Share some of your favorite quotes or passages from King's stories.

From The Dark Tower Book I : The Gunslinger

The man in black smiled. "Shall we tell the truth then, you and I? No more lies?"

 "I thought we had been."

 But the man in black persisted as if Roland hadn't spoken. "Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as equals? There is an offer you will get rarely, Roland. Only equals speak the truth, that's my thought on't. Friends and lovers lie endlessly, caught in the web of regard. How tiresome!"

 "Well, I wouldn't want to tire you, so let us speak the truth."



From Different Seasons : The Body

The most important things are the hardest things to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them--words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head to no more than living size when they're brought out. But it's more than that, isn't it? The most important things lie too close to wherever your secret heart is buried, like landmarks to a treasure your enemies would love to steal away. And you may make revelations that cost dearly only to have people look at you in a funny way, not understanding what you've said at all, or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it. That's the worst I think. When the secret stays locked within not for want of a teller but for want of an understanding ear.

 

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What is your favorite Stephen King quote?

I have two favorites. Both make me giggle :)

People want to know why I do this, why I write such gross stuff. I like to tell them I have the heart of a small boy... and I keep it in a jar on my desk.

There are so many ideas, I can't even begin to tell you. When the Grim Reaper comes for me, I'll probably say, "Wait! Wait! I gotta tell you the one about..." And so on. Yadda-yadda-yadda.



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What is your favorite King novel? Your least favorite?

AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! This is really hard. Obviously my favorite is The Dark Tower Series as a whole..and since that doesn't count as one novel I will say The Talisman...but since that was co written by Peter Straub maybe that doesn't count as a King novel. So... Dolores Claiborne is my favorite. I love everything about it. I can reread it at any time of the year and I always love it no matter my mood. My love for other favorites such as Pet Sematary and Misery fluctuates depending on my mood for some reason. 

My least favorite and remember this is not a book I hate just one I like least out of all the ones I love :) My least favorite is probably a tie between From A Buick 8 and Rose Madder. I enjoy them both very much but I have to be in the mood for them. Buick is a little slow and Rose is a little clunky with the mix of real terror and the world inside the picture. So yeah..as much as I like these I like them the least out of all of his novels. I still like them a lot more than many books by other authors. Oh Stephen...why are you so amazing? :)

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What do you think is King's BEST novel? The worst?

I think IT is the best. It has just about everything you'd want from a King story: a group of kids who are outcasts among their peers and neglected by their parents (for the most part), an ancient monster who lives off of fear, a pact, and a great sense of humor and sentimentality.

The worst? I guess I'll take the easy route and say The original release of the abridged version of The Stand. When you've read the unabridged you'll understand why. The original version is so choppy in comparison. A lot of little scenes that are removed take away from the characters. I can almost like Fran in the unabridged version.

Cell might come in too but not because of the story or characters. I feel the editing was bad. A lot of sentences sound alike as if they just copied and pasted things around. The story itself is badass and I love it. I just feel the technical aspect of the writing was poor. It is like a "beach read" more than a King novel.

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What is your favorite King short story or novella? Your least favorite?

Gosh a favorite is really hard to pick when there are so many to choose from but okay right off the top of my head I thought of Quitters Inc. out of Night Shift. It is badass. It's about this guy who decides on a whim, after hearing about the place from an old friend,  to go check out this new company that promises to help you quit smoking. It turns out that it works but at a great cost. It's so fucking badass. Read it. :)

My least favorite off the top of my head is Umney's Last Case out of Nightmares & Dreamscapes. It just doesn't hold my interest. It's not a bad story...not at all...like I said it just doesn't hold my personal interest. It's about a private detective from the 1930s whose life is falling apart who meets the crime fiction author who created him. He ends up in 1994 trying to take revenge on the author and get back to where he belongs. I think what doesn't do it for me is just the old school private detective stuff. I've never been into those and the writing is like that for a lot of the story. Again, not bad, just not my cup of tea.

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What is your favorite King story collection?

Night Shift is my favorite. I like six of the stories. I really like another six of the stories. I love another eight of the stories. I dislike none of them. I hate none of them. It is a fantastic collection. Some of my favorite short stories of all time are in this collection. The Woman in the Room is such a bitter sweet story. Probably something people who haven't read much of his work would never suspect he could write let alone would. Love love love this collection. :)


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What is your favorite Richard Bachman story? Your least favorite?

