Dear young 21-year old person (2008) or your future self, (2016),

I hope you are well. I can only wish that your life, whatever year your life of your 21st birthday occurred is bringing you the blessings of a career you love. I hope no catastrophe or ill health has plagued you. I am writing because I purchased the book your mother bought for you for your 21st birthday. It is the hard cover copy of Stephen King’s “On Writing,” copyright 2008. The book seems almost brand new. I bought book shortly after my 52nd birthday, October 6, 2016.

I am writing to you because of the inscription your mother wrote in this book. It reads, “To my future Stephen King! Happy 21st! Love, Mom. I paid $8.00. Finding inscribed books in second hand shops makes me slightly melancholic. Sure books can certainly be difficult gifts to pick out. Sentiment going to the way side when you no longer need it. This particular inscription however, pierced me. Your mom believed in your talent. You were, or are, still at the ripe age where the road in front of you is yours. Life is like that sometimes. Maybe your mom raised the bar too high for you to contemplate. I am not going to cast any judgement. There are plenty of writers with potential who emulate their favored author by imitating them. There is a reference to that in the book. You learn of what works and what does not. You can and will learn to find your own voice.

Life can indeed be difficult, I became a widow three years ago, experienced grief, had adventures, started a company to buy a company, backed away from the purchase of the company (always look under the hood for liens) and now from all that, I steered my company into doing research for people. Any kind of searches. Turning 52, I am what people would call a reinvented person.

I needed to hone my writing skills and as a fan of Stephen King I knew of his book on writing. I went out to my local used book store named Chamblin’s Bookmine (now you know what city I am writing in) to a purchase a hard copy. I have an e-book version, which I started and was hooked. Certain books beg to be written in. I have started annotating and writing my own notes. This will be a reference book for my company’s library.

Unless you want it back.

That is right. I am offering you to give you back your book. I have had it only for a few days. I have made some highlights and some notes. But I have stopped as I kept thinking of the inscription in the front. I am going on the assumption that you had been a very young writer and your mom had read your work. I open the book and see the inscription and it pains me. The inscription has joy and hope from your mom. A wish for you to write something so spectacular. To see such a gift found in a second hand book store saddens me to think of all the possibilities why someone discards a valuable asset. The book is chock full of pertinent advice for anyone who wants or needs to write. My hope for you is that you did not give up writing.

I will be posting this story about. There will be ways to find me and if you want the book back I would love to give it you.

All the best,

Rox of Spazhouse