‘As a sober person, I don’t think I’ll ever NOT be able to write about addiction’

OR THINK LIKE A NORMY –

May, 23, 2024 – The release of Cleopatra and Frankenstein was five years in the making. Coco Mellors started writing it while studying for a prestigious MFA in Fiction at New York University, working as a fashion copywriter by day and struggling with alcoholism and partying hard by night. Having gotten sober at 26 she finished her book, and sold it following a long string of 30 rejections from publishers. After being delayed by lockdown, it made its way into the world. And now with book two, she is busier than she’s ever been — and happier. “I should be doing the interview on the treadmill — the true multitasking way!” she jokes. And her life is akin to one already, with several months of appearances, meetings and signings ahead, as she promotes Blue Sisters in the US and UK, all while she works on a third novel, oversees a TV adaptation for Cleopatra and Frankenstein (rights were sold to Warner Bros in 2022), and not least; juggles being a new mum to her six-month-old son, Indigo. “I’m literally taking my baby with me on this book tour!” she says.

Fans eagerly awaiting Blue Sisters will not be disappointed. It explores themes of love (this time the sisterly kind) and addiction with the same deft hand as her debut, as it flits between the lives of three siblings. There is Avery, an ostensibly sensible lawyer who resides in Hampstead, London; the sweet Bonnie, a boxer who we meet in Venice Beach, LA; and the chaotic, fast-living model, Lucky, who is based in Paris.