The late author Sophie Kinsella played a pivotal role in encouraging fellow writer Jojo Moyes to complete her bestselling romance novel, “Me Before You.”

In an appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, Moyes credited Kinsella with providing the inspiration to persevere with the book, at a time when she nearly abandoned the project after writing 20,000 words.

The novel went on to become an international bestseller and was adapted into a 2016 film starring Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin.

Kinsella, whose real name was Madeleine Sophie Wickham, received a diagnosis of an aggressive form of brain cancer in 2022 and passed away earlier this month at the age of 55.

Speaking with Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, Moyes recounted how she nearly ceased writing her bestselling novel, citing feelings of discouragement after experiencing years of limited commercial success.

She stated: “I met up with my friend Sophie Kinsella and had lunch with her, and I was broke at the time and I was feeling quite depressed because I thought my writing career was coming to an end.”

“I told her the story of my 20,000 words over lunch, and she just looked at me, and she said, ‘You have to write this book, you do know that? You have to write this book’.”

“When I got home, her husband, Henry, called me up and said, ‘Jojo, Maddy… told me about this book, and I think you should write it too’.”

“I love her for many reasons, but that’s one of them.”

The “Me Before You” series chronicles the life of Louisa Clark, a working-class woman who becomes a caregiver for Will Traynor, a wealthy man left paraplegic following a motorcycle accident.

The book’s narrative was inspired by a news report Moyes encountered regarding a young rugby player who became quadriplegic after an accident and subsequently persuaded his parents to assist him in seeking assisted dying at a clinic in Switzerland.

“I knew I loved this book, and I knew it was the best version of itself that it could be, but I had no idea it was going to resonate in the way that it did,” she told Laverne.

The late author Sophie Kinsella played a pivotal role in encouraging fellow writer Jojo Moyes to complete her bestselling romance novel, *Me Before You*.

During an appearance on BBC Radio 4’s *Desert Island Discs*, Moyes revealed that Kinsella inspired her to persevere with the book, even when she considered abandoning it after writing only 20,000 words.

*Me Before You* achieved international acclaim and was subsequently adapted into a 2016 film starring Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin.

Kinsella, whose legal name was Madeleine Sophie Wickham, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer in 2022 and passed away earlier this month at the age of 55.

Speaking with Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 4’s *Desert Island Discs*, Moyes recounted how she nearly abandoned her bestselling novel due to discouragement following years of limited commercial success.

“I met up with my friend Sophie Kinsella and had lunch with her. I was broke at the time and feeling quite depressed because I thought my writing career was coming to an end,” she stated.

“I told her the story of my 20,000 words over lunch, and she just looked at me and said, ‘You have to write this book, you do know that? You have to write this book’.”

“When I got home, her husband, Henry, called me up and said, ‘Jojo, Maddy… told me about this book, and I think you should write it too’.”

“I love her for many reasons, but that’s one of them,” Moyes added.

The *Me Before You* series follows the life of Louisa Clark, a working-class woman who becomes a caregiver for Will Traynor, a wealthy paraplegic man paralyzed after a motorcycle accident.

The book’s narrative was inspired by a news report Moyes encountered about a young rugby player who became quadriplegic following an accident and subsequently persuaded his parents to facilitate his assisted dying at a Swiss clinic.

“I knew I loved this book, and I knew it was the best version of itself that it could be, but I had no idea it was going to resonate in the way that it did,” she told Laverne.