Biography

Born in Bradford, Yorkshire, I graduated from Liverpool University with an honours degree in English Literature and Film Studies. In 1993, at the age of twenty-three, I moved to London to be the editor of a puzzle magazine. Yes, puzzles! For someone who can never get that last crossword clue, it was pretty daunting, but it was my first break into the world of magazines and publishing, and I loved it. (And it turned out my job was making up the clues, not solving them – phew!)

In my spare time I was always writing articles and trying to get them published, until finally my persistence paid off. For the next five years I saw my features published in many of the big name British glossies – ELLE, Company, She, Red, More!, Here and Cosmopolitan, before travelling to Sydney, Australia, where I spent six months working for Australian Vogue and Cleo magazine.

However, for many years a dream of mine had been to write a novel and, in 1999, I finally took the plunge. Every lunchtime and spare weekend was spent working on my novel, What’s New, Pussycat? until finally I’d written three chapters, which I sent to several agents. I was so nervous waiting for their responses that I tried to forget all about it by going on holiday to Los Angeles to visit my sister. This was in the days before email, and so I couldn’t believe it when I returned home, checked my answering machine and discovered messages from several interested agents. The word 'excitement' doesn't even come close.

In the end I signed with my fabulous agent, Stephanie Cabot. She loved what I’d written so far, loved the character of Delilah, a girl from Yorkshire who moves to London with just her Tom Jones collection and her dog, and was eager to read the rest of the novel.
Now, all I had to do was write it!

So I took a gamble. I resigned from my job, sold my car, and gave myself a deadline of six months (which was when the proceeds from my car would run out). Within days of handing in the finished manuscript, a bidding war broke out between several interested publishers and I ended up signing a two-book deal. What’s New, Pussycat? was published in April 2000 and immediately made the bestseller lists. Proof that dreams really can come true.    

To date I’ve written seven romantic comedy novels and am currently working on my eighth. During these past ten years, I’ve sold the film rights to What’s New, Pussycat? and Calling Romeo, seen my books translated and published all over the world, including Germany, France, Poland, Russia, Greece, Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Thailand and Indonesia, appeared at the LA Book Festival, and been interviewed for the BBC, Channel 4’s Big Breakfast, ITVs Calendar, and in the US, ABC’s Nightline.

I was delighted when my fourth novel, Do You Come Here Often, was made book of the month, by Woman’s Day in Australia, and in May 2008 I was thrilled to win the Best New Fiction award for Me and Mr Darcy, at the Jane Austen Regency World Awards. 

Aside from novels, I’ve also contribued a short story - No Strings Attached - which was published in an anthology entitled Girl’s Night In in aid of the international charity: WarChild. More recently, while living in LA, I’ve had my own column in Celebrity Homes magazine, written features for Woman’s Own and Eve, and contributed to Elle by interviewing several celebrities, such as Samuel Jackson and Rachel Bilson. It’s a hard job, but someone’s got do it…

My latest book, Who’s That Girl? came out in the UK in January 2009 to rave reviews and made the bestseller lists straight away, thanks to my wonderful readers. It's due to be published next yer in the US under a different title, The Two Lives of Charlotte Merryweather, and has already been sold to Germany, France, Poland and Macedonia which is all really exciting stuff.

In the meantime, I'm hard at work writing my new book - this is going to be number eight! I still can't quite believe it...

My Writing Day

I’m often asked about my writing day and I understand the curiosity. I too find it fascinating to read about other authors and how they just sit down, turn on their computer and fire off 5000 words before lunchtime. Then take the rest of the day off.

Oh, if it only was so easy for me!
My writing day usually goes something like this…

Make coffee, check emails, go on the internet: read all the papers online, my horoscope, ichat my mum, call my fellow writer-friend to brainstorm, make more coffee, have lunch…
No, but seriously –
Actually, I am being serious.
Every day I go through this ritual. Only once I’ve exhausted every single possible excuse for procrastination, do I finally start writing.
Writers are experts at procrastination. For me, it’s mostly down to fear – the fear that I won’t be able to think of a single funny thing to write and I’m going to spend hours staring at a flashing cursor, my mind as blank as the screen in front of me.
I’ve written seven books and trust me, I still have those days.

So this is what I’ve learned:
Inspiration does not strike in the Zara changing rooms.
You’re bottom does not leave that chair until you’ve written something.
And a lot of somethings, eventually, make a novel.

What's next?

I’ve just finished my latest book which is very exciting! Without giving too much away it’s called You're The One That I Don't Want and is a romantic comedy about everyone’s desire to find their true soulmate, and what happens when you do... Set in New York, London, and Venice, Italy, it’s scheduled to be published in the UK in August 2010 – which seems ages away – but of course will be here in no time! Here is the back cover blurb:

What if you found your soulmate...
and then discovered you couldn’t lose him?

When Lucy meets Nate aged 18, it is love at first sight. As far as she’s concerned, he’s The One. Caught up in the whirlwind of first love, they kiss under the Bridge of Sighs in Venice at sunset and – according to the legend – are tied together indefinitely.

But ten years later, they’ve almost forgotten about each other. That is, until fate starts to bring them together. Again. And again. And again. It doesn’t seem as wonderful as it had before, but if Nate’s not The One – then why on earth is it proving so hard to break up with him?

A funny and magical romantic comedy about what happens when every girl’s dream of finding her dream man comes very true indeed...

Also - other exciting news - my fourth book 'Do You Come Here Often?' is being republished by Hodder in February 2010. It's one of my favourite books, and is about being single, finding love, and how it can all get very very complicated...

Contact me

I'd love to hear from you, please feel free to email me at, hello@alexandrapotter.com.
I'll try get back to you as soon as possible, but I'm super busy writing the new book, so please be patient!



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