Crystal King
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Crystal King is the author of The Chef’s Secret and Feast of Sorrow, which was long-listed for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize and was a Must Read for the MassBook Awards. She is an author, culinary enthusiast, and marketing expert. Her writing is fueled by a love of history and a passion for the food, language, and culture of Italy. She has taught classes in writing, creativity, and so
04/16/2026
This week I interviewed Marian Mitchell Donahue about her debut novel BACKSTITCH. The novel is set inside an art gallery retrospective, where two sisters must confront what their mother's art cost their family. It earned a starred Kirkus review and a New York Times review, which is remarkable for a debut from a small indie press.
We talked about writing art into words, the line between a mother's creative life and her children's privacy, and the fact that Marian committed to getting 100 rejections before shelving the manuscript. Submission 101 was the one that landed!
Read the full interview on my Substack, and sign up while you're there for a chance to win a copy: https://bit.ly/4tmMCHU
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