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Millions of readers grew up with your books and are navigating adult life themselves now. Did you write Picture Imperfect with that generation in mind?
Picture Imperfect is a standalone, and you certainly don’t need to have read my children’s book The Illustrated Mum to enjoy it - but it’s an extra bonus for anyone who did read the original story when Dolphin was ten years old! My daughter once asked me if I’d ever thought about all the fictional children I’d invented now that they’re about forty and I was delighted with the idea.

As a Dame and former Children’s Laureate with over 40 million books sold, how does it feel moving from writing for children to writing something this personal for adults?
I’m still very happy to write children’s books (a new one, Esme Pepper, comes out in August) but it’s very exciting now writing for adults too. It stretches me more and gives me a bit more freedom - and I can address bolder issues.

What conversations do you hope Picture Imperfect sparks between mums and daughters who read The Illustrated Mum together the first time round?
I’ve already had conversations with quite a few at special events when the book was published as a hardback. I’m pleased that both the mums and the daughters remember The Illustrated Mum fondly and are now having fun discussions about this adult sequel.

If the kids who grew up on Tracy Beaker picked up Picture Imperfect today, what do you think would surprise them most about “grown up” Jacqueline Wilson?
I’m writing about adults so obviously they have adult relationships. Maybe my frankness might come as a surprise!

The novel follows Dolphin trying to stop living for everyone else’s approval and finally start dressing, and living, for herself. Was there a message about self-image you wanted adult readers to take from it?
I think if you’ve got into the habit of having to put other people first when you’re a child, it’s very difficult to assert yourself when you’re an adult and remember that one of the people you need to please is your own self. Sometimes you’re not sure who your real self is, and what you really want, but I do think it’s possible to take a chance on a new way of life and flourish.

JD Williams is all about celebrating real bodies over airbrushed perfection. Did that spirit of “imperfect is beautiful” find its way into how you wrote Dolphin’s journey?
I think at long last most women are starting to accept themselves the way they are. We want pretty, comfortable, easy-to-wear clothes that don’t cost a fortune, no matter our style, shape or age. Dolphin gradually learns to accept and value herself for who she is, rather than compare herself with her beautiful, successful sister.

Fashion and self-expression run through so much of your writing. What’s your own relationship with clothes and how you present yourself to the world?
My mum always wanted me to wear pastel dresses and look like a little lady, whereas I always hankered after a very different colourful style until I was a teenager, when I longed to wear black from head to pointed toe. I still wear a lot of black, and I love wearing special silver rings and bangles.