Car Hits Kings Gate

photo: http://www.examiner.com/literature-in-lexington/kingx-jpg-photo
.

So, you know Stephen King has an awesome fence around his house, right? Today, Jesse Coffey at examiner.com reported that Renee Harris swerved when an oncoming car veered into her lane. She ran into the custom made brick iron fence. (You know, the one with bats.) Examiner notes that police say the damage is around $100,000. Wow that's a lot of money for a gate! With the falling market, I'm not even sure my entire house is worth that.

.
Seems Stephen King and cars don't always get along -- Christine! What are the chances? Of all the houses on that street. Good grief.

.

The Daily Gleaner says, "At least two people have gotten in trouble trying to reach the popular horror author at home over the years. It's unclear whether King was home Sunday. In 1991, a man broke in while King's wife was home alone. She ran to a neighbour's house and called police. In 2003, an illegal immigrant charged with stalking King was ordered removed from the U.S. King was struck by a car while walking along a road in 1999 and spent months recovering."

.

http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/rss/article/1197625

.

http://www.examiner.com/literature-in-lexington/car-rams-into-stephen-king-s-gate

Haven: Poll Results

So here's the results from the very un-scientific poll. 37 of you took part in the poll. I asked, "What do you think of Haven?"

.
21 - I love it!
3 -- I'm boared out of my mind
1 -- I hate it
8 -- I'm holding in there hoping it gets better
7 -- I don't see the King connection
6 -- The special effects are awesome
3 -- There isn't enough action/effects
7 -- Strong character driven acting
4 -- Feels like a soap opera
2 -- I'm waiting for the DVD's
2 -- Who's haven?

NBC Interviews Maker Of King Movie

Here's the NBC interview with Monroe Mann. As posted earlier, he is making a movie about Stephen King. Check out the interview here: http://www.wcsh6.com/video/default.aspx?aid=62736#/Film%20crew%20sets%20up%20shop%20in%20Lovell/589259082001

Novella: The Crate

Did you know that there is a Stephen King novella called "The Crate"? It doesn't appear in my copy of The Lost Work Of Stephen King. Probably because it isn't really lost -- it's just been rare to find a copy. And it appears it hasn't been over pursued. It is the same work that the Creepshow segment is based on.

.

According to Bev Vincent's website, Stephen King's novella "The Crate," first appeared in Gallery magazine in 1979. Vincent notes that it was later collected in The Arbor House Treasury of Horror and the Supernatural in 1981. http://www.bevvincent.com/king-stories.html

.

Now Available!

This is interesting because Cemetery Dance has just announced that they are including The Crate in their latest edition of Shivers. Cemetery Dance is getting a special place in my heart these days! And my bookshelf. Here's the deal -- anything they print (by King) quickly increases in value because they are a small publisher. Just try finding a copy of the CD edition of From a Buick 8.

.

Edited by Richard Chizmar, Shivers VI is a heafty 410 pages. It includes not only King's work, but Peter Straub, Al Sarrantonio, Jay Bonansinga, Lisa Tuttle, David B. Silva, Melanie Tem, Brian Hodge, Brian Keene, Alan Peter Ryan, Blake Crouch and Jack Kilborn, Bev Vincent, Brian James Freeman, Norman Prentiss, and many others.

.
Cemetery Dance calls The Crate Kings "long lost novella." It was written in the late 1970s and they say it hasn't seen print in over 30 years. Of course, this novella has not appeared in King's collections; which is a surprise since we thought Nightmares and Dreamscapes pretty much cleaned out his vaults!
.
trade paperback: $20
limited edition hard cover: $40
http://www.cemeterydance.com/page/CDP/PROD/chizmar15

Twilight Screenwriter Discuss Vamp Lore With King

Amanda Bell reports that 'Twilight' screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg to discuss vampire lore with Stephen King." Interesting, since King has made it pretty clear that he is not a fan of Twilight. His direct comment had to do with Meyers ability to write, but we have to wonder if he also takes issue with the new interpretation of vampires. The smooth, sexy teenage hotties who now play vampires are a far cry from Dracula or Salem's Lot.

.

Bell writes, "At this year's New Yorker Festival in New York City, Twilight series screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg will be participating in a discussion panel on the subject of vampires in popular culture with none other than Stephen King."

.

Bell's article is here: http://www.examiner.com/true-crime-in-national/twilight-screenwriter-melissa-rosenberg-to-discuss-vampire-lore-with-stephen-king

N.Y. Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/25/books/25arts-NEWYORKERFES_BRF.html?_r=1

check out my post, "Scary vampires please.": http://talkstephenking.blogspot.com/2009/10/scary-vampires-please.html

Richard Matheson On Screen

Matthew Bradley, author of Richard Matheson on Screen, posted recently that his book is now available for purchase. I haven't read it... yet -- but it looks interesting. He got a pretty good guy to write the forward; Richard Matheson!

.

Bradley certainly has the credentials to offer up a book about Matheson. His own website notes, "He is the author of Richard Matheson on Screen: A History of the Filmed Works, the editor of Matheson’s Duel & The Distributor, and the co-editor (with Stanley Wiater and Paul Stuve) of The Richard Matheson Companion, revised and updated as The Twilight and Other Zones: The Dark Worlds of Richard Matheson. Bradley has written introductions to limited editions of Matheson’s I Am Legend, Hell House, Noir: Three Novels of Suspense, and What Dreams May Come" http://bradleyonfilm.wordpress.com/about/

.

McFarland offers this description of the book: "Though innumerable biographies have been written about novelists, playwrights, and poets, screenwriters are rarely granted this distinction, even ones as prolific and successful as Richard Matheson. He has occupied a unique position in cinema as the writer or original author of films from The Incredible Shrinking Man in 1957 through I Am Legend in 2007. This book documents his rise to prominence, parallel literary career, and role in the horror and science fiction renaissance. In chronological order, the exhaustively indexed narrative examines each film written by Matheson or based on his work, with sections devoted to episodic television (including The Twilight Zone) and unproduced projects."

