Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Dating Disasters of Emma Nash
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://chloeseager.com/
CITY: London
STATE:
COUNTRY: United Kingdom
NATIONALITY: British
RESEARCHER NOTES:
| LC control no.: | no2018057847 |
|---|---|
| LCCN Permalink: | https://lccn.loc.gov/no2018057847 |
| HEADING: | Seager, Chloe |
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| 040 | __ |a ICrlF |b eng |e rda |c ICrlF |
| 100 | 1_ |a Seager, Chloe |
| 370 | __ |e London (England) |2 naf |
| 372 | __ |a Young adult fiction |2 lcsh |
| 374 | __ |a Authors |2 lcsh |
| 375 | __ |a Females |2 lcdgt |
| 377 | __ |a eng |
| 670 | __ |a Seager, Chloe. Dating disasters of Emma Nash, 2018: |b title page (Chloe Seager) dust jacket (grew up and lives in East London ; studied English Literature and Drama at the University of East Anglia ; works as YA/Children’s literary agent) |
PERSONAL
Female.
EDUCATION:Attended University of East Anglia.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, young adult novelist, and literary agent. Works as young adult/children’s literary agent.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Chloe Seager grew up and lives in East London, England. She studied English literature and drama in college and became a young adult (YA)/children’s literary agent. “My plan from a very young age was to be the next Britney Spears, which didn’t quite work out for me as I can’t sing,” commented Seager about her career as a literary agent in an interview with Louisa Davies for the Fashion Fumblings website, adding: “But I’ve always loved reading (and writing) and I knew I’d do something bookish, I just wasn’t sure exactly what.”
Seager is also the author the debut YA novel is titled Dating Disasters of Emma Nash, published in Great Britain as Editing Emma: Online You Can Choose Who You Want to be. If Only Real Life Were So Easy…. The novel introduces readers to 16-year-old Emma Nash, who goes into hiding over the summer after she is “ghosted” by her boyfriend, Leon Naylor. Eventually, Emma, who barely ever gets out of her pajamas, sees on Faceook that Leon is in a relationship. The discovery leads Emma to take action. The first thing she does is get rid of the chewing gum wrappers she has saved from the various packs of gum Leon gave her. Then Emma starts stalking Leon and his girlfriend on social media.
Emma is scheduled to start school soon and knows she will encounter Leon and his new girlfriend. As a result, she starts a blog called “Editing Emma,” vowing only to write good things on it, which does not exactly work out as she planned. For example, in her attempt to get over Leon, Emma begins a series online relationships with boys, with each of the relationships ending in disaster, such as the time she started to chat with a 12-year-old boy. Furthermore, she discovers hr mother’s Tinder profile in which her mom claims to be 35 years old. She also accidentally outs one of her best friends. Emma’s online and real life both begin to go awry, leading her to seek advice from her two best friends. “Emma is not the most likeable character, but that is credit to the author’s convincing portrayal of a selfish, hormonal teenager,” wrote Erica Dean in School Librarian.
Emma, along with her friends, a lesbian named Faith and a soccer player named Steph, begin to ponder the implicit rules of society concerning girls. Emma’s single mom is also dealing with some personal issues as well, primarily she is constantly on the prowl for a man in her life. Nevertheless, Emma’s mom and her friends keep supporting Emma even when she comes with obviously crazy ideas about getting a boy and possibly even Leon back again. As the story progresses, Emma begins to realize that there is much more to life than just boys as she delves deeper into her own identity.
“The narrative feels very real, not to mention funny,” wrote Z.J. Cookson in a review for TheBookbag.co.uk, adding: “I particularly liked the tension between Emma’s feminist principles (manifested, for example, in her resolution not to shave her legs) and the realities of a teenager’s life. Some of her observations made me laugh out loud. Noting “Seager’s debut is an epistolary novel for the technological age,” a Kirkus Reviews contributor also called the novel “bawdy, irreverent, and embarrassingly truthful.” Susan Riley, writing in School Library Journal, noted that American readers might be distracted by the numerous British colloquialisms in Dating Disasters of Emma Nash and pointed out that the novel is more appropriate for older teens due to discussions of masturbation. “Seager isn’t afraid to explore potentially touchy topics a teen girl would be obsessing over,” wrote Holly Moran in Booklist.
