Come and talk to author NICK HORNBY about his latest novel, Funny Girl, his previous bestsellers and his exceptional writing career on Wednesday 1st July, 9-10pm

[TillyMumsnetBookClub]

Nick Hornby’s sunny new novel FUNNY GIRL is set in the 1960s, in a burgeoning era of television comedy where old rules are beginning to crumble and a new energy is transforming the scene. A young beauty queen from Blackpool arrives fresh in the big city, changes her name to Sophie Straw and lands a part in a new sitcom, written by comedy aficionados Tony and Bill. Her natural talent captivates an enormous audience and catapaults them all to national stardom. Hornby has always been a master at capturing the zeitgeist, with a knack for pulling out the right detail or the perfect reference. In this novel, he beautifully captures all the exuberance, social upheaval and excitement of the period, suffused with a love for this golden age of light entertainment.

You can find out more on our book of the month page, or take a look at Nick’s own website for the latest updates and info on all his (stunningly redesigned) previous books.

Penguin have very generously offered 50 copies of FUNNY GIRL to give to Mumsnetters. To claim yours, please go to the book of the month page and fill in your details. We’ll post here when the copies have gone. If you’re not lucky enough to bag one of those, you can always get a copy here

We are thrilled and honoured that Nick Hornby will be chatting to us live on Wednesday 1st July, 9-10pm. So whether you have a question about FUNNY GIRL, about any of Nick’s bestselling novels or would like to hear more about Nick’s writing life, please come along and say hello. Look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 1st..

@FernieB

I'd like to know what your writing routine is Nick. Do you have a rigid timetable? And what's on your desk?

Yes, I have a routine. I'm writing to you from my office, which is a one-bedroom flat ten minutes' walk from my house. I come here after my kids have gone to school, and I stay here most of the day, with breaks for lunch, the gym, and so on. My dream would be to work four hours straight and knock off, but that never happens. I work in frustrating bitty bursts. On my desk: piles of books, a couple of family photos, and endless bits of apparatus connected to vaping. I gave up smoking eighteen months ago and vaping has become a sort of hobby. I have lots of bottles of e-juice lying around.

I'm really glad that Sophie had a family, with the relationship she had with her own Mother and Father it was great to see her settle emotionally and not just seek fame & glory. It all tied up very neatly, perhaps too much so. Do you have the endings in mind when you start to write, or do you let it unfold, because it could have been very different if she had not stopped to have a family?

I work in publishing, so would like to ask you: ebook or print book? Which do you like to read, when and why?

yes, BearAusten, they had happiness along the way, but they didn't seem happy at the end. And you've got to admit that Bill was broken, and Clive deeply unfulfilled...

Looking at your reply to mollkat, I'm amazed all over again by how prolific you are. In an average writing day, would you alternate between projects or do you give each a very separate schedule?

Also, I realised I should have added lyricist to my intro about you! Kazuo Ishiguro mentioned that he learnt how to write by penning endless songs in his bedroom as a teenager. Do you find yourself drawn as much to lyrics as to screenplays or essays? Could you ever say that you have a favourite medium, or are they all equal?

@whatwoulddexterdo

Hi Nick, Several of your books have been made into movies. After spending a considerable amount of time pouring your heart and soul into your novel, how do you cope personally when whole chunks are left on the cutting room floor? Funny Girl is my fave of your books so far. It made me laugh, your wry prose is very clever and I personally think it's the hardest thing to make someone laugh. As an aside do you still have time to go to the Aresnal. My DH is a lifelong fan and we read Fever Pitch together !

I don't mind what happens to the books when they become movies, as long as I'm sure that the right people are doing things for the right reasons. A faithful film adaptation would last for something like seven hours, so if you do sell your book, you know that two-thirds of it are going to go. That's why I don't adapt them myself, though. I spend three years putting things into the books, and I don't want to spend another five taking them all out again.

I don't miss any Arsenal home games unless I'm travelling for work. I live ten minutes' walk from the Emirates, and even if I wanted to stay at home and watch a game on TV, my boys wouldn't let me. They are, perhaps unsurprisingly, Arsenal obsessives.

The two books I loved most when I was a kid were both by Erich Kastner – Emil and The Detectives and Lottie and Lisa

I love Erich Kastner! I still have a whole set of his books from 40 years ago.

Nick, I just want to say that high fidelity is one of my top five ever books. Worryingly, I really identified with Rob
I loved the . John cusack film but would love to see it set in London. I didn't like Lisa bonet as Marie la salle.

I think Clive would always have been unfulfilled, however his life turned out. He always thought the grass was greener. And I liked that Bill, who thought he was better than Barbara (and Jim) and was scornful of Tony's relationship, was the one who ended up needing the anniversary play the most.

I'm in a book club and when choosing what to read next we automatically reject anything which has a review on the back saying 'laugh out loud funny' (as it normally isn't). How do you choose books and what are you reading now?

Also, is Petr Cech going to give Arsenal a 'Fever Pitch' moment?

