"These were the ghosts which kept trying to come between me and what I was writing, kept insisting that I combine them, somehow, into a story that would tell what could have happened if there really was such a thing as telekinetic energy..."— Stephen King, from the introductionSpecial Features Exclusive To This Deluxe Special Edition:
At their 1971 wedding, King walked down the aisle in a borrowed suit, tie and shoes. Their first years together were tough. "He married me for my typewriter," joshes Tabby. Steve didn't own one at the time, and she further subsidized his art by working at a Dunkin' Donuts. Steve taught English in a private school and wrote in his spare time. Before his first book, Carrie, was published in 1974, King had three manuscripts rejected. Carrie almost didn't make it either. At one point he tossed it into a wastebasket. Fortunately, Tabby fished it out.
 |
| photo credit: nytimes.com |
The relationship between Kelly and Stephen has the easy rapport of in-laws relieved to enjoy each other’s company, the conversation light, less likely to turn to the mysterious process of writing than to the end product — either someone else’s work or their own. The Kings’ embrace of her writing is clearly not a function of politeness; they seemed to be competing to outdo themselves in their praise of “Save Yourself” when the subject came up.The full article is at: www.nytimes.com
After reading the latter, King wondered what would happen if Dickens himself were held captive. He reflected in an interview, "Halfway through. . . I realized I was trying to express some of my own deepest fear-feelings: the sense of being trapped, the sense of having come from someplace like Africa and knowing I would never be able to get home, and trying to figure out what it was I was doing, why I was doing it, and why people were responding to it." (p.96)Vincent further explains that the novel was the result of a dream King had while flying to England. "He dreamed about a woman who held a writer prisoner and killed him, skinned him, fed the remains to her pig, and bound his novel in human skin."
 |
| Autograph hunter Mark Chapman gets a signature from John Lennon outside his elegant Dakota apartment building in New York where hours later he gunned down the former Beatle (photo credit HERE) |
In 1980, he reportedly signed one of his books for a stranger who literally did call himself King's 'number one fan.' That lost soul was Mark Chapman, who would later earn his palce in history by shooting and killing John Lennon shortly thereafter." (SK Universe, p.335)The encounter with Mark Chapman is elaborated on for a full page in the original edition of The Stephen King Companion (p.248) which is quoting form King's September 22, 1986 Virginia Beach lecture.
Beyond merely a tale of torture and murder, "Misery is far more concerned with the way in which a creative person can be tortured by his own powers, addicted to the act of creation, damaged by it. At the end, Paul Sheldon has not freed himself from Annie Wilkes; she holds him captive still, emotionally and creatively." (The Stephen King Companion, Revised Edition, 269)
He felt as he always did when he finished a book— queerly empty, let down, aware that for each little success he had paid a toll of absurdity. -- Misery, p. 287Not only is it about writing, but it is about writing being an act of creation (as discussed above by Tabitha King),
Still, it was good to be done— always good to be done. Good to have produced, to have caused a thing to be. In a numb sort of way he understood and appreciated the bravery of the act, of making little lives that weren’t, creating the appearance of motion and the illusion of warmth." -- Misery, p.288
So in a way she had been killed by the very typewriter Paul had hated so much. -- Misery, p.307
During the month of July several Maine libraries received news that they had been awarded grants from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation. Once again, Maine libraries are so fortunate to benefit from the generosity of this Foundation. Libraries have shared with us their delight in learning that their library was a recipient of a grant from the Kings in this latest round of awards. Keep in mind that the list includes only those libraries that shared this information with the Maine State Library.
Abel J, Morneault Memorial Library (Van Buren) $20,000 bathroom and entry way renovation
- Edythe Dyer Community Library (Hampden) $10,000 boiler replacement
- Bingham Union Library $6,000 replace furnace
- Lincoln Memorial Library (Lincoln) $1,500 Read it Forward Program
- Treat Memorial Library (Livermore Falls) $25,000 HVAC project
- Millinocket Memorial Library $30,000 to replace windows
- Brownfield Public Library $800 new conference table
- South Berwick Public Library $50,000 shelving for new facility
It was very important for me to include a broad cross section of men who cook for their families in the book," Donohue says. "I wanted the well crafted essays by professional writers, but I also wanted to hear from other working fathers, ones who might have more demanding jobs than being a successful writer. It's one thing to make your own hours, it's another to have to be on the job as a fireman, a bond trader, a carpenter, an economist, and still get food on the table. I wanted the book to be an inspiration to men of all professional stripes."Man with a Pan can be purchased HERE. The book is also available on Kindle.
"I just love it because every time you do it, it is like saying to the oil cartel, 'Here, stick this in your eye. -- It is like a license to steal."And all good. . . until the earth passes through a coment.
