Q&A with Jojo Moyes

Tonight I was involved in a web chat with Jojo Moyes to talk about her latest book and film over on Mumsnet. Here’s what Jojo had to say to my questions:

You tend to depict strong female characters in your books. Is that something you have to actively try for, or do they come quite naturally to you?

It’s a conscious effort on my part. I’m increasingly concerned about the portrayal of young women in culture and the media, and I try not to be part of the problem. So yes, I consciously create female characters who may be flawed, but are resourceful, brave, practical, kind, uninterested in designer goods and while they might fall in love, do not necessarily define themselves by whether or not they have a man.

Have you any plans for another book yet? And what was the last book you read of your own choice rather than research?

I’m 40,000 words into one now, but that’s always a tricky stage for me. I’m as likely to dump it as I am to stick with it. And the last book I read for choice was Patrick Gale’s A Place Called Winter (mentioned in another part of this thread). It’s a sort of historical Brokeback Mountain.

Have you had much input for the film version of Me Before You? I think the casting choices are great!

I’ve written many drafts of the screenplay, and I’m in regular contact with the studio and the director, so I feel like I’ve been unusually lucky in the degree of input I’ve had. And I can’t take credit for the casting, but I can say that I’m very happy with who they picked. There were many amazing actors who auditioned for it, but these two really did jump off the screen.

See the full chat here.

You can read my review for The One Plus One here.