My favorite is The Long Walk. It's an awesome story about boys in a militaristic future where they are "signed up" for a race for their lives. I suggest everyone checks it out. It's a great read. :)

My least favorite is probably Blaze (which I want to point out I have only read once so far so my opinion may change) because it was a little too much like Of Mice and Men (which it was a tribute to) and because I cared more about the main character's back story than I did what was happening in the present part of the story. So for now my answer is Blaze...but it may change. :)




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What is your opinion on the comics based on King's stories?

I like what I've seen of them. I bought the first couple of series for The Dark Tower comics but stopped due to lack of funds near the end of the Fall of Gilead set. I plan on buying the hardcase collections as soon as I can. I also read the first series of The Stand and an issue or two of The Talisman comics. I really liked what I saw. Obviously it's a difficult task to take such extreme and epic tales and push them into a new format...so things are missing...things aren't how you maybe imagined them yourself..but I think overall they were pretty badass. At the very least with The Dark Tower comics it gave us some new storylines, thanks to Robin Furth and images to make icons out of :)

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King likes to pop up in his movies/mini series; which of King's on screen appearances is your favorite?

I love him in Creepshow as the yokel farmer who fucks with a meteor from space with dreadful consequences. :)






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What King story would you love to see made into a movie (or remade)? Any cast ideas/wishes?

I'd love to see a remake of Cujo. It's such a great story. Claustrophobic. I'd love to see it remade because they cut out pretty much everything except the mother and the son trapped in the car with the rabid dog surrounding them. There is so much more going on in that book and I'd love to see it explored. Also we have come a long way in special effects and they could do justice to Cujo. For actors I'd prefer unknowns. I find it hard to see beyond big name actors unless they are amazing like Kathy Bates or Meryl Streep and it ruins the characters when you're thinking about George Clooney's dead pig, you know?

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What is your favorite King movie or mini series? Your least favorite?

Misery & Dolores Claiborne are tied for favorite. My reason for those choices? Kathy Bates. She IS those two characters and they couldn't be more different. She is phenomenal.

Honorable mention goes to Stand By Me which is just so beautiful. It makes my heart ache even more now that I'm older and have drifted away from my old school chums and such.

Least favorite is Dreamcatcher. Cannot handle how bad that was. As a movie it was bad. As an adaptation it was garbage. Either way I wouldn't suggest any person I know sit through it. Blah.


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What do you think the BEST King movie adaptation is? The worst?

I'm going to list the ones that immediately came to mind and call it a tie for both best and worst, okay? Okay!

For best: Misery, The Shawshank Redemption based on the novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption and Stand By Me based on the novella The Body. What all three of these have is great screenplays, great casting, and great attention to detail. Things were changed, yes, but done in such a way that it didn't make much of a difference in the overall story. I used to own Misery...I need to get it again on dvd but I have both Shawshank and Stand By me and I watch them at least once a year. They are fantastic. I suggest checking them out whether you've read the stories or not. :)

As for worst: Cujo and Dreamcatcher. Without going into too much detail on either I'll just say that the screenplays changed the endings completely. Let's dumb it down for the movie audiences, yuk yuk yuk. Cujo, oh my god, Saint Bernards drool, folks. Could we get a bit better special effects please because that dog didn't look rabid, it looked tired and hot. haha As for Dreamcatcher don't get me started, terrible terrible terrible. They completely ruined it, took what was a great group dynamic alien suspense thriller and tore it all to shit. I don't even know what to categorize that movie as other than pure and utter shit. Do not watch it. Save yourself.

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Which characters do you "ship" or wish were dating? Who are your OTP (one true pairing) ?

AL-BERT!!!!! I ship Alain Johns and Cuthbert Allgood from The Dark Tower Series. They are perfect. They compliment each other so well with their different personality traits, what with Alain being reserved and thoughtful and Cuthbert being goofy and saying whatever pops into his head. Oh god I love them so much. Any scene with the two of them makes me so so so happy. The comics help this along as well. Oh man. They are so squeeable together in the comics :)

I've always wondered how the story would have turned out if Cuthbert and Susan had gotten together. She even has a brief moment where she wonders herself: "Then his gaze returned to her and he gave a smile of such sweetness that a confused but brilliant thought (If I'd met this one first-, it began) shot through her mind like a comet."

There was a lot of sexual tension between young Roland and Marten Broadcloak too. Although that's kind of creepy since Roland was 14 and Marten was much older than that. But still. Marten. Swoon!! The angry sex would have been amazing, yes?