.

The book is listing at $45 and can be purchased here: http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-4216-4

.

King and Matheson:

.

I'm most familiar with Richard Matheson from The Twilight Zone. However, he appears to be a favorite of Stephen King.

.

King has talked about how Matheson inspired him. He wrote in the introduction to I Am Legend, "When people talk about genre, I guess they mention my name first, but without Richard Matheson I wouldn’t be around. He is as much my father as Bessie Smith was Elvis Presley’s mother. He came when he was needed, and these stories hold all their original hypnotic appeal."

.

The novel Cell is dedicated to Matheson. His familiarity with Matheson's work is evident in Danse Macabre, where Matheson gets no less than eight mentions.

.

King and his son Joe Hill partnered with Matheson in an audio book called Road Rage. King and Hill wrote "Throttle" while Matheson contributed his novella "Duel." Duel was made into a movie by Spielberg.

.

Marriage

.

Matheson offers an interesting insights on marriage and writing. This is from William P. Simmons interview with Matheson which originally appeared in Cemetery Dance magazine.

Matheson says, "you can see my mentality change in the stories which I published in chronological order. In my earlier stories, when I lived by myself in Brooklyn, marriage was like some frightening phenomenon to me. It did not turn out well in my stories. Then I came to California, met my wife, fell in love, and got married. So after that scary things happened to the man and his wife. Then we had children. And that changed my attitude even more. Scary things now happened to me, my wife, and my children. They became a part of my life. Every writer, I think, only profits by being married and having a family.

.

When Simmons asked if there was more he wanted to say on the subject, Matheson said, "To get married and have a family, is to grow up and mature. It’s the only way. You can read philosophy books for a hundred years, but if you don’t get married and have a family you will never get it. They soften you and shape you, mature you. Absolutely." http://www.rodserling.com/wsimmons/Richard_Matheson.htm

.

Makes me interested in reading things by King before he was married. Of course, most of that kind of stuff is strictly off limits to us mortals.

.

Brian Keene:

That king has eclipsed Matheson in popular culture is expressed by Brian Keene (a wonderful author in his own right who does not like being compared to Stephen King). Keene retells this conversation with his mother:

.

My mother often calls to tell me that Stephen King is on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Entertainment Tonight, or whatever else she’s watching. She clips articles from Time Magazine and People, and gives them to me when I come to visit. And then she says, “Why don’t you go on these shows?”
.

“I don’t know, Mom. I’ve been featured twice in The New York Times. And Fangoria put me on page sixteen! They never put authors at the front of the mag. Doesn’t that count for something?”
“Yes, but you haven’t been on The Today Show like Stephen King.”
“I was on The History Channel, Mom.”
“But not with Matt Lauer. You should ask Stephen King to get you an interview with Matt Lauer.”
“You should investigate some of these new Alzheimer’s medications.”
“I bet Stephen King is nice to his mother.”
“I doubt it. She probably asks him if he knows Richard Matheson.”
“Who?”
“Exactly.” http://www.briankeene.com/?p=2289

.

That's funny!

.

Okay, there's a lot more connections to be made in the future. But I just wanted to say that it's exciting to have a new Matheson book out.

Dangerous Occupations

This is from downeast.com. The only direct "King" connection is the line, "The University of Maine Cooperative Extension's Potato Harvester Safety bulletin was written by Steven Johnson but reads like Stephen King." This is, after all, King country.

.

Number of Fatalities per 100,000 employed

.

1. Fishers and Related Fishing Workers 118.4

2. Logging Workers 92.

3. Aircraft Pilots and Flight Engineers 66.9

4. Structural Iron and Steel Workers 55.6

5. Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors 43.8

6. Farmers and Ranchers 41.1

7. Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers 32.7

8. Drivers/Sales Workers and Truck Drivers 29.1

9. Miscellaneous Agricultural Workers 23.2

10. Construction Laborers 22.7

http://www.downeast.com/magazine/2006/november/maines-most-dangerous-jobs

.

Most Dangerous Occupations In A King Novel:

This got me to thinking: Most dangerous professions in a Stephen King novel. My list included a mix of people who were harmed directly because of their occupation, and some who had bad stuff happen unrelated to their work. Of course, one of the most dangerous things to be in a Stephen King novel is: A resident of Maine! (Or a simply a resident of a small town).

.

Of course, you might notice that only a few of the real dangerous occupations appear. Of course, it wasn't too good to own a farmhouse in Fire starter. And Brian, the pilot in Langoliers certainly encountered some serious trouble.

.

1. Writer. (Misery, Desperation, Dark Half, The Shining, IT, The Dark Tower 6-7, Tommyknockers, Secret Window, 1408). Now, not all of these were directly affected by their writing. But several were! For instance, Misery was about a writer who meets the fan from hell. And Secret Window and Dark Half were both about writers pretty much going mad. Of course, in Dark Half, there was a real ghost hunting Thad down! But Bobby in Tommyknockers gets in her mess not because she's a writer -- though writing certainly plays a role in the book.

.

2. Writers spouse. (Dark Half, The Shining, IT) It's definitely not good to be married to a writer in a Stephen King novel!

.

3. High School Student. (Carrie, Christine, Rage) The death toll in both these books is pretty high!

.

4. High School teacher. (Carrie, Sometimes they come back, Dolan's Cadillac)

.

5. Prisoner. (Firestarter, The Green Mile, Shawshank Redemption)

.

6. Police. (Green Mile, Buick 8, Needful Things, Under the Dome) I have the most sympathy here for Allen Pangborn in Needful Things. Hi job put him in a real tight spot.

