Candice Carty-Williams Returns to Queenie with Sequel, Reflects on TV Adaptation Ordeal

Candice Carty-Williams is publishing a sequel to her debut novel Queenie, seven years after its release. The new book follows Queenie in her early 30s, navigating a situationship with a man she calls 'TFL man' and investigating Black maternal healthcare, uncovering troubling information about her own fertility. Carty-Williams resisted writing a sequel initially, instead publishing People Person in 2022. She describes the Channel 4 TV adaptation of Queenie as 'the worst professional experience of my life,' citing constant second-guessing of her novel and reduction of Black experience to stereotypes, including a suggestion to open with a white character using the N-word. She tried to quit three times but stayed due to crew jobs. The adaptation received mixed reviews, with a Guardian review calling it 'strangely preoccupied with whiteness.' Carty-Williams also founded the 4thWrite prize for unpublished Black, Asian, and minority ethnic writers. She notes that post-2020 diversity initiatives in publishing have largely disappeared. The sequel explores corporate diversity language she experienced firsthand. Carty-Williams, now 36, bought a house and prioritizes therapy. She plans to write a book of essays in her 40s and is considering a novel about parasocial relationships. She intends to write further Queenie books but is unsure when.