# Read the first page of What Does It Feel Like? by Sophie Kinsella Read the opening of What Does It Feel Like? by Sophie Kinsella free, no signup. A novelist faces a life-changing diagnosis and learns to live and love again. - Page: https://uncovered.ink/read/what-does-it-feel-like-sophie-kinsella - Genre: Romance - Year: 2024 - ISBN: 9780593977576 - Read it blind (cover and title hidden): https://uncovered.ink/?b=9780593977576&s=read-page - Buy: https://bookshop.org/a/125786/9780593977576 - Borrow: https://search.worldcat.org/search?q=9780593977576 ## The opening “And now,” says the nice interviewer from Modern Woman magazine, “how does it feel to be writing your seventh book?” “It feels terrific,” lies Eve. “I’m really thrilled to be working on it and I can’t wait to share it with all my readers.” It’s a nightmare. The words have jammed up for weeks and I don’t know what I’m doing. Everything feels turgid; everything feels pointless. Why did I want to be an author again? “Can you tell us anything about it?” probes the interviewer. “Yes, it’s a long family saga about a family called the Wilsons, set between the wars in a large country house.” “It sounds wonderful!” “Well, thank you,” says Eve, feeling unconvinced. “We can’t wait to read it! And now, I know our readers will want to ask: Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?” “Yes,” says Eve, who has answered this question about twenty-five thousand times and has therefore honed her thoughts. “I do, actually. My advice is to write the book you would like to read yourself. Visualize going into a bookshop and finding the perfect book. The book you would buy immediately. What does it look like? What’s it about? What genre is it? Then write that book. And above all, write the truth. Write what you know and do it convincingly. I don’t mean write nonfiction,” she clarifies. “I mean write the truth about life, whatever genre you’re in.” “Very wise advice. And now,” says the interviewer, “moving on to your personal life, you have five children! How on earth do you manage to write?” “Well, my husband is brilliant,” says Eve honestly. “I couldn’t do it without him. For example, today he’s taken all the children off for a picnic so I can write.” “What a star!” “He is. And we work as a team. I mean, it’s always busy. We’re always frantic. But it was our decision to have a large family and we love it.” “Well, thank you,” says the interviewer. “That wraps it up. Thank you very much, and best of luck with the new book.” “Thank you very much,” replies Eve. “Have a good day!” She puts down the phone, deflates with a sigh, and looks unenthusiastically at her computer screen. Back to the writing. She has an empty house; there’s no excuse. The trouble is, she’s lost any enthusiasm she once had for her plot, and there are still eighty thousand words to go. The trouble is, I don’t care about these stupid Wilsons anymore, muses Eve gloomily. I don’t care if Mr. Wilson loses his job, and I don’t care if Harriet Wilson gets it together with the stable boy, and I don’t even care if Britain goes to war. She contemplates making a cup of coffee—then reconsiders. Maybe she’ll go and sit in a coffee shop and search for inspiration there. As she slams the front door behind her, she immediately feels lighter. There we are. She just needed a bit of fresh air. She saunters down the street, enjoying the sunshine and the alluring shop fronts coming into view. She’s nearly into Wimbledon Village, the chi-chi high street with expensive shops and cafes on both sides of the road, and— Oh my God. She stops dead outside a boutique she’s visited often before. The window is empty apart from one mannequin, wearing a dress, and as she looks at it, Eve’s heart flips over. It’s not just any dress; it’s a magical, silvery goddess of a dress, made of taupe silk and silver scalloped sequins. From the beaded shoestring straps to the tiny little train, it’s perfect. It’s an Oscar-winning dress. It would suit her perfectly. She just has to try it on. The Wilsons and their crumbling country house have vanished from her mind as she ventures inside the shop and asks to try on the silver sequined dress. ## Books with a similar feel - [One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle](https://uncovered.ink/read/one-italian-summer-rebecca-serle.md) - [9-Nov by Colleen Hoover](https://uncovered.ink/read/9-nov-colleen-hoover.md) - [Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert](https://uncovered.ink/read/get-a-life-chloe-brown-talia-hibbert.md) - [The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren](https://uncovered.ink/read/the-true-love-experiment-christina-lauren.md) - [Seven Days in June by Tia Williams](https://uncovered.ink/read/seven-days-in-june-tia-williams.md) - [The Good, the Bad, and the Dumped by Jenny Colgan](https://uncovered.ink/read/the-good-the-bad-and-the-dumped-jenny-colgan.md) --- Source: Uncovered (https://uncovered.ink). A short sample shown for reading and discovery. Rights holders can request removal at https://uncovered.ink/takedown.