason why? How do you fit it into your life - when do you write? What are some of your inspirations (authors who inspired you, topics)? What do you like to read when you are not writing?

Thank you for answering my questions! These are all of my typical curious queries when it comes to writing!

Sincerely,
Nicole

Hi Jojo!
I absolutely loved Me Before You. And One Plus One caught me by surprise as well, I really really enjoyed reading it and fell in love with the characters, which is what I want to ask you about. The characters in your latest book are so different and come from such different worlds, I wonder how this idea came to you to put them together? A wealthy software engineer and a barely managing single mother with two kids! The book highlighted some important issues about teenagers which I really admire you for presenting them and giving the book even more substance to the reader.
Thank you for writing amazing books and making readers happy.
Have a good day!

Hey Elin, I just started reading all of your books a couple of months ago and I think I'm almost through them all. I noticed that a lot of them involve death and how the characters deal with the death of a loved one. I was wondering if there is any specific reason why you write so many of your novels in this way?

Jojo, I just wanted to thank you for sharing your creative gift with the world. I became hooked with Me Before You followed by The Girl You Left Behind. I'm currently enthralled by Sheltering Rain. I can't wait to get a copy of your newest novel One Plus One! My question (And I hope it doesn't seem silly) is how do you pronounce your last name? I want to get it right when I am recommending you to everyone I meet!

Jojo, Me Before You is in my Top 5 favorite books of all time! It is my go to recommendation for my fellow readers. What are a few of your favorite books? Did any book in particular inspire you to become a writer?

So excited for One Plus One!

Hi Jojo! I discovered your books this year and have read a number of them my favorite being The Girl You Left Behind. I am amazed how you generate so many amazing books in such a short time. I believe there are 3 that release this summer. And every book has characters that are so fully developed! Have you ever considered doing a series with the same characters? I read the short novella Honeymoon in Paris which I loved that tied in the same characters. I find myself wanting more at the end of each novel!

Hi Elin,

I fell in love with you after reading The Love Season, which ironically wasn't the first book I've read authored you. I read Beautiful Day first but it didn't leave quite the impression on me as Love Season! You are my new favorite summer author!

My question to you is are you going to write any novels outside of Nantucket? Your familiarity of the location makes it seem as if I know the place now. It's amazing!

My second question is how do you get your inspiration to write such beautiful, romantic novels? Is it your family? Dreams?

I wish I discovered your novels years ago because now I am playing catch up - thank you for creating an escape for me!

Hi Elin,
I've already droned on and on about Jojo's books, and although I've only read a couple of yours (so far - have others on my TBR list) I wondered if you had a "before" life before Nantucket. Or have you been a writer since college?
Also, I just wanted to say I read your recent news and will keep you in my prayers. Just when we think "oh, that person seems like they have the perfect life", we realize there's no such thing. Wishing a speedy, heathy recovery to you!

Hi Elin, I just read my first (of many) of your books, Beautiful Day. I loved everything about it. I loved the characters and would love to see them a few years later. Do you have any plans to revisit those characters?

Hi Elin and Jojo! First, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy lives to answer our questions!

Jojo, I've only read Me Before You, and absolutely loved it. It is easily one of my favorite books (or the favorite). I definitely plan to read more now (: How did you get started in the writing and publishing process?

Elin, I've also only read one of your books, but I want to get more! I love the Nantucket setting and hope to visit there one day. Where do you get your inspiration for your stories?

Jojo, I thought you really caught what it's like to be a caregiver in Me Before You & that you were very brave to take on a historical with The Girl You Left Behind & carried it off well. What's so special in your books is how we actually seem to feel what your characters are feeling; how do you get inside your characters the way you do?

Hi, JOJO, I'm a huge fan of yours!!!! I don't have any questions but i just want to say I love your books, the way you make up your characters (I always fall in love with them), the way you create that sort of addiction that does not let me put down the book! Please, keep writing such emotional stories....... Keep going :)

Hello! I'm so happy to be here! :D
My question is about the book "Me before you" by Jojo, about Will. All his situation is tragic and, unfortunately, he is not the only one in the world to be in it. I read the book, a book about a love story and a book about life. I receveid the message that the quality of life is more important than the sacrality of life. But I think Will would have decided what he finally has decided even If Lou had told him what she felt for him, not for the quality of his life, but for something more. Because he loved her. He loved her and he wanted her to see the world, and to jump from a mountain, and to go to Paris, to study, to live what she dreams, to be happy. And Will knew that she could never do all of this things with him, even if his life, with Lou, would habe been great, better. Because before the accident, Will had everything but not the real love. Then he lost everything and found the real love. When the real love is the only thing you have, you want your real love to live without sadness. To live as you could live one day. So Will did it for this, first, then for any alse reason. What do you thing about it? I loved your book, really. I loved it so much *.*
I love writing, which adivice could you give me to write a story? What are your favourite authors and novels? *-*

Sorry for mistakes, I'm italian :)
Bye
Ania

Where does your inspiration come from?
How do you balance your work life versus your personal life?
Keep writing!