.

7. Child. (IT, The Sun Dog, Cujo, the Talisman, Pet Semetery, The Mist, Storm of the Century, The Body, The Shining, Fire starter) Though not an occupation, it's tough stuff being a Kid in a Stephen King novel. Kids are most likely to get picked on, see monsters and have unusual gifts that various unseemly people want to take advantage of.

.

8. House keeper. (Dolores Claiborne)

.

9. Artist. (Cell, The Mist) This is just circumstantial here. I don't think either book's misery was directly related to their work.

.

10. Preacher. (Under the Dome, Salem's Lot, Silver Bullet, Needful Things.) Sorry to say, preachers don't fair well in a King novel. About as well as they do in Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath (remember Casey?) The preachers in Needful Things were truly awful.

.

11. Construction Worker / roads. (Roadwork, Dolan's C., Duma Key) Duma Key is the best here, since the injury happened at work.

.

12. Human. (The Stand, Cell) That's not a over statement!

Forbes, Highest Paid Authors

Forbes has ranked the the highest-paid authors. The top 10 are:
.
1. James Patterson
2. Stephenie Meyer
3. Stephen King
4. Danielle Steele
5. Ken Follett
6. Dean Koontz
7. Janet Evanovich
8. John Grisham
9. Nicholas Sparks
10. J.K. Rowling
.
Some of my favorite authors are there. King, Follett, Grisham. Must admit that Nicholas Sparks is a surprise. I haven't read him -- but I can't stay awake during movies based on his books.
.
Of course, publications like The Atlantic framed the story as: "'Twilight' Author Made More Money Than Stephen King, Danielle Steele, J.K. Rowling." Humm, I guess that proves... nothing!
.
Here's what Forbes had to say about King:
.
The bad climate for brick and mortar bookselling hasn't hurt prolific horror maven Stephen King, either, who placed third on our list with a take of $34 million, $8 million of which we estimate came from backlist sales. His 51st novel, Under the Dome, was released in November, selling 600,000 copies, according to Nielsen BookScan. It was optioned by DreamWorks TV.
.
King is prolific, and not just in books: A recent profile noted that over the course of a few weeks this year he had a story published in the New Yorker, a review of a Raymond Carver biography in the New York Review of Books, an article in the horror magazine Fangoria and a poem in Playboy.
.
http://www.forbes.com/2010/08/19/patterson-meyer-king-business-media-highest-paid-authors.html

Excerpt of full dark no stars

Here is an excerpt from Full Dark, No Stars at the Simon and Schuster website.

.

http://books.simonandschuster.com/Full-Dark-No-Stars/Stephen-King/9781439192566/excerpt_with_id/16875?custd=460037&mcd=ea&view_pc_site=1

New Movie About Stephen King

picture, Monroe Mann, http://www.unstoppableartists.com/publications

wlbz2.com has an interesting story titled "Film crew sets up shop in Lovell."

.

The article reportst that Monroe Mann's movie "draws its inspiration from King's novels." Not sure what that means! Mann explains that, "It's a story about a lot of people getting killed -- murdered -- in the same way that Stephen King's characters die in his books."

.

King knows about this project and according to Mann is not exactly excited. Mann says that he ran into King at the market and talked about the film. "I said 'Hey, did you know there's a movie being made about you here in town?' And he said 'I do.' And I said 'What do you think about that?' And he said 'I'm not too happy but there's not much I can do about it.' ".

.

Shock till you drop cites Mann's announcement in May saying that the "story centers around Stephen King. No more can be said about the story at this time except that it is unique, with a concept that everyone seems to like and a fun twist ending." This leads to some expected musing, "So, with scant details to go on, what can we expect from the film? Something akin to George Lucas in Love? Full of in-jokes that puts the author front and center as the main character? Or perhaps something in the vein of Necronomincon, which found H.P. Lovecraft up against, well, Lovecraftian evil?"

.

The wlbz2 story says that Mann insists that the movie is intended to honor King. He calls it is a "tribute" to his work. He explains, "We named the town in the film Incomia and incomia means 'a sincere tribute to a great person' and that's what we hope this film will ultimately be."

.

In Short:

New movie about King.

Involves lots of murder.

Currently shooting.

King's response: Annoyed.

.

http://www.wlbz2.com/news/watercooler/story.aspx?storyid=124564&catid=109

http://www.us.imdb.com/name/nm0990542/news

http://shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=15324

5 most frightening killer animal flicks

The associated press has an article on the 5 most frightening killer animal flicks. Sorry, attack of the killer bees was not on there. Nor was the 1977 classic William Shatner "Kingdom of the Spiders."

.

included were:

— Jaws (1975)

— The Birds (1963)

— Cujo (1983)

— Grizzly Man (2005)

— Them! (1954)

.

About Cujo, the article stated: Man’s best friend becomes his most fearsome, furry enemy in this thriller based on the Stephen King novel. The name alone is so synonymous with killer canines, it’s become shorthand. And it’s not like some yippy, annoying dog that turns into a monster, like a Yorkie or a Chihuahua. No, this is a friendly, lovable St. Bernard, a breed that’s traditionally been known as a reliable caretaker, who goes wild after he’s bitten by a rabid bat and wreaks havoc on a small town. It’s sort of a squeamish thing, the idea of having to fight and take down an animal that’s traditionally considered a family member, but Cujo suggests that primal survival instincts will always win out in the end.

.

article here: http://www.thestarpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2010100818044

also check out this review of Cujo: http://www.benevolentstreet.com/?p=1437

Christine Journal 7

As promised, the death count on Christine continues; see below. I look forward to the final tally. Sorry, no names -- that would be a serious spoiler. But I will say that the deaths in Christine are adequately terrible to qualify as a genuine hard core Stephen King novel. No Big Jim style deaths as of yet.

