How Award-Winning & Bestselling Author Candice Carty-Williams Writes

The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience

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Bestselling, award-winning author Candice Carty-Williams, spoke to me about the tragicomic nature of being, winning "Book of the Year" at the British Book Awards, and her latest "People Person."

Candice Carty-Williams is a TV producer, culture writer, and author of the international bestseller Queenie, a book that was named a best book of the year by NPR, TIME, PARADE, The Guardian, Good Housekeeping, Marie Claire, and many others.

She also became the first black woman to win the "Book of the Year" award at the British Book Awards for Queenie in 2020.

Her latest novel is People Person, a book described as an "... insightful novel about the power of family — even when they seem like strangers." The Guardian called it, “A big-hearted story of a young woman coming to terms with her complicated London family from the author of the game-changing Queenie.”

Candice created and launched the Guardian 4th Estate BAME Short Story Prize in 2016, the first initiative of its kind in book publishing for underrepresented writers.

She has written for The Guardian, i-D, Vogue, every iteration of The Sunday Times (London), BEAT magazine, Black Ballad, and more.

Her original drama, "Champion," will be airing on BBC One in the U.K., and on Netflix globally, in 2023.

Stay calm and write on ...

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In this file Candice Carty-Williams and I discussed:

• Her early career in book marketing and the disparities she saw in publishing
• The inciting incident that inspired her latest
• How to balance humor and depth in fiction
• Why tragedy plus time equals comedy
• Great advice from Toni Morrison
• And a lot more!

Show Notes:

• candicecartywilliams.com
• People Person By Candice Carty-Williams (Amazon)
• Guardian 4th Estate BAME Short Story Prize
• Candice Carty-Williams on Instagram
• Candice Carty-Williams on Twitter
• Kelton Reid on Twitter

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