I am not Alvie!
The Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know trilogy is not autobiographical. I made it all up. Mad is not just the story of what I did last summer! Alvina Knightly, the protagonist of my novels, is a badass anti-heroine. She isn’t me. I don’t have an identical twin and I have never murdered anyone!
Chloé Esposito by Charlie Hopkinson
I always wanted to be a novelist.
I have wanted to be a writer since I was five years old. I remember writing my very first story at school and illustrating it with a picture of a dragon in a tree. I actually wanted to be Enid Blyton, but have come to terms with the fact that that’s never going to happen. I also wanted to be published by Penguin, so I’m still the happiest girl in the world.
I believe that, ‘If you can dream it, you can do it.’
Walt Disney said that and he was a visionary. Call me woo woo if you like, but I believe that creative visualisation and the law of attraction work! If you see something in your mind’s eye and believe it, you will attract it into your life. You just have to trust that the universe will provide. Einstein said, ‘The imagination is the preview of life’s coming attractions.’ Anything is possible because our imaginations are limitless.
I am fascinated by quantum physics.
I love reading about the nature of reality and how we create our own universe as we go along. I love learning about the Copenhagen Interpretation and how we, as observers, change the things we observe.
I am a working mum.
Being a mum is the hardest and most wonderful job in the world. I have two incredible daughters, who are my world and everything I do is for them. I am very lucky because, as a writer, I can work from home, but I don’t know how other mothers do it. They are Super Women.
I love to travel and travelling inspires my work.
I have always loved travelling to new and exotic places and was determined that having children wouldn’t stop me from doing that. My favourite place for family holidays is Italy, which is where my husband is from, and I set my trilogy in Sicily, Venice and Rome.
I am an only child.
I am an only child, which is perhaps why I am fascinated by sibling relationships. In Mad, I explored a toxic relationship between identical twin sisters, Alvie and Beth. I though the thing that would make me the most jealous would be having an identical twin who was richer than me, more successful than me, prettier than me and married to the man that I was in love with…
I love movies and TV box sets.
I don’t know what I would do without Netfix. Die of boredom, probably. When you have young children, it’s hard to go out a lot during the week, so my husband and I love chilling out with the new season of Billions or House of Cards. Dinner and a movie is my ideal date night.
I dream about winning an Oscar.
I know that as a novelist, this ambition is blasphemy, but I dream about writing an award-winning screenplay. I love movies just as much as I love books and have recently won a place on a screenwriting course.
I want to get a puppy.
I would love a Labrador puppy or a Spaniel, but I have just had a baby (three months ago) and they are high maintenance! I keep giving my characters pets (there is a Dachshund puppy in Bad), so perhaps this is why!?