.

So far chapter 36 has been the best. In fact, I would suggest that it is the kind of stuff that makes us say, "So that's why I read Stephen King!"

.

I think I like this book because it's nothing but pure horror. It's not a political statement or a social commentary. Not opposed to those -- but this is just pure terror. There's no attempt at literature; King just grabs you by the throat and says, "Hey, there, want to hear a good story?" And with prose that are incredible he carries us into one messed up story.

.

A few more spooky things about Christine:

.

1. Repairs: No one ever actually sees Arnie making repairs on the car. Serious work gets done on her, but even the guys at the shop never see Arnie doing the work.
.
2. Odometer: Have I mentioned that the odometer runs backward? -- fast! Now that's cool.

.

3. Corpse: Christine isn't just alive. . . she's haunted. A ghost is actually attached to her. Note: "A man was standing there. Only it wasn't a man at all; it was a corpse. A rotting corpse in green pants. It was shirtless, but a back brace splotched with gray mould was cinched around its blackening torso. White bone gleamed through the skin stretched across its face. 'That's it for you, you shitter,' this starlit apparition whispered." ahhh, refreshing! Both gory and spooky. I like it a lot! And how's this: "The corpse of Roland D. LeBay held out its decayed hands to Buddy Repperton and grinned."

.

4. The writing is King at his best. Another quote, because the writing here is SO GOOD! "On the far verge of Squantic Lake, some ten miles away as the crow flies, a young man who had gone out for a cross-country ski by starlight heard the sound and suddenly stopped, his hands on his poles and his head cocked. Abruptly the skin on his back prickled into bumps, as if a goose had just walked over his grave, and although he knew it was only a car somewhere on the other side -- sound carried a long way up here on still winter nights -- his first thought was that something prehistoric had awakened and had tracked its prey to earth: a great wolf, or perhaps a saber-toothed tiger."

.

There's a lot more that's just this good... maybe better. I'm not sure King could have delivered these kinds of prose from Dennis' lips. When I started reading, I thought: Why did King switch tenses midway through? I know, he says he did it because he got stuck when Dennis landed in the hospital. I wondered why King didn't simply rewrite the first half of the novel in third person. I now see that the two voices (first and third) make the novel stronger. We needed Arnie's buddy to give us a tender look at the nerdy high schooler. However, the later scenes in the novel require things from another point of view. . . perhaps even Christine's!

.

Revised DEATH COUNT: 6

1 by Suicide.

1 by choking.
1 by running over. (3x forward, 3x backward. Nice job, Christine.)
3 more by auto.
--attempted murder: 1 by choking. Creepy!

UTD: Life In Small Towns

Brian Mann posted a a short article on Under The Dome titled, "Under the Dome: Life in our small towns." Mann notes that King plays around with "the very real Babbitry and small-mindedness that can derail or dead-end small towns."

.

But in the midst of his post, he throws a rather startling punch King's way: "Sometimes this stuff goes to far even for trash summer reading. There is a minstrel-show, Barney Fife quality to some of his rural caricatures: the evil small-towns sheriffs, the wicked used car dealers, and the homicidal high school jocks."

.

I didn't really find UTD to be trash summer reading. But then, I also wasn't looking to dig in to James Joyce. But, that can slide...

.

It's the comment on King's characters being type-cast. Does King stereotype? Well, sure! That's how you create characters the reader can identify with. In fact, it's when a character acts quite different from the way we know they should that a story loses believability.

.

I think the characters in UTD were one of its strengths. King had the difficult task to building an entire town. he gave us: Police (and no, they were not Barney Fife!), short order cooks, used car salesmen, pastors of more than on denomination, teens, old people, doctors and more. Gosh, he even gave us a dog with personality! Of course characters on the edges of a story are gong to be a little bit stereotyped! But the more centeral players were well developed -- in my opinion.

.

To me, a good character is not exactly good or bad. We struggle through life! Some people lean toward doing what is right, while others indulge heavily in all out sin. But even the sinful will at times choose to do good, if for no other reason than to atone for their own bad behavior and prove to themselves that they ain't so bad after all. King has the ability to give us surprising glimpses into all of his characters. For instance, in UTD, King gave us a pastor who wasn't sure of God. He gave us police, who might have sold out, but still struggled with that decision.

.

So, all this simply to say: to typecast the characters too early in UTD will be to miss the true beauty of the novel.

.

More impotantly, we might ask: Does King get small towns right? I think he does. In fact, I'm afraid he does!

.

Mann's post is here: http://blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org/inbox/2010/08/16/under-the-dome-life-in-our-small-towns/

Charnell House Review: The Dark Half

Chris Quigley (author of Wetware) has a new review posted at his website, charnelhouse. Quigley's reviews are always dead on -- and very very therough. This most rescent posting is King's 1989 novel, The Dark Half.

.

Of course, he notes that King's strength is characters. He picks up also on King's ability to change the mood of the story. Quigley writes, "With It, King used the device of a split narrative to follow two timelines that eventually merge. The Dark Half is also split, but in this case tonally instead of in terms of story. Segments focusing on the Beaumonts' domestic life are almost comforting. King's deft hand at characterization seems effortless: Thad, Liz, and their twin children William and Wendy are drawn convincingly, even gently. The intrusions of George Stark seem written by a different hand, similar in mood and intent to books King wrote under Richard Bachman's name."

.

Check out the full review here: http://charnelhouse.tripod.com/darkhalf.html

Quigley's book is available here: http://www.cemeterydance.com/sh/quigley01.html

Elaine Koster Dies

In an article titled, "Publisher-agent who championed Stephen King dies," Hillel Italie of The Associated Press talks about Elaine Kosters keen eye for spotting new talent.

