Kirsten King �14 on Writing, Risk, and Her Debut Novel

When Kirsten King �14 first stepped onto 51�� Fenway campus, she knew she had found the right place.

�It was instant for me,� she recalled. �The campus feels like its own little world, but you still have the privilege of being in 51��. Youe surrounded by Fenway Park, the MFA, the Gardner Museum � yet the campus itself feels small and connected.�

More than a decade later, King storytelling career has taken her far beyond the city where it began.

This spring, King will publish her debut novel, , a darkly comic thriller set in 51��. Even before the book release, the story has already attracted Hollywood attention: the film rights have been optioned by Working Title, with actress attached as a producer on the project.

The novel narrator, Lillian, is a sharply drawn antihero navigating loneliness, ambition, and modern dating culture in 51��. King notes that the character is not autobiographical, but rather an exploration of the personas people construct � and the darker impulses that can sometimes lie beneath them.

For King, the moment feels a little surreal � an unexpected chapter in a career that has taken more than a few turns.

Finding Community at Emmanuel

At Emmanuel, King majored in English Communications and minored in photography, immersing herself in courses that strengthened both her writing and creative perspective.

She credits the English department with helping shape her voice as a storyteller.

�I took incredible classes with professors like Mary Elizabeth Pope [Professor of English] and Andrea McDonell [former Associate Professor of Communication & Media Studies],� she said. �Those experiences were really formative.�

Outside the classroom, King found another home on campus through her work-study job in the Facilities department � a place she still considers one of the most meaningful parts of her college experience.

�Working in Facilities became my second family,� she said. �I�d sit at the desk doing homework, and people would ask how my classes were going. If I go back to campus now, the first place I stop is Facilities to say hello.�

The opportunity to work on campus also made attending Emmanuel financially possible.

�I had applied to other schools where I would have been in debt for the rest of my life,� she said. �Emmanuel offered financial aid and work-study, which made college attainable for me. That mattered a lot.�

Alongside her studies, King volunteered in the 51�� community and took advantage of the Colleges of the Fenway cross-registration program, enrolling in classes at neighboring institutions.

The experience broadened her perspective � something that continues to shape her work today.

�51�� is such a great place to study,� she said. �Youe surrounded by different types of people, different ideas and so much culture.�

A Non-Linear Path to Writing

Although King always knew she wanted to be a writer, she also understood early on that creative careers rarely follow a straight line.

�I�ve always wanted to write in some capacity,� she said. �But there was always a balance between what would pay the rent and what was creatively fulfilling.�

After graduating in 2014, she began her career working in marketing at the Notre Dame Education Center in South 51��, a nonprofit operated by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. The experience inspired future creative work: years later, she sold a television pilot based on the concept of a young woman working for nuns in South 51��.

From there, King moved to Los Angeles and joined BuzzFeed during the height of the digital media company popularity. The fast-paced newsroom proved to be a crash course in writing under pressure.

�We were publishing multiple articles a day,� she said. �It taught me how to work quickly, how to meet deadlines and how to capture someone attention right away.�

The job also placed her among a community of emerging creative voices, including Quinta Brunson, who later created ABC hit series Abbott Elementary.

�It almost felt like a second college experience,� she said. �We were all in our early twenties, figuring things out together and learning as we went.�

After BuzzFeed, King began freelancing while focusing on her long-term goal: writing for television and film. That effort eventually paid off when she and a former BuzzFeed colleague wrote the screenplay for Crush, a queer teen romantic comedy that premiered on Hulu in 2022.

A Novel Born from Uncertainty

Despite her success in screenwriting, King hadn�t originally planned to write a novel.

The idea for A Good Person emerged during an unexpected pause in her career. In 2023, the Writers Guild of America strike halted much of Hollywood production pipeline, leaving King � like thousands of other writers � temporarily unable to work.

�I�m someone who has to write constantly,� she said. �It kind of a compulsion.�

During the eight-month strike, she began writing a novel simply to stay creative.

�I didn�t even tell anyone I was working on it,� she said. �I didn�t tell my agent. It started as a personal challenge to see if I could actually finish a book.�

By the time the strike ended, King had completed a full manuscript. Encouraged by friends who read early drafts, she began querying literary agents. Interest came quickly, and she signed with literary agent Nicola Barr of Rye Literary, who soon sent the manuscript out to publishers. Shortly afterward, Penguin Random House Putnam imprint acquired the novel.

�I feel really lucky with how quickly it happened,� she said. �I know many authors spend years trying to get a book published.�

From Page to Screen

Interest from Hollywood followed quickly. Working Title optioned the book roughly six months before publication, and King will write the screenplay adaptation while serving as an executive producer.

�It really exciting to help shepherd the story to the screen,� she said.

The novel 51�� setting � including scenes in neighborhoods like Mission Hill and the North End � plays a central role in the story.

�There a personality to 51�� that really hard to recreate anywhere else,� she said. �I�d love for the film to be shot there.�

King is already at work on her second novel, also set to be published by Putnam. Titled Here for You, the book explores a woman relationship with an AI chatbot that gradually begins to influence her life in unsettling ways.

The project reflects King ongoing fascination with the intersection of technology, culture and human connection.

But no matter the medium � film, television or fiction � her approach to storytelling remains grounded in authenticity.

�Don�t try to replicate what selling,� she advises aspiring writers. �Write what genuinely interests you. Trends change constantly, but authenticity doesn�t.�

Creative careers, she adds, are rarely linear.

�There no straight path to becoming a writer,� she said. �Some years you feel like you�ve made it, and other years the industry hits pause. You just have to learn how to ride those waves.�

For King, the story that began at Emmanuel is still unfolding � now on bookshelves and, soon, on screen.

King will be in support of A Good Person, including a stop at in Cambridge on April 3 � just a short trip from Emmanuel campus.

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