London Writers' Salon

#176: Allison King — Writing History, Memory, and Magical Realism as a Debut Novelist

Episode Summary

Debut novelist and 2023 Reese’s Book Club LitUp fellow Allison King on blending history with magical realism, and what it takes to build a writing life while navigating the modern publishing landscape.

Episode Notes

Debut novelist and 2023 Reese’s Book Club LitUp fellow Allison King on blending history with magical realism, and what it takes to build a writing life while navigating the modern publishing landscape.

We discuss:

• Allison’s early relationship with stories and the role her grandmother played in shaping it.
• The path from fan fiction and short stories to publishing a debut novel.
• The dual timeline and braided structure of The Phoenix Pencil Company, moving between WWII-era Shanghai and contemporary Cambridge.
• Building a magic system at the heart of the novel, and why its consequences matter more than its mechanics.
• Pragmatic outlining and structural tools (including reverse outlining) for managing timeline-heavy drafts.
• Researching family history without turning the book into an autobiography.
• Writing about Alzheimer’s with care, and what Allison learned in revision about emotional precision.

Resources and Links:

• Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
• Redwall by Brian Jacques
• The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King 
• Last Boat Out of Shanghai by Helen Zia 
• LitUp Fellowship
• Once Upon a Time in Dollywood by Ashley Jordan 
• My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
• A Tale For the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki 

About Allison King

Allison King is an Asian American writer and software engineer based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In technology, her work has ranged from semiconductors to platforms for community conversations to data privacy. Her short stories have appeared in Fantasy Magazine, Diabolical Plots, and LeVar Burton Reads, among others. She is also a 2023 Reese's Book Club LitUp fellow. The Phoenix Pencil Company is her first novel.