Love your Life by Sophie Kinsella

We just have to know, why the pen name?

The Pen name. Yes. This can be confusing. Although I actually do recommend having two names in life, it's actually quite fun and can be quite convenient. The truth is I used to write under my real name, Madeleine Wickham, and then I decided to change style when I wrote my first Shopaholic book. And it felt like a new voice, a new me. So I thought, "Well, I'll do it under a new name". And I picked my middle name and my mother's maiden name and that made Sophie Kinsella, and I've kind of been Sophie ever since.

Are you still writing under Madeleine Wickham?

I get lovely letters from people saying, "Oh, we'd love to see a new Madeleine Wickham book". And the truth is that if I could do everything I would, but I seem to run out of time. So it's definitely on the back burner. We'll see. Maybe one day.

What do you enjoy writing more, your Shopaholic series or your stand-alone books?

All the books I write have a particular appeal. And the appeal of the Shopaholic books is, well, first of all, Becky, I love Becky. I love writing Becky, I love thinking like Becky. It can be a bit dangerous to my bank account. I love dipping into her world, her characters, the whole cast really I'm very attached to. But then there's something really exciting about a fresh page, a fresh horizon, new characters, new themes, new issues. So I love to mix it up. I feel very lucky that I can try out new things and then I can come back to my beloved Shopaholic world.

What staple piece of Ernest Jones jewellery would Becky Bloomwood choose?

Well, first of all, how on earth would Becky choose? This is going to be impossible. She would be on the website all day. Then she would go to all the shops to see if she's missed anything. So it would be quite a performance. I think she would love a diamond bracelet. I have an instinct that this is what she would love. And I think she would love one of those gorgeous adjustable bracelets, almost like a friendship bracelet. This is where the trouble is. She would have her friendship bracelet and she would look at it and then she would think, "Oh, friendship though, I must buy one for Suze, I've got to get one for Suze. Then she'd have to buy one for Jess, her sister, and one for her daughter, her mum and Janice. I think she would buy one for everybody. So when you say which piece of staple jewellery, I think you're meaning which pieces of staple jewellery would Becky invest in. I think she would probably get one for Luke too. So it's going to be quite a shopping bill, but she would love them all.

Would you ever consider revisiting one of your standalone stories and telling us what happened next?

It's a funny thing. With all my standalone books I have finished and I have felt a real sense of closure. Like "That's it, I've told their story, we've been on some journeys, we've battled some obstacles, and now I'm ready to say goodbye to whoever it is". Which is not to say I haven't been tempted by, Can You Keep Another Secret? I've always thought that would be quite a fun title, or going back to Samantha or even mixing it up and introducing some of my heroines to each other. As yet, I haven't felt the drive to do that strongly enough. And I have almost felt like, "Okay, those stories are told." But again, never say never.

We know you're a huge Jane-ite. Which Bennet sister would you say you are?

Well, unfortunately I don't think I'm quite as saintly as Jane, much though I might aspire to be a beautiful, good person like her. I think I'm probably closer to Lizzy. I hopefully have got Lizzy's sense of humour. I mean, what I admire about Lizzy is that somebody insults her at a ball and she laughs it off, and that's the spirit I like to have in life. I hope I'm not a Lydia, but I will confess that I do sympathize occasionally with Lydia's point of view: "Well, I saw a bonnet and I thought, oh, I might as well buy it." Yeah, a little bit of Lydia.

Is there a character you've created that is just completely you?

This is a great question. I think the truth is that all the characters I write have a part of me. I tend to go inside myself and harvest, basically, one floor after another, and make that the hero floor and expand on it. I am quite an obsessive person. I do like shopping. I do have flights of fancy. I do get carried away in my imagination. I do come up with ridiculous plans. So I think I put a little bit of me into all my characters. But what happens is that as you're writing your heroines, they sort of take on a life of their own. They do things that you weren't expecting. They certainly behave in ways that I wouldn't behave, all of them do. So although I'm part of them, I wouldn't say I've ever put myself wholesale in a book.

What's the process of designing your book covers, and do you have a favourite?

Well, I have to say, as an author, seeing the first glimpse of what will become your book cover is, for me, one of the hugest treats because you've spent months, if not years, creating this fictional world and imagining these characters, and then to see them sort of distilled in an image is just incredibly exciting. And it's all done at my publishers by this amazingly talented team of designers and illustrators. And I think a lot of people have an input and I'm not part of that. But then I get to see it as we go along. And as I say, it's just incredibly exciting. I sometimes give my little opinion here or there, but really I'm just in awe of the experts.

And in terms of a favourite, oh my goodness, it's like my babies. I don't know how to choose. I'm always slightly in love with the most recent thing that I've done. The most recent book is always the most alive in my mind. And I must say, I do absolutely love the Love Your Life cover. I just think it is so witty. It completely sums up the theme of the couple, Ava and Matt. They love each other, but they are pulled apart quite literally by a dog. And look, I mean, would I have thought of including a dog who goes over the edge of the book? No, not a million years. This is why they are geniuses. I think they are just brilliant, and I applaud what they do, always.

Turning your Shopaholic book into a film must have been incredible, and I'm just dying to see if you'll do another film so we can catch up with the books. Will you? I have to say, it was the most amazing adventure seeing the Shopaholic film being made and getting to visit the set. It's just this magical process. It was kind of surreal I have to say. Incredibly exciting, and wouldn't it be fun to do another one? I don't know is the truth. Occasionally there are little flurries and conversations and it's definitely been on the horizon. Whether it will happen, I don't know. So, for now, I just keep writing the books. And for me, when I write a Shopaholic book it's kind of like a movie in my head anyway. In fact, I kind of think of Christmas Shopaholic as my Christmas movie. So, for now we'll do with that, but fingers crossed!

Last but not least, what's one piece of jewellery you couldn't live without?

Okay, my husband's standing right there. So what else am I going to say? My wedding ring. Of course, my wedding ring.

Discover The Hilarious New Sophie Kinsella Book, Love Your Life

When Ava visits a writing retreat in Italy, love is the last thing on her mind. Until she meets a handsome stranger, Matt.

After a whirlwind affair, they pledge their love. But when they return home, reality hits. They're driven mad by each other's weird quirks, from his eccentric family to her terribly behaved dog. Can they overcome their differences to find one life, together?

For all you fans of Sophie Kinsella, why not also check out her latest book from the popular Shopaholic series? A brilliant laugh-out-loud novel, Christmas Shopaholic is a complete cracker and bound to put some sparkle into your festive season.