I’m not going to lie, Men, Money and Chocolate are three of my most favourite things, so when I saw this book on the shelf in WHSmith at Waterloo station, it was a no-brainer, I bought it.

‘Cept  I wasn’t quite prepared for the impact this book was going to have on me – it’s truly magical. It made me think, it made me cry, and most of all, it filled me with more hope than any self-help book I’ve ever read. FYI: I’ve read A LOT.

The book is about Maya, a firmly stuck thirty-something who takes comfort in her cafe, her food and her unsuccessful relationships. A chance encounter with a customer leads to her transformation from gloomy to goddess, and the realisation that life, with all its pitfalls and problems, offers the opportunity to become so much more than who we are – to grow and be and above all, love!

Mirroring Menna Von Pragg’s own experiences, Men, Money and Chocolate is a super-sassy tale for any minxette who wants to get out of a rut, find true love, and know that you have – and have always had – the power to be blissfully, wonderfully happy!

Meet Menna, she’s awesome. Not only did she write my new favourite book, she also makes the most AMAZING chocolate brownies you’ll ever taste. How do I know? She sent me some!

Menna, you’re a book-writing, flapjack making lady of awesomeness. Fact.

Men, Money and Chocolate – three of our most favourite things – but having now read the book, it’s really clear that life is about much more than that, what inspired you to write the book?
I was sitting in the garden with my mum talking, as usual, about life, love and enlightenment. Mum asked me why I thought we all seemed to find it so hard to experience enlightenment (and especially to stay in it) and three words just came to me. “It’s men, money and chocolate,” I said. “All the things we believe will make us happy: love, wealth and pleasure, so we keep looking for happiness outside ourselves and so keep ourselves out of enlightment.” We both laughed, because it was so funny and true. And then I said. “What a great title for a book!”

I cried at least three times reading this book, not because it’s sad, because really it’s one of the most hope-filled books I’ve ever read, but because I related to Maya so much, in fact at times I thought you’d taken a sneaky peek into my life – is she based on you and is the story autobiographical?
I absolutely love that you say that. Yes, it’s all about hope! About never, ever giving up, no matter what. Yes, Maya is very much based on me, in fact some of my friends have started calling me Maya because they know just how much she is like me ) The story is very autobiographical! The first half is completely based on my experiences of working in cafes for six years while spending my nights writing novels (unlike Maya, I always kept writing) and while all the other characters are made up, their wisdoms were picked up from people who’ve inspired me over the years, especially my mum! (life coach, Vicky van Praag) Then the last third of the book (when she self-publishes) was complete fantasy – something that scared me whitless to do but something that I think, subconsciously, I knew I had to do. As soon as my mum read the manuscript she said: “now you have to do what Maya did and self publish it!” At first I said “absolutely no way” but I soon came round to the idea.

This is like a fictional self-help book without the preach-y, in-your-faceness, was that the plan or is just how the story progressed?
Yes, this was absolutely my plan. I love what you say about it not being preachy. A lot of readers have said this and it’s very gratifying. I wanted to write a book that would appeal to people who wouldn’t normally go into the “self help” section of book shops. Something that was half self help and half chick lit. Something light and engaging, while also being meaningful, moving and life changing. I didn’t think there was anything else out there like that (at least I hadn’t found it) especially not epecially for women. I loved The Alchemist, but it didn’t address the specific issues women face. And so Men, Money & Chocolate was born!

Maya finds a book that unlocks her words, I had a similar experience, mine was a book by Sark called Succulent Wild Women, did you have one Menna – what was it and what impact did it have?
Mine was The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. Oh my goodness, I loved that book! I read it when I was 20. Before then I knew I wanted to be a writer, but I found it so hard to actually write! I was such a perfectionist, I could never get past the first couple of paragraphs without throwing it away because I thought it was so awful. In The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron suggests many wonderful things to unleash the artist within. For me the moring pages (writing three pages every morning without stopping and without censoring) was invaluable and absolutely changed my writing and my life.

A butt-kick for me when reading the book was that Maya is offered up life lessons, like we all are everyday, and even when she realises them and acknowledges them, she still finds herself reverting back to old thoughts and beliefs – why do you think we do this, Menna – I’m intrigued!
Oh my goodness! What a question! Yes, this is something that often plagues me too I wrote about it because I thought it was really important to acknowledge it as a truth and not be unrealistic about life transformations. I think we always have this potential to slip back. But I’ve also noticed that amazing progress is still possible, only sometimes we don’t realise how much we’ve transformed! We think we’ve gone back to square one, but we never have. A couple, Ariel & Shya Kane, whose wonderful courses I often attend, say that our thoughts never stop, they are like the soundtrack to our lives. So, when we listen and believe them, then we’ll slip back, but when we don’t, then we don’t. That pretty much sums it up!

