Author Jill Mansell, 60, chats eBay shopping, takeaways for breakfast and admits she watches TV while she works
This Could Change Everything by Jill Mansell is out Thursday, January 25
I’M NOT a morning person.
Not having to get up until you want to is one of the brilliant things about being a writer. Lying in bed having a cup of tea never gets old.
I don’t have ordinary breakfasts. Cereal is a waste of calories, so instead I’ll have what I enjoy – leftover curry or Chinese.
The TV will always be on when I’m writing. I don’t really listen to the radio, but I could never sit in silence.
TV programmes sometimes give me ideas for my books – for example, there might be a phone-in on This Morning and a viewer could have an interesting story.
I sit and write on my reclining sofa, which I love – although when I first got it I kept falling asleep as it’s so comfortable! And I have my iPad next to me with Twitter on the screen so I can see what’s going on.
It’s great to meet up with other writers. Sometimes a group of authors who live near Bristol will get together for lunch.
It’s lovely to catch up and chat about the industry, as well as support and encourage each other. If I’m not going out, I often don’t stop for lunch and tend to eat while I’m writing.
I write all my novels in notebooks with fountain pens. I have a special rose-gold pen my dad gave me before he died. In fact, I even got a tattoo of it to celebrate my 60th birthday last year. It’s on the inside of my wrist, along with the words “The End” in my handwriting. I love it! I’m quite a slow writer, but if I do 1,000 words, then it’s been a good day.
My daughter Lydia, 25, types up all my books. I’m set in my ways and don’t like writing on a computer, so I pay her to do it for me. Plus she tells me what a teenager would say if I’ve used the wrong language, and it’s sometimes handy having a different perspective.
I’ve got a serious eBay habit. Recently, I bought a handbag I’d been after for years – a sparkly sapphire blue and silver Russell & Bromley one that they’d stopped making. As soon as I saw it, I snapped it up.
I love watching reality shows in the evenings. I’m a massive Strictly fan, and I also love Dancing on Ice and Big Brother. I was on Pointless Celebrities last year and it was terrifying!
I was so scared I was going to end up on one of those blooper shows where people give ridiculous answers, but I actually really enjoyed it.
MOST READ IN FABULOUS
I don’t go to bed until around 1am. I’ll often read a thriller before I go to sleep.
I recently finished Clare Mackintosh’s new book Let Me Lie [out March], which is fantastic. I adore romantic fiction, but you never know, maybe I’ll write a thriller myself one day…
- This Could Change Everything by Jill Mansell (£12.99, Headline Review) is out Thursday, January 25.