Yep. And proud.

So the first time I read a book by R. L. Stine (what a befitting name!) I was 10 years old. I knew a boy who wasn't liked by everyone at school, but sought a friendship in me through gifting the loan of his new horror book. I gingerly accepted.

Since we were far too young to get into the movies to 'watch' horror I thought I would 'read' horror instead. None of my cooler friends were allowed to know. Soon my curiosity took hold and an insatiable appetite for new experiences was born.

The book was No.22 Ghost Beach and proudly wore the subtitle - "Reader beware you're in for a scare" which I disregarded, but it did scare me - and I loved it!

Finishing the story in under 2 weeks I proceeded to buy the entire collection, reading one after the other with rampant obsession. There is roughly 75 books in this series and they cost £3.50 each at the time, you do the math!

I can still to this day remember coming downstairs on a Sunday to tell my mum that I had read the four books I had bought with her merely 8 days prior - and boy was she mad. Woah.

Luckily my mothers scalding wasn't enough to ward me off reading, and eventually writing I guess. She scalds me for other things instead now...

One of the many Stephen King novels, this however was special: not only was it the first novel by Stephen King that I read, it was the first book I had read in years (I went through a non-reading stage which I regret most severely), and it was the first book that I read and was constantly thinking how differently I'd word certain things, or describe others.

I loved the book, and plan to read it again before the year is up but it is very special. It introduced me to the world of horror and writing, and it reintroduced me to the world of reading.

For me, it marked the dawn of writing and the rebirth of reading. I own it all to King.

- Michael Hall