Maya meets some amazing people who have a huge impact on her, who inspires you, Menna?
My mum, Vicky van Praag: www.purepossibility.co.uk, is a great source of inspiration to me. She often coaches me, reads all my work, gives me (and my characters!) great advice and is just an all-round amazing person. She’s been through so much in her own life and continues to live it to the max and coaches and inspires so many other people to do the same! Also, as above, I go to many workshops run by an American couple Ariel & Shya Kane: www.ask-inc.com, who are totally awesome! My husband and I go to their retreat in Costa Rica every year. I’d say their teachings are the main reason why we have such a beautiful relationship.

What tunes would be on a Men, Money and Chocolate soundtrack?
What a brilliant question! And one well worth thinking about, since I’m currently on the forth draft of the film script!

What makes you jump-in-the-air happy?
A perfect, beautiful sentance that floats, fully-formed, into my head.
Also: a sunny day. Flowers. Hanging out with my hubby. Magical moments with strangers. People laughing.

What’s your motto for life?
Never, never, never give up on your dreams!

Quick fire round – what’s your favourite:
City: San Franciso, New York, Cambridge, London (Notting Hill), Florence – sorry, it’s imposible to choose just one!
Book: Oh my goodness, this is impossible! Can I pleeeease give a current top five? Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen, Sea Glass by Anita Shreve, Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman, Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel and Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands by George Amado.
Movie: This is equally impossible! I’m afraid this will have to be a top ten: Stranger Than Fiction (the best written and most brilliant film), The Butcher’s Wife (probably the sweeeetest film ever!), Don Juan demarco (the sexiest Jonny Depp film ever and sooo romantic), Family Man (so touching!), On A Clear Day (again, so touching!), Sense & Sensibilty (I cry every time when Hugh Grant tells Emma Thompson he’s not really married – I love that Thompson won the oscar for writing it!), Crash (the Paul Haggis one, just beautiful!), L.A. Story (magical and funny), Enchanted (I defy you to watch this when grumpy and not be seriously cheered up by the end!) and Bruce Almighty (funny and spiritual – perfect combination). I have sooo many others, but will force myself to stop there!
Website/blog: I often go to www.transformationalmoments.com. It inspires me!
Hang-out: Gorgeous coffee shops with comfy chairs. I haven’t found my perfect one yet, but one day I plan on opening one! And book shops, preferably quirky indie ones with thousands of books crammed into narrow asiles you can get lost in.
Way to chill: Going to the cinema (especially alone and in the middle of the day), reading (especially in the garden on a sunny day) hanging out with my husband, going for walks or cycling in the countryside. And just chillin’ out on the sofa with a rom-com a glass of milk and a batch of my chocolate flapjacks!
Store: Liberty in Soho (far too expensive but has lots of beautiful things, especially notebooks which I love and collect) Melt in Notting Hill (the best chocolates ever!!) a lovely bookshop in Notting Hill which sells used books, the name of which totally escapes me. For clothes: Jigsaw & Karen Millen.
Celebrity: Emma Thomspon – for being such a brilliant writer, actor and so down-to-earth. Kate Winslet for the same reasons (with the exception of the writing, so far at least and for keeping her curves and for suing GQ for airbrushing her – loved that!!
Must-have item: A notebook and pen. I have faaaar to many of both (can never resist them) but often forget to take them out with me and end up writing ideas with borrowed pens on napkins!

What’s next in the world o’ Menna – please say more books?!
You’re too sweeeet! Yes, more books for sure. I can’t stop writing. I’m currently writing the sequel to Men, Money & Chocolate, but I’m afraid I can’t reveal any more than that! Also Men, Money & Chocolate – the film! As I mentioned, I’m on the forth draft of the script and would loooove to see the book come to the big screen, I’ll do whatever I can to make that happen, no matter how long it takes!

Find out more about the marvellous Menna and her book at: www.menmoneyandchoclate.com

To Fabulize Yo’self, inside and out, don’t forget to book your recessionista-friendly priced Sassy Sessions with life coach and Sassy Minx, Lisa Clark – sassification guaranteed!