September book of the month: THE ONE PLUS ONE by Jojo Moyes. Read and join Jojo for webchat on 30 September, 9-10pm

[NataliaMumsnet]

Jojo Moyes' Me Before You was a phenomena with over 3 million copies sold worldwide. Fans are in for a treat this summer with her latest novel The One Plus One which follows the story of a relentlessly determined and supportive single parent, Jess. Described as 'a heartbreaking, laugh-out-loud, thought-provoking, emotional rollercoaster' by The Sunday Express, Moyes' story tells of an unexpected love story that develops amid the ups and downs of a hectic family life.

Jojo Moyes is a novelist and a journalist. She worked at the Independent for ten years before leaving to write full time. Her previous novels have all been critically acclaimed and include Me Before You, The Girl You Left Behind, The Ship of Brides, Foreign Fruit, and The Last Letter from Your Lover. She lives in Essex with her husband and their three children. Jojo will be joining us for a webchat on 30 September to chat about The One Plus One so post your questions in advance or join us on the night.

We have 50 copies of Jojo's book to giveaway. Apply here for a free copy. If you're one of the lucky 50 we will inform you next Tuesday (29 July). If you don't access a free copy, order it up online to read over the summer and join us for book club in September.

Happy reading!

[RachelMumsnet]

Final question from me, if I may. Because I'm nosy I really love to hear about where a book has been written. Would you mind sharing with us the room where The One Plus One was created? (and if that feels a bit too 'through the keyhole' for your liking I guess you can make one up!)

[revealall]

Thank you for answering my question Jojo. I can't wait to read more of your books and the film sounds interesting.

[JojoMoyes]

Okay I'll answer these in one block.

@RachelMumsnet

There's around ten minutes left of the webchat and I've rounded up a few questions from earlier up the webchat:

A few questions from earlier up the webchat :

From MrsRedwine214

My question would be:
You tend to depict strong female characters in your books. Is that something you have to actively try for, or do they come quite naturally to you?

It's a conscious effort on my part. I'm increasingly concerned about the portrayal of young women in culture and the media, and I try not to be part of the problem. So yes, I consciously create female characters who may be flawed, but are resourceful, brave, practical, kind, uninterested in designer goods and while they might fall in love, do not necessarily define themselves by whether or not they have a man.

SundayGirl79
Hi Jojo, I've read all your novels and was lucky enough to get agree copy of The One Plus One from Mumsnet and I really loved it. I LOVED the road trip up to Scotland - such a great place for the romance to take-off. Was that based on personal experience? Also I wondered whether the seaside town is based on a real place?

I rarely write about real locations any more, as I find it's a sure fire way to attract emails of the "you put the post office in the wrong place" variety. So no, the seaside town is a composite. And the road trip is a worst-case composite of many family road trips we have taken ...

And another Q about the roadtrip:

revealsall
I did feel a little like two books in some ways. There was the poor overworked single parent to start and the road trip towards the end.
And have you done a road trip to Scotland!

I have driven to Scotland, but, thankfully, not with children and a large flatulent dog.

Whiskeytangofoxtrot
What kind of journalist were you before you started writing novels? Why did you switch and was it hard to adapt your writing style to novels rather than your previous job??

I was a news journalist for The Independent newspaper for many years. I switched after I had my first child and realised that running around with a passport in my bag was not going to be a viable option with a baby. And yes, the news dictum of keeping it spare and accurate meant that I had a very bald tone to my prose for a long time. I've had to let myself go a bit, learn to stretch situations and enjoy description.

[JojoMoyes]

@revealall

Thank you for answering my question Jojo. I can't wait to read more of your books and the film sounds interesting.

thank you!

[carlywurly]

Ooh, a reply, am chuffed as I couldn't log in last night.

Funnily enough we were talking about a colleagues personal situation at work today, which I think if it were written up in novel form, nobody would believe.
So I'm inclined to agree I should suspend disbelief more often

[JojoMoyes]

@RachelMumsnet

Final question from me, if I may. Because I'm nosy I really love to hear about where a book has been written. Would you mind sharing with us the room where The One Plus One was created? (and if that feels a bit too 'through the keyhole' for your liking I guess you can make one up!)

