How International Bestselling Author Meg Mason Writes

Internationally bestselling author Meg Mason spoke with us about her journalism origins, the winding road to bestseller, how to navigate bad reviews, and her latest novel SOPHIE, STANDING THERE. Meg Mason is the author of You Be Mother and the critically acclaimed Sorrow and Bliss, which became an international bestseller in 2020. Winner of the British Book Industry Book of the Year, and shortlisted for the Women’s Prize, it has since been translated into more than 30 languages. Her latest is Sophie, Standing There, set behind the scenes of a literary festival; the novel follows Sophie Pattison, a cheerful but increasingly invisible staffer whose life has quietly unraveled. A starred Library Journal review called the novel “a special treat for book lovers,” and Mason features real authors in the novel. Ann Patchett praised the book as “a moving examination of what it means to be alone in the world, and what it means to find connection…by turns, heartbreaking, hilarious, and deeply hopeful. Meg Mason is a dazzling talent.” Meg’s first career was in journalism, beginning at The Times of London, later writing for Vogue, ELLE, GQ, Sunday Style, The New Yorker’s Daily Shouts, among others. [Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm] [If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In this file Meg Mason, Milena, and I discussed: The viral moment that changed everything for Sorrow and Bliss How to write in third person ventriloquist The parasocial reader-author dynamic at the heart of her new book Hanging out with Ann Patchett The discipline required to write seriously And a lot more! Show Notes: megmason.com Sophie, Standing There by Meg Mason [Amazon] Meg Mason Amazon Author Page⁠ Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram Kelton Reid Instagram Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices