914: Good as Hell with Kirsten King

·1 hr 5 min·5 clips

A millennial anti-hero casts a hex on her situationship, and he dies the next day, making her a murder suspect.

Ellie Brigida and Leigh Holmes Foster, hosts of the lesbian podcast 'Lez Hang Out', welcome back writer Kirsten King. King is known for writing the Hulu film 'Crush' and for 'The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy'. The episode focuses on King's debut novel 'A Good Person', set for release on March 31st. King explains the plot: a millennial anti-hero in Boston, Lillian, is in a situationship with a man named Henry. After he rejects her, she casts a hex on him, and he coincidentally dies the next day, making her a murder suspect. Both hosts read advanced copies and share their reading experiences, with Leigh devouring it on a flight to Switzerland and Ellie reading it secretly during a chaotic family Thanksgiving. King reveals she wrote the book during the WGA writer strike as a personal challenge, not expecting to publish it. She describes Lillian as a 'horrible evil bisexual' and an 'agent of chaos', created as catharsis for frustrations with industry narratives around bisexuality and narcissistic people in LA. The book has been optioned for adaptation by Working Title, with Daisy Edgar-Jones set to produce and star. King is now adapting it into a screenplay, grappling with how to translate the protagonist's intense internal monologue, possibly using voiceover. The discussion touches on the class dynamics in Boston, contrasting Lillian's 'white trash Boston' background with Henry's other girlfriend Nora's 'waspy New England' persona. King shares a personal anecdote about receiving a pro bono exorcism from a friend's exorcist in LA, which she feels led to positive life changes. The hosts and guest analyze the toxic friendship between Lillian and her lesbian best friend Jamie, noting its relatability to many queer women's experiences. The episode includes a lighthearted Q&A segment with questions about hexes, dating, and personality disorders. King encourages listeners to request the book at local indie bookstores.

As heard by us

A sharp, funny discussion of bad characters, queer reading, and the trouble with making anyone purely good.

Leigh Holmes Foster and Ellie Brigida bring a loose queer-friend-group charge to a conversation about difficult characters, especially Lillian and Henry.

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Why you'd press play

Press play when you want a queer book conversation where Henry still loses the battle to Lillian.

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