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, April 1, 2018, Molly Horan, review of Dating Disasters of Emma Mash, p. 71.
Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2018, review of Dating Disasters of Emma Nash.
School Librarian, spring, 2018, Erica Dean, review of Editing Emma: Online You Can Choose Who You Want to be. If Only Real Life Were So Easy…, p. 63.
School Library Journal, March, 2018, Susan Riley, review of Dating Disasters of Emma Nash, p. 122.
ONLINE
Chloe Seager website, http://chloeseager.com (July 14, 2018).
Fashion Fumbings, http://www.fashionfumblings.com/ (September 25, 2016), Louisa Davies, “Interview with Chloe Seager – Literary Agent.”
TheBookbag.co.uk, http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/ (June 21, 2018), Z.J. Cookson, review of Editing Emma.
Chloe Seager
Chloe Seager grew up in East London with her Mum and much-loved cat, Katie. She studied English Literature and Drama at the University of East Anglia, where she sadly realised she couldn't act, but did rediscover her love of children's books. Children's Literature was one of her favourite modules, and it made her wonder why grown-ups ever stopped reading them. She now works with them full-time as a YA/Children's literary agent at Diane Banks Associates, and lives back in East London with her boyfriend and pet fish. Editing Emma is her first novel.
Interview with Chloe Seager - Literary Agent
'you can't be what you can't see' is a quote that really resonates with me. from a young age, i didn't know the extent of the world of work, i thought because i loved reading and writing the only job i could have was an english teacher. i didn't see the world of PR, media, literary agents, publishing. and because i didn't see it, i didn't think i could be it.
so that's why it's important to talk to people like chloe seager.
chloe is a young adult + literary agent for diane banks associates, a literary and talent agency that represent emma gannon, and a whole host of other fantastic authors. chloe herself resonates in the YA and children's sphere, and even has her own novel 'Editing Emma' coming out in August 2017. what a chick, and she even sat down with me to discuss her career path. sit back, take a read, feel inspired, and see what there is for bookworms in the world of work. it's not just GCSE poetry anthologies and marking year 9 haikus...
Let’s cover off some basics first! Can you describe your job in 140 characters?
Reading, rejecting, reading, reading, taking something on, rereading, redrafting, rereading, redrafting, PITCHING :D
And now I’ll be a little kinder… can you describe your average day at your job?
On the fun side, there’s rereading an author’s work, giving notes and seeing it really come together. Meeting new talent and discussing their ideas, and having coffee with editors and hearing about their lists. On the slightly less fun side, there’s a lot of contracts stuff and admin to do!
How did you get into the literary world, and was it your plan from a young age?
My plan from a very young age was to be the next Britney Spears, which didn’t quite work out for me as I can’t sing. But I’ve always loved reading (and writing) and I knew I’d do something bookish, I just wasn’t sure exactly what.
Did you find interning to help you with your career, or other routes e.g. your degree?
Interning helped massively – I got my first job in publicity at Titan Books when I was interning there. I actually got started at an SYP event where I met the lovely Sophie Calder (now Head of Publicity at HQ, HarperCollins) and she ended up interviewing me for the internship. I would really recommend going to those events to anyone wanting to start out in publishing – it’s great to meet people in the industry, and get an idea of what kinds of different roles there are. (And yes, it is totally terrifying going on your own, but everyone’s really nice, honest!)
I think my degree was important only in so much as it was a tick box I needed to have – but being a reader is the really important thing.
I found the ‘Girls In Love’ YA series by Jacqueline Wilson a real game changer for me when it came to reading young adult fiction, was there a particular book or series that got you interested in the genre?
I loved that series too! I don’t think there was a particular book when I was younger, but in terms of rediscovering YA later on in life, it was probably doing a Children’s Literature module at university and wondering why I ever stopped reading it. Of course it’s natural to move onto other things, but it seems like a lot of adults don’t consider reading any YA/children’s books as an option, which I think is a real shame. There’s so much brilliant stuff in the genre. (And I like to keep my inner child alive!!)
