Meet the Mysterious Lilja, Dread Central’s Stephen King Expert [Derry Monthly]
Hello.
It’s good to meet you.
My name is Hans-Ake Lilja, or as most people know me online: Lilja. I’m the mysterious figure behind the popular and long-running digital publication Lilja’s Library – The World of Stephen King; a website focused on everything related to King. Over the past 28 years it’s provided me the opportunity to meet all sorts of fascinating people from all over the world who share my specific literary passion.
Historically speaking, I’ve been a constant reader of King since 1983 and have been managing Lilja’s Library since 1996. Over that time, I’ve had the opportunity to interview King twice and even meet him several times. I’ve also written five books focused on the legendary author that have been translated into a whopping 17 different languages and have been published across 70 different editions globally. Since 2017, I’ve given regular lectures about King across my home country of Sweden. I guess you could say I’m something of an expert.
So, what am I doing here at Dread Central, you might be asking? A short while back I was contacted by Dread’s managing editor Josh Korngut, a self-described fan of mine who was interested in brand collaboration. When one of the largest horror movie websites out there, and one that I visit and read regularly, asked if I was willing to team up I was quick to say yes.
Soon I met Korngut and Mary Beth McAndrews, the Editor-in-Cheif of Dread Central, to brainstorm different ways we might want to work together. They explained they were very interested in adding more Stephen King content on the Dread Central, and they felt I was the right person to do it. We ended up deciding that a monthly Stephen King column would be the way forward. And while they pitched the idea to me for about half an hour, to be honest, I was sold after the first ten minutes.
My monthly column will deliver an in-depth look into everything that’s happening in the world of Stephen King. It’ll be focused on news updates with some of my expertise and editorializing mixed in. Each month will look different based on what’s happening in the Kingdom and how I’m feeling about all of it. It’ll be flexible, and I will be open to hearing from like-minded fans to understand what you want to know about. Hopefully, you’ll be letting me know what you think about it.
To be clear, this will in no way change how I run Lilja’s Library. My site has been there for 28 years, and my plan is to continue it for many years to come. This new endeavor is just another oppertunity for me to deliver Stephen King news and views, and a way for Dread Central to deliver more well-informed news about Stephen King to its readers.
For my next article, I will be reporting back on my first visit to San Diego Comic-Con where I’ll be part of the “Needful Things: Collecting Stephen King” panel on Sunday, July 28th. I can hardly believe it I’m an official part of a Comic-Con Stephen Kint panel, and can’t wait to tell you all about it. Hopefully, I’ll have news about Stephen King’s screen adaptations like Salem’s Lot, The Monkey, The Life of Chuck, and Welcome to Derry.
Until then, why not read a book, preferably one by Stephen King?
Categorized:Derry Monthly Editorials News
