Jenny Colgan left her job as an NHS administrator to pursue a career in stand-up comedy. When that failed she turned her hand to almost everything else before becoming a hugely successful novelist. We talked to the multi-talented author about getting published, defending chick-lit and her fourth and latest novel Working Wonders...
Did you always want to be a writer?
No, I've alternatively wanted to be a cartoonist, a ballet dancer, a pop star, a stand up comedian and a journalist. Next stop: astronaut. But I've always loved reading and writing.
How did you go about getting published?
There's a book called the Writers & Artist's Yearbook which tells you everything you need to know about how to find an agent and get published. I followed it to the letter.
Chick-lit authors have come in for quite a hard time in the press recently. What have you got to say in defence of this very popular genre?
It's lazy and sexist when people sneer at chick lit. What they mean is, they don't agree with popular contemporary fiction aimed at young women. Some of the books are terrible, sure. Some of them are fantastic. Nobody complains that thrillers have similar covers: it's sheer snobbery.
Tell us a little bit about your new book Working Wonders.
It's a comedy set in an office in Coventry. I originally set it in Slough, but unfortunately Ricky Gervais came along with his wonderful show, The Office which rather put the kibosh on that!
From your own experience, what advice would you give to budding writers?
Join classes, write all the time, read as much as you can and keep at it. It's just about putting in the time.
What are you reading at the moment?
I just finished Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer, which is amazing, and starting Fingersmith
by Sarah Waters. Also on the go is The Road to Nab End, which is pathetic yet oddly compelling, and the best of Craig Brown, who is a big fat genius.