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YA Book Prize shortlist: Becky Jerams & Ellie Wyatt discuss The Songs You've Never Heard
Caroline CarpenterCaroline is deputy features editor at The Bookseller and chair of the YA Book Prize, as well as being a co-host of children's book radio ...more
Becky Jerams and Ellie Wyatt answers our questions about her novel The Songs You’ve Never Heard (Sweet Cherry), a novel about body confidence, music and social media, which has been shortlisted for the YA Book Prize 2023.
Caroline is deputy features editor at The Bookseller and chair of the YA Book Prize, as well as being a co-host of children's book radio ...more
How would you describe your book to someone who hasn’t read it?
The Songs You’ve Never Heard is a funny, heartfelt, contemporary YA fiction about friendship, songwriting and sibling rivalry, featuring an album of pop songs that readers can listen to on Spotify alongside the story.
What inspired the story?
As women in the music industry we had been feeling quite frustrated that stories about music often cast women and girls as the fans, groupies and girlfriends rather than the creative talent. We wanted to find a way to share our experiences and emotions, and we fell in love with the idea of combining our skills to create a "booksical" in which the character’s songs could become part of the overall experience.
Which character in the book is your favourite, and why?
We love them all for different reasons, but Alana was our favourite to write because of her wacky sense of humour.
What does being on this year’s YA Book Prize shortlist mean to you?
We have followed the YA Book Prize for many years so to now be one of the shortlisted authors is an absolute dream come true.
What’s the best thing about writing for young adults?
Teenagers are so passionate about the books they love and it has been really rewarding hearing from young adults who have connected with our book and taken inspiration from the music. We’ve met some incredible young singers and songwriters at our school visits and song-writing workshops, and have had really interesting discussions about the creative journey, social media, and what music means to us.
What was your favourite book as a teenager?
Becky: The Illustrated Mum by Jacqueline Wilson.
Ellie: Anne of Green Gables by L M Montgomery.
What’s your top writing tip?
Always think about the purpose of a chapter – make sure your scene is telling the reader a new piece of information and not repeating something you’ve already said before. This will keep your story pacey and avoid having to cut words down later on. Also, enjoy the process, because it’s a long one.
What do you need around you when you’re writing?
Becky: I always write at my desktop computer, staring up at my giant canvas of Taylor Swift, with a Spotify playlist in the background to motivate me. Also, snacks.
Ellie: Slippers and tea!
What songs would be on a playlist for your book?
The official soundtrack to The Songs You’ve Never Heard! You can listen along to songs by Meg, Alana and Caspar on Spotify.
Which book, film or TV show would you recommend to someone who enjoyed your book?
In film, "Pitch Perfect", "Little Voice" or "A Star is Born". On television, "Daisy Jones and the Six", "Nashville" or "The Get Down". In books, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan or High Fidelity by Nick Hornby.