Which brings me to Dolores Claiborne and Vera Donovan. ANGRY SEX GALORE! Maybe? When they were younger for sure. Oh my god. SHIP SHIP SHIP haha

I wish Jack Sawyer and Wolf of The Talisman had been romantically involved too. Which is probably weird when you bring in the whole werewolf thing and the fact that Jack was 13 but still. They loved each other so fucking much. Sex please?

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Which of King's character relationships (actual couples in the story) is your favorite?

This is a stupid question. I'm sorry I put it in here because I don't really have an answer I feel satisfied with. :(

I guess I can say Roland Deschain and Susan Delgado of The Dark Tower Series. I do adore them. They definitely changed each others lives, although if it was for the better I can't really say. But for sure loving Susan has a major impact on who he grows up to be so okay..sure. They are my favorite by default.

I am partial to Ralph Roberts and Lois Chasse of Insomnia as well. Two old timers, two widowers, two people suffering the same illness who fall in love and grow even older together. You can't help but adore them.

I dunno why but I never seem to adore or ship the actual couples in his books. He creates great relationships, realistic ones, but I just enjoy them..I don't squee over them. **shrugs** So yup. This question is stupid.

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Which of King's character friendships, whether it's two best friends or a group of friends, is your favorite?

I am going to be a big cheater on this one and give 4 answers. :)

My overall favorite friendship is between Roland, Cuthbert and Alain in The Dark Tower Series. With Roland as the dark brooding leader, Cuthbert as the giddy goofy charmer, and Alain as the quiet thinker, and all of them gunslingers, it's hard to not love the dynamic between them. King does a great job showing the jealousies, misunderstandings and underestimations that they have with one another as well as the overall love they have for each other. They are brothers of the spirit and their friendship lives on in Roland long after Bert and Alain are gone.

Honorable mention time folks!

First, Dolores Claiborne and Vera Donovan. A lot of people would consider them enemies but I think by the end of Dolores's story you know they loved each other the best they could. Two old broads, mostly forgotten by the rest of the world, without another person to care for them. Their relationship is fascinating. The power trips, the power plays, the discoveries, the mutual respect. I think King really did a marvelous job on creating two fantastically real female characters in this book, by treating them not as "women" but as "humans". It will forever be one of my favorite books and their friendship deserves an honorable mention, for sure.

Jack Sawyer and Richard Sloat from The Talisman. They are special to me because they remind me of my friendship with Janelle, someone I've known since she was born. Two people with completely different outlooks on the world who love each other regardless.  Jack's friendship with Richard is vital to who he is as a person. Richard saves him and he saves Richard. It's beautiful. I love them.

Last but definitely not least is Jack Sawyer (yes, again!) and Wolf also from The Talisman. Their friendship makes my soul giddy. Whenever I hear someone say, "I'll be there for you 'til the end" I think firstly, that they are full of shit and then of Jack and Wolf. hehe They are surprised by each other at first and in the end  they teach other new things about the meaning of friendship, life, and themselves. I will never not love them. It will never happen, guys. I will always love these two.




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Who is your favorite animal character? Your least favorite?

I love every animal character. That needs to be said. I love them all, you guys. I love Kojak (formerly Big Steve) from The Stand. I love Winston "Church" Churchill from Pet Sematary. I love Rosalie from Insomnia. I love Rhea's snake and mutant cat from The Dark Tower Series. I even love Prince the stray dog that ends up eating a dead human in Gerald's Game. There are so many more and I love them all. I love King's animal characters. He treats them like people; they are subject to death and horror and survival and happiness just like the humans are. So this was hard to choose a character I didn't care for too much. :(

My favorite is Oy the billybumbler from The Dark Tower Series. If you haven't read the series then you're missing out on the best most loyal creature. If you have read the series then you understand why I love him so much. It's impossible to read those books and not love Oy. Absolutely impossible. He is loyal like I previously stated as well as fierce, strong, obedient, intelligent, and sweet. Again, impossible not to love him.

Honorable mention belongs to Peter from The Tommyknockers. Poor old Pete, going blind. He's sweet and does the best he can for Bobbi and your heart just breaks for him. Damn Aliens ruining his master and his town. Good old Pete.

Honestly my least favorites of the animal characters are the ones that don't have personalities like the wolves or weasels from The Stand. Or animals that are already dead when we meet them. That's sad and boring. But if that is cheating you all out of an actual pick..fine. Mr Jingles from The Green Mile is probably my least favorite. He's cute and smart but he just doesn't hold my interest. I think it's due to his "owner" more than anything else though...




