I was excited to be part of the small audience attending Stephen King's speaking event during the Savannah Book Festival's closing ceremony this past Sunday. The event included Stephen King talking about his past work, discussing the evolution of 11/22/63, and a reading from first chapter of his upcoming sequel to The Shining, titled Doctor Sleep.

Doctor Sleep was officially announced back in September and follows a 40-something Danny Torrance. This made me wonder if Stephen King would cover the events that immediately followed The Shining. Thankfully, the first chapter does exactly that and discusses what happens to a number of characters in the years following the end of the Overlook Hotel.

I've included a video of the chapter reading below, along with some photos from the event. Not only was I able to attend the event and hear the book reading, but I also had a chance to meet and talk with Stephen King, which definitely tops my list of events I've attended and horror icons that I've had the pleasure of meeting. Speaking events are rare for Stephen King, but I definitely suggest going out of your way to attend them if possible. He's had a handful of speaking engagements to promote 11/22/63 during the last year and hopefully, we'll have information on upcoming events to promote The Wind Through the Keyhole and Doctor Sleep.

There is no release date set for Doctor Sleep at this time, but toward the end of 2011, it was said that Stephen King completed this second draft of the novel. We'll let you know as soon as more information becomes available.