Was there a particular story that was difficult to write?
Barbora Knobova: No, there wasn’t any story that I found difficult to write. When I was writing this book, it just felt wonderfully natural. As if I was talking to a friend over a cup of coffee and sharing my experience and opinions with her. Actually, I came up with many ideas doing just that, talking to my friends. Although it might sound like a cliché, to me writing is like breathing. I love it and nothing is too difficult to write, as long as I write what I like. Writing for magazines (I write for Elle and others) is a bit trickier. It’s more difficult to write articles required by the magazine, which I don’t always completely identify myself with.

Do you plan on writing another book, like this with a different topic?
Barbora Knobova: I’m just finishing a new book which takes place in Italy, specifically in Milan and its surroundings. It’s sensual, it’s funny and it’s charming. Again it’s a book of tales, this time about Italians, especially about all those wonderful Italian women I know. I would like my readers to become a part of the stories I write about, to feel that they actually are at the places that I describe. My grandma was Italian and Italy is my home away from home. I see it through different eyes than most people and I hope readers will find my book amusing, original and entertaining.

Do you have a favorite part of the book?
Barbora Knobova: There is no particular story that I prefer. However, I love the many facets of the book. There’s humor, there are emotions, there’s advice, a bit of psychology, the spirit of female friendship and the important message of self-love. It contains everything that women think about, dream about, talk about, it deals with most of their issues, with relationships, with men. I love especially the straightforwardness, honesty and irony of the book.

What made you decide to add the illustrations?
Barbora Knobova: It wasn’t my idea! A friend of mine who works in a publishing company told me: "I know this wonderful young artist that creates comic books. I think you might check out her work because her illustrations would suit your book perfectly." Nela read the manuscript and came up with wonderful illustrations. I didn’t have to tell her what to do, she understood me and the spirit of my book perfectly from the very beginning. Her illustrations are edgy, unconventional, funny and very feminine, just like my book.

What do you hope that your book will achieve?
Barbora Knobova: I have written this book for women. For women who are smart, independent, fun-loving and fearless. And also for women that are struggling and trying to find themselves and the right life path. For women who are young and still have many things to experience. And for women who have already had their share of life experience. It is simply a book for all women out there. And therefore I hope it will make women happy, I hope it will bring something special into their life. I hope it amuses them and I also hope it will help them with their issues and insecurities, should they have any. The message of the book is very strong and if women identify with my book, the message will be delivered, which is the most important thing for me and the reason why I wrote Tales for Delicious Girls.

Would you change any part of the book?
Barbora Knobova: No, I wouldn’t. I think it’s balanced and it contains everything it should contain. Actually, it turned out better than I hoped, and I wouldn’t change or add absolutely anything. I hope that my readers will feel the same when they read it.

What is the book Tales for Delicious Girls about?
Barbora Knobova: Tales for Delicious Girls is a humorous, ironic book about men and women and about female friendship. It deals with dating and relationship mishaps and funny situations that actually happened, no matter how incredible it may seem. I always say that it’s a book of many faces. Its main purpose is to entertain but when you read it you realize the book also shows women that the relationship they have with themselves is much more important than their relationships with men and other people who surround them. It helps them love themselves more, appreciate and respect themselves. The book also stresses the importance of female friendship in the life of every woman. I hope that my book makes women laugh and also helps them deal with any personal and relationship issues they may have.

Who is the book Takes for Delicious Girls for?
Barbora Knobova: I think it’s a book for smart women of all ages who have a sense of humor. I know that no matter how strong we are, how educated we are, how great our career is, sometimes we just get lost in the complicated web of relationships. The book shows that it is not really important whether you are single or have a significant other in your life because our relationships with other people, men, friends, family members, are much less important than we believe. I would like every woman to see herself as the pillar of her own life, her best friend. I would like every woman to love herself truly and to understand that relationships with men and friends make sense only when they make us happy and bring something special into our life. When a relationship becomes toxic and starts torturing us, something’s wrong. Women often tend to sacrifice themselves in relationships and compromise just a bit too much. My book shows them that when they have a healthy relationship with themselves and their life is happy and harmonious, it will make also their relationships with other people become happy and harmonious. Besides, they will also be able to recognize and embrace what brings them joy and drop what makes them miserable.

How long did it take you to write Tales for Delicious Girls?
Barbora Knobova: Actually, I wrote the book twice. First in Czech, which took me about six months. The first chapter I wrote was Beautiful Maxim, at that time it was just a story and I had no idea I would end up writing a book. People loved it and they encouraged me to write more. Actually, it was my mum who first told me I should write a book. In Czech, the book was published as "Stories for Big Girls" in the spring of 2008 and it became a big hit. I was surprised because I didn’t expect such an enthusiastic reaction. The book was nominated for two literary awards in the spring of 2009 and was listed among 25 best books of the year which I’m very proud of, of course. Anyway, the Czech book was published, but as most of my friends and relatives live in the States, in England and Italy and don’t speak Czech, they were disappointed they couldn’t read it. They convinced me to write a book in English. It is similar to the Czech version but I made many changes. Tales for Delicious Girls took me also about 6 months to write and I have to say that I’m even happier with the English version. I think that in many ways it’s funnier, more sarcastic, more ironic and also more mature.

How many books have you written so far?
Barbora Knobova: I’ve written three books in Czech and I’m finishing my second English book. It will be published in autumn 2009.

You are also a movie translator. How do you manage to translate movies and write at the same time?
Barbora Knobova: I’ve become an expert at multitasking! Besides writing books, I also write articles for Elle and for other magazines and e-zines. And I’m not ready to give up my movies just yet! I’ve been working as a freelance movie translator for twelve years and I’ve translated more than six hundred feature films, series and documentaries. I’m addicted to my work! I also taught at universities and language schools, I gave lessons at companies, I was a sworn translator and worked for courts, lawyers and public authorities, thanks to my language expertise. But my love for movie translations won. Besides, watching so many stories also encourages my fantasy and helps me write better, although when you do this work you stop enjoying movies and series as a viewer and perceive them mostly from the professional point of view. I miss the joy of going to the movies at weekends. But on the other hand, thanks to my work I realized a long time ago that romantic movies were a myth and had nothing to do with the real life. They influence and manipulate women and their emotions and make us believe that unless our relationship is a perfect Hugh-Grant-Julia-Roberts-romance, it’s not worth it. This is so dangerous! Ladies, do watch romantic movies, laugh and cry, but please, do not take them seriously and do not believe them. They are further from reality than you can imagine. Romantic movies are a sci-fi.