Hi! I HAVE to take this opportunity to ask: My friends and I have a book club and recently read, and LOVED, Me Before You and the group is torn down the middle about one burning question. What's Nathan's race?

Hi Jojo,

i love "Me before you" so much! But the end broke my heart, tho i understand Will so well.I'm paraplegic myself.
Was it hard to end the book this way?

For both:
Which of your books was easiest to write and which was most challenging?

Hi Jojo,
I'm wondering how long does it take your research? Because, that is one thing I'm fascinated. Because reading your books I haven't found any contradictions ( which I totally hate). And what inspires you?
Keep writing.... Thx

Greetings Elin MamaStrong! Happy to hear your surgery went well. Now go to bed!! I only have one question, do you plan to write any non fiction? You are such an entertaining speaker, I would love to hear about your true life Nantucket adventures. Strength, love and a speedy, full recovery.

Hi Jojo. I love all your books, and particularly liked The One Plus One. When can we expect your next book, and can you give us a hint on what it will be about?

Hi Jojo, I love 'The last letter from your lover' and 'The Ship of Brides' and have just started to read One Plus One.

My favorite book is 'The Ship of Brides'. It was so touching to read that in real life, your grandmother has made this journey and was one of the lucky brides who had her faith rewarded.

What did she think of your fictional account? Was she able to read it without tears in her eyes? She must have been so very proud of you! Thank you so much for all your wonderful books!

Cynthia wrote: "Welcome to the group! Elin and Jojo will be answering questions throughout the day on Tuesday, June 17th in this thread only. In the meantime if you have a question for them, or just want to introd..."

Hello all! I'm just working out how best to answer. bear with me!

Iris wrote: "Hi Jojo, I love 'The last letter from your lover' and 'The Ship of Brides' and have just started to read One Plus One.

My favorite book is 'The Ship of Brides'. It was so touching to read that in ..."

Hi Iris. She loved it, thank you, although she raised her eyebrows about some of the shenanigans between the sailors and the brides (that part of the book came from other sources!). She is very proud. She's still with us - 92 years old - and I think she loved that a little part of her life became a book.

A.pr wrote: "Hi Jojo,
I'm wondering how long does it take your research? Because, that is one thing I'm fascinated. Because reading your books I haven't found any contradictions ( which I totally hate). And wha..."

Research is really important to me, as an ex journalist. But the amount of it really depends on the book. For example, both The Ship of Brides and The Girl You Left Behind took a vast amount of research (in the case of TSoB, I had to spend time aboard an aircraft carrier). The trick is not to get so interested in the research that you forget to do the writing...!

Andrea wrote: "Hi! I HAVE to take this opportunity to ask: My friends and I have a book club and recently read, and LOVED, Me Before You and the group is torn down the middle about one burning question. What's Na..."

Hi Andrea - he was a caucasian New Zealander in my head when I wrote him. But I"m happy for my characters to be however they picture them... (I often find the characters I read in other people's books bear no resemblance at all to how the author might have even described them)

Aimee wrote: "Hi Elin and Jojo! I have read several of each of your books. Summerland and Me Before You, respectively, are two of my favorite books that I've ever read! What are the biggest challenges you face w..."

Hi Aimee - I don't know about Elin, but I can safely say that for me it's time. I have three children, and a bunch of animals, and carving out some uninterrupted thinking time in the day is quite a challenge. Sometimes that will involve starting work at 6am, sometimes it involves me taking myself away for a night or two to try and untangle whatever knot I've written myself into.
I'll be interested to hear how Elin answers this one too..!

Lynette wrote: "Hello Elin and Jojo! I have read many of your books and I have enjoyed all of them! For Jojo- I loved "The Girl You Left Behind" and "Last Letter From Your Lover". Both span many years. How do you..."
Hi Lynette
My ideas come from all over the place; news stories I read or hear on the radio (Me Before You came from a radio news story), snippets of conversation, issues that won't leave my head. Research varies from book to book, but I do think it really helps to be able to authentically take your reader into a world they might not know, whether it be historical or geographical, or even just what life is like for someone confined to a wheelchair.

Kyle wrote: "Hi! Absolutely loved Me Before You and have read a couple of others. JoJo, which book is your personal favorite?"

Hi Kyle
Oh this is a toughie. It's either whatever book I'm working on, or it's definitely NOT the book I'm working on, depending on what kind of writing day I'm having! I guess I have a very soft spot for Me Before You, simply because the characters were so clear in my head from Day One, and it was such a pleasure to write. But I'm also very fond of The Last Letter From Your Lover, and Silver Bay...

Marcy wrote: "I don't have a question but would like to let Jojo Moyes know that the only word I can use to describe Me Before You is "haunting".