It's many places, I'm afraid. I rent a room above a hairdresser in my local town, so you can picture me lying on the floor, breathing in the scent of lightly toasted hair. I also write in bed, and while travelling (not at the same time). So much of this book was written in departure lounges across America, which did help with the whole travelling vibe...

[JojoMoyes]

@whatwoulddexterdo

Thank you Jo jo for answering my questions.
I have to say that out of all eight books that I have read of yours, Norman is my favourite character, definitely the hero of One Plus One.
I look forward to reading your next book.

thank you!

[JojoMoyes]

@SundayGirl79

Oh I'm so excited to hear that there is a film of Me Before You coming out. WHEN? And WHO is playing the lead roles??

It's Sam Claflin (Hunger Games 2, The Riot Club) and Emilia Clarke (Game Of Thrones) - and no, there will be no dragons in the script.

[JojoMoyes]

@MadeinBelfast

Thank you for answering my questions. Good luck with the new book, I can't wait!

Thank you! I'll certainly get back to you if I need Belfast info...

[JojoMoyes]

Are we done? Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you if you read, borrowed, or recommended the book. Thanks also to Mumsnet for hosting!

[dippybaby]

You obviously read books written by other people for pleasure. How do you choose which books to read? Are they ones that are recommended to you by your publishers or from friends/family or from reviews on social media?

[JojoMoyes]

@dippybaby

You obviously read books written by other people for pleasure. How do you choose which books to read? Are they ones that are recommended to you by your publishers or from friends/family or from reviews on social media?

I'll squeeze in this last one - I get sent lots, so I just really go by the cover and blurb. But mostly I go on what my friends recommend, and mostly on Twitter...

[RachelMumsnet]

Thank you so much Jojo for taking the time out of your busy schedule to join us and answer so many questions this evening in such an honest way. I loved your answer about suspending disbelief and totally agree that the older you get, the more you realise that weird stuff does happen. We really, really look forward to the film of Me Before You and we're thrilled to hear that you are so far on with your next novel.

[JojoMoyes]

@RachelMumsnet

Thank you so much Jojo for taking the time out of your busy schedule to join us and answer so many questions this evening in such an honest way. I loved your answer about suspending disbelief and totally agree that the older you get, the more you realise that weird stuff does happen. We really, really look forward to the film of Me Before You and we're thrilled to hear that you are so far on with your next novel.

Thanks Rachel - I really enjoyed it.

[MrsWickens]

Thank you Jojo for answering both of my questions.

Thank you RachelMumsnet for getting Jojo on for a webchat! I really enjoyed it! I love knowing what authors really think - it is like going backstage at the theatre to meet the actors

[ItsNotEasyBeingGreen]

I cannot believe I missed the webchat. What an idiot. I got a free copy of the book. I read it. I enjoyed it and then I missed the webchat!

[Stupidhead]

Akblount, if your book is as bad as your grammar here then I'll give it a miss.

[akblount]

So You even don't want to watch video :) Ok, I'm not perfect, but after me proofreader worked with book :) Give me a break please :p

[ItsNotEasyBeingGreen]

akblount. I think what the previous poster was getting at is that you are hijacking a thread with an advertisement for your own book. Not really in the spirit of Mumsnet.

[Nesstoria11]

I'm just starting to read this book it's a book I can't put down and end up falling asleep and hitting myself in the face with the book.
I adore Jo Jo Moyes
Xx

[JillJ72]

Long overdue contribution. I was really pleased to receive a copy from MN, so thank you. I read this book whilst on holiday in September and loved it. It was funny, laugh out loud funny in places, thoughtful, touching, had me in tears too, and ultimately became one of those books that I had to just read until I had finished (at 2am).

I've read a few Jojo Moyes books now, each one different, amusing, thoughtful and touching.

I would recommend as a read that puts you in view of polar opposite worlds, makes you stop and think, and makes you open your eyes.