Do you feel that young adult authors such as Louise O’Neill and Holly Bourne are doing something important for the genre at the moment introducing feminism into their novels, and in a way seeding the important messages to a younger audience at this age?
I do! There’s so much to think about when you’re writing for an ‘impressionable’ audience, unlike when you’re writing for adults and anything goes (people often assume writing for children and teenagers is easier, but I wish it were that easy to write an amazing YA or children’s book). I think Louise and Holly are both doing something really important in their own, very different way.
What novel do you feel you could read again and again?
I don’t get much time for rereading anymore sadly, but I like to reread atmospheric books like Rebecca and Wuthering Heights at Christmas time, and I sometimes break out my Hans Christian Andersen tales when in need of comfort! As a teenager, I definitely read the Angus, Thongs series by Louise Rennison one too many times… I connected with Georgia so much at that age, and it still makes me laugh out loud. I also have lots of favourite books that I wouldn’t necessarily go back to very often - I suppose I only really reread books ‘again and again’ that have that nostalgia factor, the ones that take you straight back to a certain time in your life and all the emotions that went with reading them the first time.
Who should we be reading at the moment and why?
Would it be really copping out to say, whatever people enjoy? (I’m very much against book-snobbery and believe that guilty pleasures shouldn’t be guilty!)
How do you use social media to find new talent?
Social media is becoming increasingly important for writers – if I get a submission that I like and can’t find them on Twitter, I’m not saying I’d turn it down (it’s not at that stage yet!) but I do feel disappointed. Self-promotion is key for new authors, and also Twitter is such a great way to be engaged with the reading community. Being aware and taking an interest in other people’s work is crucial, but it’s surprising how many submissions I get where I wonder if the person has read any children’s books other than JK Rowling in the past ten years! In terms of actually finding new talent, we do definitely search for it online - probably more for non-fiction. My colleague Robyn Drury met her client Emma Gannon on Twitter (her book Ctrl; Alt; Delete came out in June).
Do you have a favourite social media platform, and why?
Agghh, that’s hard - I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with all social media. Twitter is probably my favourite, but also my nemesis. I learn so much and have loads of fun, but I’ve probably lost years of my life on there!
And lastly, and probably the toughest question here!, what advice would you give to an aspiring literary agent, and how would you advise they use social media to get ahead?
Social media is such an easy way to be engaged with the reading community – and it’s the same for agents as it is for authors, you have to be very involved! (Not saying you have to tweet constantly, but just be aware of what’s going on). And of course, if more people are aware of you on social media, you’ll get more submissions!! My general advice to an aspiring literary agent would be that building a list takes time, it’s not going to happen overnight, and the beginning part is the toughest part – it’s easy to feel disheartened when you’re starting out, but just keep going! Also, I would just say that getting rejection is as much a part of the job as giving it – so learning to develop a thick skin and trust my own opinion has been crucial for me (learning to say, well, I love it but not everybody’s going to, so what?!)
be sure to follow Chloe on twitter @ChloeSeager!
until next time xo
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POSTED BY LOUISA DAVIES AT 25.9.16
Dating Disasters of Emma Mash
Molly Horan
Booklist.
114.15 (Apr. 1, 2018): p71. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2018 American Library Association http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Full Text:
Dating Disasters of Emma Mash. By Chloe Seager. May 2018.336p. HarlequinTeen, $18.99 (9781335017055); e-book (9781488095221). Gr. 8-11.
Emma Nash has been ghosted. At least, that's what her friends tell her as she wallows in the loss of her boyfriend, a boy whose used Band-Aid she might be keeping under her pillow. Forced to leave the safety of her bedroom, Emma decides with the help of the internet that she might be able to find a new relationship. But she quickly learns finding true love, even with the help of social media, isn't easy. This story is a truly funny, painfully honest look at a bad breakup. First- time author Seager isn't afraid to explore potentially touchy topics a teen girl would be obsessing over with a kind of self-awareness that comes off both as believably young but never condescending. Reminiscent of Paula Danziger and Ann M. Martin's Snail Mail No More (2000) and Lauren Myracle's TTYL (2004), the blog format allows for a steady, quick pace, even when Emma goes on a onetrack rant. Seager's novel captures a very specific teenage era yet still feels timeless. --Molly Horan
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Horan, Molly. "Dating Disasters of Emma Mash." Booklist, 1 Apr. 2018, p. 71. Book Review
Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A534956937/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=a5e9fd0c. Accessed 21 June 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A534956937
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Seager, Chloe: DATING DISASTERS OF EMMA NASH
Kirkus Reviews.
