Jessica Fellowes on writing when deaf, Downton superfans and blending fact and fiction

This was SUCH a fun, funny and fascinating conversation. Jessica Fellowes is a journalist and the author of books ranging from Mud and the City: Dos and Don'ts for Townies in the Country to her wildly successful series of Mitford Murders books, which fuse historical fact and fiction. Our conversation was as varied and quirky as that output suggests. I loved hearing about her most recent novel, the Mitford Trial, as well as how her deafness has informed her writing (and how she managed as a gossip columnist with it), working with her uncle Julian Fellowes on the Downton companion books (and touring the world as a result), how lockdown has affected her creativity, why she always interviews her characters - and why writing tips are (mostly) useless. By the book here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-mitford-trial/jessica-fellowes/9780751573954 Twitter: @jessicafellowes/ @aliceazania Instagram: @author_jessicafellowes / @aliceazania Edited by Chelsey Moore