Alexandra Potter, who grew up in Great Horton and later Clayton, published her novel Confessions of a forty-something f**k up’ in December 2020, with the paperback hitting the shops in January this year. The book has gone on to sell more than 50,000 copies in the UK across all formats, has been translated into 11 languages, and will now be made into a TV series by Disney's ABC network in Hollywood.

She was, she says, “over the moon” when she found out. “I was in Portugal with my husband when I heard. It was Friday night and we were in a little town and, as it was out of season, we couldn’t find a restaurant that was open. We were ordering a takeout pizza when I got the call from my agent in Los Angeles to tell me the exciting news. She told me to go out and celebrate - so we celebrated by sitting on a bench in a beautiful old square eating takeout pizza and saying, ‘I can’t believe it! I can’t believe it!’ over and over.”

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Celia Walden called Nell - the book’s heroine - 'the new Bridget Jones for our Covid-ridden times.’

Alexandra's book is to be turned into a TV series

Says Alexandra: “I’m not involved with the casting process, but I’m very excited to see who is going to be chosen to play the parts of Nell and Cricket.

“I am so lucky to have two amazing, experienced TV writers - Casey Johnson and David Windsor – adapting my novel. I’m totally happy to leave it in their very capable hands while I get on with writing the sequel.”

The author of 12 novels, Alexandra is releasing her 13th, One Good Thing, in May. Set in the Yorkshire Dales, where her mum now lives, it’s an engaging and heartfelt tale of midlife, new beginnings, cross generational friendships, local communities and an old scruffy rescue dog. 

“As a writer, I am fascinated by people’s stories, and the seeds for this one were planted when I adopted a rescue dog,” she says. “Dogs are amazing, they greet every stranger as a friend, and during our short walks around the neighbourhood I met so many people from so many different walks of life. I was so inspired by this; “I wanted to explore how we can change each other’s lives by random acts of kindness and how the little stories in life ending up being the big stories. Something, which took on even more relevance during the pandemic, when the support of our communities became more important than ever.”

Alexandra's new book

She adds: “This novel is about the very real and difficult issues we all face in life, but it’s about friendship, finding happiness and living the life unexpected. It’s about how, when life falls apart, all you need is one good thing to make life worth living again.  Ultimately I wanted the  take-away message to be heartwarming and uplifting.”

Alexandra had no doubt that the book should be set in the Dales. “Being from Yorkshire, I wanted to celebrate the incredible landscape and the wonderful warmth of its people. My dad always used to say the Yorkshire Dales are twinned with paradise and after reading this book, I think you’ll agree.”

A former pupil at Waverley Middle and Thornton Upper schools, Alexandra’s love of writing started at an early age. “I remember writing stories in primary school - I still have the first novel I wrote aged nine.

“As children, my sister and I used to adore visiting the Bronte Parsonage Museum in Haworth. We were fascinated by the miniature books written by the sisters, so much so we created our own.

“I was very lucky to have wonderful teachers who encouraged my love of writing and English literature. I studied A-Level English at Thornton Upper and our amazing teacher Chris Abbott - who now has an OBE - drove those of us studying English to London to see Judi Dench and Anthony Hopkins in Peter Hall’s production at the National Theatre. How lucky was I.”

Alexandra, who moved to Los Angeles and now lives in London, has happy memories of growing up in Bradford. “ We lived in Great Horton opposite the park, where we used to play as children. We later moved to Clayton, where we were surrounded by fields. I walked home from school across the fields.

“I had a Saturday job at HMV, which I adored. I remember summers spent playing in hayfields, despite having terrible hay fever.”

Other fond memories include walking around Bolton Abbey, visiting Haworth and the Bronte Parsonage and enjoying Christmas pantomimes at The Alhambra. 

“I enjoy going down memory lane with my best friend from school whenever I return to Yorkshire and Bolton Abbey and Haworth are still places I regularly visit. I also love visiting Salts Mill.” 

She is forever mulling over possible storylines for novels. “My mind  is always whirring away, even when I’m not writing. I am fascinated by people and character and relationships - what motivates people do the things they do. I am forever asking myself the question: ‘What if…?’ I always have lots of ideas, but you have to ask yourself ‘Does this story have legs?’ It’s easy to think of an opening scene, but can you sustain this for 100, 000 words or 500 pages?” 

She is often asked whether she bases characters on people she knows or has met.

“I write fiction and one of the most fun things for me is creating characters from my imagination. As a child I used to live in a world of make-believe – and, to a great extent, that’s what I now do as an adult. That’s one of the reason why  - when people ask me who they see playing a certain character in one of my novels – I’m always unable to come up with a real-life actor, as to me, my fictional characters are already real people. When I am writing, I live with them in my head all day every day, I have conversations with them, I worry about them, I laugh with them, and I miss them when I finish a novel and they are gone. Slightly bonkers I know.”

She is currently writing her 14th novel. “It’s quite crazy when I think about it - I still have to pinch myself that I get to do the job I always dreamed of.”

*One Good Thing by Alexandra Potter is published by Pan Macmillan.
*Alexandra is appearing on Tuesday May 10 at 2.30pm at a meet the author and cream tea event at The Stripey Badger Bookshop in Grassington. 

*Alexandra is in conversation with author Milly Johnson on Wednesday May 11 from 6.30pm to 8pm at Waterstones, York.

*On Thursday May 12, at 6.30pm, she is taking part in a book signing at Truman Bookshop, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds.

sday May 12 at 6.30pm