Stephen King, A Face Among The Masters

This is my book:

Stephen King did something crazy; something brilliant – he interconnected his many books and stories. Characters appear in one story only to have their story completed in other books.  Worlds collide and genre’s crumble.  But King did more than just connect railroad tracks through his own stories, he built long, wonderful stretches that moved through the lands of Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe and even Alfred Hitchcock.

Ride the train long enough, and you might see a door coming toward you, because you are about to enter the Twilight Zone with Mr. King as your host. King’s stories are more than just a rich texture of classic works, they include long bridges over theologically deep waters.  What does Pet Sematary tell us about resurrection?  What is the real meaning of The Stand?  Is the Green Mile meant to be read on a spiritual level?

Pause long enough, and you will hear the not so distant voices of a generation ago as they pass their stories over the radio waves.  Perhaps the scariest medium ever invented, radio once drove a nation to sheer panic, and scared a little boy named Stephen King.

Brighton David Gardner has spent years researching the world of Stephen King.  He has interviewed Stephen King scholars, enthusiast and film makers.  Brighton has been interviewed by CNN on the subject of Stephen King.  He is a frequent contributor to talkstephenking.blogspot.com.

Is there more to Stephen King than just haunted cars, rabid dogs and cities trapped under a dome?  Will his work be lost in histories unforgiving shuffle, or has he created a lasting body of work?  In Stephen King, A Face Among The Masters, Brighton Gardner discusses how King’s work compares to other outstanding artist.

Exploring not only King’s lasting legacy, Gardner takes a closer look at the novels themselves.  Did Stephen King write the father who abandoned his family into his novels?  What Stephen King movie did Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds inspire?

BUY IT HERE: www.amazon.com
KINDLE: $7.99
Paperback: $9.89

If you buy a new print edition of this book (or purchased one in the past), you can buy the Kindle edition for only $0.99 (Save 87%). Print edition purchase must be sold by Amazon.

Stephen King is mean

The Stephen King message board recently had a thread that was a discussion about my book, Stephen King, A Face Among The Masters.  (stephenking.com) The topic -- that I said Stephen King is "mean."  Of course, this lead to some heartfelt whining that Stephen King is a serious writer who shouldn't be called mean.

I say -- HA!  

He's mean.

Mean Mean Mean Mean Mean.

And you can't make me un-say it.

If you want nice authors, read Jane Austin.

If you want someone with the guts to kill off little Gage and send killer clowns after grade school kids, read Stephen King.

I echo, what I said in the book, "Most writers don’t have the guts to be mean."

Gardner, Brighton (2014-05-04). Stephen King A Face Among The Masters (Kindle Location 2364).  . Kindle Edition.

(The chapter was developed from this blog post: talkstephenking.blogspot.com: seven-reasons-we-read-stephen-king)

Steven Petite Calls THE STAND A 20th Century Classic

In his Huffington Post article, "Taking The Stand For Stephen King," Steven Petite makes the argument that Stephen King is more than a popular genre writer -- but a truly "great" writer.

Petite notes that King is often underrated, though he has received numerous awards that should break him out of the horror mold.

Petite steps out to make a bold statement; one book alone is strong enough to be considered a 20th century "classic."  And he isn't talking about The Shining.  The Stand, Petite argues, is a truly great novel.  "In 1991," he writes, "The Stand should have been considered for the Pulitzer and the National Book Award."

The Stand is without a doubt one of the greatest stories ever told. He may be considered the greatest genre writer alive, and his books are likely to be read for hundreds of years, most likely surpassing some of the nominees for both awards in 1991.

Is appreciate a voice out there ready to call not only King a great writer, but his work "classic" literature.  For too long we've assumed popular equaled trash.  The truth is, most great books were popular when released.   Naturally, some writers, like Poe, were not really praised until later; but it's not like Charles Dickens was only discovered after he died!

Sometimes a writers own peer group, reading public and critics begin to recognize that something special is going on here.  That's what Petite hones in on.  He writes, 

"My reading habits primarily are of the "literary" nature, but Stephen King's knowledge of literature, his grasp of storytelling, and the art that he creates are worth taking a stand for, because without Stephen King, the book industry would be vastly different today."

Is The Stand that strong?  I think Petite has hit the nail on the head; it is indeed.   Has King done better than The Stand?  That's up for debate, isn't it?  IT, The Green Mile, 11/22/63 and The Shining should all rate up there as truly great novels.  But the Stand is special to us.

What makes The Stand so much fun?  It’s a modern telling of the end of the world.  The apocalypse comes right down to us.  It’s our New York and our Los Angeles. It all comes to an end thanks to a government created plague the West Coast calls Captain Trips.  A long, sprawling novel, The Stand has lots of little cubbyholes–pockets of story that are a world of their own within the larger story.  (Stephen King A Face Among The Masters)

More than just being fun, King dives into other authors worlds and plays with their toys.  With The Stand, King even dabbled in the world of Poe.  -- but I'm saving that for the book.

Read Steve Petite's full article at: huffingtonpost.com

Check out Steve Petite's book, The Concept Of Home at amazon.com/Conceptofhome
Today is Steve's birthday,  which means he has dropped the kindle edition to 99 cents.  You can't really beat that.

A coming of age tale starring Porter Wallace: A failed writer who needs to find a purpose for his existence. After giving up on writing, he embarks on a journey to rediscover life, love, and the true meaning of home. He burns bridges along the way, learns from mentors and uncovers secrets as his quest to become a writer again turns out to be secondary to his home.

--HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVEN!

Details Coming: Stephen King A Face Among The Masters

Greetings!  Tuesday, I will be posting the cover art and book description for a new Stephen King book, titled, "Stephen King, A Face Among The Masters," by Brighton Gardner.