Author Interview: Alice Oseman

Having grown up believing college was an expectation, Radio Silence was quite an interesting story line for me and I enjoyed thinking about the alternative paths one can take. Today we welcome author Alice Oseman as she answers questions about her novel and her writing.

Can you tell our readers a bit about Radio Silence
Radio Silence follows the story of Frances Janvier, a high-achiever who has worked all her life to get to Cambridge University. But she has a secret – when she’s not obsessively studying, she’s a huge fangirl of a YouTube podcast show called Universe City. Frances thinks she knows what she wants out of her life – grades, university, money, happiness – but then she meets the creator of Universe City, and everything changes.
 
What do you love most about Frances and Aled?
My favourite thing about Frances is her childishness – she isn’t afraid to make herself look silly and just have fun. My favourite thing about Aled is his creativity and how much he dedicates himself to his creative projects.
 
Tell us how you really feel about university. Can you share a little about how your opinion was shaped?
I grew up thinking I was destined for Oxbridge, but failed to get in when I applied. I’d been a high-achiever my entire life and was crushingly disappointed. When I went to Durham University instead, a university I chose purely because it was high up on the league tables, I had a terrible time, and only realized then that university study probably wasn’t for me. I felt brainwashed into believing that I was a person who I was not by school and my teachers and the entire system of education.
 
I noticed there were several conversations about strong love between friends and even a little push back against characters who seemed to place more importance on romantic love. How deliberate was this or did the characters simply bring that about?
I, as a writer, am simply tired of romantic love being presented in Young Adult fiction as a priority, or even as something common. The truth is, very few people meet the ‘love of their life’ in their teenage years, but Young Adult fiction as a whole seems to present the idea that everyone meets their soulmate in their teens. I think there are a lot more interesting and realistic things to write about teenagers.
 
Which writers have been inspirational for you?
I wouldn’t be the writer I am today without Bret Easton Ellis (despite all his faults), or without J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye.
 
Why is diversity in young adult fiction important to you?
It’s very important to me that all young people can see themselves in the books they read. We live in a very diverse society, and that should be reflected accurately in our literature.
 
And just for fun – do you have a Batman, unicorn, or otherwise unique onesie?
I have several – Batman, a teddy bear and a giraffe!

 You may find Alice on Twitter, Tumblr, Youtube, Instagram, Blog, and her Art Blog.