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Who is your favorite child character? Your least favorite?

My favorite child character is Jack Sawyer from The Talisman (he's an adult in Black House). He struggles with what he must do but he never gives up on his mission. His goal starts out to simply save his mother's life and as he travels it becomes saving an entire world beyond his own. He is a sensitive boy and he is affected by the horrible things happening around him, to him and to others but he keeps plodding on because he knows he must, that his pain will help others. You just cannot hate someone that awesome.  I love him so much.

I'd like to give honorable mention to Eileen "Ellie" Creed from Pet Sematary. She doesn't get enough love as a great child character and I think she deserves it. She's one of the few kids under 10 that I like; she's only 5 years old. She has a bit of the "touch" and therefore she is badass. Horrible things happen within her family and she struggles terribly to deal with them. Her fear for her parents and her pet cat Winston "Church" Churchill rings true to how I was as a five year old girl. I think King got the subtleties as well as the wild abandon of youthfulness pitch perfect with her.

My least favorite is a tie between Danny Torrance of The Shining and Tad Trenton of Cujo. They are young boys put in extremely terrifying situations and so yeah I feel for them but God, they annoy me so much. I just want them to shut up 90% of the time. To be fair, that's how I feel about most real children anyhow haha So maybe it's not the fault of the characters. However, they are definitely my least favorite to read about.


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Who is your favorite villain? Your least favorite?

This was hard. I had three major picks right off but I went over all of King's novels and there are so many great villains :( I decided to stick with my first three answers though. I figured if they popped into my head first then there's a reason for that. :) So! Then I had the task of picking my ultimate villain out of said three choices. Very hard to do. Very hard.

First I want to give honorable mention to Pennywise of IT fame. It should be noted that 55% of my love for Pennywise is due to Tim Curry's excellent portrayal in the movie. He brought out the sinister humor that I love so much and which is lacking in the book. At least in comparison to Tim's portrayal. The other 45% of my love is because he lives off fear. That is sexy. The ultimate power trip. Oh Pennywise have my babies. :) But alas he is not my favorite villain.

My second honorable mention goes to Randall Flagg of Eyes of the Dragon and The Stand and The Dark Tower Series to name a few. Flagg is magical and witty. I love snarky villains. Especially when they have powers to back up their arrogance. The fact that we get to know Flagg in numerous stories, with different people in different settings is part of his legendary status. He is badass. I will always love him. That being said..he is not my ultimate favorite villain either.

The award for most badass favorite villain goes to: Annie Wilkes of Misery. You're saying WHAT THE FUCK????? to this. I know you are. That's okay. Hear me out. Annie is realistic. We have all seen people like her on the news. She is not part of the back-of-the-bar-i-saw-a-ufo fringe who think they saw a Pennywise or a Flagg last night. You know? Psychopaths exist. It's sad and scary but it's true. She has not lived centuries upon centuries like the other two have but she has done plenty of damage in her short amount of time on earth. I love how human she is. Her mental illness is understandable to me. Her all out craziness is real in a way Flagg and Pennywise can never be. I really can't explain this pick..you just have to read Misery. She's wonderful. It also helps if you grew up watching the movie adaptation with Kathy Bates playing Annie. UNBELIEVABLE job. Annie is fucked up and I can't help but love watching her freak out on Paul Sheldon. When he finds out her past it's like OH FUCK..his need to get the fuck out of there is upped quite a bit, I should think. hehehe She is a dirty birdy but I agree with her on bad stories...if they aren't realistic...they are bullshit. I'd just like to leave you with one last bit of wisdom from Annie:  HE DIDN'T GET OUT OF THE COCKADOODIE CAAAAHHHH!!

Least favorite was a lot easier. Mordred of The Dark Tower Series is my least favorite. He's grown on me with each new reading of the series but he's never going to compare to the others. He is just too pathetic for me. I like my villains to have some balls...some fuckyeah! I ROCK swagger, you know? Mordred was just pitiful. Plus he killed off two of my favorite characters. So..fuck Mordred. haha



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Who is your favorite hero? Your least favorite?

