By Jessica Zagacki
Renowned Author Lily King kicked off Hofstra’s “14th Annual Great Writers, Great Readings” series in the Guthart Cultural Center Theater with a discussion of her many critically acclaimed novels.
This special event featured a discussion between Lily King and Elisabeth Schmitz, the vice president and editorial director for Grove Atlantic Inc. Schmitz has been working closely with King as her editor since the debut of King’s first published novel “The Pleasing Hour,” a story about a girl named Rosie who fled to France as an au pair from America to escape trauma. King has currently published a total of four highly acclaimed novels: “The Pleasing Hour,” “The English Teacher,” “Father of the Rain” and “Euphoria.”
King has been nominated and has won several noteworthy awards for her work: She received the Barnes and Noble Discover Award for her first novel “The Pleasing Hour,” which was also a New York Times Notable Book and an alternate for the PEN/Hemingway Award.
Her second novel “The English Teacher” was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of the Year, a Publishers Weekly Top Ten Book of the Year, and the winner of the Maine Book Award for Fiction.
Her third novel “Father of the Rain” was a New York Times Editors’ Choice. Lastly, her fourth and most recent novel “Euphoria” won the New England Book Award for Fiction, a Kirkus Award for Fiction and was a finalist in the National Book Critics Circle Awards.
During the event, the dialogue between the two consisted of Schmitz talking briefly about each one of King’s four highly successful novels, followed by King reading an excerpt from each as well as Schmitz asking King personal questions related to life as an author. The event closed with questions from the audience followed by a meet and greet with King, who was signing copies of her novels.
Throughout the entire event, King was very open, raw and vulnerable as she discussed her upbringing with her alcoholic father, her mother who wasn’t around much and the end of her parent’s marriage. She also discussed how her father played a huge role in inspiring the idea for her third novel “Father of the Rain.”
“It’s so strange when your life takes you into your fiction,” King said. She then talked about her experiences with her own children and how it reminded her of parts of her first novel after she had written it.
King also gave a plethora of wise advice to both aspiring and accomplished writers alike. She mentioned how as a writer, you can combine two underdeveloped ideas together for a novel, which is exactly what she did with “The Pleasing Hour.”
“Every single novel has its own problems and puzzles and one isn’t going to help the other,” King said.
She mentioned how with each novel it’s back to square one – doing research and developing the story because each story is different. King creatively thinks of research as the “undergarments” of the book because it’s important to do the research, but you don’t want any of it to show through. Research should be added in a way that keeps the story going and flowing without seeming too factual or like you need to know every detail.
There was certainly a large amount of research that went into writing her newest novel, “Euphoria,” which is based on a love triangle involving American anthropologist Margaret Mead. King spent hours filling pages full of research so that she could embody Mead’s life and personality to the best of her ability in her character for “Euphoria.”
“Great Writers, Great Readings” with King and Schmitz was a treat for writers and readers alike. King certainly captures the essence of a writer who is truly passionate about the profession. She has allowed her open mind, creativity and genuine passion for storytelling to be a driving force in her success as an author.
King mentioned how as a writer, “you have to have an insatiable curiosity about what you are doing.” King possesses this curiosity as well as a desire to blend her imagination with inspiration from personal life experiences that truly help mold her voice and her work in this industry.