All That Glitters
1. What can you tell our readers about your new book All That Glitters?
ALL THAT GLITTERS is about a girl named Ella who lives a life of a modern-day fairytale when she marries a Premier League footballer. She does so because they’re the best of friends, but they’re not in love – she thinks she can’t bear to fall in love again after her heart’s been broken, so a marriage of convenience seems the perfect solution. Only Ella does fall in love again – but with the dashing TV presenter Johnny Cooper rather than her husband – and her whole world falls apart… ALL THAT GLITTERS is fun and really readable, but it also touches on some current issues such as homophobia in football, affairs, and how far the press will go for a story.
2. Where did your inspiration come for the novel?
When I worked for the national newspapers we used to hear the juiciest stories which we could never publish, and that inspired me to write about a footballer and his wife whose marriage was based on a business relationship rather than anything more romantic. I’m also a ridiculous window-shopper and I wanted to create a character who had the dream wardrobe, and the perfect, covetable life who wasn’t a bitch – Ella really appreciates everything she has, but she also realises that designer clothes and flash cars can never make you as happy as love can.
3. You have worked for a number of newspapers and websites, so how does this compare to novel writing?
It’s so different! National newspapers are obviously extremely fast-paced and stressful, but novels can take years to get right. ALL THAT GLITTERS took about a year to write, whereas if you’re writing a piece for a paper you tend to write it quickly – in an hour or so – and then you move onto the next thing.
4. You are a fashion addict, is this why you included the fashion element in the book through Ella's designer clothes and a fashion column?
All my novels have fashion elements in them, but I really wanted Ella to explore high-end fashion in a way that is unobtainable to most of us. Like Ella I love fashion but mostly wear high street (I am high street and proud! Yay!), so it was self-indulgence on my part to research glorious clothes by amazing designers. Ella is married to a footballer and likes fashion, and therefore she’s thought of as stupid. Lots of my friends who work in fashion can identify with that – there’s a notion that girls who work in this industry are dim, and I wanted to show that you can be smart and entrepreneurial while also being true to yourself.
5. Your books are always bang on trend, so how do you manage to capture this every time?
I pay £100 a month to a gypsy fortune teller who tells me what to write – and she’s not got it wrong yet. Seriously though, I’m a massive reader and I go through phases of the sorts of book I want to read, and because of that I think I’m well placed to know what others want to read too. I like my novels to be topical, but I also hope they’re timeless in terms of current affairs and fashion – if you read Lace by Shirley Conran, for example, it’s obviously dated but still enjoyable. I’d love my novels to be like that.
6. What is next in store for your devoted fans?
Something a little different! I’m finishing a manuscript based on three generations of the same family. I wanted to write something that challenged me, and the novel I’m writing now certainly does that. It follows the stories of Lillie, Eliza and Ophelia, and how their lives – though set in different eras – intertwine. My editor’s not seen it yet so I’d better not say any more in case it changes quite a lot, but needless to say I’m in love with this novel. I love all the books I write but there’s something special about the one I’m finishing now – it touches me and I hope it touches anyone who reads it.
7. When did your interest in writing begin?
I recently found a short story I wrote about my cat when I was ten – so around then. I always wanted to be a writer, but I never dreamed I’d achieve that. I grew up on a council estate and went to an appalling school where I got detentions for throwing wallpaper paste at teachers in science lessons. Being a writer was something I played at as a child, and my ambition was to write for Just Seventeen – but I never imagined that ‘normal’ people could write books.
8. What is your favourte outfit at the moment?
I have so many! I’ll tell you what I’m wearing now – brown ankle boots, tight camo trousers, and a distressed grey vest with a skull on it. I love grown-up grunge so AW12 suits me massively. When I go to high street stores it’s like seeing my wardrobe replicated. I’m a happy girl.
9. Who do you most like to read?
That’s a huge question! I read The Secret History by Donna Tartt every year, but I’m trying not to read at the moment because when I’m writing a manuscript my voice is easily influenced by whoever I’m reading. I love a wide range of novels, but can’t bear Jane Austen. There, I’ve finally admitted it.
10. Which writers have influenced you most over the years?
Louise Bagshawe was – and is – a massive influence on me, both in terms of writing and also politics. When I read Louise’s novels at University I identified with several of her characters and realised the world was my oyster if I played my own game. When I wrote my first novel I was lucky enough to be taken on by her agent – and I still adore her books. My friends who are authors are also a big influence as they’re the ones I ring up when I’m stuck and feel like having a tantrum. But to be honest, it’s not just writers who influence me, it’s mainly people who have dared to think differently and to carve a space in the world for themselves and their ideas. They’re the people I respect the most, and the ones who influence me to keep going; to keep achieving.
Female First Lucy Walton