.

The article notes that as publisher of the New American Library in the 1970s, Koster paid a then-enormous $400,000 for the paperback rights to King's "Carrie," which had sold poorly in hardcover, and was later credited with helping to make a blockbuster out of Erica Jong's "Fear of Flying."

.

Stephen King said in a statement, "Her ability to recognize well-written commercial fiction ... as well as important literary fiction, was unparalleled. She may have been the key figure in the ascendance of the paperback in the marketplace during the 1970s and 1980s."

.

Full article here: http://www.onlinesentinel.com/news/stephen-kings-publisher-dies_2010-08-12.html

http://www.kjonline.com/news/Publisher-agent-who-championed-Stephen-King-dies.html

Poll Results: Politics

Question was: Do you like it when King gets political? The results were almost dead even:
12, yes
14, no

I guess I should have had a "I really don't care" section.

Supernatural

My mom just finished reading IT. She mentioned that she didn't really like the scenes with Pennywise. She loved the character development, but to the battles with the monster. I said that people have said for a while that King's weakness is his need to use the supernatural. Some people think his books with be scarier minus the supernatural element.

.

Not playing the supernatural card is almost impossible for King. He almost did it with Gerald's Game and Dolores Claiborne -- until he connected the two through a powerful vision. He played it straight in Misery, I think. Also Cujo doesn't have any supernatural spooks. Under The Dome was light on the spooks and heavy on the drama. It was human nature at its worst.

.

But I'm not one who thinks the supernatural is a stumbling block for King. In fact, that's what I like! From aliens to spooks, he takes people we feel like we know and puts them in some pretty nasty situations.

.

A few of my favorite supernatural moments in the S.K. universe:

.

1. The hand of God coming down and setting off the nuke, The Stand.

2. The spider in Needful Things.

3. The chase scene in The Shining.

4. The mastern house, Salem's Lot

5. Crucifixion: Crucified cat, Desperation. And crucified people, The Stand. (The movie version of Carrie, she crucifies mama with the kitchen knives.)

6. Going down into the cellar in Graveyard Shift. Rats, yuck!

7. The world falling apart as cell phones ring. I liked the women fighting at the opening in Cell.

8. "Darling". . . Pet Sematary. That whole book was messed up -- in a wonderful way.

9. Tentacles on the dock in The Mist.

10. The surgery in The Dark Half.

11. The bathroom scene in Dreamcatcher. That was one very gory novel!

12. What about the two women cutting themselves up right on Main Street in Needful things?! Delicious. I think this was one of the first novels I read by King, and I remember thinking, "If this guy will have old women chop each other up in broad daylight on Main Street . . . and give us the details -- I've got to read everything he's written!"

13. The chase scene in Christine. (Mid novel), is edge of your seat stuff, too. Nice.

. . . there are many many many more that I'm just not thinking of. Tell me in the comments section.

.

An Inch deeper.

.

Stephen King once said, “...Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.”

.

Monsters and terror in a Stephen King book are really a mirror of our world. The monsters almost lighten the mood. Child murders, child abuse is a terrible subject. Even if the children fight back against the abuse, no one really wants to read a book about it. Unless the abuser is turned into a real monster -- such as Pennywise.

.

Pennywise reminds us all a little too much of serial killer John Wayne Gacy. He dressed up like a clown and buried his victims under his house. Interesting that Pennywise tends to like storm drains and places under the ground. (That's actually a pointless observation. You're welcome.)

.

No one wants to read about a drunk father who tries to kill his whole family; unless a haunted hotel is really responsible. The scary thing is if King takes the scary out of his books! We are then left with nothing but raw sin to account for evil.

Christine Journal 6: Everything changes

Mid novel everything changes. Things get darker and the death toll starts climbing. The narration makes a shift from first person to third. It's painful at first. I was used to Dennis' outlook. King effectively took us inside the head of a high school student. It was great! But after a football accident lays Dennis up in the hospital, King takes over the narration in 3rd person. And it is certainly Mr. King speaking now, not Dennis. The narration definitely becomes more ominous.

.

Things that will spook you out in Christine:

.

1. Dreams: I can't think of many King books where dreams play such a vital role in building the suspense. The Stand has a lot of dreams, but they serve primarily to advance the plot and get everyone headed the same direction. But dreams in Christine are darker. Dennis and Leigh have some pretty vivid dreams about the car.

.

2. Loss of time: The car has a hypnotic effect over Arnie. He loses sense of time and place while driving alone. He ends up at home, but can't remember where he's been.

.

3. Car repairs: Christine has the ability to -- heal. That's right! The car can repair its own damages. Of course, Arnie pours love into the thing, but the machine itself does the hard work. Glass goes from being broken to whole again. Dents just pop right out. (Where do I buy myself one of these things?!)

.

4. Arnie repairs: Probably the spookiest thing about Christine is the changes it effects on Arnie. As he works on the car, he begins to transform. First for the positive; his acne disappears and his looks get better. But then as the novel goes on, he begins to look more and more like Lebay. This is first spotted by Dennis.

.

5. The radio: The radio is set for a 50's oldies station. When Arnie or Leah try to change it, it always goes back to the 50's music. Stranger, as Arnie drives he begins to hear news casts from the 50's. Warnings about Russian build up and a response from Ike. Retro news, Arnie wonders. But the reader is pretty sure -- this isn't a rebroadcast! Christine is somehow drawing the radio station up out of time.

.

Revised DEATH COUNT:
1 by Suicide.
1 by choking.

1 by running running over. (3x forward, 3x backward. Nice job, Christine.)

--attempted murder: 1 by choking. Creepy!

Living Author On Cover Of TIME

ROBIN POGREBIN points out that for the first time in over a decade a living author will be on the cover. It will feature Jonathan Franzen. This is the first time in ten years that a living American writer has been on the cover since Stephen King, in 2000.

