About the author… Sarah May

She lives in Sussex, England, and as well as writing fiction teaches on Faber Academy’s six-month writing course, while her husband runs an arts organisation, Play On, helping people discover Shakespeare.

This novel was inspired by….

The original Rebecca Sharp. Even if you’ve never read Vanity Fair, chances are you’ve heard of this larger-than-life character. When she first stepped onto the stage in 1846, she broke the mould in terms of female protagonists, becoming fiction’s original bad girl – an orphan who has the courage and audacity to rail against circumstance by choosing to take control of her own destiny. This is where Becky’s universal appeal lies, the underdog who gets even, and why I’ve long wanted to retell her story.

Becky is an examination of female power and ambition, and its portrayal in the media. The tabloid press felt like a natural environment for Becky to launch herself into, and I wanted to capture this world at its zenith, which was of course the ’90s. A time when Princess Diana was spearheading a whole new brand of celebrity culture and the tabloids had the power to make or break a government.

The most challenging thing about writing it was…

Turning the scoops and scandals that defined the

’90s into key plot moments. Revisiting these seismic events many of us have lived through while introducing them to a whole new generation of readers too young to have experienced them first-hand was a fine balancing act. I was keenly aware of opening a door onto recent history. There’s a sense of responsibility that comes with that, along with the perspective that time gives.

My writing habits are…

Shaped by years of complicated childcare arrangements and school runs, I start early and frantically before flatlining around mid-afternoon. I try to write most days (long-hand in first draft, on the screen after that). A black lurcher dog is my constant companion.