To celebrate our charity collaboration with The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival, we're sitting down with Lex Croucher, author of Gwen And Art Are Not In Love, to talk about the inspirations behind her latest book and what she reads for pleasure!

Anne Reading For Pleasure Slogan Sweatshirt

Hi Lex! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Hello! I’m an author, I live in London, and I have an elderly rescue cat who knows how to high-five. I’ve written three historical rom-coms for adults set in the Regency era (REPUTATION, INFAMOUS, and TROUBLE), and my first book for teenagers, GWEN AND ART ARE NOT IN LOVE, was released in May.

We love your books at Joanie, especially Reputation! Who are your books aimed at and what’s the key message in the stories?

I like to think my books are for everybody! I think they’re especially for people who enjoy a bit of fun and rebellion in their historical fiction and for anyone who likes to read about friendships and found families alongside romance storylines. They’re definitely not for historical purists or people horrified by swearing. I’m afraid I love a well-placed swear word.

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers looking to start their own book?

Writing a book can be really hard, so you should only do it if you’re genuinely having fun. I discarded a lot of ideas before writing REPUTATION because every time I sat down to work on them, I realised I’d rather be watching TV and/or asleep. I was writing around my full-time job, so the book had to be something really exciting I was looking forward to at the end of the workday. Honestly, I don’t see the point if you’re not having a good time!

Outside of your work, what do you get up to in your spare time?

I spend as much of my free time as possible wafting about in the countryside and haunting National Trust properties, trying on all the slightly musty dressing-up clothes. I take up a lot of hobbies and discard them when I’m not instantly good at them, but this winter, I’m hoping to pick up my crochet hook again to fashion myself some wrist warmers and maybe get really, upsettingly into ice skating.

Do you have an all-time favourite book or one that particularly inspired you growing up?

I find it hard to pick my favourite books! I reread THE SECRET HISTORY every autumn as a little ceremony to mark the weather turning, so it might be the book I’ve read the most, and I do absolutely love it. I also love Tamsyn Muir’s THE LOCKED TOMB series, though, which is about necromancers fighting a war in space, so my taste is… varied.

Finally, which Joanie pieces are you loving most at the moment?

My Natural History Museum X Joanie Flora and Fauna Boilersuit is getting a LOT of wear. It’s perfect for this time of year and especially good for events because it can be dressed up or down and is so ridiculously comfy. I’m also very excited to take my Natural History Museum X Joanie Coral Print Bucket Hat on holiday to Spain - hoping for some sun so that I can put it to good use!