Stephen King: The Rolling Stone Interview October 31,2014

       This interview happened only 5 years ago, and the author Andy Greene reports in his interview that this is probably the only interview that Uncle Stephen (a purely affectionate term, I am not related to Stephen King. I could only hope!) has given since he was hit by a car 20 years ago. I'm here to tell you folks that I've looked pretty hard, and I don't think that he's EVER given a print interview that is this lengthy or personal.  At home, I have an entire shelf dedicated to Stephen King's works. Twenty-one books so far, and we've recently had to start to laying them vertically on top of the other books on that shelf. My husband is in the middle of the Dark Tower series, while I am only 24 chapters into The Stand. Lord, please give me stamina!

   Its not hard to read Mr. King's stories. He's pretty easy to follow.  In this interview, he speaks at length many times of his views on religion, his views on writing genre, where his ideas come from, and his family and his beginnings. He speaks at ease and makes you feel like he lives next door to you. Even if he does seem a bit quirky or weird. 
 

   That is not his real house, by the way. But it is A HOUSE that Stephen owns in Bangor, Maine. Stephen's office is a few miles away in Bangor on a somewhat deserted road near a tractor dealership and, appropriately, a cemetery. There isn't really any defining characteristics that its Stephen's office. The reason being is to keep his staff feeling safe. According to Stephen's staff, "He draws some weird people." Stephen lives with his wife Tabitha about 2 1/2 hours away in Lowell, Maine, which is about a stone-thow away from the New Hampshire state line. Or at times, they also live in Sarasota, Florida. 
      I have never found Stephen King's body of work hard to understand as far as where he gets his ideas. He's a small town guy, raised mostly by a single-mother. He had a few close friends growing up, but he probably wasn't what you'd call 'popular' in school. Probably very similar to Gordie Lachance in The Body, which later became the film Stand By Me. 
      I think to understand or enjoy his work better, its important to read his collections of short stories, like Skeleton Crew and Everything's Eventual. They're pretty short, incredibly compelling, and there's usually an introductory paragraph by Stephen. You'll understand alot more about him.