I think my humour is a bit silly for the Americans, and probably too English, but they do sell well on the Continent. My books are published all over the world but not half as much as in England and I think they sell very well in Australia and New Zealand but never colossally in America.

Do your readers vary in different countries?

Your books are published all over the world. Rupert’s daughter Bianca suggests he become joint owner of a local football team and his wife says only if he can sign up Safety Car! I think I’ll have fun writing a book about football. At the end of Mount!, Rupert’s lovely horse Safety Car is playing football with his two Jack Russells, Gilchrist and Cuthbert. I’m so pleased you’re pleased to have Rupert Campbell-Black back! Actually he was never away, he was a sort of deus ex machina in all the books but wasn’t centre stage so I thought it would be fun to make him centre stage in this one. It’s great to have Rupert Campbell Black back! Will you re-visit him in future? I was so excited, I used to read on when she wasn’t looking and had to pretend how excited I was when she read the chapter I’d already read.

My mother used to read her books out loud to me. I also loved Pigling Bland, where Pigling Bland and Pigwig escape from going to market to be eaten and run away together with the beautiful ending “over the hills and far away she danced with Pigling Bland”.Īs I got older I became obsessed with horses so I enjoyed the Pullein-Thompson books which were absolutely brilliantly written because they were full of wonderful quotations and heroism and terrific characters, and there was always a sweet little girl who couldn’t afford a pony but would be lent one and then win every prize at the end at the local Gymkhana because she worked so hard! They were lovely stories. My mother read hugely to me so everything from George McDonald, Princess and the Goblin, The Wind in the Willows, particularly Beatrix Potter’s The Tailor of Gloucester and Tom Kitten, behaving very badly at the party and all his buttons coming off as he climbed up the rockery. Who were your literary influences as you were growing up? Jilly has recently published the latest in the Rutshire Chronicles, Mount! She has written novels, children's books and non-fiction, but is possibly best known for The Rutshire Chronicles, her series of bestsellers that includes Riders, Rivals and Polo, each of which have sold more than a million copies. Jilly Cooper OBE began her career as a journalist.

Jilly cooper riders books in order