Haunted Heart: The Life and Times of Stephen King By Lisa Rogak St. Martin’s Press, 2008 Nonfiction, Biography

Stephen King, one of the most prolific authors of our time, forged a career out of bringing nightmares to life on the page. From Carrie to The Shining to Misery, his unique style of writing has effortlessly blended the ordinary with the supernatural, scaring the wits out of millions of readers and earning him fame and fortune. This new, unauthorized biography unveils the mystery behind the man, from his lonely, poverty-stricken childhood to his beginning days as a budding novelist to his present-day position as the foremost master of horror writing. King, a New England native, started his literary career as a child, making up stories to keep himself company while his single mother worked long hours to provide for him and his brother. By the time he got out of college, he already had a slew of short stories and book ideas. Married young, with a child on the way, King started peddling his shocking stories to mystery, horror and men's magazine and, after two tries, finally got a publishing house interested in his book Carrie. The rest is pop-culture legend: From his first book until now, King has intrigued readers and earned fans and this book covers all aspects of his career in between. From battling addictions to cocaine, alcohol and pain killers to surviving a near-fatal car accident, Stephen King has faced his demons on the page and off, harnessing his vivid imagination to create a fictional world that has attracted millions of fans worldwide. Why You Should Read This Book: Whether it comes from a fan or a journalist, one of Stephen King's least favorite questions is "Where do you get your ideas?" Haunted Heart provides, if not the answer, at least some insight into that question, as biographer Lisa Rogak explores King's world: his fears, his foibles, and his extraordinary, non-stop drive for personal and professional success.