It feels like a very long time ago that I first met L.C. North at a bookish event in London in 2015 and since then her writing has gone from strength to strength. It was my pleasure recently to review L.C. North’s The Ugly Truth here. Now there’s a brilliant new book for us all to enjoy and I’m delighted to welcome Lauren to Linda’s Book Bag to tell me all about it.

My thanks to Chloe Rose at Transworld for organising L.C. North to be here today (and happy birthday Chloe!)

Staying in with L.C. North

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Lauren. Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it? 

I’ve brought Clickbait with me today.

It’s my latest L.C. North book club thriller and it was so much fun to write. It encompasses the jaw-dropping, ‘no they didn’t,’ aspects of reality tv with the harrowing and lasting effects of a historical disappearance of a teenage boy, and what happens when these two worlds collide.

It sounds brilliant. What can we expect from an evening in with Clickbait?

Clickbait is a fast-paced suspense told solely through mixed media. There are clips from the reality TV show; TikTok videos from fans; and a podcast series.

This sounds such an interesting approach. Who’s the focus?

The novel centres around the Lancaster family and their popular YouTube reality TV show LIVING WITH THE LANCASTERS. When an old video emerges from one of the Lancaster’s legendary parties, it sheds light on the disappearance of eighteen-year-old, Bradley Wilcox, who hasn’t been seen since the night of the party.

When YouTube journalist, Tom Isaac, starts investigating, he begins to uncover a lot more than he bargained for.

I love the concept. I expect you’ve woven in interesting themes too. What are they?

It covers themes of coercive control, grief, wealth, and the dichotomy between real and fake.

I’m so glad I have Clickbait on my TBR. I think I’m going to love it.

What else have you brought along and why have you brought it? 

I’ve brought the box set of series one of KEEPING UP WITH THE KARDASHIANS. I think in the early series of this show you see both the outlandish behaviour this family are known for, and their desperation for fame. It inspired some of the reality TV show in Clickbait. But we’ll probably be too busy chatting to get round to watching it.

It’s a while since we saw one another so I imagine we will – but I confess I’ve never watched the Kardashians so it’ll be an interesting watch for me. 

I’ve also brought a nice bottle of wine, some posh crisps, and some chunky chocolate chip cookies. And tucked at the bottom of my bag are my slippers and snuggly jumper so I can get comfy while we chat about books, life and everything in between.

Well you know you’re always welcome here Lauren. Thanks so much for chatting to me about Clickbait. I’ll nip and put my onesie on and tell readers a bit more about Clickbait whilst you get out the snacks, key up the box set and pour yourself a glass of wine.

Clickbait

‘We’re not famous anymore. We’re notorious.’

For over a decade, the Lancasters were celebrity royalty, with millions tuning in every week to watch their reality show, Living with the Lancasters.

But then an old video emerges of one of their legendary parties. Suddenly, they’re in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons: witnesses swore they’d seen missing teenager Bradley Wilcox leaving the Lancaster family home on the night of the party, but the video tells a different story

Now true crime investigator and YouTuber Tom Isaac is on the case. He’s determined to find out what really happened to Bradley – he just needs to read between the Lancasters’ lies . . .

Because when the cameras are always rolling, it won’t be long until someone cracks.

For fans of Murder in the Family and The Club, Clickbait is told through mixed media, from video transcripts to diary entries, capturing a unique and addictive commentary on ruthless ambition and the dark side of fame.

Publishing by Penguin imprint Bantam on 11th April 2024, Clickbait is available for pre-order through the links here.

About L.C. North

L.C. North studied psychology at university before pursuing a career in Public Relations. Her first book club thriller – The Ugly Truth – combines her love of psychology and her fascination with the celebrities in the public eye. L.C. North is currently working on her second novel, and when she’s not writing, she co-hosts the crime thriller podcast, In Suspense. L.C. North lives on the Suffolk borders with her family. L.C. North is the pen name of Lauren North.

For further information, visit Lauren’s website or you can follow Lauren on Twitter/X @Lauren_C_North and find her on Facebook and Instagram.