Louise O'Neill

Because, you know, for women of my generation, like we have seen what has happened to child stars, you know, with,

Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan and Misha Barton and the Olsen twins.

Like, I mean, I could, you know, be here listing off names forever.

And I suppose having seen all of that play out throughout the early 2000s and, you know, with whatever happened to Madeline Stone, like, you know, it's a dual timeline and the past timeline is sort of like 2002, 2003, 2004.

You know, that obviously was a huge inspiration because that really, it's just growing up at that time, becoming a young woman at that time and watching what was happening to

famous women that were my age.

I think that really shaped, like, what I thought a woman should be, how I thought a woman should look.

But also, I think it was like a warning, almost, like, if you step out of line, you will be punished.

And, you know, I think we really saw that, particularly with Britney Spears.

Exactly.

No.

And I think that is the problem, I think, with being a child on set and with having that amount of responsibility that like, you know, all of the rest of the cast and crew, like their jobs really are reliant on you being

a good girl, being on time, doing what you're told, being, you know, pliable, being like manageable.

And I think because of that, as an adult, she's never really learned how to claim her own autonomy.

So I think, you know, throughout the process or throughout the narrative of whatever happened to Madeline Stone, so much of that is around also about Chelsea, like stepping into her power

And I think claiming that independence for herself would have such an important vein in the book.

I know, I know, I know.

But it does feel like, yeah, with Chelsea, that like she's gone from, I suppose, her mother, who is this, you know, very kind of like...

How will I put this kind of a Machiavellian almost presence in life?

I didn't hate her, though.