As a mother of a severely disabled child, I was affected so deep..."

Hi Marcy
Thank you for your kind comments, and I hope Me Before You didn't resonate in too hard a way for you. I did write from a position of personal knowledge - I had two relatives who required 24 hour care just to stay alive when I wrote it. It would have been easy to sugar coat the reality of the situation, but I find that anyone who has lived with someone with a profound, life-limiting condition has to ask themselves what quality of life actually means. And, as you say, they might not always like the answer. Thank you for being supportive of what I wrote - from someone in your position, that means an awful lot. Best wishes to you and your son.

Alethea Brugman wrote: "Hi Jojo! I discovered your books this year and have read a number of them my favorite being The Girl You Left Behind. I am amazed how you generate so many amazing books in such a short time. I beli..."

Hi Alethea - you're very kind but I'm not writing them that quickly! And I'm so pleased you like the characters - I try very hard to flesh them out before I start writing, as I do think they are the thing that should stay with you at the end of a book. I did love revisiting Sophie and Edouard in Honeymoon in Paris - it's the first time I've done that in 11 books - so I may well do something similar again...

Nicole wrote: "Hi Jojo and Elin,
I always like to hear the story of how someone became an author. When did you decide to start writing novels? Was there a special reason why? How do you fit it into your life - w..."

Hi Nicole

I was always a bookworm as a child, and someone who wrote creatively for pleasure right up until my twenties, but I didn't really think of myself as a 'writer' until I became a journalist. I wrote three books that didn't get published, and finally my fourth made it into print.
It's never easy to fit writing into your life, especially if you have a family, but I've found that if you really are a writer, you just have to write. It's that simple. (Elin I'll be interested to see how you answer this one!). And I'm inspired by all sorts of things, all of the time. A couple of times a book will be inspired by an image I've seen, or a piece of music, and then build outwards from there. I think the trick is to be receptive to everything around you - to listen and watch and try to think how you could make it into an interesting story...

Antonia wrote: "Hi, JOJO, I'm a huge fan of yours!!!! I don't have any questions but i just want to say I love your books, the way you make up your characters (I always fall in love with them), the way you create..."

Hi Antonia - thank you! I'll keep trying to write for as long as people want to read me!

Linda wrote: "Hi Jojo. I love all your books, and particularly liked The One Plus One. When can we expect your next book, and can you give us a hint on what it will be about?"

Hi Linda - thank you! I'm just in the early stages of my next book now, but I'm a bit superstitious and don't want to say what it's about until I'm sure that it will work... all I can tell you is that I'm working hard!

Aniasolary wrote: "Hello! I'm so happy to be here! :D
My question is about the book "Me before you" by Jojo, about Will. All his situation is tragic and, unfortunately, he is not the only one in the world to be in it..."

Hi Ania
Thank you for your email - and your English is very good. You got from Will everything I would want a reader to get from him. I think yes, although some people think his actions were selfish, there was an unselfish love for Lou in there too.
As to writing - all I can tell you is to do it. Sit down at that desk every day and write: whether it's your feelings, or what happened that day, or a snippet of conversation that you heard, or the skeleton of a story you might want to tell. If you keep showing up, your writing will get better and better, and ultimately you may find you have a whole story there. Good luck!

Sheila wrote: "Hello Elin and Jojo. When you are in the middle of writing, how do you balance your writing time and your family / personal time?"

Hi Sheila. I don't know about Elin, but it's a constant struggle! And I think it's pretty common to any working woman with family responsibilities... If I'm writing well, I worry that I'm neglecting my family. If I'm flat out with the family, I'm worrying that I should be writing. If you have an answer to this one, I'll pay good money. Seriously.

Haley wrote: "Jojo, Me Before You is in my Top 5 favorite books of all time! It is my go to recommendation for my fellow readers. What are a few of your favorite books? Did any book in particular inspire you to ..."

Thank you Haley! And I'm inspired by so many books, but a few particular favourites are (from age group upwards): Tom's Secret Garden, National Velvet by Enid Bagnold, Behind The Scenes At The Museum by Kate Atkinson, May We Be Forgiven by AM Homes, anything by Nora Ephron, and pretty much whatever I am reading right now....

Alexandra wrote: "JoJo, I have read "Me Before You" and am starting "One Plus One." Both main characters (Lou and Jess) are in situations that seem tough and everyday at once. Even though they could happen to anyone..."

Hi Alexandra
Thank you - I'm glad you're still interested...!
It's really tough. I try to write characters who are flawed, people who I might recognise, who are frustrating and complex and often do the wrong thing, even if it is for the right reasons. I try to write characters I would want to read - I've found if I start a book and I know exactly how a character is going to behave, then I immediately lose interest.
Equally, I think there is room for a little romance in one's soul. I've heard some real life stories over the years that are far more lovely and inspirational than anything I've seen in print. So I guess the trick is to try and find a balance between those two things...