I’m very excited to be beginning my Genre Writing Master’s Degree this summer. Our first reading assignment, The Stand by Stephen King.

Here’s the thing, despite being a long time science fiction and fantasy reader, I never, not once, have read a book by Stephen King. Surprising, perhaps. In a recent survey of short story writers by Clarkesworld Magazine, Stephen King was the number one author cited as an influence by short story writers. Number one!