Carol Lynch Williams is an author of Young Adult and Middle Grade novels. As of 2016, Williams is the conference director for Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers (WIFYR) conference and is a professor of creative writing at

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

(BYU). She graduated in 2008 from

Vermont College of Fine Arts Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) is a private graduate-level art school in Montpelier, Vermont. It offers Master's degrees in low-residency and residential programs. Its faculty includes Pulitzer Prize finalists, National Book Award winners, ...

with a degree in Writing for Children and Young Adults.

Personal

Williams has six daughters and a son. Williams grew up in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

but currently lives in

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

Overall themes and response

Williams read as part of the English Department reading series in the fall of 2008. John Bennion noted about that her characters "return love for cruelty." Williams' characters have to deal with abuse, aging, death, suicide, and other difficult challenges, yet rise above all of these difficulties. Bennion remarked, "we identify with her young women adults because they come out independent, relying on themselves." Williams' work has also been praised as "Intensely gripping and grippingly intense", "absorbing", "outstanding", and "stunning, gut-punching, heart-wrenching, heart-healing."

Awards

* Winner,

AML Award The AML Awards are given annually by the Association for Mormon Letters (AML) to the best work "by, for, and about Mormons." They are juried awards, chosen by a panel of judges. Citations for many of the awards can be found on the AML website. T ...

2001 Middle Grade Novel: ''My Angelica'' * Winner,

Whitney Award The Whitney Awards are awards given annually for novels by LDS authors. Established in 2007, they are named after Orson F. Whitney, a prominent early member of the LDS Church. There are several categories for which novels may be nominated. The Whi ...

Best Youth Fiction and

2009 Young Adult Novel: ''The Chosen One'' A complete list of Williams' awards can be found on her blog.

Published works

Middle Grade

* ''Kelly and Me'' * ''The True Colors of Caitlynne Jackson'' * ''Adeline Street'' * '' Pretty Like Us'' * ''I forget, you remember'' * ''A Mother to Embarrass Me'' * ''Just in Time'' series

Young Adult

* ''Never Said'' * ''The Haven'' * ''Signed, Skye Harper'' * ''The Chosen One'' * ''Miles from Ordinary'' * ''Waiting'' * ''Glimpse'' * ''My Angelica'' * ''Carolina Autumn''

Non-fiction

* ''Sister, Sister: A Book of Activities Sisters Can Do Together''

Latter-Day Daughters

* ''Victoria's Courage'' * ''Sarah's Quest'' * ''Marciea's Melody'' * ''Laurel's flight'' * ''Esther's Celebration'' * ''Caroline's Secret'' * ''Catherine's Remembrance'' * ''Anna's gift''

Other Latter-Day Saint Fiction

* ''Walk to Hope'' * ''Laura's Box of Treasures''

References

External links

Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Carol Lynch 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American women writers American women novelists American young adult novelists Brigham Young University faculty Living people Novelists from Florida Novelists from Utah Vermont College of Fine Arts alumni 1959 births