The singer reveals how her personal life inspired her new young adult novel
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00:00 to sit down with Jerry Halliwell Horner.
00:02 Hi, Jerry.
00:03 I'm so excited to chat with you today.
00:05 There's so much to cover,
00:06 so let's start with your new fantasy novel,
00:08 "Rosie Frost and the Falcon Queen."
00:10 I actually heard it took you seven years to write this.
00:13 Now, this isn't your first book,
00:14 so walk me through this process.
00:16 How did you finally land here?
00:18 - I studied English literature before I was in the band.
00:21 ♪ So tell me what you want ♪
00:22 ♪ What you really, really want ♪
00:24 And I always liked the power of word.
00:26 I always felt confident in that bit.
00:28 Like, I'm no Mariah Carey.
00:30 (laughing)
00:31 - Oh, stop.
00:31 - But I like the songwriting bit.
00:33 - Yeah.
00:34 - Quite got the range.
00:35 (upbeat music)
00:36 Anyway, I always liked writing stories in that side of it.
00:41 And I'd written a children's book before for much younger.
00:44 And then I went to this agent and I said,
00:46 "Oh, should I just age her up and make a big story?"
00:48 And he went, and it was Harry Potter's agent.
00:50 His name was Christopher Little.
00:52 And he said to me, "No, start again."
00:55 - Did you draw from any real life inspiration
00:57 while writing the book?
00:58 - As a young person, I lost my dad when I was quite young.
01:02 And I felt embarrassed of my sadness and grief.
01:06 So I sort of put that in there a little bit.
01:10 It's there if you want it.
01:11 I mean, it's fast paced.
01:12 It's, you know, adventure.
01:14 It's a little bit vicious at times.
01:16 But underneath it, you're sort of processing
01:19 real emotions.
01:21 - Girl power is an important theme.
01:23 And I know it's an important theme in the book as well.
01:25 How has your idea of what girl power means
01:27 evolved over the years?
01:29 - Girl power to me actually means equality for everyone.
01:33 It's not just about your, you know, for women.
01:35 It's for everyone, whatever gender you are,
01:39 whether a cult you are.
01:40 We all want to, I think real love is just equal
01:44 and it's abundant.
01:46 - You're a mom and step-mom to three kids.
01:49 Do your kids get excited when you drop a new project?
01:51 And also, do they understand what a big deal you are?
01:53 - Someone said to me that this other little girl
01:57 went up to Monty, who's six,
01:58 and she went, "Your mummy's a Spice Girl."
02:01 As if to say, you know, that's cool.
02:03 And he's like, "Yeah, whatever."
02:04 He just wants to, you know, he's interested in his Lego.
02:06 Blue Boy, I think because the '90s, you know,
02:09 had that resurgence of coolness.
02:12 So I think she likes it, but you know what?
02:15 I think any parent can understand that they, you know,
02:18 they're in their own world.
02:20 - What did your husband, Christian, think about your book?
02:22 - I think your family or your partner
02:25 can be your best and worst critic, right?
02:27 They're like, and you know, you want their approval.
02:31 And I was always sort of going off into the,
02:34 I've got this little writing shed to write.
02:35 And then I said, "Oh, are you going to read it?"
02:37 And he said, "I'll wait.
02:38 I'll wait until it's published," right?
02:40 And so finally it's published.
02:42 I said, "Okay."
02:43 And he's going off on his travels.
02:45 I say, "Here's the book," right?
02:46 I ring him and I go, "Because the one I'm reading,
02:48 he's reading it on the plane."
02:49 He says, "Oh, it's much better
02:51 than I thought it was going to be," right?
02:54 Then he said to me, "Do you know what?
02:57 I can't put it down
03:00 because I just want to find out what happens next."
03:02 - If each of your kids had a Spice Girl name,
03:04 what would it be?
03:05 - Okay, so Monty, he does love Lego
03:09 and he built the Titanic, right?
03:14 Lego, which is for an 18 year old.
03:16 And he is absolutely obsessed with Celine Dion's
03:19 "My Heart Will Go On."
03:21 He's really quite precise and dedicated.
03:29 So I'd call him Precise Spice.
03:31 My stepdaughter, she's adorable
03:33 and she loves animals,
03:34 so I'd say she's Caring Spice.
03:37 And then Bluebell,
03:39 she's very dedicated and hardworking.
03:44 What would I call her?
03:45 - Hmm, what about Bar Spice?
03:49 - Yeah, she'd love that.
03:51 Perfect, Bar Spice, totally.
03:53 There you go.
03:54 I'll take that one.
03:55 - Last year, your dance party
03:57 with your fellow Spice Girls went viral.
03:59 And I think it's so amazing
04:00 that you guys are still in each other's lives
04:02 in this capacity.
04:03 What's the combo like when you catch up these days?
04:06 - If you went to school with someone or university,
04:09 it doesn't matter how long you've been apart
04:12 or your lives have gone
04:13 in completely different directions.
04:14 You find things in common, like motherhood,
04:18 but ultimately there's always that affection.
04:21 Like I feel love and protection towards them.
04:26 - Yeah.
04:27 - They're my sisters, so it's always a joy to see them.
04:29 I love being around them.
04:31 - And finally, pick a project
04:32 and plug it for the next 10 seconds, go.
04:35 - It's time to find your power,
04:37 no matter who you are,
04:38 Rosie Frost and the Falcon Queen,
04:41 it's for you.
04:42 Big kiss.
04:44 - Everyone, go pick up a copy of
04:45 Rosie Frost and the Falcon Queen out today.