11 quick questions for jojo moyes | members only access

_New York Times_ best-selling author Jojo Moyes, 53, has found success with hits such as _The Giver of Stars _and _Me Before You. _In her latest book, _Someone Else’s Shoes_, she tells the

story of how an innocent mix-up brings two women together to forge an unlikely alliance.  YOUR NEW NOVEL EXPLORES FEMALE FRIENDSHIPS. DID YOU DRAW INSPIRATION FROM YOUR OWN RELATIONSHIPS?

Oh, completely. The older I get, the more important my girlfriends are to me. They’re the ones who make me laugh, pick me up when I’m on the floor, turn up at 1 in the morning with a bottle

of wine and a big hug. I just think there’s a sort of sympathy and shorthand among women that I’m ever more appreciative of. HAVE YOUR FRIENDSHIPS BEEN AFFECTED BY YOUR FAME? Only

positively. I mean, most of my close friends I’ve known for many years, my best friend I’ve had since school. But I have to say, it’s enabled me to meet a lot of amazing new friends, some of

whom are quite successful. I’ve learnt a lot from them — watching how people create or navigate the world of publicity, how they present themselves. I watch and learn from them. WHEN YOU’RE

NOT READING OR WRITING, WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE PASTIMES? My favorite time of day is walking my dogs [mixed-breed rescues]. I’ve just moved back to London after 22 years. My favorite

thing, having lived in the middle of nowhere for years [at a farmhouse in Essex], is to be able to buy a coffee and maybe a pastry, and I walk and meet my best friend with her dog early in

the morning. We just have a chat for an hour or an hour and a half, and then I start my day. It feels like an immense privilege every day that I do it. YOU HAVE A PENCHANT FOR RESCUING

ANIMALS, INCLUDING A FORMER RACEHORSE AND A MOUNTAIN DOG. DO THOSE RESCUES EVER SHOW UP IN YOUR WRITING? Definitely pets show up in my writing. I don’t think I’ve ever written about a

rescue, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens in the future, because they’re such an important part of my life. Having rescue animals has changed me. People say that you rescue them, but

actually they rescue you right back. Every step they make towards being less afraid, more relaxed, more happy feels twice as sweet because you know you’ve made their life so much better.