Sophie Kinsella

Madeleine Sophie Wickham is the eldest sister of fellow writers, Gemma and Abigail Townley. She was educated at Putney High School, St Mary's School, Shaftesbury and Sherborne School for Girls. She graduated from New College, Oxford, where she initially studied Music, but after a year switched to Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE).{{cite web|url=http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/w/madeleine-wickham|title=Madeleine Wickham profile|publisher=Fantasticfiction.co.uk|access-date=29 March 2012}} She worked as a financial journalist (including for Pensions World) before turning to writing fiction.{{cite news|last=Caldwell|first=Rebecca|title=Famous pen names|url=http://www.chatelaine.com/en/article/19613--famous-pen-names|access-date=30 March 2012|newspaper=Chatelaine|date=21 September 2010}}

At the age of 24, Kinsella wrote her first novel, which was published when she was 26. The Tennis Party was immediately hailed as a success by critics and the public alike and became a top ten bestseller. She went on to publish six more novels as Madeleine Wickham: A Desirable Residence, Swimming Pool Sunday, The Gatecrasher, The Wedding Girl, Cocktails for Three, and Sleeping Arrangements.

Wickham's first novel under the pseudonym Sophie Kinsella (taken from her middle name and her mother's maiden name)[http://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmakers2/2005-Fo-La/Kinsella-Sophie.html Profile], notablebiographies.com; accessed 12 December 2015. was submitted to her publishers anonymously and was enthusiastically received. She revealed her real identity for the first time when Can You Keep a Secret? was published in December 2003.{{cite web|url=http://www.sophiekinsella.co.uk/sophies-world/Biography|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100310075113/http://www.sophiekinsella.co.uk/sophies-world/Biography/|archive-date=10 March 2010|title=Biography|publisher=Sophie Kinsella|access-date=29 March 2012}}

Kinsella is best known for writing the Shopaholic novels series of chick lit novels, which focus on the misadventures of Becky Bloomwood, a financial journalist who cannot manage her own finances. Becky is also known for her relationship with Luke. The series focuses on her obsession with shopping and its resulting complications for her life. The first two Shopaholic books were adapted into a film and released in February 2009.{{Cite web |last=Riga |first=Jessica |date=18 April 2024 |title=Sophie Kinsella, bestselling British author of Shopaholic series, reveals 'aggressive' brain cancer diagnosis |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-18/author-sophie-kinsella-reveals-brain-cancer-diagnosis/103738856 |access-date=9 January 2025 |website=ABC News}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1093908/releaseinfo|title=Confessions of a Shopaholic release info|date=June 20, 2018|website=IMDb|access-date=June 20, 2018}}

"Shopaholic to the Rescue" was released on 22 October 2015; "Christmas Shopaholic" was released in October 2019. Her most recent standalone novels are My Not So Perfect Life (2017), Surprise Me (2018), I Owe You One (Feb 2019), Love Your Life (2020), The Party Crasher (2021), The Burnout (2023), and What Does It Feel Like? (2024).{{Cite web |last=Graeme |date=2014-09-28 |title=Sophie Kinsella |url=https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/sophie-kinsella/ |access-date=2024-07-01 |website=Book Series in Order}} In 2015, she branched into Young Adult writing with her first YA book, Finding Audrey, published in June 2015.{{Cite web |last=McClurg |first=Jocelyn |title=Exclusive excerpt from new Sophie Kinsella |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2015/01/29/sophie-kinsella-finding-audrey-young-adult-excerpt-shopaholic/22418127/ |access-date=2024-07-05 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}

A musical adaptation of Kinsella's novel Sleeping Arrangements by Chris Burgess was premiered on 17 April 2013 in London at [https://web.archive.org/web/20130307230327/http://www.landortheatre.co.uk/ the Landor Theatre].

Kinsella was shortlisted as "Author of the Year" in 2025, by British Book Awards.{{Cite web |title=Author of the Year 2025 {{!}} The British Book Awards |url=https://www.thebookseller.com/british-book-awards-content/author-of-the-year |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=The Bookseller |language=En}} In 2024, her novel What Does It Feel Like? was selected as one of The New York Times' 100 Notable Books of the Year.{{Cite news |last=Staff |first=The New York Times Books |date=2024-11-26 |title=100 Notable Books of 2024 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/11/26/books/notable-books.html |access-date=2024-11-30 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} The novel was also listed as one of the five best of the year by The Guardian.{{Cite news |last=Colgan |first=Jenny |date=2024-12-02 |title=Five of the best romance books of 2024 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/dec/02/five-of-the-best-romance-books-of-2024 |access-date=2024-12-09 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}

In 1991, Kinsella married Henry Wickham, whom she had met at Oxford. A schoolmaster, he became head of Lockers Park Preparatory School and now manages her business affairs. They live in Dorset and London and have four sons and a daughter.{{cite web|url=http://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/births/115278/wickham|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723072145/http://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/births/115278/wickham|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 July 2011|title=WICKHAM – Births Announcements – Telegraph Announcements|publisher=Announcements.telegraph.co.uk|date=15 April 2010|access-date=29 March 2012}}{{Cite web |date=2024-04-17 |title=Sophie Kinsella: Author reveals brain cancer diagnosis |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy0lx85z89mo#:~:text=She%20told%20her%20followers:%20%22At,' |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}

In 2024, Kinsella revealed she had glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer which she was diagnosed with in late 2022.{{cite web |last1=Kinsella |first1=Sophie |title=Sharing some news |url=https://www.sophiekinsella.co.uk/news/sharing-some-news/ |access-date=17 April 2024}}

The Shopaholic series

1. The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic (also titled Confessions of a Shopaholic) (2000)
2. Shopaholic Abroad (also titled Shopaholic Takes Manhattan) (2001)
3. Shopaholic Ties The Knot (2001)
4. Shopaholic & Sister (2004)
5. Shopaholic & Baby (2007)
6. Mini Shopaholic (2010)
7. Shopaholic to the Stars (2014)
8. Shopaholic on Honeymoon (2014) — short story
9. Shopaholic to the Rescue (2015)
10. Christmas Shopaholic (2019)

• Can You Keep a Secret? (2003)
• The Undomestic Goddess (2005)
• Remember Me? (2008)
• Twenties Girl (2009)
• I've Got Your Number (2011)
• Wedding Night (2013)
• My Not So Perfect Life (2017)
• Surprise Me (2018)
• I Owe You One (2019)
• Love Your Life (2020)
• The Party Crasher (2021)
• The Burnout (2023)
• What Does It Feel Like (2024)

• Girls Night In (2004) (an omnibus of novels, along with many authors including Meg Cabot and Jennifer Weiner)
• Finding Audrey (2015) (a young adult novel)
• Mummy Fairy and Me (2018) (an illustrated series for young readers)

• The Tennis Party (1995) (re-released as 40 Love in 2011)
• A Desirable Residence (1996)
• Swimming Pool Sunday (1997)
• The Gatecrasher (1998)
• The Wedding Girl (1999)
• Cocktails for Three (2000)
• Sleeping Arrangements (2001)

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official website}}
• [http://www.randomhouse.com.au/Authors/Default.aspx?Page=Author&ID=Kinsella,%20Sophie Sophie Kinsella at Random House Australia]

{{Sophie Kinsella}}

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Category:Alumni of New College, Oxford

Category:English women novelists

Category:British chick lit writers

Category:Living people

Category:People educated at Putney High School

Category:Writers from the London Borough of Wandsworth

Category:People educated at St Mary's School, Shaftesbury

Category:1969 births

Category:20th-century pseudonymous writers

Category:21st-century pseudonymous writers

Category:Pseudonymous women writers