What is your favorite part of the writing process?
Probably the moment when you begin to feel you’re getting somewhere. It’s always a relief when it starts to flow after a period of writer’s block or when you know you are at the point where the book is beginning to take shape. Seeing your work in a finished tangible form with a pretty, shiny cover is amazing too.
How did you decide on this career path?
I started off being really interested in broadcasting but when I went to college to study journalism and radio I found that I much preferred the print side. I had a great teacher called Barbara Jones who inspired me. She’d bundle us into the college minibus and drive to Hugh Grant and Liz Hurley’s house so we could ask them for interviews, she’d arrange trips to places like the Houses of Parliament or BBC HQ and once took us to Glastonbury so we could grill Michael Eavis about the festival. She gave us a real glimpse of what a job in journalism would be like.
Who has been your favourite celebrity so far to interview?
Honor Blackman was amazing – she’s such a cool lady. I also loved Julie Walters when I interviewed her. Claudia Winkleman is very, very funny as is Laurence Llewelyn Bowen who will answer anything you ask him with complete candidness. He’s brilliant.
And, who is the one celebrity you haven’t yet interviewed but would love the chance to?
Well Oprah Winfrey would be a good one at the moment seeing as she has just quit her chat show, or for my own guilty pleasure – Robert Pattinson. I used to love Orlando now I’m swooning over Rob. It’s a bit sad for a woman over 30 but there you go.
You’ve said that Why Am I Always The One Before ‘The One?’ is based on you and your friends searching for, well, ‘The One.’ How much fun did you have writing this book?
Lots! There were loads of funny moments down the pub as my friends told me their stories and I’d be frantically scribbling them down on a napkin. I think it made us all see that you don’t have to be ashamed of your dating disaster stories. Infatuated people do silly things and life would be very boring if we didn’t. It was lovely to have my friends contributing and there was a shared sense of excitement when that book came out.
On the other hand, how difficult was it to write about the ‘ridiculous and deranged’ situations that you have experienced firsthand?
It was hard at first because if I’m honest I did feel like a bit of a wally. I’d be cringing, thinking, “Oh Jeez, did I really do that? Do I actually want to tell people?” But after a while I decided, “Oh sod it, if I can laugh about it then it’s not that bad.” Now I feel fine about my deranged moments as putting them out there in print for other people to enjoy has been quite cathartic. I’m a fool for love and proud so I did it all over again for ‘It’s Not Me, It’s You.’
You are currently ghostwriting a book, how much do you enjoy this experience?
I really enjoy it. I’m fascinated by other people’s stories. It’s an odd process though. As the deadline looms it often gets to the point where you are speaking to the person you are writing for more than anyone else in your life and vice versa. It becomes this strange intense relationship. When I’m going through an extreme ghostwriting period I can hear their voice in my head as I type and my dreams are all messed up and confused. I haven’t called my boyfriend someone else’s name in my sleep yet but it’s a distinct possibility.
What would be your advice for aspiring authors and journalists?
There’s no point pursuing a writing career unless you really are going to give it 110 per cent. You have to really want it and be prepared to do lots of unpaid work experience (including strange ‘journalism’ duties like tea runs and cleaning out cupboards) take lots of knocks and keep on plodding away for a pathetic amount of money. At the moment it’s more competitive than ever. However if it really is your dream then motivation, drive and initiative will get you far. If you want to be a journalist then get as much on-the-job experience as you can and offer up stories to your local newspaper so they can see you are keen and have a good news sense. If you want to get a book deal, write a blog and make sure you have at least four chapters written and clear chapter outlines for the rest of the book. Get hold of a copy of The Writer’s Handbook and seek out a literary agent who can give you advice on structure or plot and will have the publishing contacts to get your manuscript seen by the right people. Also, don’t give up if you are rejected at first – even JK Rowling was turned down numerous times before she had her success with Harry Potter.
You seem very busy with all the different projects you take part in, how do you fit in time for yourself?
I’m a bit rubbish at that and often seem to work seven days a week. It’s the drawback of working from home – there’s no clear structure to when you start and finish work, but I do try to take a break. When exhaustion hits me I’ll go home to my parents and cuddle up in front of the fire with my dog and cats. After three days my dad will say, “That’s better Charlotte, you’ve got some colour back in your cheeks!”
When you get some free time, how do you spend it?
Reading other people’s books, watching X Factor, True Blood and Lost, going to the cinema, seeing my friends, indulging in determined periods of gluttony then crying in TopShop changing rooms, cooing over animals at the zoo, going for nice walks or giving my credit card a battering.
What would be or is your favorite place to travel?
In terms of future destinations I really want to go to New Zealand. I have family out there so a visit is definitely on my wish list. For the last three summers I’ve been island hopping in Greece. It’s great as all you need to do is book a flight to Athens, go straight to the port and jump on a boat to an island of your choice. There are always loads of people waiting at the island ports with holiday apartments to let so you can book on the day and pick and choose at leisure. The weather is roasting, the beaches are gorgeous and there are about a million feral kittens roaming about which I like to stop, look at and take photos of. My boyfriend is very patient.
December 3, 2009
