Jo Watson has made a career out of bringing readers sparkling banter, swoon-worthy romance, exotic destinations and characters who can’t stop falling in and out of trouble. The bestselling South African author is known for contemporary romances for both adults and teens, including the Destination Love series, Big Boned and Love to Hate You, which has sold more than 100,000 copies.
Her latest novel, Undercover Honeymoon (Jonathan Ball), is a romantic adventure packed with fake dating, second chances and high-stakes intrigue. Private investigator Lizzie is hired to investigate a cheating spouse, only to find herself face to face with Cam, the ex she has never quite forgiven. When the pair’s separate investigations collide, they are forced to pose as a honeymooning couple in the Seychelles. What follows is a fast-paced mix of forced proximity and criminal intrigue, as Lizzie and Cam attempt to stay one step ahead of danger, all while navigating feelings they thought were long behind them.
We caught up with Watson to find out about the books she loves, the music she’d take to a desert island and the objects she couldn’t live without.
What’s the best book you’ve read in the past year, and why?
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman. I’m currently on a full-blown Backman binge. He has this uncanny ability to make you laugh at something that seems totally ridiculous and then a few seconds later, after your laughter has tapered off somewhat, you realise that what he’s actually just done is make the most profound observations about being human. He’s quite brilliant!
How do you keep fit?
Well, this is a very uncomfortably well-timed question. For the past few weeks I’ve been telling myself every single day that today is the day I need to start exercising again. So I am going to choose to interpret this interview question as the universe getting a little impatient with my lack of action. However, by the time this is published I’d like to be able to report that I am the kind of person who voluntarily and happily exercises.
Week-night, low-key restaurant go-to?
We live out in the countryside, so our “local” options are fairly interesting. There’s a Portuguese restaurant at a motel called Nikita; it has this lovely deserted, horror-movie, motel vibe, so that’s always a bonus.
What is the one artwork you’ll always love, and why?
This is an impossible question to answer as an art lover and collector. I love far too many works, but there is one painting that I could spend hours staring at: The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch. It’s one of the most fascinating paintings ever created and every time I look at it, my eye lands somewhere else and discovers something completely new. It’s chaotic, somewhat grotesque, beautifully bizarre and gloriously unsettling.
Do you have a hobby? What is it?
Just one? If you follow me on social media, you’ll discover I have a new hobby roughly every 24 hours. My autism dictates that I learn absolutely everything possible about my new chosen craft, while my ADHD whispers in my ear that I could easily turn book bedazzling into a full-time business by the end of the week.
Who was your high school celebrity crush?
Probably Johnny Depp. I had to think about that for a surprisingly long time because most of my high school years were spent in a chill room at a rave, so most of that time is a very hazy blur of glow sticks and Tiger Balm. And also, I’m not a very “celebrity crush” type person, I have a natural aversion to celebrityhood.
Three songs you’d take to a desert island?
They’d all be Depeche Mode. I fell in love with them when I was eight and heard Question of Time for the first time, and they’ve been my favourite band ever since. So, after nearly four decades of listening to them, I tend to cycle through different songs depending on how I’m feeling at the time. Right now I’d take Ghosts Again from Memento Mori; Never Let Me Down Again, but the live version, because being in a stadium with tens of thousands of people all waving their arms in unison and singing loudly is as close to a religious experience as I’ve ever had; and Waiting for the Night from Violator.
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Top image: supplied.
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