About the author
About Crystal King
Crystal King is an American novelist based in Boston, Massachusetts. She is the author of The Happiness Collector (MIRA, 2025), In the Garden of Monsters (MIRA, 2024), The Chef's Secret (Atria, 2019), and Feast of Sorrow (Atria, 2017). She writes historical fiction and fantasy rooted in Italy. She is a Pushcart Prize–nominated poet and holds an M.A. in critical and creative thinking from UMass Boston. She has taught writing and creativity at Grub Street, Harvard Extension School, Boston University, MassArt, and UMass Boston.
Honors
- The Happiness Collector was an Amazon Editor's Choice.
- In the Garden of Monsters was an Amazon Editor's Choice, a finalist for the 2024 Mass Book Awards, and a Goodreads Most Anticipated Historical Fiction Book of Fall 2024.
- Feast of Sorrow was a finalist for the 2017 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and received a Must-Read designation from the Mass Book Awards.
Quick facts
- Genres: Historical fiction and fantasy
- Novels: Four, published 2017 to 2025
- Lives in: Boston, Massachusetts
- Grew up in: The Pacific Northwest
- Newsletter: Tasting Life Twice, on Substack
In my own words
I'm a novelist and culinary enthusiast. My writing is fueled by a love of history and a passion for the food, language, and culture of Italy.
I have taught writing, creativity and social media at UMass Boston, Boston University, Mass College of Art, Harvard Extension School, and Grub Street.
I'm a Pushcart Prize–nominated poet and former co-editor of the (now defunct) online literary arts journal Plum Ruby Review. I received my M.A. in critical and creative thinking from UMass Boston, where I developed a series of exercises and writing prompts to help fiction writers in medias res.
I live in Boston but grew up in the Pacific Northwest. My husband, my shining star, is a French-Acadian/Italian who is a fantastic chef and visual artist.