To mark the 50th anniversary of the publishing of ‘Lives and Loves of a She Devil’, the book’s Swedish publishers needed an interview with Fay Weldon for publicity. As a life long fan of Ms Weldon’s work, I am delighted to say that Skylark Media Group was asked to produce it.

Fay Weldon

We drove down to Devon where Fay showed us around her comfortable and relaxed Georgian home. She offered us the choice of filming at the long rectory table in the kitchen, in the drawing room (where the noise from a crackling fire made filming impossible), or in the book lined library – which is where we chose.

The floor to ceiling book cases on all four walls were bursting with her extensive collection of books that reflected eclectic range of passions and interest. On the floor, teetering piles of books covered topics from psychology to European travel to politics. I could have spent many hours happily absorbed in the diverse titles around me.

Fay herself looked every part the literary heroine, in floating jacket and gold flecked velvet scarf and the interview she gave was enthralling. She told us about her early days, raised by a single mother, who worked her fingers to the bone to make sure that Fay and her sister always had enough to eat each day – at a minimum, an orange and an egg. She spoke of her love for her philandering father and the joy she had breaking the mould with her alternative lifestyle during the 60s. She reflected on ‘Lives and Loves of a She Devil’ and revealed that there is currently a plan to make it into a musical – something that both amuses and delights her.

Fay is now happily married, writing a new book and teaching writing courses to those lucky enough to live in her community.

Other celebrities interviewed by Jo Haywood of Skylark Media Group include Terry Jones, Michael Heseltine and Jamie Oliver.