Q&A with Adele

Cas is quite difficult to like. What made you want to write about someone who is so manipulative?

It is very easy to write a character that is everyone’s best friend and is entirely sugar and spice and all things nice. The ‘conflict’ in the novel would then have to be that she came up against an adversary who was completely bad. In the real world people are much more complex than that. Good people do bad things. Mean people are often motivated by explanations which are not immediately obvious. For example Cas appears to be a super-bitch but she does care for her friends and family, she is simply vulnerable. It’s a much greater test of my skill as an author if I can get the reader to like someone who doesn’t deserve any admiration. 

Did Cas deserve someone as delicious as Darren?

Probably not, initially. But Cas does undergo a transformation. Darren brings out the best in her. Besides, true love is about loving someone even when they don’t deserve that love. Darren also learns things from Cas. In the end she has more faith in him than he does in her and her faith has never been nurtured the way his has. Hers is the greater leap. I love Cas’ spirit just as much as Darren’s morals.

Darren is so gorgeous. It’s very easy to fall in love with him. Do you think there are really men like him out there?

We can live in hope.

Would you think of writing a sequel to game over to reveal what happens to Josh and Issie and whether Darren and Cas actually make it?

I doubt I’ll write a sequel. Once I’ve finished a novel I like my characters to live in the imagination of my readers. However, I am a fan of happy endings so it is my belief that Issie does find true love. Perhaps, she’ll meet a Doctor. Josh will probably marry a model with a heart of gold and have a bunch of kids. Cas and Darren stay in love and grow old together but I’m not sure they’d actually get married.

Where does the inspiration for your characters come from?

Life sparks my imagination but I never write biographies of individuals nor do I try to reproduce people I know; my friends are saved that indignity. My characters are an amalgamation of a number of people I’ve met, watched or heard about, plus a great big dose of ‘but what if…?’. The question ‘but what if...?’ is the one that kindles my imagination.

Did you have to do lots of research to write this novel?

Yes. I was lucky enough to have a number of friends and contacts who work at a UK terrestrial channel, ITV, which is one of the biggest in the UK. They kindly answered all my questions and introduced me to producers of real shows, so that I had a clear idea of the mechanics of a TV channel. They even allowed me to work along side of them for several weeks so that I had a thorough understanding of the vibe TV production.

In addition I sat in the audience of a number of live and recorded shows so that I could get a handle on audiences’ reactions. I also became a regular visitor of the Natural History Museum.

What do you think of reality TV shows? Do you watch and enjoy them?

I watch them occasionally and something rather terrible about me enjoys them, but I’m not particularly proud of that fact. I think reality TV is lazy TV. No time is given to clever script writing, making beautiful costumes or training and hiring good actors. All that is required is a few ordinary people who are desperate for a bit of fame and don’t mind being exploited.

Do you think Sex With An Ex could really be made into a TV program?

Sadly yes. I came up with this concept in 1999. My editor worried that the show was too far fetched. Since then we have seen an explosion of reality TV programs hit our screens and the concept of Sex With An Ex is rather tame compared to those shows where people are prepared to marry on stage or live in a house for weeks with complete strangers, allowing the nation to watch them take a shower. I wonder if there are any limits left.