Stephen King: Horror and So Much More Quiz

Answer: Maine

King lives in Bangor, Maine. He was born in Maine but lived in Connecticut and Indiana at various times during his youth. He lives in a house that looks as though it was built for a writer of creepy tales, a spooky old brick turreted structure with a tall iron fence surrounding it.

Answer: industrial laundry

Although he did have some sales of short stories to a few publications right after college, King worked for an industrial laundry for several months to make ends meet. He tells a few funny, gross stories about the experience in his nonfiction work, "On Writing".

Answer: writer

Tabitha King (nee Spruce) has a number of published works of fiction and nonfiction. She and King met in the stacks at the library at the University of Maine.

Answer: English

In addition to a Bachelor's degree in English, King earned certification to teach at high school, which he did for a couple of years following the laundry job. King's mother urged him to go to college so he would have something to fall back on in case writing wasn't successful.

Answer: He is a recovering alcoholic and cocaine user.

King gave a relatively brief account of his alcohol and cocaine use in "On Writing".

Answer: The Stand

Reportedly, if King does appear onscreen in a movie made from his work, it indicates that he heartily approves of the production.

Answer: The Rock Bottom Remainders

The band, which was started for fun and does not pretend to much talent, is an on again, off again endeavor. Some of its other members are Dave Barry, Amy Tan, and Barbara Kingsolver. It's been said of them (by a member of the group) that they play music as well as Metallica writes novels...

Answer: He was involved in car accident and seriously injured

While walking along a road near Lovell, Maine, King was struck by a van whose driver had been distracted by something his dog was doing inside the vehicle. King had orthopedic injuries to his hip and leg which required a number of surgeries to correct. He didn't sue the driver of the vehicle.

Answer: Richard Bachman

King adopted the pseudonym to get around the publishing convention that an author should put out only one book a year. He could potentially double his production by using the Bachman identity.

Indications are that King enjoyed the Bachman phenomenon and played with it to suit his fancy. Bachman was reported to have died of "cancer of the pseudonym" in 1985. At that time, five novels were credited to him. Happily for Bachman fans, a sixth novel, The Regulators, was discovered in his basement some years after his "death" and published "posthumously" in 1996.

Reportedly, following Bachman's demise, King commented that he was, "A nasty man...I'm glad that he's dead."

Answer: He had a condition that was causing him to go blind.

King has had bad eyesight since childhood. He has a genetic predisposition to a condition called macular degeneration, which can cause blindness, but he doesn't show any of the symptoms of the disorder, and may or may not have it. And he's still writing!