.

Now I just have to figure out who Jonathan Franzen is. . . and why is his head where Stephen King's belongs?

.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/11/jonathan-franzen-on-the-cover-of-time-magazine/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Franzen

Pink's Misery

A lot of people have been comparing Pink's video "Please don't leave me" to Stephen King's novel Misery. Of course, folk have also been complaining about the violence -- so I warned you. I think the video is hilarious, and her voice is great. The comparison to King's novel Misery -- priceless.

.

I like it when she chops through the door with an axe. Reminds me of another King movie. Expect her to say, "Heeeeere's Johnny!" But that's not quite the way things turn out.

.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eocCPDxKq1o&feature=fvw

Liljas Library -- The Arrival

Annie says Marv on the cover of Lilja's Library is "creepy."

.

A little over a year ago Cemetery Dance had one of those offers you just can't refuse. It was for their upcoming book, Liljas Library. I was familiar with the website and excited at the idea of a book form. Of course, I then began to wait for the book to come. No book. We called CD and they explained that the offer we had was for a book that was still in the writing. Oh! My interest was only peaked all the more.

.

Alas, the book came today -- and it's AWESOME! Huge, but not bulky. The intro from Bev Vincent is delightful, broken into two parts. The second part of his intro is an interview with Lilja. From there on, it's full force into Stephen King country.

.

The book is nicely illustrated with pencil drawings by Glenn Chadbourne (who also did the cover.)

.

I have a lot of great reading ahead! One of my favorite kinds of books -- beyond King's novels -- is books about Stephen King. My wife once asked me if I owned more books by king, or about him. Gosh.

.

I won't post the contents again, but it is indeed massive. It's like having a library in one book. Of course, it is called Liljas LIBRARY!

.

Buy it here: http://www.cemeterydance.com/page/CDP/PROD/lilja01

King's August EW article

Kings EW article, titled, "Rush Limbaugh vs. Lindsay Lohan" is now posted online at EW.com. Included are his comments about Glenn Beck.
.
"I sort of dig on Glenn Beck. He reminds me of certain people you encounter in big cities. You know, the ones wearing robes, sandals, and signs proclaiming that the world is going to end because American men are eating too much red meat and American women are wearing their pants too tight. He's crazy, but — like those urban nutcakes — he actually seems to believe what he's saying. I can get behind that."
.
Funny. But my favorite section is when he says that Rush and Lindsay should be BFFs. "Rush, after all, got himself in a spot of trouble on charges of doctor shopping back in 2006. Lindsay got in trouble for missing alcohol-education classes in the wake of a DUI conviction. They both made the news, and both were ordered into treatment. Only Lindsay had to go to jail, but still, shouldn't they have a lot to talk about?"
.
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20407280,00.html
.
Here's the article:

Flipped and Stand By Me

Carla Meyer (sunnews.com) takes the time to make some great comparisons between Rob Reiners new movie Flipped and his classic Stand By Me. Toward the end of the article, Meyer also talks about Reiners involvement in First 5 and California politics.

.

Here's the portion that made direct connections to Stand By Me:

.

"Flipped," a coming-of-age film opening Friday in Sacramento, leaves no doubt about who directed it. From its period setting to its saturated-sunlight visuals, "Flipped" evokes "Stand By Me."

.

That's intentional, Reiner, 63, said during an interview at Sacramento's Citizen Hotel. Of all his films, "Stand By Me," the 1986 movie that was based on a Stephen King novella and starred a young River Phoenix and Corey Feldman, most closely reflects his personal sensibility, the director said.
.

Based on a kids novel by Wendelin Van Draanen, "Flipped" follows a somewhat eccentric girl (Madeline Carroll) with a mad crush on her straight-arrow neighbor (Callan McAuliffe). The film touches on the kids' family dynamics while always keeping the slow-building, surprisingly compelling relationship between boy and girl at the forefront.
.

"The book was a modern-day book, but it felt very timeless when I read it - it seemed like something more innocent than what we see now," said Reiner, who first read the book when his now-16-year-old son was assigned it in class a few years ago.
.

Reiner moved the story to the late 1950s and early '60s, roughly the same time period of "Stand By Me" and his own adolescence.
.

The film "explores what it really means for a boy and a girl to wrestle with those early feelings that are so powerful, of falling in love, in a real, honest way, in the way 'Stand By Me' explored friendships," Reiner said.
.

The cast of "Flipped," however, came into the shoot more polished than the fledgling actors in "Stand By Me," Reiner said. Carroll, a charismatic 14-year-old who starred opposite Kevin Costner in 2008's "Swing Vote," "has the chops of a 40- or 50-year-old actress," he said.

.

http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/08/05/1621685/flipped-director-rob-reiner-stands.html#ixzz0vu84SryV