(Mar. 1, 2018): From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Seager, Chloe DATING DISASTERS OF EMMA NASH Harlequin Teen (Young Adult Fiction) $18.99 5, 1 ISBN: 978-1-335-01705-5
If Adrian Mole had been a teenage girl, he would have been Emma Nash.
Two months after her boyfriend stopped speaking to her, Emma gets a social media notification: "Leon Naylor is in a relationship with Anna McDonnell." Emma could have sworn Leon was in fact dating her. Now that she thinks of it, all the signs of a breakup are there, except that Leon (who is assumed white) forgot one important thing: to actually break up with Emma! What's a girl to do? The white English teenager starts a blog charting her painfully awkward dating woes as she tries to find someone who will help her forget Leon (chucking his used Band-Aid that she keeps under her pillow would be a better place to start). Misguided attempts at moving on lead to one boy disaster after another. Is dating to forget the right thing to do? What's so important about having a boyfriend anyway? Emma and her friends (white lesbian Faith and dark-skinned soccer player Steph) question society's rules for girls, but there's an uncomfortable subtext about the sacredness of virginity that might leave some young feminist readers recoiling. Loaded with Briticisms and told primarily through Emma's hilariously angst-y blog posts, Seager's debut is an epistolary novel for the technological age.
Bawdy, irreverent, and embarrassingly truthful. (Fiction. 13-18)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Seager, Chloe: DATING DISASTERS OF EMMA NASH." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Mar. 2018. Book
Review Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A528959818/GPS?u=schlager& sid=GPS&xid=b34ca12c. Accessed 21 June 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A528959818
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Seager, Chloe: Editing Emma
Erica Dean
School Librarian.
66.1 (Spring 2018): p63. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2018 The School Library Association http://www.sla.org.uk/school-librarian.php
Full Text:
Seager, Chloe
Editing Emma
HarperCollins, 2017, pp368, 7.99 [pounds sterling] 978 0 008 22097 6
Emma has been 'ghosted' by Leon and spent the whole of the summer holidays obsessing over him and undertaking an online stalking campaign of him and his new girlfriend. She's due to start in the Sixth Form in the certain knowledge that she'll see them both, and she isn't dealing with this very well. This is a modern take on a novel written in diary form and sees Emma using tweets and blogposts to vent her feelings. She leaves nothing to the imagination--sometimes cringe worthy and always funny, she tells a warts and all tale of love in the world of a contemporary teenager. Emma tries her best to get over Leon by engaging in online romance with varying levels of disaster ensuing. She's surrounded by her Mum and a close-knit group of friends who are all dealing with their own issues. They support her through each crazy idea in the hope that she will become aware that there is more to life than boys. Slowly, Emma discovers her own identity again but not without difficulty. Emma is not the most likeable character, but that is credit to the author's convincing portrayal of a selfish, hormonal teenager. I would suggest that the novel is targeted to an older teen audience due to the mature content throughout.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Dean, Erica. "Seager, Chloe: Editing Emma." School Librarian, Spring 2018, p. 63. Book Review
Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A532654401/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=27f7d96b. Accessed 21 June 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A532654401
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SEAGER, Chloe. Dating Disasters of
Emma Nash
Susan Riley
School Library Journal.
64.3 (Mar. 2018): p122. From Book Review Index Plus.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
SEAGER, Chloe. Dating Disasters of Emma Nash. 304p. Harlequin Teen. May 2018. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9781335017055.
