Yes, sometimes I think Stephen King gets a bum wrap! Most of his books are not really "horror", but rather "mind twisting" or like something you really don't think about happening suddenly happening. The movie Stand By Me from the short story about the boys is one like that. Really good story line, with deep considerations of the boys lives, etc. I bet you'd really like that one, Chanda.
Stephen King came to my office several years ago when I was running a federally subsidized Community/Migrant Health Center. He wrote a book called, "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" which was about one of the kids in our high school (Tom Gordon) in Avon Park, FL (where my kids all went to school), who became a major league baseball player. Tom Gordon married a girl that worked for me, and he wanted to come to our small "city/town" to get the feel of things in the small community. Everyone who worked for me knew I LOVED Stephen King, and they all surprised me, and had him show up in my office doorway! OMG! Nearly had a stroke!! (Thank goodness I was young then -- it'd probably kill me now -- LOL) I talked with him and Tabitha, his wife, for several hours -- even have a picture of him with me that I treasure. I sent someone to my house to get my part of my book collection, and he was kind enough to autograph several of his books for me, and one for each of my children by name.
The week after that wonderful day, was when he was in that horrid auto accident and nearly died.
But, I do treasure my time with him. He's from Maine, and I'm from the Adirondacks in NY, and we just seemed to be able to talk about so many things about the northern mountains, and I knew many of the places he talked about, as I'd camped there for many years. He's not the least bit strange in person at all -- no matter how they make him out to be. He's just a really gifted writer with a mind that never seems to shut down. Was a wonderful experience for me!
