Whilst at Yarm, Charlotte embraced the wide range of extra-curricular activities on offer, taking part in debating, screenwriting, rowing and the Gold Duke of Edinburgh award.

Charlotte gained a prestigious 18 month apprenticeship at Lloyd’s of London which kick started her career in the London Insurance Market, gaining experience in underwriting, catastrophe modelling and broking.

Since leaving Yarm in 2014, Charlotte has certainly made her mark in the worlds of both literature and insurance. Charlotte embarked on an unexpected yet exciting career path, combining her love of writing with a successful role in the London insurance market.

We caught up with Charlotte to find out more about her journey post Yarm…

Can you describe your current role at Aon and what it involves?

I have been at Aon for the last six years and I am a Reinsurance Broker in the Global Terrorism and War team. We have clients across the world who are in need of cover for incidents such as active assailants, riots, political violence and war. A range of companies and individuals request this – everything from major sporting events, singers going on tours, airports, power stations, shopping centres etc. Once the request comes in, I will approach underwriters either in person at Lloyd’s or over phone/email. I try to get the most competitive quote from them (often other brokers will be competing for the same business), which often involves putting multiple insurers onto one policy, and involves aiming to maintain good relationships with as many as possible. If we’re most competitive, the client will buy the policy.

When did you first consider becoming an author? How did you balance it with work?

Quite cliche but I’ve enjoyed writing stories since I was about six. I stopped for a few years but then restarted when I joined Mr Telfer’s screenwriting club. With his help I wrote a couple of scripts, and then wrote a (pretty terrible) novel for my Extended Project Qualification. I wrote three or four more books after, and would periodically attempt to get an agent, but only really started putting effort into this during lockdown. I submitted various novels to 48 different agents, and the 49th agent was interested (the book in question had been through a lot of revisions at this point). I balanced this with work by fitting it in during lunch breaks and after work – if I can get out and write in the park on a summer evening, it doesn’t feel like a chore at all.

How did it feel when you found out your first book was getting published?

Really excited! They had lots of ideas for marketing and it was fun to think about actually having a tangible book. Also some relief as a fair few novels ‘die on submission’ which I hadn’t realised. I’d thought getting an agent was the hard part and hadn’t realised that it doesn’t really get easier after that.

Can you describe your books in 50 words or less?

It’s Not Me It’s You follows Jen, who is new to London and on a dating spree in an attempt to feel less lonely. This gets complicated when her dates start disappearing, and she is considered the number one suspect. The Confession finds Ella seeking revenge on those she blames for the death of her brother. But when other people start confessing to her murders, she realises there’s more to what happened than meets the eye.

Are there any more books on the horizon?

Yes… in a roundabout way. My agent left the industry last summer, so I had to find another. Very daunting given my previous experience, but fortunately I signed with Greenstone Literary Agency quite quickly. I’ve written a book that I’m really excited about (there’s nothing like reviews to leave you disliking your old work and wishing you could change parts) and I think it hopefully showcases what I’ve learned as a writer over the past few years. It is out on submission with publishers, and we are waiting for offers (we have a couple of offers so far so looking fairly positive).

What would be your top 5 books of all time?

Demon Copperhead by Barbra Kingsolver, And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver, The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides and Boy Parts by Eliza Clark.

What have been your career highlights so far?

For writing, it was lovely for It’s Not Me It’s You to be chosen in the ‘LoveReading’ top 10 Audiobooks for September 2022. It also reached #37 in the UK Kindle charts, so it was really cool to see it sandwiched between some of the most popular books at the time.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 

I’d love to have a career like Alice Feeney or Lucy Foley – I still have a lot of ideas in the ‘murder mystery/thriller’ space and it would be great to get a bit more of a breakout book published soon to give me more of a platform to dedicate more time to writing. However, I love the consistency and objective nature of my day job (writing can be frustratingly subjective and inconsistent) so I still see myself in this space, especially given how interesting I find terrorism and war coverage and incidents. From a more personal POV – maybe living somewhere a little greener than London, perhaps with a dog/child/partner at that point.

What did you find most challenging about writing this book and do you have any tips for any budding writers at Yarm?

I love the actual process of writing and have always found that easy – it’s afterwards which I find hard. If you’re lucky enough to get a publisher, editors will want to change what you’ve written. And even if you don’t have a publisher and you’re in the stage of trying to just make your book the best it can be, you should be getting opinions from people who are going to be honest about its flaws (Critique Circle is great for this and I used it relentlessly before I had an agent). You need to learn to take criticism, and learn how it can make your work better (and learn what critiques to disregard too, I guess). Re-writing is almost always harder than writing, but I’ve found it does make my work so much better. So try to get as many eyes on your work as possible. Also read lots! And not necessarily just in the genre you want to write in. Often I’ll read a book and feel inspired by the plot or structure, and think of a twist on it to make it my own. Or sometimes I feel a book could have done something better, and I’ll bear this perceived weakness in mind next time I’m writing something.

What would be your advice for a current Upper Sixth student getting ready to leave Yarm?

Be open minded to alternative paths. I had an offer from Durham University, but decided to pursue an apprenticeship instead, and I think I might have been the only person in my year group not to go to university. But I’m so glad I did an apprenticeship, and don’t regret it in the slightest.
 

Did you feel the scholarship was beneficial and if so how?

Absolutely, there is no way I would have been able to attend the Sixth Form without it, and going to Yarm Sixth form gave me lots of opportunities I wouldn't have had elsewhere. For example, I learned to row, I took debating classes, I had writing guidance and encouragement from Mr Telfer and I attended a 'Summer in the City' course, which is where I found out about Lloyd's of London and the apprenticeship I ultimately ended up doing.

What are your fondest memories of your time at Yarm School?

I really liked Art lessons up in the attic of The Friarage, as well as English lessons with a view of the river. My Duke of Edinburgh expeditions are probably my strongest memories. I wouldn’t necessarily describe two wild camping trips to Scotland and the Pennines in early Spring as entirely enjoyable, but they were beautiful and funny in parts and quite character building.
 

Charlotte’s books are available to buy on Amazon: It's Not Me It's You and The Confession.