Well, I'm pretty sure it was. In 1989, when I was 14, I wrote a piece---an interview with writer Joe R. Lansdale---for the long-defunct Castle Rock newsletter. I was paid fifty dollars, which was a huge deal for me. At risk of sounding hokey, I'm sure that paycheck nudged me down my career path.
I've been reading King for most of my life. I vividly remember buying IT the day it came out, when I was eleven or twelve. I've even met King once, briefly, in a graduate school seminar in Florida. Richard Russo's mother had just passed and Stephen King came in his place. I couldn't believe our luck. For an hour or so, in a room no larger than a convenience store, Stephen King spoke to thirty or forty graduate students. He was gracious, garrulous, self-deprecating, effortlessly hilarious, and he amiably endured some of the more pretentious questions from the "artistes".
Then he signed books. I came up to him with a few rare Donald Grant editions: one for me, one for my younger brother, who also grew up a huge fan. And yes, I also had my old Castle Rock newsletter, yellow and crispy, with me. When I showed it to Stephen King he signed it. I’m not sure if I explained clearly---or at all---that I wanted him to sign the newsletter because: hey, look, here it was, my first writing gig, all those years ago. I’m sure I said something like, “HeyMr.KingYeahThankssomuchHeyIwasinthisnewsletterIcan’tbelieveitmanyou’re here.”
Despite my incoherence, he tendered a warm smile and shook my hand.
Then we took the attached picture. That’s my girlfriend and me. We’re still together, by the way. And she’s also a writer and teacher. We spoke about King on our first date. Impossibly, she knew more about Stephen King than I did. She even leant me Horns, by Joe Hill, which I loved. I knew I’d found the right girl.
And now? I'm a novelist. My first novel is coming out from Random House in February 2015. It’s already written and I’m working on my next books. My editors are the same who worked on Gone Girl and The Dinner. The book will be available worldwide. I’m very aware of my luck. Yes, I worked hard, suffered rejection after rejection, and as a teacher narrowly avoided abject poverty for years, but lots of people do, and they never get lucky. I did. And I think a lot of it has to do with that first paycheck. And Mr. Stephen King.
Best,
Tom
P.S.
Yes, my dream as a kid was to have a book blurb from Stephen King. Talk about delusional. But a kid’s allowed to dream. See what I just did there? I just f888ed up all these nice sentiments by sneaking---sneaking, yeah right---a selfish request. And after all King’s done for me already! The nerve, right? But I’d kick myself for not trying. And I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t proud of this book. I really do think ya’ll will like---love, I hope---it. Why else put it out there?
I've been reading King for most of my life. I vividly remember buying IT the day it came out, when I was eleven or twelve. I've even met King once, briefly, in a graduate school seminar in Florida. Richard Russo's mother had just passed and Stephen King came in his place. I couldn't believe our luck. For an hour or so, in a room no larger than a convenience store, Stephen King spoke to thirty or forty graduate students. He was gracious, garrulous, self-deprecating, effortlessly hilarious, and he amiably endured some of the more pretentious questions from the "artistes".
Then he signed books. I came up to him with a few rare Donald Grant editions: one for me, one for my younger brother, who also grew up a huge fan. And yes, I also had my old Castle Rock newsletter, yellow and crispy, with me. When I showed it to Stephen King he signed it. I’m not sure if I explained clearly---or at all---that I wanted him to sign the newsletter because: hey, look, here it was, my first writing gig, all those years ago. I’m sure I said something like, “HeyMr.KingYeahThankssomuchHeyIwasinthisnewsletterIcan’tbelieveitmanyou’re here.”
Despite my incoherence, he tendered a warm smile and shook my hand.
Then we took the attached picture. That’s my girlfriend and me. We’re still together, by the way. And she’s also a writer and teacher. We spoke about King on our first date. Impossibly, she knew more about Stephen King than I did. She even leant me Horns, by Joe Hill, which I loved. I knew I’d found the right girl.
And now? I'm a novelist. My first novel is coming out from Random House in February 2015. It’s already written and I’m working on my next books. My editors are the same who worked on Gone Girl and The Dinner. The book will be available worldwide. I’m very aware of my luck. Yes, I worked hard, suffered rejection after rejection, and as a teacher narrowly avoided abject poverty for years, but lots of people do, and they never get lucky. I did. And I think a lot of it has to do with that first paycheck. And Mr. Stephen King.
Best,
Tom
P.S.
Yes, my dream as a kid was to have a book blurb from Stephen King. Talk about delusional. But a kid’s allowed to dream. See what I just did there? I just f888ed up all these nice sentiments by sneaking---sneaking, yeah right---a selfish request. And after all King’s done for me already! The nerve, right? But I’d kick myself for not trying. And I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t proud of this book. I really do think ya’ll will like---love, I hope---it. Why else put it out there?
Attachments
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