SOPHIE KINSELLA ‘I’M AN OLD-FASHIONED ROMANTIC!’

In Sophie Kinsella’s new book Surprise Me, Dan and Sylvie decide to add some surprises into their marriage to keep things interesting. And it begs the question: does Sophie incorporate the same practice into her own life? “My husband and I have given each other many surprises. Some have been amazingly successful, and some have totally backfired!” she tells us. “One of the best was when he bought tickets for an opera at La Scala in Milan and whisked me off to Italy for my birthday.” Wow! Sophie herself is a big believer in romance and courtship. “The old-fashioned rituals of courtship are delicious and tantalising, and it’s a shame if we’ve lost them for good. I adore a good love letter, rather than a text. I also recently started ballroom dancing and it’s wonderfully romantic to be swept around the room by a man. We should bring that back!” SURPRISE ME by Sophie Kinsella (Penguin Random House, $32.99) is out now.