When I was a wee little one, I spent my time between a small village, not unlike a Derry or Castle Rock, and a traveling carnival, not unlike a Joyland. Being busy traveling a lot, I always had to find some way to occupy myself. And I had to find accessible things to occupy myself with. SK books are easy to get, my mom used to buy all his novels and short story collections off drugstore paperback shelves and I would take them and read them when I was bored and driving on long circus jumps, because I wanted to be just like her and do the stuff she did.
The characters are comfortable old friends, the foes will always be vanquished, and the terrible truths will be gasped at. Theres amazements in the territories, battles fought in the barrens, the small town horrors of the 'Lot. I pick up an old book, and it's like coming home even though they say you can never come back home. SK, through his work, became my unwitting nanny and my imagination enabler. As they kept coming out, I just kept reading and couldnt ever stop. The books keep a special place in my heart since the early 80's when I would peer down the sewer grate outside my house in fear and amazement.
I
Mr. SK!