| Isabel Wolff |
 Isabel Wolff has in turn been a struggling actress, a producer in the BBC Worldservice and a reporter on current affairs before writing her first novel, The Trials of Tiffany Trott, the result of a regular column for the Daily Telegraph. It became an international bestseller. Her following novels have all been published worldwide. Living in London, Isabel has contributed title features and short stories to the national press as well as pieces for the broadcast media. Read opur interview with Isabel below. Isabel also has her own website at http://isabelwolff.com  A Question of Love This is a story of tv quizmistress Laura who is left husbandless, but with a pretty good job and an ex who suddenly decides to re-enter her life. She's also got a pyschic neighbour, two sisters and a good looking boss with a dark past. It's an easy read - funny and at times poignant. 3/5 Also by Isabel..      Chicklit talks to Isabel Wolff So where do you get your ideas? Ideas are all around us, in the stories we read in newspapers and magazines, or hear on the radio or the TV, or just by ear-wigging on the number 38 bus. If you're a writer, you find that you're naturally alert to stories all the time, and then you put them in the mental larder for future use. But I don't write out of my own life as I prefer the challenge of writing about things that haven't happened to me. How did you go about finding an agent/publisher? I had a friend who worked at Little Brown, and in '93, four years before I started writing fiction, he told me that if I was ever to write a novel, then the perfect agent for me would be Clare Conville. So I met her for a cup of coffee, and we discussed a few non-fiction ideas, but nothing further came of it. Then in 97 I got the Tiffany Trott column and Clare took me on as her client. In addition to being, indeed, my 'perfect' agent, she's also become a close friend. Do you have a writing routine? I try to write 2000 words a day - although I often write far less. But I can only write the new material in the mornings, and so in the afternoons I revise and edit - that's when I put on all the spit and polish. But I do a full day - 9-6 because that's what it takes - and more. Any advice on going for the long haul and completing a novel when it fees like it's never going to end? Simple perseverance. P.G. Wodehouse's advice about writing being very much a matter of applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair still holds true. You just have to do it. Writing a novel is like climbing a mountain and it's awful when you're only half way up - your optimism and enthusiasm can plummet. But you just have to keep at it, step by step, and before you know what's happened, you've glimpsed the summit. What has been your favourite book to write? Oh dear - it seems disloyal to choose - your books are like your children, you love them all the same. But I'd say that 'The Making of Minty Malone' was probably my favourite because it was the easiest. This was because I'd had the plot for it at the back of my mind for about five years before it got published, and so it was a breeze - I wrote it in four months. All the novels after that have taken quite a bit longer because I've been starting from a blank slate each time. Can you tell us anything about your next project? Aaah! I wish I could! I need to get cracking. All I can safely say is that it'll definitely be another romantic comedy, and that gardening will probably come into it. Reviews Recently we have been reviewing and changing our review process. It is now our policy to offer a review package of: * Independent review of book * Book cover * Author interview or biography * Photo of author * Links through to author's site and/or publisher's site. We now charge £75 for this service. If you'd like to know more please visit here |
| Posted: 24/05/2005 17:15:45 Last Updated: 09/10/2007 12:35:10 |
Chick Lit > Chick Lit Authors :: Isabel Wolff