Jojo Moyes
Jojo Moyes | |
|---|---|
| Born | Pauline Sara Jo Moyes August 4, 1969 Maidstone, England |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, novelist, screenwriter |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Known for | Romance novels, including Me Before You series |
Pauline Sara Jo Moyes (born 4 August 1969), professionally known as Jojo Moyes, is an English journalist and acclaimed romance novelist active since 2002. She is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and screenwriter. Moyes has received the Romantic Novel of the Year Award from the Romantic Novelists' Association twice. Her novels have been translated into twenty-eight languages and have sold in excess of 40 million copies globally.
Life and early career
Originating from Maidstone, England, Moyes undertook various roles prior to attending university, including positions as a typist at NatWest, a brochure writer for Club 18-30, and a minicab controller. During her undergraduate years at Royal Holloway, University of London, she contributed to the Egham and Staines News.
She obtained journalism qualifications from City University as well as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, part of London University. In 1992, Moyes was awarded a bursary by The Independent, which supported her postgraduate journalism studies at City University. She spent around ten years working for The Independent, except for one year in Hong Kong with the Sunday Morning Post. By 1998, she had been promoted to Assistant News Editor and by 2002 became Arts and Media Correspondent.
Writing career
At the outset of her literary career, Moyes authored three manuscripts that were rejected by publishers. Balancing a journalism career with raising one child and expecting another, she resolved to cease writing if her fourth book was also declined. Yet after submitting only the first three chapters of this fourth manuscript, six publishers entered into a bidding contest for its rights.
In 2002, Moyes transitioned to a full-time novelist with the release of her debut book, Sheltering Rain. She continues to contribute articles to The Daily Telegraph.
Her initial publisher, Hodder & Stoughton, passed on her 2012 novel Me Before You, which she subsequently sold to Penguin. The book achieved sales of six million copies, reached number one in nine countries, and revitalized interest in her earlier works—resulting in three of her novels appearing concurrently on the New York Times bestseller list. Moyes followed up with two sequels: After You (2015) and Still Me (2018).
In 2013, screenwriters Michael H. Weber and Scott Neustadter were commissioned to adapt Me Before You for film. The resulting 2016 movie featured a screenplay penned by Moyes herself.
In 2018, Moyes contributed £120,000 to the Quick Reads Initiative, aiding adult literacy programs and extending its funding by an additional three years. Her work Paris for One and Other Stories was selected for the 2015 Quick Reads collection, and she also provided a short story for the 2020 Quick Reads anthology titled A Fresh Start.
Awards and achievements
- Moyes' publications have been translated into forty-six languages, achieved number one status in twelve countries, and amassed over forty million copies sold worldwide.
- Winner of the Romantic Novel of the Year Award (2004) for Foreign Fruit.
- Nominee for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award (2008) with Silver Bay.
- Awarded the Romantic Novel of the Year Award again (2011) for The Last Letter From Your Lover, making her one of few authors to receive this honor twice.
- Recipient of Platinum and Gold Hall of Fame Nielsen Awards for After You & Me Before You.
- Me Before You ranked within the Top Ten on the New York Times bestseller list in 2016, remaining there for 19 weeks.
- Honored by the American Library Association for Me Before You in 2014.
- Winner of Good Reads Best Fiction Award (2018) for Still Me.
- The international bestseller The Giver of Stars was shortlisted for the British Book Awards' Fiction Book of the Year in 2020.
- Awarded Book of The Year (2007) by Good Housekeeping for Silver Bay.
- Nominated for Book of the Year at the UK Galaxy Book Awards with Me Before You.
- Worldwide sales of Me Before You exceed 14 million copies.
- The film adaptation of Me Before You earned multiple accolades including People's Choice Award for Favourite Dramatic Movie (2017), ASCAP Award for Top Box Office Films (2017), and Golden Trailer Award for Best Romance (2017).
Literary influences
During her childhood, Moyes' most cherished book was National Velvet authored by Enid Bagnold. She acknowledges that Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson played a pivotal role in motivating her to refine her writing skills. Moyes also draws creative inspiration from a range of writers such as Nora Ephron, Marian Keyes, Lisa Jewell, Jonathan Tropper, and Jane Austen.
Personal life
Moyes lives on a farm located in Great Sampford, Essex, together with her spouse, journalist Charles Arthur, and their three children. Their home is shared with a retired racehorse and a rescued female Pyrenean mountain dog weighing 58 kg.
Novels
- Sheltering Rain, also known as Return to Ireland (2002)
- Foreign Fruit, alternatively titled Windfallen (2003)
- The Peacock Emporium (2004)
- The Ship of Brides (2005)
- Silver Bay (2007)
- Night Music (2008)
- The Horse Dancer (2009)
- The Last Letter from Your Lover (2011)
- Me Before You series:
- Me Before You (2012)
- After You (2015)
- Still Me (2018)
- Lou In Lockdown (2020), short story
- The Girl You Left Behind series:
- Honeymoon in Paris (2012), novella
- The Girl You Left Behind (2012)
- The One Plus One (2014)
- The Giver of Stars (2019)
- Someone Else's Shoes (2023)
- We All Live Here (2025)
Short stories
Collections:
- Paris for One and Other Stories (2015), containing 10 short stories and one novella:
- "Paris for One", "Between the Tweets", "Love in the Afternoon", "A Bird in the Hand", "Crocodile Shoes", "Holdups", "Honeymoon in Paris" (novella), "Last Year's Coat", "Thirteen Days with John C", "Margot", "The Christmas List"
Adaptations
- The 2016 film adaptation of Me Before You, directed by Thea Sharrock, based on the novel Me Before You
- The TV movie Im Schatten das Licht (2020), directed by Vivian Naefe, adapted from The Horse Dancer
- The 2021 film version of The Last Letter from Your Lover, directed by Augustine Frizzell and released through Netflix, adapted from the novel