Joe Hill visited Iowa City in May 2013 to read from NOS4A2 at the Iowa City Public Library. Hill, who is the son of Stephen and Tabitha King and was born Joseph Hillstrom King, recorded this On the Fly interview during his visit.
Hill discusses NOS4A2, calling it “an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink novel,” and its scenes set in Iowa. He draws a distinction between his focus on characters in his work versus other genre writers who might work primarily from plot. In addition, he speaks of his commitment to creating stories grounded in suspense, his work in comics, and his “big engine of make believe” that fuels his storytelling and allows him to work in almost any environment.
Hill speaks at length about the importance of revision, arguing that a writer must be committed to “a slow, somewhat arduous process of honing and sharpening and revising and cutting away and just being really ruthless and brutal with yourself about what you need and what you don’t.”
In addition to NOS4A2, Hill is the author of the novels Heart-Shaped Box and Horns, the prize-winning short story collection 20th Century Ghosts, and the comics Locke & Key (for which he has won an Eisner Award) and Wraith (which ties into NOS4A2).
