Carol Lynch Williams

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 (BYU). She graduated in 2008 from Vermont College of Fine Arts with a degree in Writing for Children and Young Adults.

Personal

Williams has six daughters and a son. Williams grew up in Florida but currently lives in Utah.

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 2001 Middle Grade Novel: My Angelica

Winner, Whitney Award Best Youth Fiction and AML Award 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