@Sarah3kids

Initially, when writing - do you think about whether or not the story would transfer to Film/Television, or is that just an added bonus when the book is successful? and do you love "Lucy" xx

No, I never think about that. My first two books, Fever Pitch and High Fidelity, were absolutely not films, as far as I could see. One was a memoir spanning twenty-five years, the other was set inside a guy's head inside a record shop. They were the definition of uncinematic, and yet people made them into movies anyway. I have come to understand that if you write a book with a strong central narrative and rounded characters, there will be film interest from somewhere, even if it's a 25-year-old producer with no money. It's not worth thinking about - it either happens or it doesn't. I like Lucy. I loved a biography of her that I read a couple of years before writing Funny Girl.

And if this gets to film - who would play Sophie, Bill, Tony and Dennis if you could choose ...!

To Booksandwool: Was Bill broken? He is still working, creating with close friends. Clive appears somewhat damaged and has not learnt his lessons, yet he has not given in. On the final page Sophie tells us that he is still pursuing her. He always seems like a petulant schoolboy.

Thanks for answering my questions! (Back now from a sweltering hot prize giving.) Good answers. Do hope Juliet, Naked makes it to the big screen. Not to mention How to be Good. Come to think of it, I really hope Funny Girl makes it too, though they'd have to change the name, wouldn't they?

@trulymadlykids

The line between Jim and Barbara and Sophie and Clive are continually blurred by them, the writers and also the public. How central to the novel was to keep the relationship continually evolving and complicated?

Yes, that was one of the original notes I made for the book. I wanted the series to affect everything - not just because of its success, but because of the way the writers and actors are constantly looking for something to say about Barbara and Jim. And that changes the way the writers relate to each other, and the way the actors relate to their characters, and so on. Once I had the shape of the book, it felt as though I'd have no trouble keeping it fresh, at least for me - I hope for readers, too.

Yes, BearAusten I think he was broken. He's washed out, his work's gone nowhere, his "life partner" turned out not to be - the only thing left for him is this comedy he worked on all those years ago. That's pretty bleak for him.
Nick, please adjudicate!

We are running out of time... it has gone unbelievably fast. Thank you to everyone for your excellent questions and for making it such a fascinating chat.

Nick, you are so generous to give us your time tonight. It has been an absolute pleasure hearing about the genesis of Funny Girl and having an insight into your writing life. Good luck with all your ongoing projects (especially with the Brooklyn film, I cannot wait to see that) and looking forward to seeing/hearing/reading the future ones.

Many thanks once more for a wonderful evening.

@TillyMumsnetBookClub

Looking at your reply to mollkat, I'm amazed all over again by how prolific you are. In an average writing day, would you alternate between projects or do you give each a very separate schedule?

Also, I realised I should have added lyricist to my intro about you! Kazuo Ishiguro mentioned that he learnt how to write by penning endless songs in his bedroom as a teenager. Do you find yourself drawn as much to lyrics as to screenplays or essays? Could you ever say that you have a favourite medium, or are they all equal?

No, I stick to one project at a time, pretty much. The great thing about screenplays is that they are relatively short - a hundred pages, not much writing on each page. The problem is that you have to turn in ten or fifteen or thirty drafts. But once I've got to the end of a draft, I usually have to wait for a response from producers or a director - or, in the case of Brooklyn, wait for three or four years for funding. So whole novels can get written in between one draft and the next. The exception to that was Wild. Reese owned the book and knew she was going to star in it, and wanted the screenplay fast because she had a window to make it in. And the funding wasn't a problem, because we had an A-list actress involved. So I wrote several drafts back-to-back. The rest of the time, though, there are looooooong spaces.

All the forms I work in have something to recommend them. Films are collaborative and glamorous, if they get made. My columns for the Believer in the US about books mean that I can finish something in a couple of days and see it in print a few weeks later. And books give you time and space and freedom to do what you want - there's no budget. I loved writing the lyrics for Ben Folds. But he's a musical genius, so he made it easy.

Thanks Nick. I've enjoyed reading your answers to all these questions and I look forward to reading your next book.

@FernieB

Also, is Petr Cech going to give Arsenal a 'Fever Pitch' moment?

Yes. 100% guaranteed. Actually, we won't even need the last-minute winner because it will all be so comfortable.

@TillyMumsnetBookClub

We are running out of time... it has gone unbelievably fast. Thank you to everyone for your excellent questions and for making it such a fascinating chat.

Nick, you are so generous to give us your time tonight. It has been an absolute pleasure hearing about the genesis of Funny Girl and having an insight into your writing life. Good luck with all your ongoing projects (especially with the Brooklyn film, I cannot wait to see that) and looking forward to seeing/hearing/reading the future ones.

Many thanks once more for a wonderful evening.

Thank you, Tilly. Thank you, everyone. I hope you enjoyed the book - and, yes, I hope you enjoy Brooklyn.

Thank you, Mumsnet, for the opportunity to join this discussion tonight. And, of course, sincere thanks, Nick, for your gracious replies to our questions. Wish you the very best of luck with your future 'productions'.

barricade [ smile]

Many thanks for the answering my questions, Nick.

Thank you, Mumsnet, for the opportunity to join this discussion tonight. And, of course, sincere thanks, Nick, for your gracious replies to our questions. Wish you the very best of luck with your future 'productions'.

barricade

Thank you Nick for answering my questions and good luck with your future projects.

Thank you Nick, and I look forward to your next project!