I fell in
love with books almost immediately after I can read when I was just 4 or 5
years old, and I can definitely say that all the awesome books that I have
encountered since then in one way or the other is what inspired me to be a
writer.  I always wanted to have that
awesome superpower that every writer has: the power to create a world with
their imagination.  A world that does not
just exist on paper, but also in the mind of the readers, even long after they
finished reading the last page.

One of the
writers that I admire is Sophie Kinsella. It’s just so awesome how she can
create such a memorable character like Becky Bloomwood, how she can keep the
series more and more exciting with each book, and how she always finds new,
invigorating topic to explore through fiction, like how a teenager lives with
anxiety disorder in Finding Audrey.  I would definitely love to sit down with her
over tea or coffee and talk about books and writing.

 A couple of
weeks ago, my publisher offered me a chance to interview Sophie!  So here’s the transcript of the interview as
we talked about her books, writing method, her most rewarding experience as a
writer, and many many more.  

  Finding
Audrey is your first young adult book.  When you started writing
it—and your previous books too, for that matter—did you start with a
particular genre in mind, or you just let where the stories take you?

Whenever I start to write a book I start with a simple
plot idea: “What if…?” So with Becky Bloomwood it was: “What if a financial journalist
was a shopaholic?” or with The Undomestic
Goddess it was: “What if a brilliant young lawyer who can’t cook has to
become a housekeeper?”. Then I start to plan the story carefully, and the voice
comes to me. With Finding Audrey I
suddenly had the idea for a girl with social anxiety disorder, and her crazy
family, including a teenage brother addicted to gaming. I knew once I had
conceived the character that she would be a young teenager and I would have to
tell the story through her eyes – and so it became a Young Adult book.

I heard that it only took you a month to
write Finding Audrey.  Was it
the fastest book you’ve ever written?  Which title took you the longest to
finish, and what were some of the biggest challenges and obstacles you went
through to finish it?

Yes I did write Finding
Audrey in a month. It was like I was possessed! I had this story and I had
to tell it – it poured out! My other books usually take me about five to six
months actually to write, but I might be planning for at least six months
before that, even while I am finishing another book. Some books take a long
time to work out the plotting – when I was writing Shopaholic Ties The Knot, I didn’t know till very close to the end
how I was going to resolve Becky’s dilemma!

What inspired you to write Finding Audrey?

I always write what I see around me, and I see nowadays a
lot of teenagers who are very stressed by modern life – by the expectations of
themselves and their parents, the pressures of social media and trying to be
‘perfect’. That’s what was in my mind when the character of Audrey came to me.
I don’t know whether it is the same in Indonesia, but from the large number of
comments I’ve had on social media, I suspect it is the same story all over the
world.

Becky Bloomwood is one of my most favorite
fictional characters; she’s so ‘human’.  Does her life somewhat mirror any
experiences you’ve had?

Well, I was a financial journalist like Becky when I
first started writing, so she’s like me in that respect! Some of her experiences
are mine, but mainly I just try and think of the craziest and most alarming
situations she could get herself into, and write them!

I really admire your talent in comic
writing; each one of your books always has this effortless funny moment, even
in Finding Audrey which revolves
around a serious topic: living with anxiety disorder.  Is that something
that comes easily to you?

I’m not sure about coming easily, but it is something I
really try to do. The thing that makes me happiest is to see someone reading
what I’ve written and laughing. You can say so much through humour. And comedy
is what I like to read myself.

Once an idea of a story came to you, how
long does it usually take before you pen the first sentence?  What kind of
preparations do you usually do beforehand?

Usually it is at least six months before I will actually
start to write the book, though I will start planning straightaway. I like to
be planning my next book or even two books whilst I am writing the current one.
Once I have an idea I will start making notes and thinking through possible
plot ideas. I won’t start actually writing until I have a full plan of the
whole plot – which I put up on my wall on file cards.

Did you always want to be an author since
you were a little kid?  Can you tell us the first story that you had
written back then?

My mother always used to tell stories to my sisters and
me, so I was always used to coming up with ideas and plots. When I was younger
I used to write music too – I wrote a little children’s musical in fact. I
can’t remember the first story I came up with. It was probably about a
ballerina as I was mad about ballet when I was little.

What is the most rewarding experience for
you as a writer after all these years?

The most rewarding thing is when my readers say they have
enjoyed my book and especially when they have found it funny. This year, it has
been very special to hear from a lot of teenagers who have related to Finding Audrey . I think it is very
difficult to be a young person nowadays and if Audrey helps, that makes me
happy.

Is there a book (a topic) that you really
wanted to write but never get around to writing it yet?

I have always wanted to write a gory police crime novel.
The trouble is my characters are too nice and keep cracking jokes. It doesn’t
really work in that genre!