Sophie Kinsella

There is something exciting about saving up for a special treat. Bring back the piggy bank!

If you want something you can't afford, think what else that money could buy: a week's groceries, a month's rent, or a weekend away. That will put things into perspective.

The great thing about being a novelist is that you organize your own day.

My own theory is that we are in the middle of a dramatic and broad technological and economic shift in which software companies are poised to take over large swathes of the economy.

Children don't need much advice but they really do need to be listened to and not just with half an ear.

I studied international relations and economics at the University of Virginia. I paid my way by working as a bartender in the summer and at three part-time jobs during the year.