#atozchallenge – Stephen King Inspires Me & Chrys Fey’s Book Release

I knew at the tender age of 11 that I would be a life-long devoted fan of Stephen King. The first of his books that I read was ‘Salem’s Lot. I had to get my mother to sign a release for me at the local library giving me permission to read it. Many more of those permissions slips would be signed over the years. King’s books were considered too adult for my tender age. Thankfully, my mother knew that I read way above my age limit and had been for years. King’s books scared the life out of me, much like the horror movies I would sneak downstairs late at night to watch. I fell in love with his writing style, devouring book after book, trying to understand what made this unique writer tick. He never held back. Instead, he has continued to push the limits of his imagination, and mine.

What inspires me the most about Stephen King is his devotion to his readers. He knows what they want to read. He knows they want to be challenged and often scared and he delivers, time and time again. King doesn’t limit his work to only Horror though. He has written supernatural fiction, science fiction, suspense, and fantasy as well. He is a prolific writer, with over 50 novels, over 200 short fiction stories, and several non-fiction books under his belt. I own an extensive collection of his work and continue to collect them even now. His book On Writing is ever-present on my desk. My copy is marked, creased, and very well read. Truth be known, I should probably buy a second copy. His work has greatly influenced my own Horror writing. Of all the writers out there, he is probably the one who inspires me the most.

This is one of my favorite quotes of his on writing:

“When asked, “How do you write?” I invariably answer, “One word at a time,” and the answer is invariably dismissed. But that is all it is. It sounds too simple to be true, but consider the Great Wall of China, if you will: one stone at a time, man. That’s all. One stone at a time. But I’ve read you can see that motherfucker from space without a telescope.”
― Stephen King

Here is a wonderful conversation between two great writers, Stephen King and John Grisham:

Here is a video of King answering questions about his writing:

And another video of him discussing his books:

And finally, a biography on Stephen King:

Interesting facts: King has received Bram Stoker Awards, World Fantasy Awards, and British Fantasy Society Awards. His novella The Way Station (1980) was a Nebula Award novelette nominee. In 2003, the National Book Foundation awarded him the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. His short story “The Man in the Black Suit” (1994) received the O. Henry Award. He has also received awards for his contribution to literature for his entire oeuvre, such as the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement (2004), the Canadian Booksellers Association Lifetime Achievement Award (2007), and the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America (2007). In 2015, King was awarded with a National Medal of Arts from the United States National Endowment for the Arts for his contributions to literature. (source)

For a comprehensive list of Stephen King’s works, check out this list.

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Bonus S: SEISMIC CRIMES
Today is the release of Chrys Fey’s first novel!

BLURB:
An Internal Affairs Investigator was murdered and his brother, Donovan Goldwyn, was framed. Now Donovan is desperate to prove his innocence. And the one person who can do that is the woman who saved him from a deadly hurricane—Beth Kennedy. From the moment their fates intertwined, passion consumed him. He wants her in his arms. More, he wants her by his side in his darkest moments.

Beth Kennedy may not know everything about Donovan, but she can’t deny what she feels for him. It’s her love for him that pushes her to do whatever she has to do to help him get justice, including putting herself in a criminal’s crosshairs.

When a tip reveals the killer’s location, they travel to California, but then an earthquake of catastrophic proportions separates them. As aftershocks roll the land, Beth and Donovan have to endure dangerous conditions while trying to find their way back to one another. Will they reunite and find the killer, or will they lose everything?

DIGITAL LINKS:
Amazon / Barnes & Noble / KOBO / The Wild Rose Press

ALSO AVAILABLE IN PRINT!

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Thank you for joining me for the A-to-Z Challenge. If you’d like to see who else is participating, check them out here.

Each day, I will be posting about People Who Inspire Me.