The Stephen "King of Horror" Trivia Quiz

Answer: Portland

Portland is the largest city in Maine and is where King was born in 1947. King's father left the family when King was two, and THE family spent time living in Wisconsin, Indiana and Connecticut before returning to Maine where they lived in Durham. King has continued to live in Maine and has set many of his novels there, which is why the state has become associated with him.

Answer: Steve King's Garbage Truck

King studied English at the University of Maine between 1966 and 1970. While at college he wrote for the university newspaper, 'The Maine Campus', including a column which he says the editor named 'Steve King's Garbage Truck'. Although he is now famous for writing horror stories, the newspaper column was not based on horror.

Answer: Tabitha Spruce

King met his wife Tabitha while they were both studying at the University of Maine. He first met her in the Folger Library at the University after attending a writing workshop run by Burton Hatlen. The couple married in 1971 and have three children.

Answer: High school teaching

After graduating, King gained a high school teaching certificate and wanted to teach English. However, after getting his certificate he struggled to find a teaching job and instead took a series of manual jobs to make ends meet. It was while working these jobs that he started selling stories to magazines as a way of increasing his income.

Answer: Carrie

'Carrie', a story about a teenage girl with telekinetic powers, was published in 1973 and was the first novel by King to be published. King had not thought an early draft of the novel was good enough and only finished it when his wife found it in the rubbish and encouraged him to keep going.

Although the original advance for the novel was just $2,500 it later earned King $400,000 through paperback rights.

Answer: Naomi

Stephen King has three children, Joseph, Naomi and Owen. King's daughter Naomi was born in 1970 and is a minister in the Unitarian Universalist Church in Florida. Both of King's sons, Joseph and Owen, are writers. David is the name of King's brother.

Answer: Boston Red Sox

King is a Boston Red Sox fan and often attends their games. He has even written a book called 'Faithful' along with fellow fan Stweart O'Nan which details their experiences of supporting the team during the 2004 season when the Red Sox won the World Series.

Answer: Cameos

A cameo is the turn used for a small part or even just appearance in a film or TV show usually by someone with a tie to the work such as the director or writer. King has had cameos in many adaptations of his works, including as a pizza deliverer in 'Rose Red' and as a funeral minister in 'Pet Sematary'.

Answer: Democratic Party

King has stated that he supports the Democratic Party and during the 2008 US Presidential election was vocal in his support of Barack Obama. He has also been critical of the Republican Governor of Maine, Paul LePage. King has also voiced his desire for increased gun control in the US including writing an essay called simply 'Guns' in 2013 in which he called for a ban on automatic and semi-automatic weapons.

Answer: On Writing

'On Writing' was published in 2000 and is part autobiography and part a book on the process of writing itself. The book also reflects on the after-effects of a serious accident King was involved in 1999 in which he suffered injuries after being hit by a van.