This followed an earlier big-screen adaptation of his first novel Starter For Ten, starring a young James McAvoy, Rebecca Hall and Benedict Cumberbatch, all of whom have gone on to mega-stardom.įilming of Us starts this summer while Nicholls is on the book tour for Sweet Sorrow – a coming-of-age story set in 1997, about 16-year old school leaver Charlie Lewis who reluctantly joins an amateur dramatics group staging a production of Romeo And Juliet, so he can pursue the girl he's fallen for.

Since it was published in 2009, it has sold more than five million copies worldwide, and spawned a hit movie adaptation in 2011 starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess. It was Nicholls's third novel, One Day – in which one-night lovers spend 20 years finding and losing each other – which really raised his profile. And I love going for long walks, often by myself.' I haven't relaxed in recent memory, but I do love my work. 'I've always been anxious about work, missing deadlines and getting things wrong, and my work not being as good as it can be, but I don't want to overstate the anxiety because I am very lucky.' I haven't had that for three years,' Nicholls (52) confesses. I feel if I can just make it to October then I can have a day without deadlines. He blames the anxiety and sleepless nights on the fact he's currently working on a new BBC One four-part adaptation of his last novel, Us, starring The Night Manager and Rev's Tom Hollander, and at the same time embarking on a major book tour for his new one, Sweet Sorrow.

Meeting the amiable author, who is softly spoken and naturally quite shy, you get the impression that he's more comfortable putting his heartfelt emotions, humour and nostalgic thoughts down on paper, than articulating them in person. HE HAS achieved massive success with his bestselling novels including One Day and Us and is also in huge demand for his screenwriting skills – yet David Nicholls admits he is constantly anxious.

2009 novel by david nicholls