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Introduction

Stephen King

What can happen when a literary-minded boy develops a keen interest in comic books and H. P. Lovecraft stories? He might grow up to become Stephen King, the most prominent and prolific horror author of the modern era. King lived in a poor, single-parent household where he often turned to reading wild fiction and writing his own stories for entertainment. By the time he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English, King had already penned numerous articles for his high school and university newspapers, so it’s no wonder that he has gone on to publish so many stories. What is surprising, though, is that this once-timid English teacher who typed out his novels in a laundry room makes his living by scaring the wits out of the rest of world.

Essential Facts

1. King’s first novel, Carrie, almost never made it to print. King’s wife, Tabitha, rescued it from the garbage and encouraged King to complete the work.
2. An avid Boston Red Sox fan, King coordinates many aspects of his life around baseball. He frequently travels to Red Sox spring training sites, he trims his facial hair based on the beginning and end of the season, and he even appeared in the movie Fever Pitch...about an obsessed Red Sox fan, of course!
3. King has written several works under the name Richard Bachman, a pseudonym created to enable him to publish and sell more than one book a year, which was once widely thought to be the maximum production for an author.
4. Though he says he has no real musical talent, King plays guitar in the band Rock Bottom Remainders. Other band members include the writers Amy Tan, Mitch Albom, and Dave Berry.
5. In 1999, King was hit by a car and almost killed while out on his daily walk. This accident occurred less than a year after he wrote about one of his characters being struck by a car while out on a daily walk.