Politics: Glenn Beck and Stephen King

I love to read Stephen King. Even when I know a book has a hint of politics. Under The Dome, Needful Things and Insomnia all had shades of politics. In all cases, I politically disagreed. But I still enjoyed the books.
.
My Choice!
Someone asked me, "Hey, now that King is saying things about Beck and Rush, are you going to stop reading him?" Well, no. First, just because I'm conservative in my values does not mean I am a watchdog for Beck or Rush! Second, anyone who has heard these guys knows they really are a little nutty.
.
This is pretty simple for me: I choose to like Stephen King. I choose not to be offended when he says things I don't think are right on the mark. In fact, I didn't vote for the president, but I choose to like him. I don't agree with a lot in this country, but that doesn't mean he's not my president and I don't pray for him and support him. It's a choice. A choice to respect the opinions of others without getting all wadded up.
.
King grew up in my parents generation. As Joe King said about his parents (and is true of mine), "the 60's were good to them." When King talks politics, I often feel like my dad is speaking. In fact, I think my dad did say that Beck was a nut. Or, more precisely, he said, "Beck was a big pain on CNBC, then he was a pig problem on CNN, now he's just going to be a pain on Fox." That's not my opinion, but I sure respect my dad. I choose to.
.
I Like This About America
America has a long history of our leaders calling each other names. American politics has never been a nice, clean issue. It might be in closed countries, but in a place where we all get a say, it's going to be a little messy. Frankly, I can handle it if our favorite horror writer calls political commentators "nutty" "crazy" and "the devil's little brother." (Smiles on that last one, for theological reasons I won't dig into. But concerning Beck and religion... it might be a compliment).
.
One person complained that King didn't cite any sources --offer any quotes -- before calling Beck a nut. Well, do you need quotes? The guy won't have guest on his show because he thinks they are needless, all America needs is one full hour of him ranting. He is a little nutty. Why do these guys get on TV? Because they're good entertainment; and trust me, people with all their marbles don't always make good TV. (Or why does CNBC have Mad Money?)
.
I'll just note this about Beck; I find the "guilt by association" that Beck utilizes offensive. Because the president is friends with someone with radical views does not make the president a radical. Both sides in American politics are using this tactic -- and it's cheap. It drains the substance from any discussion.
.
Put Your Name On Your Paper
You have to give King credit; he put his name on what he thought. In our world of "anonymous" blogging and comments, it's gotten easy to yell without making your voice known. A person has a right to speak, but if they want their thoughts to carry any weight they need to put their name on it. That takes courage. After all, if you put your name on what you think, people might call you a nut!
.
Not Mad About It
The danger for conservatives is that as they get more frustrated with America's direction they turn to people who express their concerns with zeal that's over the top. They risk becoming "ditto heads." In fact, often they're mean. Frankly, I like Huckabee's comment, "I'm a conservative, but I'm not mad about it." Conservatives are giving ear to people who are more alarmist or radical than the situation really calls for. And I'm tired of conservatives being angry all the time.
.
America Under The Dome
King said we all live under the dome. True, in an environmental sense. But in a political sense, it seems that conservatives and liberals are each beginning to live in their own domes. We've stopped listening to each other. Or, we've stopped listening to the substance of what we have to say. We now listen for "gotcha" moments. Thusly illustrated when King told students to get an education so they don't end up in Iraq. Was that a big giant slam at the military? I don't think so.
.
Can you disagree with King and still read his books? Yes! We're in trouble, friends, because we've come to beleive that we have to move only in the circles that hold our world view. I am startled when someone says to me, "I don't know anyone who voted for Obama." Or, "I don't know anyone who's against gay marriage." Really! Those are big issues. I want to say, "Get some friends!" When did we become so closed in? I have friends, good friends, who are on the absolute opposite of issues I support.
.
I don't agree with Ken Follett on... probably anything. But I still love Pillars of the Earth and World Without End! Going more historically, same is true of A. Conan Doyle, but I still think Sherlock Holmes is the best detective stories ever. I certainly wouldn't have agreed with Helen Keller politically -- but I still have enormous respect for her!
.
Here's what went down on O'Reilly last night:
Ya know, O'Reilly -- that "no spin yapper" in Under The Dome! This is from newsbusters.org, which has plenty of ranting against King.
.
O'REILLY: All right. Do you know who this guy, Stephen King, is?
BECK: Who?
O'REILLY: Stephen King. Do you know him, the author?
BECK: Oh, yes. He's the guy that usually when I release my books at the same time, he's No. 2.
O'REILLY: OK. So you think he's jealous of you. He lives up in Maine, this guy. He writes about spooky things.
BECK: Yes. Actually...
O'REILLY: A little like you.
BECK: I am a huge fan.
O'REILLY: "The Overton Window," very, very frightening. So maybe he's jealous. But this is what he...
BECK: Biggest selling fiction of the -- of the year.
O'REILLY: Of the year. Your book. Not Stephen King. You.
BECK: Huh?
O'REILLY: Here's what King writes in Entertainment Weekly.
BECK: Yes.
O'REILLY: Let me quote it to you: "I sort of dig on Glenn Beck. He reminds me of certain people you encounter in big cities. You know, the ones wearing robes, sandals and signs but claiming the world is going to end because American men are eating too much red meat and American women are wearing their pants too tight. He's crazy, but like those urban nut cakes, he actually seems to believe what he is saying." Stephen King.
BECK: I think he meant that in a good way.
O'REILLY: Yes.
BECK: No, look, here's the thing. So what he's saying is you're a nut cake. But I'm a sincere nut cake.
O'REILLY: That's true.
BECK: I'm sincerely crazy.
O'REILLY: Uh-huh.
BECK: I appreciate that, Stephen. Stephen King is the guy who called me Satan's younger brother. And if I'm not mistaken, called Bill O'Reilly Satan's mentally challenged older brother.
O'REILLY: You would come off better.
BECK: I'm the younger brother.
O'REILLY: Right.
BECK: He got that right.
O'REILLY: I'm old and mentally challenged.
BECK: Not too much. Not too much.
O'REILLY: Here's my question: should you and I take the Bold Fresh Tour up to Maine.
BECK: Yes. I would love that.
O'REILLY: OK.
BECK: Could we?
O'REILLY: And rent a place near King's place and then, after the show, lead the whole crew over to his house for coffee.
BECK: We could gather arms and -- I mean, lock arms, not gather arms. That would be crazy. Lock arms and sing "Kumbaya." And then he can come out and tell us spooky stories.
O'REILLY: You know...
BECK: I'll wear a sandwich sign.
O'REILLY: I used to think that I was the most misunderstood person.
BECK: Right.
O'REILLY: But now, I know that I'm not.
BECK: Yes, no. It's Stephen King.
O'REILLY: Right. There you go.
.
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2010/08/06/glenn-beck-and-bill-oreilly-bash-stephen-king-we-should-go-visit-him#ixzz0vqgPj4XU

S.K. and Bangor

I liked this short article by Ellen Creager titled "Stephen King and Bangor a matched pair." Not a lot of really new information here, but still interesting and warmly written. The Tommyknockers tour is up and running.

