The Chosen One - Carol Lynch Williams

Carol Lynch Williams has been known and loved in both the Utah writing community and among readers across the nation since her first book, Kelly and Me, was released in 1995. A multiple-time winner of the Utah Arts Council Original Writing Competition, Nebraska’s Golden Sower Award, and this year’s PEN/Phyllis Naylor Award, Carol has just hit the big-time with her new book, The Chosen One, making last week’s New York Times Editor’s Choice list.

The Chosen One is the story of a 13-year-old girl, Kyra, who has been raised in a polygamist community her whole life, and has just been told by the prophet that she will marry her 60-year-old uncle. Because of her secret visits to the county bookmobile, Kyra knows a little about the outside world and desperately wants to make her own choices in life. Her pleas to her father and the prophet himself go unheeded, so Kyra is faced with choices—does she stay and do as she is told, or does she run away from the only life she has ever known?

I had a chance to interview Carol for my upcoming column in the Spanish Fork Press, but the interview itself was so good, and I could only use a small part of it in the column, so I’m posting the entire interview here so everyone could know the rest of the story.

Lu Ann: I supposed the most obvious question, and one you’ve likely been asked many times before, what brought a “good Mormon girl” to write the story of a girl raised in a polygamous community?

Carol: Oh thank you for thinking I’m a good Mormon girl! I do try to be. I love the Gospel and truly feel like it saved my life. I wrote this story, Lu Ann, because I wanted people to know that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not polygamists. Upstanding Latter-day Saints do not have more than one spouse. People still think weird things about our religion as a whole. My intention, when I started this book, was that a little LDS girls would meet a polygamous girl and people would see the contrast of the two as the story unfolded. But, as I have said, no Mormons were harmed in the writing of this story! Characters in books have a way of leading the tale. As soon as I penned the first line I realized every thought I had before for this book would have to be thrown out.

Lu Ann: How did your vision or understanding of that community grow or change as you wrote the book?

Carol: I realized that in every community—no matter what kind—religious or not—there can be good, loving people. And people who will try to seize control of others. It doesn’t matter who, what, or where. You see it around the world—and as close as next door. People act the way they are going to—whether they blame God for their choices—or themselves—or their victims.

Lu Ann: I’ve heard that you have a friend, a young man, who left a polygamous community at one time. How did he help you see the inside of the group you intended to portray?

Carol: Chris spoke very little of the community that he lived in. I had just started working on the book when he came to my home that first evening. He was so shy! I told him I was going to write a book about polygamy and asked if I could question him. He said yes. But when I would ask him something, he remained pretty tight-lipped at the time. Things have changed over the years. Now he and I speak openly about his experience. We’re pretty good friends. He’s a great person. Kind and loving and generous.

Lu Ann: Where do you see Kyra’s story going next? Will she meet up with Joshua, regret leaving her family, or learn to survive in the new version of her world? Why or why not? And what do you supposed happened back home with the other children after she is gone?

Carol: Argh! What do you think happened, Lu Ann? That’s a hard question. As far as Joshua—she is only thirteen! And of course she misses her family. I think she will for a long time. Forever, actually. I think she will learn to cope in her new world. She got away from the old one and that took tremendous courage. I know she’ll have help, too. And back home? I can’t even think what’s happening back home.

Lu Ann: Do you anticipate writing another book about Kyra at any time, or about any of the other characters we met in this novel?

Carol: Probably not. But who knows what the future brings? What I have seen from many other writers is that they have a terrific first book and a not-so-good sequel. I don’t want to do that.

Lu Ann: This book seems to be a breakout novel for you. Blurbs from many well-known authors and voices in the YA literature world have given you glowing endorsements. Other than the fact that you are a brilliant writer, as those of us among your longtime fans and friends have known, to what do you attribute this sudden notoriety?

Carol: First, thank you for your sweet comments, Lu Ann. I love you, too! I once asked several different authors what they did to write a successful book. Barbara Williams said, “Write a book about the Titanic before the movie Titanic comes out!” She was kidding—sort of. This book was purchased by St. Martin’s Press two days before the incident in Texas. Just two days. The timing, that I had no control over, has helped to fuel interest in this book, I’m sure. And also, St. Martin’s Press has gotten behind the book. They have wanted to see it succeed. How exciting is that, Lu Ann? You’re a writer. You know how important it is for the publisher to like what you have done. I’ve received this marvelous gift from my publishing house. And I have an editor there, Hope Dellon, whom I adore.