Gr 10 Up--British teen Emma has a melodramatic meltdown when she learns that her boyfriend Leon (who seems to have been completely avoiding her for months) is now publicly dating pretty, athletic Anna. Emma takes to her bed in despair, stops bathing, and wallows in her own misery. Attempts by mom and friends to help Emma move on are for naught. Emma tries dating tech geek Laurence, but his silence puzzles her. Dates with overly amorous Greg are unsatisfying but serve to temporarily reignite Leon's interest. It's only when Emma starts looking outside of herself that she begins to see what is really important and focus on personal growth beyond hormonal attachment. The novel is written entirely in blog format, which some readers might find tedious. The British colloquialisms might also be distracting for some others. References to a marathon masturbation session ring true to young adult experience and makes this more appropriate for older teens. VERDICT This slightly funny novel has some appeal for its audience; an additional purchase for large collections.--Susan Riley, Mamaroneck Public Library, NY
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Riley, Susan. "SEAGER, Chloe. Dating Disasters of Emma Nash." School Library Journal, Mar.
2018, p. 122. Book Review Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A529863635 /GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS&xid=d98eb775. Accessed 21 June 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A529863635
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Editing Emma by Chloe Seager
Editing Emma by Chloe Seager
0008220972.jpg
Buy Editing Emma by Chloe Seager at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Teens
Rating: 4/5
Reviewer: Z J Cookson
Reviewed by Z J Cookson
Summary: Bridget Jones for the teen reader – an entertaining and life affirming read for 15 and 16 year old girls
Buy? Maybe Borrow? Yes
Pages: 368 Date: August 2017
Publisher: HQ
ISBN: 978-0008220976
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Emma Nash is a typical 16 year old with all the insecurities and obsessions that come with this age. When the love of her life ghosts her (i.e. breaks up with her by acting as if she doesn't exist), she spends the summer moping in her pyjamas. However, September arrives all too soon bringing with it the start of Sixth Form and a resolution to make some important edits to her life. This includes e-tweaking herself with disastrous, and often hilarious, consequences. The whole experiment is recorded in Emma's private blog: a blog that she might just regret ever writing.
The publishers are pitching this as perfect for fans of Louise Rennison and Holly Bourne who are ready to grow up and this exactly sums up this book. A character driven story, Emma has an authentic teen voice that the target audience will instantly relate to. Given Emma's totally self-centred and at times selfish, it's impressive that debut author, Chloe Seager, has managed to create a genuinely likeable character. Emma's very much the 16 year old version of Bridget Jones. And, like Bridget Jones, I suspect we'd have very much less sympathy if we weren't able to understand Emma's thought process via the powerful first person narrative. Throughout we have unfettered access to all Emma's inner-most thoughts including her reflections on masturbation and a description of her first sexual encounter. (Parents of pre and young teen readers of YA fiction will need to decide for themselves whether these are topics they'd want their children exposed to).
The narrative feels very real, not to mention funny. I particularly liked the tension between Emma's feminist principles (manifested, for example, in her resolution not to shave her legs) and the realities of a teenager's life. Some of her observations made me laugh out loud, notably Emma's musings how life would be different if guys bled out of their penises for a week every month.
The supporting characters are strong and the author cleverly avoids the lesbian friend, Faith, from becoming a cliché whilst successfully highlighting the challenges she faces coming out to her parents. As a 40 plus reader (so a VERY long way from the target audience), I especially appreciated the fact that Emma's mum is also a well-rounded character with her own issues and problems (not to mention her less than honest Tinder account and toy-boy stripper boyfriend).
All forms of social media – from Facebook and Tinder to Instagram and Twitter – feature strongly in the story, reflecting the modern teenage experience. (I'm sure the target audience will understand Emma's grief when she's temporarily denied internet access). This is, however, the book's one weakness: social media trends change rapidly and the book is, therefore, likely to require updating to stay in print.
If you enjoyed this, you might also like Stop in the Name of Pants! by Louise Rennison. Or, if you're looking for something that's also suitable for slightly younger readers, you might want to try Never Evers by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison.
Buy Editing Emma by Chloe Seager at Amazon You can read more book reviews or buy Editing Emma by Chloe Seager at Amazon.co.uk
Buy Editing Emma by Chloe Seager at Amazon You can read more book reviews or buy Editing Emma by Chloe Seager at Amazon.com.