.

Creager describes the house, "The house is hard to miss. Some might call it burgundy red -- or possibly blood red. The 19th-Century Victorian mansion is surrounded by a black wrought iron fence. The fence is emblazoned with bats and spider webs."

.

http://www.freep.com/article/20100801/COL21/8010306/1025/FEATURES02/Stephen-King-and-Bangor-a-matched-pair

Joe Hill In Portland

In a post titled, "Maine's son of horror coming to town!" Strange Maine reports that Joe Hill will visit in Portland on Saturday, August 14.

.

Michelle Souliere, author of Strange Maine, states that Hill will be signing copies of his new graphic novel "Locke and Key: Crown of Shadows" and the first issue of his newest comic book series "Locke and Key: Keys to the Kingdom."

.

Strange Maine blog: http://strangemaine.blogspot.com/2010/08/maines-son-of-horror-coming-to-town.html

More Information: http://www.casablancacomics.com/

Strange Maine Book: https://historypress.net/indexsecure.php

Reiner At Egyptian

A double showing -- Stand by Me and Princess Bride! Plus Rob Reiner himself! Wow. Admission is only $11. Titled, "Rob Reiner In Person at Egyptian With Princess Bride and Stand By Me!", Mali Elfman shares:
. The Egyptian Theater is having a VERY special event this Thursday, August 5th. Not only will they be showing a double feature of The Princess Bride and Stand By Me at 7:30, but Rob Reiner will also be appearing in person to talk about his career, revisit his earlier films and talk about his upcoming film Flipped. As they always do, there will most likely open up to a Q&A with the audience so that you can get some of your questions answered. It appears as if they’ll be starting with his earlier work Stand By Me and then finishing off with one of the best movies of all time, The Princess Bride. Reiner will be appearing between the two screenings to discuss.

.
http://screencrave.com/2010-08-03/rob-reiner-in-person-at-egyptian-with-princess-bride-and-stand-by-me/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+screencrave+%28ScreenCrave%29

Martin Sheen at 70

Martin Sheen turns 70 today. Impressive, since he doesn't seem that old. But then, it also seems like he really was president of the United States for a while, and I can't remember a time when he wasn't on screen.

.

Sheen was in the following S.K. movies:

1983, the Dead Zone

1984, Firestarter

.

http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/08/03/happy-birthday-martin-sheen/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+weblogsinc%2Ftvsquad+%28TV+Squad%29

Lilja's Ships!

Cemetery Dance just released an email saying that they are shipping Lilja's Library! I can't wait. Well, I have to -- but I don't want to. Ya know, that is a great way to brighten up a Monday. Here's what Cemetery Dance said:
.
NOW SHIPPING!
a massive book about Stephen King and his works
illustrated by Glenn Chadbourne
Featuring special appearances by Stephen King, Peter Straub, Ridley Pearson, Mick Garris, Marsha DeFilippo, Michael Whelan, Stewart O’Nan, Glenn Chadbourne, Robin Furth, Steven Weber, Mark Stutzman, Frank Darabont, Jae Lee, Tyson Blue, and many others!
.
For over a decade now, Lilja has been one of the leading voices on the Internet when it comes to covering and reporting on Stephen King's books and movies. His website, Lilja's Library, is the die-hard fan's source for information about new King projects and breaking news, but Lilja has also featured his own in-depth reviews and interviews with many of the mostimportant people in King's world, including Stephen King himself.
.
Lilja's Library: The World of Stephen King is a brand new massive collection of over 150 of those reviews, over 40 of those interviews, and other special features of interest to King readers everywhere. If you've never been to the website, you're in for a real treat as you catch-up with over 500 pages of articles and features that are sure to please any kind of Stephen King fan, from the general reader to the die-hard collector. And for Lilja's constant readers, there's original material in this special volume that has never appeared anywhere on his website before, and every article and review has been updated and revised for this release.
.
You have to see the table of contents to understand just how much great material is in this massive book, but just a few of the interviews include: Stephen King (twice!), Frank Darabont, Marsha DeFilippo, Mick Garris, Peter Straub, and many other people who have been involved in King's prolific career. The reviews include detailed commentary on well-known works by and about Stephen King, along with details about the rare works you might not have heard of, including the original scripts for Hearts in Atlantis, Stud City, and dozens of others; the original pilot for The Dead Zone that never aired on TV; Walking The Mile: The Making Of (a book that has never been released); the Pet Sematary and Secret Window, Secret Garden UK dramatizations; the dozens of Dollar Babies, and more!
.
There are also dozens of brand new features written exclusively for this volume, including interviews with Lilja himself and Glenn Chadbourne; reviews of short films such as "Here There Be Tygers," "Boogeyman," "Walking Ghost," "The Secret Transit Codes of America's Highways," "Night Surf," "Stephen King's Gotham Café," "Sorry, Right Number," "Night of the Living Dead," and others; reviews of the script for "The Mist" and scripts that are currently in development (including Black House and From a Buick 8); reviews of books such as Stephen King: A Primary Bibliography, Stephen King: The Non-Fiction, and others; and much, much more!
.
If you're new to the world of Lilja's Library or already a constant reader, this special volume is a must-have for your collection! An exclusive Cemetery Dance Publications release, there are no other editions planned anywhere in the world for this incredible book.
.
http://www.cemeterydance.com/page/CDP/PROD/lilja01