Featured Interview With Hattie Holden Edmonds
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in London, UK, where I still live – in Notting Hill, after forays to Berlin, Sydney and Paris. I also have a fisherman’s shack by the sea in Whitstable, Kent. I used to keep ferrets as a child, but now I am very broody for a British bulldog.
I adore cinemas, especially quirky independent ones – and my first novel is about a cinema with one seat where you are shown a film of your life.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
The first book I remember is The Waterbabies, which my mother would read to me when I was about four. At school I would write lengthy stories about my ferrets (Felicity and Frankenstein) for which, I suspect, the English teacher thought me quite strange. At twenty five, I became a music journalist, writing for the London office of a German pop magazine. After that I got the job as the in-house comedy writer for Richard Curtis (Notting Hill and Four Weddings) at Comic Relief. Best job ever!
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Favourite authors include Nick Hornby, David Nicholls, Audrey Niffenegger and David Sedaris. My favourite genre is dark comedy, but I need a little bit of a love story in there too! Ben Okri inspires me, a poet with a great vision.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My first novel, Cinema Lumiere, was inspired by a true life story of a woman who had a near-death experience and was shown a film of her life. I started to wonder what would happen if we could see a preview of our Life Review, before we die and if so, what would we change. I had been writing a fictional column for the Huffington Post UK, and the main character, Hannah, was the perfect candidate to see a film of her life – mainly because she had messed up so spectacularly!
The book took me seven years to write (ouch!)
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