Lu Ann: Have you heard any inkling of nominations or awards pending for The Chosen One? What can you tell us about the PEN/Phyllis Naylor Award you recently won?

Carol: My sweet daughter Kyra is praying that I win every award possible! But, no, I haven’t heard anything except from friends. This is a crazy business. And there are a lot of good titles coming out from a lot of good houses. Kyra has tracked down what she thinks are my biggest competitors and is reading them. “This one, Mom,” she says, holding the book out for me to see, “this one is pretty good. You better read it.” I have a long list of books to read (growing ever longer because of Kyra, thank you very much!). I can’t say I wouldn’t love to win awards. But for sure, I want people to read this book and love it themselves. And the PEN/Phyllis Naylor Award! Wow! That was sooooo cool! I met Phyllis Reynolds Naylor again (I had once many years ago) and sat next to her at dinner. She is wonderful. And I had the chance to meet Lucy Frank (Oy, Joy! and The Homeschool Liberation League—both terrific novels. Really!) who is now a good friend. She was one of the judges and Lucy and I (and two of my girls) spent several hours together when we were in New York for the ceremony. Being with Lucy was like meeting a friend you haven’t seen for a bit. She is beautiful inside and out. My daughters still talk of how generous she was and how they liked her. Anyway, the whole experience was amazing. A real honor.

Lu Ann: You’ve had two books come out in recent months. What new projects are you currently working on? Do you have titles and release dates on future projects or are you still writing them?

Carol: At this point I know I have another book being published with St Martin’s Press. It’s tentatively called Lost in Peace. I have no idea when it will be out. The title will be changed—to what, I’m not sure. It’s the story of a girl who’s caring for her mom—and all the while her mother insists the girl’s dead grandfather is living with them. I also have a book coming out with Paula Wiseman Books called Glimpse. That will be out next summer. It’s the story of a girl whose older sister tries to kill herself. The main character wants to find out why.

Lu Ann: Now that you are seriously giving Stephenie Meyers a run for the money in popularity, what do you most want your readers to know and remember about you and your books?

Carol: Huh?! I don’t think that’s happening. You are so funny, Lu Ann! This is a good question. I want people to remember my character and think she was real. I want my readers to be compassionate to what they don’t understand. I hope they would be willing to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. I hope they have questions, that they look at the world in a new way, that they love Kyra and her heart. Gosh, I hope I can do those things.

Lu Ann: I’d like to thank Carol for taking the time out of her busy schedule to answers my questions. She just finished a hectic week as one of the organizers for the BYU Symposium on Writing for Young Readers last week, and is now hard at work on her next projects, although she did take some time off this weekend to help her youngest daughter with a cross-stitch project—a butterfly.

Pretty Like Us - Carol Lynch Williams

From the very first novel I read by author Carol Lynch Williams, I have been a huge fan of both the author and her works. That’s why I was excited to not only read her latest novel, Pretty Like Us, but also to have the opportunity to interview her.

Pretty Like Us is the story of two girls—Beauty McElwrath and Alane Shriver. Beauty, a painfully shy sixth-grader, lives in a small town in Florida with her mother and grandmother, both strong-minded single women. Beauty wants to come out of her shell and make friends, but her efforts have always resulted in teasing from the other kids at school. The fact that her mother is dating her teacher doesn’t help matters at all, and Beauty is certain she is destined to always be a social outcast.

Then Alane moves into town. Before the girl even arrives in class, Beauty’s teacher has asked the students to be kind to the new girl who suffers from a rare disease known as progreria, an aging disease. When Beauty first sees Alane, she thinks there has been a mistake. Surely this is Alane’s grandmother, not the girl herself. No one in sixth grade could look that old.

But it is Alane, and she sits right next to Beauty. Just what Beauty thinks she doesn’t need to help her get over her shyness and absence of friends, until she starts to discover that beauty of often more than skin deep, and true friendship sometimes comes in odd packages.

This is truly a must read book for girls. Those who are shy will relate to Beauty, just as those who see themselves as different will relate to both girls. All girls have felt concern over being accepted at some time in their life, and Beauty and Alane’s story will not only let them see themselves, but will also give them lots of laughs along the way.

