Bexley native and best-selling author R.L. Stine answered questions, told ghost stories and shared anecdotes with his audience of fans in an Oct. 14 event hosted by the Drexel Theater and organized by Gramercy Books.
During the program, Stine walked the crowd through his life and journey as an author and how his passion for writing began at a young age.
“When I was 9 years old, I found a typewriter up in the attic, and I carried it down to my room and started writing joke posts and stories,” he said. “I loved being in my room typing.”
Stine said only one of his books titled “The Haunted Mask” was inspired by real-life events. He explained the inspiration came when his son couldn’t pry a rubber Frankenstein mask off his face.
“He was tugging and tugging, and I was looking at that, and I said, ‘What a great idea for a book.’ I should have helped him, right? I didn’t win the good parent award that day,” Stine said.
Author and founder of Gramercy Books Linda Kass said she helped organize and plan the event. She explained getting Stine for the event was a simple task because they are close friends.
The goal was to keep the event intimate, which is a stark contrast to a past event, she said.
A previous Stine signing had taken two hours and attracted people from all over, which inspired the registration for the Oct. 14 event, Kass explained.
She said the night’s success was a result of the fans who attended.
“I am always amazed at the families who show up, parents and their children all having been ‘Goosebumps’ readers at some point in their lives, all wearing ‘Goosebumps’ T-shirts and sweatshirts,” she explained.
Mike Ledger, a fan at the event, said Stine’s books are special to him because they are something he and his son can bond over.
Similarly, Lynley Ledger, another R.L. Stine fan, explained she and Mike Ledger were both in fifth grade when they started read ing his books.
“His stories are available to all generations,” she said. “Now our son’s in third grade, and he’s reading the books we read and new ones.”
