Written by Noha Hashem
We had the pleasure of sitting down with Zoe May to discuss her romance novel Perfect Match, writing, and what books she is loving at the moment!
So, tell us a bit about yourself!
Sure! I’m a novelist, writing romantic comedies for HarperCollins. I currently live in southeast London with my chihuahua, Bella. Before I became a novelist, I worked in journalism as a reporter.
When did you start writing and what inspired you to do it?
I’ve been writing since I was a teenager. I decided I wanted to be a novelist when I was about 15, but it took me a while to find my style. I went through a phase of writing terrible Sylvia Plath-inspired poetry and I wanted to be a literary novelist. I studied English Literature at University and afterwards, I decided to have a breather from literature and I started reading chick lit. I told myself I’d just read a couple and then switch back to literature, but three years later, I was still devouring chick lit novels. At that point, I realised I was probably a lot better suited to trying to be a chick lit writer since that was the genre, if I was honest with myself, I enjoyed reading the most.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Unsurprisingly, I love reading! I have a huge TBR list and I try to read at least two books a week. I often listen to audiobooks while walking my dog. I also love learning about new subjects – I went through a phase recently of learning about Hitler’s rise to power, and my new random interest is the stock market!
I recently went to New York to research my next book and so I’ve also recently become obsessed with all things New York and hope to return next Spring!
Was Perfect Match inspired by a personal experience? If not, where did your inspiration come from?
Yes, it was inspired by my own dating experiences! I tried online dating – joining apps like Tinder, Bumble, and Happn, and trying sites like Match.com and PlentyofFish. All of the bad dates Sophia describes in Perfect Match were based on real experiences I’d had, although unlike Sophia, I didn’t end up meeting my ‘perfect match’ – a multimillionaire Robert Pattinson lookalike!
How do you deal with writer’s block?
I refuse to believe that writer’s block is a thing! I used to be a reporter and in journalism, you constantly have to write articles to deadlines. If you don’t write your story, the paper will be empty so you simply have to write. That discipline has meant that I’m quite tough on myself when it comes to writing. I set myself goals and I tend to stick to them. The only issue I’ve had is that sometimes with writing romantic comedies, the next scene I’ll have to write will be a funny or romantic and if I’m in a bad mood, I sometimes feel like I can’t face it. What I tend to do in that case is to just skip ahead in the story to a scene in which the character is struggling or having conflict and I’ll write that instead – channelling the negative energy onto the page rather than not writing at all.
Who is your favourite character from Perfect Match?
Perhaps I should say the protagonist, Sophia, as she is very similar to myself, but I also love Sophia’s colleague, Sandra – she’s really goofy and sweet and I loved writing scenes with her featuring.
What is your favourite rom-com movie?
As Good As It Gets – it’s funny, touching, and I love the fact that Jack Nicholson stars as a romance novelist!
Are you working on anything new at the moment?
Yes! I just finished my third novel, When Polly Met Olly, which is about what happens when a struggling photographer Polly gets a job at a dating agency in New York. It’s out on January 1st 2019.
Do you have any book recommendations?
Three books I’ve read recently that I really enjoyed are: Moonlight over Manhattan by Sarah Morgan, How To Bake A New Beginning by Lucy Knott, and This Is Going To Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay.
