From Attorney to Award-Winning Caribbean Author: Celeste Mohammed’s Pivot to Best-Seller Success

In our latest installment of Di Pivot, we sit down with Trinidadian writer Celeste Mohammed, author of the award-winning and much loved novel Pleasantview, whose transition from a career in law to one in literature is as inspiring as it is cathartic. Celeste always knew she wanted to be a writer, with that dream forming as early as childhood. Yet, like many Caribbean people, she was guided toward a more traditional, financially stable career path. Law seemed a very natural fit, combining her love for reading and writing with the promise of financial security. However, despite her competence in the legal field, something was missing. The pursuit of billable hours and time spent as in-house corporate counsel left her feeling unfulfilled and, ultimately, frustrated. It was after a particularly draining meeting that she finally decided to follow her true calling. In this candid conversation, Celeste shares how she walked away from a life that no longer served her and embraced the one she was always meant to live—crafting stories that reflect her voice and truth.

TKK: What inspired your decision to transition from what is considered a traditional career to becoming a full-time writer? Was there a specific moment or event that solidified your choice?

CM: I always knew I wanted to be a writer. As early as 7 or 8 years old, I knew. However, I was encouraged by my family to go into “something that could make money”. I figured that Law was all about reading and writing – the two things I loved most – and it made money, so I did that hoping it would satisfy everybody. I was competent at practicing law but I didn’t enjoy it. Honestly, it felt like a soulless way to spend my life: chasing billable hours in various firms, or as in-house corporate counsel in endless meetings trying to advise people who didn’t really care what the Law said. I grew more and more resentful of the time and energy I was “wasting”. Then, after one particularly long meeting that achieved nothing, I lost the plot. I stormed out, went to my office and wrote my resignation letter.

TKK: How did your peers and family react to your decision? Did their reactions affect your journey in any way?

CM: Not well. My peers thought I was crazy. Some of my friends thought I had been fired and was just hiding it. I was raised at a time when the high watermark of success was for your child to become a doctor, lawyer or engineer. So, I think my leaving the profession was deeply hurtful to my mother. I think she saw it as making a mockery of all her sacrifices for my education. She kept hoping I would go back. All of which made me more determined to succeed and be taken seriously as a writer.

TKK: Can you share how your experiences as a lawyer have shaped your perspective on storytelling, particularly in addressing complex social issues?

CM: It didn’t matter if I liked or disliked my client, I had to advocate, argue or negotiate on his behalf. So, Law taught me how to set aside my personal opinions, values, thoughts and moral judgments – at least for a short time – and assess a situation from another person’s perspective. Law also taught me the importance of listening to what people say, what they don’t say, and how to sift it all for the facts and motives which are relevant. Finally, Law taught me how to follow “the chain of causation”, the domino effect of how one thing causes another thing, which causes another thing. All these skills come together in my storytelling.

TKK: Your debut novel, Pleasantview, has received significant recognition, including winning the 2022 OCM Bocas Prize. How has this success shaped your writing journey and your identity as a Caribbean writer?

CM: I suppose success has emboldened me. When I started writing, I was aiming to produce literary fiction of the highest technical craftsmanship, which was still accessible and enjoyable by readers with no literary background. I wasn’t sure I could do it. Now, though, I am quite sure there is a readership out there, both within and beyond the Caribbean, who are interested in the stories I want to tell and the way I want to tell them. This means I am doing something right, and I can push my vision even further because the readers will come along.

TKK: What has been the most fulfilling aspect of your writing career so far?

CM: It’s amazing how similar being a writer is to being a parent. You birth a thing, you watch it grow, you tentatively release it into the world. Surprise, surprise, it actually thrives and goes on to have a fulsome life of its own. That’s how things have been with Pleasantview. The book has a cult following. So many people all over the world connect with it deeply. Seeing that connection and excitement, seeing people say Pleasantview is the book that brought them out of a reading slump, or the book that kindled their interest in Caribbean writing, or the book that turned them on to linked short stories – it’s been the most fulfilling aspect. I often feel like a proud parent sitting in the bleachers cheering on my kid.

TKK: How important is it for Caribbean writers to stay connected to their roots, and how have you managed to maintain that connection in your work?

CM: Caribbean Literature is a many faceted thing. The diaspora is wide, multilingual and multicultural. There are many different versions of “the Caribbean experience”. For example, a Caribbean-American writer might be able to write effectively and convincingly about that experience, without having to necessarily be au courantwith day-to-day life in the Caribbean country from which her parents emigrated. However, if she does want to locate a story in that place, the writing would certainly benefit from digging into and reclaiming those roots. Of course, research is one method. Social media also helps in that regard, but it also contorts and skews reality. There is no substitute for actually living in a place, talking with and listening to the cares and concerns of people in that place. This is where I am lucky: I live in Trinidad – a very ordinary life, where I get to interact with people from all races and classes every day.

TKK: What advice would you give to Caribbean professionals who are considering a similar pivot from a traditional career to a creative one?

CM: I have no advice. It is a hard, long road. It most likely will not pay as well. So, if you’re leaving for fame and fortune – forget it. But if you are leaving because you will never be happy unless you answer the calling inside you with a YES – then go for it.

TKK: Looking back, is there anything you wish you had known before making the leap from law to writing? What would you have done differently?

CM: There’s nothing I would have done differently.

TKK: As someone who has personally read and loved Pleasantview, I’m curious to know about any new writing projects you’re currently working on.

Rest assured, there is another book coming your way soon. Another novel-in-stories like Pleasantview. That’s all I can say for now.