Part I of EW’s weeklong tribute to the the author.
Stephen King celebrates his 70th birthday on Sept. 21.
He and King have known each other for years, and they recently collaborated on the novellaGwendys Button Box.
Credit: Cemetery Dance
How do you say a proper thank-you to the man who handed you the key?
How do you when words arent enough?
By the time wed finished reading and discussing The Monkey, my path was crystal clear.
Simon and Schuster
Then we grow up and our hearts break into two.
Hearts in Atlantis
You forget when youre young.
So you go where the wind carries you, and you forget.
Sometimes even magic slips away.
Books are a uniquely portable magic.
And Im completely lost.
And then everything changed.
There had to be at least 50 copies stacked in a spiraling tower.
Then my eyes moved to the bright red title:IT.
Cemetery Dance Publications
And the authors name above: STEPHEN KING.
I grabbed a copy from the top of the tower, savoring its weight in my hands.
I felt a familiar stirring in my heart.
The whispery kiss of a resurfacing memory.
I was no longer standing in a shopping mall in Maryland.
But I didnt care.
I was home again.
The place where you made your stand never mattered.
Only that you were there…and still on your feet.
The Stand
To this day, I believe thatITsaved the life of a very lost and confused young man.
And, along the way, I rediscovered the magic.
I didnt have a clue what I was doing, but that didnt matter.
I learned as I went.
Rediscovering the magic had given me courage I didnt know I possessed.
Within a few months, I was writing and submitting my own short stories to small press magazines.
Im a writer.The words echoing inside my head the whole way home.
I was 21 years old.
Six months later,I startedCemetery Dancemagazine.
Its been my life ever since.
In late 1989, a small envelope postmarked Bangor, Maine showed up in my P.O.
I opened it and found a promotional blurb forCemetery Dance.
It was signed Stephen King.
I stared at the letter for a long time, thinking:Im not dreaming, am I?
Two years later, a thick manila envelope arrived in that same P.O.
Inside, a brand new short story called Chattery Teeth by Stephen King.
There were smiles and whoops of joy.
And there were tears from both of us.
Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.
Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption
Fast forward again.
Its in both of my lungs, my liver, my stomach, and my lymph nodes.
Im staring at 12 weeks of chemotherapy and 50-50 odds of surviving.
My family and friends rally around me.
Hed heard the cancer had returned and wanted me to know that he was thinking about me.
He wanted me to know that he believed I could beat it.
And I still have that letter.
I could tell you a hundred more stories like these.
Each one of them a priceless jewel from a treasure chest of dreams-come-true.
with a note explaining that Stephen wanted to know if I would be interested in publishing a limited edition.
I could even talk about how a surprise business relationship grew into a surprise friendship as the years passed.
Thousands of emails and texts exchanged.
The occasional baseball game or movie premiere.
Rarely talking about writing, business even less.
Finally, I could tell you about the endless kindnesses that Steve has blessed my family and me with.
Laughter shared with Billy and Noah across a dinner table.
A voice cameo in a Billy-directed student film.
Countless opportunities for all of us to chase our dreams.
The most important things are the hardest to say…because words diminish them.
Turkey Creek Johnson: Why you doin this, Doc?
Doc Holliday: Because Wyatt Earp is my friend.
Turkey Creek Johnson: Friend?
Hell, I got lots of friends.
Doc Holliday: I dont.
Ill tell you a secret: I dont either.
Aka-tet,if you will.
Im blessed and grateful beyond words that Steve King is one of those friends.
People often ask me what he is like in real life (their words, not mine).
I usually respond briefly and protectively.
I simply say that hes smart and kind and funny as hell.
And thats all true.
But hes more than that.
Hes the most talented and generous man I know.
Happy 70th, Steve.
May there be many more.
I love you, brother.
