Thanks for joining us here at YALC. We would love you to introduce yourself
I’m Caitlin, a twenty-six-year-old author living in London. I currently share a tiny one-bed flat with my fiancé in the centre of the city, which can be chaotic, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I spend most days writing and remote working from cafés all across London. I also have a day job writing about music and theatre, and am lucky enough to get sent to watch and review lots of West End shows.
Can you give our readers an overview of your YA novel A Song I wrote for Charlotte?
A Song I Wrote For Charlotte follows Connie Moore, an overachiever whose Plan A falls through when she fails her audition for the Royal Academy of Music and ends up in a university flat studying English Literature. She’s determined to stay focused on academics, but her flatmates – particularly Music Production student Charlotte Owen, who lives across the hall – have other ideas. Charlotte drags Connie determinedly into university life, and as an unlikely friendship blossoms between them, Connie begins to wonder if there’s something more to the way she feels about Charlotte – and, even more terrifyingly, whether there’s something more to the way Charlotte feels about her. But Charlotte isn’t the kind of person you can hold on to forever, and soon Connie might have to figure out whether the life that Charlotte has built for her is one that she can sustain alone…
And, if you could do it in just 5 words or less, what would they be?
You’ll probably laugh and cry!
What first sparked the idea for A Song I Wrote for Charlotte?
I wrote the first draft of A Song I Wrote For Charlotte quite a few years ago now, as my sister was preparing to start university. I used to write her a book every year for Christmas, and wanted to give her something that encompassed what my first year of university had taught me. A few years later, my agent suggested I return to it, and it was so much fun to reunite with Connie and Charlotte and bring a new perspective to their story. My sister has now graduated with her doctorate in medicine, and this book is still her favourite thing I’ve written.
Who was your favourite character to write and why?
Connie, the book’s narrator, is one of my favourite characters I’ve ever written. I love writing characters who it isn’t necessarily easy for readers to like at first, and she’s definitely a little abrasive, but she goes on a real journey throughout the novel. She has a really unique perspective on the world, and although there’s a lot about her that I think many readers will relate to, I also think she’s one of a kind. She’s very blunt and can be quite unintentionally funny, and under the front she puts on she has a huge heart.
Is there a character that you relate to?
The characters I enjoy writing the most are often the characters who are very different from me. That said, there are definitely parts of Connie I relate to – she’s someone who isn’t always sure if she’s getting it right socially and has a lot of self-discovery and getting comfortable in her own skin left to do, which was where I was at eighteen. Writing her also gave me permission to lift my filter – she’s definitely someone who always says the quiet part out loud!
Why did you choose music/songwriting as a theme in the book?
Music has always been really important to my writing process. I’ve also always written music – it’s quite a private hobby and my partner tends to be the only person I share it with, but it’s a fantastic outlet. That’s something else I share with Connie – that instinct to sit down at the piano when I have a feeling I need to process. I also think that when you’re someone who doesn’t always feel comfortable articulating your feelings, or if you don’t have the language to do so yet, music can be a great proxy.
Did the ending turn out how you planned? Or did it change throughout your writing process?
I always had the ending in mind as I was writing, but I went back and forward on whether it was where I wanted to take the story. An event in my personal life way back when I wrote the first draft made me want to process some of what I was feeling on paper, and the ending ended up being influenced a lot by those emotions. Writing the new version of the book years later, there wasn’t any part of me that wanted to change it.
Did you listen to music while writing? If so, what kind?
I did – some of the songs I listened to are referenced in the book! Writing the first draft, I listened to a lot of Christine and the Queens, girl in red, Fiona Apple, Norah Jones and Jensen McRae. Returning to it years later I mixed in The Smiths and Mitski a lot as well. ‘marjorie’ by Taylor Swift is also a song that will always make me think of Connie and Charlotte.
Who would you cast as the main characters if your book was turned into a movie?
I really don’t know! Maybe Thomasin McKenzie as Connie? And Emma Myers looks a lot like how I picture Charlotte.
What scene do you think the readers will enjoy the most?
There’s a scene very early in the novel where Connie meets her flatmates and has no qualms about lying her way through ‘Truth and Dare’. That one has always got a smile out of everyone who’s read the book so far.
Where do you write?
I write all over London! I’ve more or less conditioned myself to believe I can only be productive if I’m hopping between beautiful cafes and drinking nice drinks. It’s wonderful for my quality of life and terrible for my bank balance.
What is your favourite genre to read?
I am someone who will genuinely read anything. My favourite books tend to be literary fiction, or real-world Young Adult. I love anything that manages to be witty and moving at the same time or lets me see the world through someone else’s eyes. I also have a deep love for classic literature and do a lot of self-guided study of the great novels and plays in my free time.
Where can our readers find you on social media?
I’m @catmdevlin on both TikTok and Instagram. Come join!
Finally can you give us your favourite quote from a novel (it can be yours)
Off the top of my head, I’ve always loved this one from Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery:
“I’d like to add some beauty to life,” said Anne dreamily. “I don’t exactly want to make people know more… though I know that IS the noblest ambition… but I’d love to make them have a pleasanter time because of me… to have some little joy or happy thought that would never have existed if I hadn’t been born.”