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What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write The World Happiness Organisation?
When cycling, I used to regularly pass a retired couple. They always walked in single file, the man a metre ahead of the woman I assumed was his wife. Despite their friendly greeting, they carried a sadness. I started to wonder what might have created the space between them. It ultimately became the opening scene of The World Happiness Organisation, and the couple morphed into Mavis and Jeff, its main protagonists. As someone interested in promoting better mental health, I had been nurturing the idea that many people find self-help books inaccessible. Good fiction is entertaining but can also be a powerful driver of self-reflection. The two ideas combined.
What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
I like reading the same kind of books as I write. That’s to say, funny but thought-provoking, and often edging on the speculative. Matt Haig is great at combining those things. I like books that make you laugh and cry and lean towards more character-driven novels. I also enjoy a lot of non-fiction.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
Melanie Cantor’s The F**k It List.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
That’s a difficult question! I really enjoyed writing the scenes with Mavis and her newfound friend, Peg. It was fun making Peg’s cheeky banter meet Mavis’s fearful desire for excitement.
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
Quirky writing habits? I don’t think so. I do have this thing – tending more towards positive manifestation – where I Google translate the book title into loads of languages. I’m a linguist at heart, having studied French and German, but it’s also motivating to imagine your book in far-flung countries!
Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?
There’s a postcard above my desk that says, “Start writing your story.” It was left on the bed of a hotel I was staying at in Amsterdam (accompanied by a tote bag, I think). The building had formerly been home to a Dutch newspaper. While it’s not exactly a quote or motto, that postcard is what inspired me to first put pen to paper several years ago.
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
Life isn’t about what happens to you, but the choices you make in response.
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