Charlotte Seager

Hello everyone and welcome to day 4!

I have the wonderful Charlotte Seager on my blog today whose debut book is out next week! 
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​Interview

Hi Charlotte, can you tell me about your debut novel My (Secret) Youtube Life.
 Of course! My (Secret) YouTube Life is a story told from the split perspectives of a famous YouTuber and her biggest fan.
 
LilyLoves is a beauty vlogger who (online) has the perfect life: a rock musician boyfriend, a stunning London flat and an enviable makeup collection.
16-year-old Melissa’s life isn’t so camera-ready. She idolises Lily and spends hours each night looking at her YouTube videos, Instagram photos and Snapchats. In a bid to mimic Lily’s life, Melissa starts her own ‘perfect’ blog.
However, when Melissa uncovers a devastating secret about her favourite YouTuber, she has a choice about whether to crush her fame, or continue living a lie.

Where did the idea for the story come from?
 When I was working as a journalist in London, a chance meeting with a couple of YouTubers sparked the idea for the novel. I started quizzing them about what they did, and became fascinated by how different our lives can be on- and offline.
 
The more I thought about it, the more I could picture a teenager obsessed with her favourite YouTuber’s ‘perfect life’ which doesn’t exist - and the YouTuber equally feeling pressure over the perfect, role model image she had created online. I was desperate to write it!
 
What was it like when you found out your book was getting published?
I found out late one Friday night, on the train home from work, and I was just in shock for a few days! Ever since I was little I had hoped to get a book published, but I never really thought it would happen.
 
At first it almost felt overwhelming, but now it’s sunk in I’m just so, so happy to be able to share my book with readers (who hopefully will enjoy the story as much as I did writing it!)
 
Who are some of your favourite authors and have they inspired you?
I have a really eclectic reading taste. As a young teenager, I loved Jacqueline Wilson and Sophie Kinsella - I think they are my biggest influences. But I’m also a big science fiction and fantasy fan. I spent my childhood reading Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Hugh Howey, Tom Holt and many others.
I actually wrote Tom Holt a letter when I was little, and he sent me back copies of his books and a binded proof of his upcoming unpublished manuscript. I’d never seen a book as just a stack of A4 paper before, and I was thrilled!
Seeing my own book as a bundle of pages has been equally wonderful. I am excited (but also nervous) to hear what readers think.
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Author

Charlotte Seager lives in London with her partner David and her cat Ruby. She grew up in the Suffolk countryside and moved to London after university to join The Guardian as a writer on the children's books site. She went on to be editor of the Guardian Careers desk, before moving papers earlier this year to join The Times and The Sunday Times as engagement editor, building online communities. 
My [Secret] YouTube Life is her debut novel.
TWITTER-WEBSITE

Books

​What if your favourite YouTuber's life was a lie?
What if you were the one to expose it?
YouTuber LilyLoves has an amazing life: a rockstar boyfriend, a totally Insta-worthy London flat and a collection of beauty products that seems to grow daily (thanks, PO Box).
Sixteen-year-old Melissa's life is way less amazing – LilyLoves is the only thing getting her through it. She's Lily’s biggest fan and spends hours each night watching her videos and liking her posts. Melissa wants that life for herself – or at least to look like she has it . . .
As Melissa starts to grow in confidence – and followers - she discovers a crushing secret about Lily – the ultimate YouTube lie. Does she share Lily’s secret and crush her fame? Or will they both continue to live a lie – both online and off?

PRE-ORDER HERE!

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