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" My real name is Madeleine Wickham, under which I write dramas with an edge of humour. As Sophie Kinsella it's fast, all-out comedies, such as the 'Shopaholic' series. "

Sophie Kinsella

Real

Name

Edge

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" I've never written a children's book, but when people meet me for the first time and I say I write books, they invariably reply, 'Children's books?' Maybe it's something about my face. "

Sophie Kinsella

People

Face

" I had no plans to be a writer. My teenaged bid for stardom was to be a pop star... which, ahem, didn't exactly work out. "

" Like most of us, I'm used to juggling about 52 roles in life. Wife. Mother. Sister. Friend. Author. Sometimes I feel a bit 'multiple-personality'. "

" There is something exciting about saving up for a special treat. Bring back the piggy bank! "

Sophie Kinsella

Bring

Bank

" I never did any training in journalism or in finance, so I really was in the deep end. I got very good at going to press conferences and nodding. I'd figure it out when I got back to the office. Charts and numbers. I've never been great with facts, ever, my whole life. For a journalist, that's not a very good trait. "

" I change my mind so much, I'm better going on my own. Shopping is a selfish activity anyway. "

" I can't cook. I don't have the right brain for it, somehow. I can't walk into a room and tidy it up. I get distracted. I pick up one thing and I start looking at it. And my cooking is truly heinous. "

" My earliest, most impactful encounter with a book was when I was seven and awoke early on Christmas morning to find Roald Dahl's 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' in my stocking. I had never been so excited by the sight of a book - and have possibly never been since! "

" I adore all Agatha Christie's books and turn to them whenever I'm ill or need cheering up. "

" My own life has been doubly disconnected, as I've written books under two different names. As an author, your name almost becomes a brand; readers know what to expect. "

" I'd probably still be a financial journalist now if it weren't for writing novels. Mmm. Fun! I'm much happier writing novels! "

" I chose to publish the first 'Shopaholic' book under a pseudonym because I wanted it to be judged on its own merits. "

" I'm very lucky. I have a really supportive husband in Henry, and there's my mum, too. I couldn't have a career and manage the kids' routines and household thing single-handedly. I'd just go crazy. "

" I don't think anyone sits down and thinks, 'I know, I'll be a chick-lit writer.' You write the book that you want to write and then other people say, 'Oh, that's chick-lit.' You say, 'Okay.' But it's not like you look around and go to a careers fair and there will be someone at the chick-lit author stand. "

" To have someone who never makes a mistake, never finds her personal life in disarray, never worries about work-life balance? I think that would be unreal. What I'm writing is real. "

" To some extent, all authors are a little schizophrenic. We lead most of our lives in solitary confinement, living and breathing the books that we're writing. "

" When I wrote my first book, 'The Tennis Party', my overriding concern was that I didn't write the autobiographical first novel. I was so, so determined not to write about a 24-year-old journalist. It was going to have male characters, and middle-aged people, so I could say, 'Look, I'm not just writing about my life, I'm a real author.' "

" I think a lot of people still fantasise about that first love and what might happen if they rekindled the relationship. "

" People used to ask me for advice, and I'd say, 'Please, don't ask me!' Yes, I did economics at Oxford, but that's not the same as having a broad knowledge of personal finance. "

" If my writing comes to a halt, I head to the shops: I find them very inspirational. And if I get into real trouble with my plot, I go out for a pizza with my husband. "

" It wasn't until after college that I started writing. I had just applied randomly for jobs in the media and got one on a magazine called 'Pensions World.' So I was writing for a living there and that's when I started my first book. "

" The way I write is totally instinctive. I just write what I feel or what I find funny - and hope everyone else agrees. "

" I am not a label snob and have learned that the thrill of shopping can be just as great, if not more so, when you find a bargain. "

" Being a journalist is good if you want to write books: it teaches you to get beyond the blank screen. My books have been described as froth, but there's scope to be witty and ironic about everything in life. "

" When I'm on a break from writing, I'll log on to Amazon and eBay. The doorbell is constantly being rung by deliverymen. "

" The great thing about being a novelist is that you organize your own day. "

" I had gone to Oxford to read music. I had done music all my life, but when I got to college I didn't want to do it anymore. "

" When I had the idea for 'Shopaholic', it was as though a light switched on. I realised I actually wanted to write comedy. No apologies, no trying to be serious, just full-on entertainment. The minute I went with that and threw myself into it, it felt just like writing my first book again - it was really liberating. "