Author Stewart O’Nan gained personal insight for his latest novel when he spent the night at the same hotel as his main character once did.

He had another similar experience when he had the opportunity to see the building where this man previously worked.

The author will do a reading at a graduate program class from his 15th novel “West of Sunset” at Point Park March 11. His latest work will take readers back to the glamour of Hollywood in the 1930s to explore the life of F. Scott Fitzgerald.

The Point Breeze native said while “West of Sunset” is a work of fiction, it was based extensively on Fitzgerald’s real life. 

”When I was doing research on it, I just found all these more and more interesting things that kept popping up and said, ‘Wow, I should really write about this,’” O’Nan said.

The novel opens in Asheville, N.C., where O’Nan paid a visit to the Grove Park Inn-where Fitzgerald resided in 1935-36. Not only did he stay in the same hotel, but also in the same room.

“It was great and terrible because I came down with pneumonia,” O’Nan said. “I was out there on tour for so long during the worst part of the year when everybody’s sick, but when Fitzgerald was there, he had pneumonia, too, so I was like, ‘OK it kind of makes sense.’”

O’Nan gained more understanding for his subject when he received access to the historic Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) Studios lot that is now Sony Pictures Studios. This location is where many films were made such as “The Wizard of Oz” and the Marx Brothers comedies. Fitzgerald spent his time at MGM working in studios and freelance writing. He earned the film rights to his work “The Beautiful and Damned” and “This Side of Paradise” and also polished the screenplay for “Gone With the Wind.”

“In L.A., I actually got onto the old MGM lot there,” O’Nan said. “It is now the Sony lot, and my publicist, who lives in L.A. has a friend who actually works there, so she got us passes to the lot, so we saw the building where Fitzgerald actually worked.”

While writing the novel, O’Nan was looking for opportunities to write his own scenes. He said there were many instances where information could not be found, which gave him the opportunity for artistic license.

A time he took advantage of this opportunity was in relations with Fitzgerald’s wife Zelda. O’Nan found that Zelda was a patient in a psychiatric hospital who was released for weeklong trips for vacation. They often traveled to Virginia Beach, but didn’t always get along.

“And that’s all they said is they went to Virginia Beach for a week, and they did not get along, and she came back,” O’Nan said. “And I was like, ‘What do you mean they didn’t get along?’ I want to see it, I want to be there, I want to feel it.”

O’Nan creates many of his own scenes of Fitzgerald’s life on the MGM lot.

The author will be teaching those in attendance how to become better writers by reading. According to O’Nan, anyone can learn to be a writer by reading actively, by taking notes and staying alert. He will also talk to students about books they can read to benefit their writing skills.

“You don’t have to like that writer, and you don’t have to like that book, but you have to be able to learn from it and take that tool that they use so well, so that maybe you can use it when you have the chance to,” O’Nan said.

O’Nan’s visit will be a two part event. The master class will take place from 11:20 a.m. until 12:50 p.m. He will have an hour-long book reading at 6 p.m. in 200 Lawrence Hall. 

The creative writing program, as part of the Point Park University Writers’ Series, will host the event.

“We started the series as part of an opportunity for a smaller program to really engage the community, as well and the ideas and ideologies of the community of writing,” said Karen Dwyer, assistant professor of English.

Dwyer began the program with professor and poet Sarah Perrier five years ago.

Attendance has ranged from 25-40 students in the past, and students are expressing interest during this semester.

Creative writing major Jorden Bodenschatz also believes the event will be valuable.

“I think learning anything from an experienced novelist is extremely beneficial. I mean, they are actually able to tell you what their career as a writer has been like and what to expect,” Bodenschatz said.

O’Nan is currently on a book tour for “West of Sunset.” He is also editing a novel about the Jewish underground resistance during 1946. He said the greatest thing about his job is being able to read anything he wants and consider it work.

“My grandmother said, ‘Always bring a book,’” O’Nan said, “and she was right.”