Stephen King’s presence on Twitter these days is as entertaining as anything else going on in media right now. Always willing to share his thoughts, opinions, and admiration for other creatives — in many ways, King rules the Twittersphere.
More than just a passive user, though, Stephen King often interacts with fans in ways only he can, and over the years, has had plenty of internet run-ins that warm my jaded, word-ridden writer heart. To have someone as recognizable as King take time out of his busy schedule to chat with just about anyone is pretty darn cool. Seriously, give it a try. If you say something that piques his interest, you might just get a message from one of horror’s biggest names.
The most recent of these exchanges comes by way of fellow author Ray Garton, who yesterday expressed his love for Stephen King’s 2022 dark fantasy novel Fairy Tale. After posting a paperback of his book, put out by British publishing house Hodder, King was met with a comment from Garton who (ironically for a writer) couldn’t seem to find the right words.
After seeing Garton’s brief note, King didn’t hesitate to hit him back this morning with some admiration of his own.
To have Stephen frikken’ King say he’s a fan of your work is life-making for any writer “worth their salt” — which, if I’m being honest, is an expression that doesn’t make that much sense to me.
Regardless, these are the types of conversations Twitter was meant for, and instead of perpetuating hateful rhetoric, maybe we all should go out and read some Stephen King and Ray Garton for a change.