About Stephen King
When people think of Stephen King and Stephen King books, they think horror. After all, this is what the author, who lives in Maine, is best known for writing. It was his first horror novel, Carrie, which brought him to the attention of the public. The book was later made into a film that was also very popular. After writing Carrie, Stephen King wrote Salem’s Lot and then went on to write The Shining and The Stand. By the end of the 1970s, Stephen King was well known as an accomplished and very much followed horror writer.
Stephen King was born in Maine and had several traumas in his life, his first being when his father left his mother and adopted older brother under the guise of going out for a pack of cigarettes. When he was a child, he saw his friend killed by a train that traumatized him. He dismisses the idea that this incident, which he cannot remember, drew him to the world of horror. Stephen King knew that he wanted to be a writer since he was a child after seeing the covers on some books of the HP Lovecraft collection.
In high school, Stephen King books were being sold as short stories to classmates, although this got him in hot water with the teachers. He was published in Comics Review and an unpublished fanzine when he was still in high school. Stephen King also went to the University of Maine where he studied English and received a Bachelor of Science degree in this subject. He continued to take odd jobs in order to finance his education as well as his drive to be a professional writer.
Carrie is probably one of the most popular books by Stephen King, although he only received a $2,500 advance for this book when it was published by Doubleday. He did, however rake in profit from the paperback sales of the book.
But Stephen King books are not always about horror. He also writes under the pen name of Richard Bachman. A short novel of his was made into a film that is considered to be one of the best films of all time by the American Film Institute. It may be difficult for some of those who read Stephen King books and consider Stephen King to be a horror writer to realize that he wrote The Shawshank Redemption.
You can look for Stephen King books as well as those that are written by Richard Bachman online. Stephen King also writes under other pen names as well. The reason that many authors like Stephen King write under other names is because they have become so well known in one genre and have such a large fan base that to step out of that genre may be disappointing to some fans. The Stephen King novel that was also made into a film, Misery, is good depiction when a fiction fan of a certain series goes awry.
There are many Stephen King books from which to choose. You can start with Carrie and work your way up through his works. When you are looking for books by Stephen King, you should also look for some of his other works that will give you an insight as to just how talented and versatile this writer is.
For more, visit the Stephen King website.
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