Candice Carty-Williams facts for kids

Candice Carty-Williams (born 21 July 1989) is a talented British writer. She is famous for her first novel, Queenie, which came out in 2019.

Candice has written for many popular magazines and newspapers. These include The Guardian, i-D, Vogue, and The Sunday Times. She also helped write a book called New Daughters of Africa in 2019.

In June 2020, Candice Carty-Williams made history. She became the first Black woman to win the "Book of the Year" award at the British Book Awards. She won this big prize for her novel Queenie.

Who is Candice Carty-Williams?

Growing Up in London

Candice Carty-Williams was born in St Thomas' Hospital in London. She grew up in different parts of South London. Her family lived in places like Croydon, Clapham, and Lewisham.

Candice's mother has a background from Jamaica and India. Her father came to Britain from Jamaica when he was 16. He worked as a taxi driver. Candice shared that her parents were not big readers. However, her dad had a huge collection of music records. She thinks this might be why she loves collecting books so much. Her grandparents were all born in Jamaica.

Her Journey to Becoming a Writer

Candice once said that she never thought she could be a writer. She started writing much later in life. She is still gaining confidence in her writing. This is because she never thought it was a job she could actually do.

She went to the University of Sussex. There, she studied communication and media. After finishing her degree, she decided to try working in the book publishing world.

Candice's Publishing Career

Starting in Publishing

Candice began her career with internships. These are like short training jobs. She worked at different publishing companies. In 2014, she got a job at HarperCollins. She worked in marketing for their 4th Estate section. She was promoted in 2015.

While working there, she noticed something important. There were not enough authors from diverse backgrounds being published. To help change this, she created a special writing prize. It was called the Guardian and 4th Estate BAME Short Story Prize. This prize helped new writers from minority backgrounds get noticed. It aimed to help them find a publisher or a literary agent.

Working at Vintage Books

In 2016, Candice joined Vintage Books. She was a senior marketing executive there. She also helped new writers through the Penguin Books "Write Now" program. She left Vintage in May 2019.

Her Famous Novel: Queenie

In 2017, Candice's first novel, Queenie, became very popular. Four different publishers wanted to publish it. Orion publishing company eventually bought the rights to the book.

Queenie was published in 2019. The story is about Queenie Jenkins. She is a lively 25-year-old Jamaican-British woman. The book shows her life and relationships. It also explores how she deals with challenges.

Some people called Queenie "a Black Bridget Jones". Candice said that she thought of it that way at first too. But she explained that her book is also about important social topics. This is because of who Queenie is. Queenie is not exactly like Bridget Jones. Candice also shared that the story is very personal. It uses themes from her own life and her friends' lives.

Queenie received a lot of praise from critics. Reviewers called it a "smart and breezy comic debut." They also said it was "astutely political." This means it offered an important look at everyday racism.

In 2021, it was announced that Queenie would become a TV show. Channel 4 ordered an eight-episode drama series based on the novel. Candice Carty-Williams is writing the show herself.

Other Writings and Projects

Candice Carty-Williams has written for many different publications. These include The Guardian, i-D, Vogue, and The Sunday Times.

She also wrote an essay for the book New Daughters of Africa (2019). This book was put together by Margaret Busby. Candice remembers seeing the older version of this book, Daughters of Africa, on her godmother's bookshelf. Her godmother is Professor Heidi Safia Mirza.

In January 2020, Candice became a weekly books columnist for The Guardian. She wrote about books and other topics throughout 2020. In January 2021, she announced that she would stop writing the column. She explained that she needed to focus on her second novel, People Person.

She also contributed a short story to a book called Dear NHS. This book came out in 2020. It shares personal stories from famous people about how the National Health Service has helped them.

For the 2020 holiday season, Candice wrote a short story for the fashion brand Prada.

In March 2020, it was announced that Candice would write a young adult novella. This is a shorter novel for teenagers. It is called Empress & Aniya. The book is about two teenage girls from different backgrounds. They accidentally switch bodies on their 16th birthday. This book was released in October 2021.

In May 2021, the BBC announced a new project. Candice Williams was asked to write a musical TV drama called Champion. This show is set in London.

Candice Carty-Williams' second novel, People Person, was published in April 2022.