Carty-Williams debut novel Queenie has stormed the book charts
stormed the best-seller lists – game- changing for an industry that told its previously unknown author they didn’t know who her audience would be.
Queenie tells the story of a 25-year-old woman battling a break-up, racism on dating apps, and a boss who doesn’t understand #BlackLivesMatter – and many of her experiences are inspired by her creator’s own life. ‘There is the fact that I’m Caribbean, I’ve had panic attacks and depression, a lot of bad dates, some bad sex and amazing friends who’d do things for me,’ says Candice. ‘But am I exactly Queenie? No. I do have an imagination.
When Candice first came up with the idea for her book – something she developed after being selected out of hundreds of applicants to write at author Jojo Moyes’ cottage for a week – she billed it to publishers as ‘a black Bridget Jones’. ‘It helped publishers feel safe, but also me to feel safe,’ she admits. ‘A lot of editors told me they didn’t know how to place it and who the audience would be. I wanted to prove them wrong – but didn’t know if I’d be able to.
‘There’s a feeling among publishers that if there’s a person of colour as the protagonist, a white person won’t be able to relate,’ she says. ‘But while race plays a part, it’s not the whole part. is book is about the trials and tribulations of a woman just living her life, and a woman of any colour can relate to that.’
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