I’ve always written stories – even as a child I’d write tales about girls with telepathic ponies and adventurous islands. I’d written three books on and off – none of which had been published – and it gave me the push to try again. There was an explosion of ‘chick lit’ at the time, which meant people who wouldn’t normally have a voice suddenly had a platform. It was the first time I saw somebody I knew turn into a writer. But I was working at the Independent when Bridget Jones was turned from a column into a book. I wanted to bring Lou down for book two and explore what grief does before bringing her back up for book three and have her learning some lessons about what she actually wanted from life. Once I knew I was writing a second, I knew there had to be three as I saw it like a horseshoe shape. As an ex-journalist, I’m really interested in the aftermath of an event. I then wrote the film and, while I was doing that, I kept having lead character Lou Clark in my head and I found myself wondering what would happen after the key event at the end of the book. But the holy grail of publishing happened, which is that it became a word-of-mouth success. I could tell they were losing faith in my ability to succeed, so when I wrote Me Before You, it was without a firm publishing contract – it was just a story I felt I needed to tell. I wrote it after I’d written eight books – none of which had been a bestseller – and my publishers were clearly no longer feeling it. I didn’t even think the book was going to be successful. I never intended for Me Before You to be a trilogy. I like to work out where the tensions are going to come from and take it from there. ![]() If you have someone who’s obsessive about punctuality and they meet someone who’s always late, that’s a lot more interesting than two punctual people meeting at a train station. Once I’ve got those down, more interesting things happen to them. I write down all their histories – I want to know what’s in their handbag, what’s in their fridge, what they want out of life, what their background and upbringing was. I love doing all the groundwork on characters. Even if you have the best plot in the world or the most beautiful writing style, if you don’t have characters people find compelling, they won’t remember the book. I loved this adventure story for girls for its plucky female characters and wonderful writing.Character is everything. It's only when she joins a gutsy gang of horseback librarians who distribute books to the poor that she finds the friendship and freedom she craves. ![]() ![]() ![]() When young Englishwoman Alice Wright moves to Kentucky during the Great Depression to marry a wealthy American, she’s a real fish out of water. It’s a very different novel from Me Before You, but it’s just as joyous. The Giver Of StarsĬontroversial, I know, but I think this most recent book of Jojo’s is her best. She isn't afraid to tackle difficult topics like poverty or assisted suicide, but writes about them with the lightest of touches. Her legions of fans worldwide love her books for their mix of humour and heartbreak, romance and drama and also their relatable characters. If you've not read this heartbreaking love story, or if you've read it and loved it but don't know which is Jojo's books to read next, here's the Good Housekeeping guide to her best novels. Me Before You made Jojo Moyes a household name.
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