I'm always fascinated by the names Carol Lynch Williams gives her characters because they are truly unique, so I asked her where they come from. “There’s almost always a name in a book that I’ve written that belongs to a person I know,” she says. “For me, it’s a way to say I love that individual. In Pretty Like Us I had decided I would name one of the character’s after my very good friend Alane Ferguson. She’s a fellow writer—a mystery writer—and a terrific person. It turned out that Alane’s name actually means beautiful one—and so it fits right into plot of my novel. And by the way—Beauty’s name started out Grace Beauty. When I sold Pretty Like Us, I also sold a series another writer friend and I wrote with characters named George and Gracie. And you guessed it. I know someone named Grace—that’s my youngest daughter’s middle name!”

I was also interested in Carol’s choice of using Progeria in a middle grade novel. The disease is so rare, I didn’t know how kids would relate to it. “When I was young,” she said, “I met a girl who may have had Progeria. She was nearly blind and looked old—way too old to be ten or eleven. I haven’t forgotten how that little girl pulled out a magnifying glass to read. I was struck right in the heart at that moment. I still remember the incident—everything that was going on at the time. The event remained with me for many years, as well as wondering how this girl existed when children can be so cruel. So I did what writers do, I wrote about her.”

Like all good writers, Carol knew she had to do more than just create a story; she also had an obligation to make the story ring true. “Rather than just seeing the physical differences, I hope people see the similarities they have with these individuals. Like Alane wanting to be a writer, children with Progeria have goals and dreams, too. They are loved and when they die, they are missed.”

I wondered about the prognosis of children who suffer from Progeria, and Carol tells me, “At this point, the disease is always fatal, though children might live longer than twelve or thirteen years old. But there is good news—scientists have found the link between those with Progeria recently. This was hard to do because there are so few cases in the world at the same time. Many times, a child will die very young. You can ‘meet’ some wonderful families with children who have Progeria by researching on the web, like I did.”

Anyone who has ever tried to write a story knows that some parts come easy, and others are really hard. Carol says, “This novel came to me in spurts—based on several true events. There was the young girl I met when I was younger, but this story is also inspired by a woman I met at a local university, who at 45 was a grandmother already—and by a tornado in Texas. The hardest part about writing Pretty Like Us was that when I drafted this book the first time there were actually two stories in one. Once I was able to separate them, and make them both distinct, I was able to sell them both.”

When it comes to writing, Carol is an expert and a great teacher. I was curious about where she starts. “I almost always start stories with a character and an incident,” she explains. “So I kind of have this core knowledge of them as I tell the story. But my characters begin to come to life for me as I write and rewrite, as I discover who they are and what makes them tick. I’m usually exploring main characters even after many rewrites. Rarely does a character spring fully formed from my head—though there is the core of that “person.” And she’s usually interesting enough that I want to follow her for 150 or so pages.”

New writers always want advice about where to start. Carol says, “Write, write, write. And read, read, read. Join a critique group that will help you improve as a writer. Don’t believe what you have written has come from God—and know that your words can be changed if they aren’t working.”

If there were one thing she would advise the newly published, something she wishes she had known with her own first book, it would be, “A good book needs to have some push—or marketing— behind it, and that won’t come from the publisher. There are lots of good books out there that never get the marketing they need. We, as writers, need to help our books along. But, we as writers tend to be quiet and reserved. We don’t all know how to promote ourselves!”

Taking her own advice about reading, Carol is an avid reader. “When I was a kid,” she says, “I was reading adult novels. It wasn’t until I realized I was a mid-grade/young adult author that I started reading books for younger readers. So from 12 on I read the greats—like John Steinbeck, William Faulkner, Mark Twain, Flannery O’Connor, and Eudora Welty. Before that I read a lot of poetry (my mother was an English major—and became an English teacher!) and non-fiction. I am still fascinated by bees and the parts of flowers. I do remember being about 10 and being thrilled when I found out that L. Frank Baum had written an entire series based on The Wizard of Oz.”

Carol says she hopes readers find her books fun, and I believe they do. “Many times my books have characters experiencing tough situations—and living though them—mostly,” she says. “Books are a great way for readers to do something they’ve never done before. Another reason to read my novels is because Jim Jacobs—one of the men who’s helped shaped children literature—says I have a true middle grade voice. So there.”

And I’ll add my vote to that comment as well. Carol truly does have a great talent for finding the true voice of middle grade characters and bringing them to life in a funny, interesting, and believable way that will touch reader’s hearts and their funny bones as well.