This one will be obvious to my friends: Roland Deschain of The Dark Tower Series is my favorite hero. Not that he really is a hero, he's more of an anti-hero. He fights for the white but he's so flawed that sometimes you're not sure if you're backing the right side. That's what I love about him. I don't believe any one person is all good or all bad. Roland is a perfect example of that. I love how we get to see him grow and break down and grow again. He is remarkable. I don't think he gets enough love in mainstream literary circles and I just don't understand it. Roland may be one of the best heroes/anti-heroes ever created. Worship him. :)

I'd like to give honorable mention to Dick Halloran of The Shining. He's one of my favorite characters in general and he's just so damn likable. Very few characters in The Shining are likable. Dick is probably the only one. I suppose people would say Danny is but little kids in novels get on my nerves too easily so I am not one to judge whether Danny is awesome or not. Dick, however, is badass. He makes a small scared kid feel less alone. He has the touch or the shining and I seem to love every character King has written about with that specific skill. So basically, Dick is awesome and you should love him. haha

I didn't particularly care for Ben Mears of 'salem's Lot. He just never jumped out at me as being cool or interesting. He's a nice guy. He's a writer with a sad history but I never got emotionally attached to him. So yeah, Ben Mears is probably my least favorite hero.

Stu Redman from The Stand is another hero I didn't think was super awesome. He's a good guy but he's kind of bland. Nothing bad about him, he's a plod-through-life kind of guy with a sad history but he just doesn't stand out for me. I like characters that grow and while he does grow it's minute growth. He's extremely dull in comparison to the other heroes in that book.


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Who is your favorite female character? Your least favorite?

This one was easy for me: Dolores Claiborne is my favorite female character. She is amazing. She is a wife. She is a mother. She is a woman who has been battered for years and finally takes a stand when she fears the worst for her children. King did such a wonderful job giving her her own voice. Does she make all the right choices? God no. Does she do what she believes is best for her kids? Hell yes. Love her so much.

Honorable mention goes out to Gert (Gertrude) Kinshaw from Rose Madder. She isn't a major character but she stands out among a book full of women. She's strong, she's confident and she is willing to help others. She's badass. I think everyone loves Gert but then forgets about her when asked this question. So I wanted to make sure she got a mention even if she isn't my total favorite. :)

My least favorite is probably Donna Trenton from Cujo. I find her to be an unsympathetic character. We're supposed to sympathize with her, I'm pretty sure...but I can't. She made the choice to get married and have kids. I don't care if she was afraid of growing old. No excuse for her behavior. We all feel alone and scared...we don't all do what she does. I will be fair though, when it comes to protecting her son she does the best she knows how and that's all we can ever do. I don't actively hate her I just like her the least out of all the major female characters.

Another character I didn't care for too much was Rachel Creed in Pet Sematary. I think when you choose to bring kids into this world you better have your head on straight. She didn't. When you learn her story you feel for her, of course you do, but that doesn't change the fact that she's a neurotic mess. I felt bad for her kids and her husband having to put up with that. Jeez. Again, I do not hate her I just couldn't relate to her as well as I could other characters and so she's on my least favorite list.


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Who is your favorite male character? Your least favorite?

This was way harder than it needed to be. My brain exploded. I've narrowed it down to two favorites. Wolf from The Talisman is my number one favorite male character (that doesn't fall into any other categories coming up in this challenge). Sheriff George Bannerman deserves an honorable mention.

Wolf is my favorite because he is awesome. He is a great friend to Jack Sawyer, he is loyal to his sheep, he is kind and caring, considerate and warm, and he knows his limits. He always gives his best, even when he thinks he can't go on. I will forever love Wolf. That's why he's my favorite male character.

Sheriff George Bannerman gets honorable mention because he is a character that stuck out for me. When you think of small towns and you think of law enforcement in small towns you don't generally think of people with open minds and big hearts but that's exactly what Bannerman is: a guy with a big heart and an open mind. He is strong and sturdy and does his job well. He loves his wife and his daughter and he loves his town. He takes his responsibilities to the town seriously. He's everything you'd want in a Sheriff. I wish he were real. I love me some Bannerman. He deserves more love and recognition as a great male character than he gets. Yay George! haha

My least favorite male character...and mind you this doesn't mean I hate this character just that he is my least favorite...is Henry Leyden from Black House. I think he's cool and fun...but that's just it: he's too cool. He has no flaws. He's a good friend to Jack Sawyer, he's a great uncle and he's a fantastic radio host....but there's nothing bad about him. He is a little unrealistic that way. That's why I chose him as my least favorite male character.




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Is there a character that most fans seem to hate that you don't?

My pick is Susannah from The Dark Tower Series. She gets so much hate. I do not understand it. She shouldn't be hated for who Odetta and Detta were. She shouldn't be hated on because Eddie fangirls don't like that they are together. She's one of the good guys. She is funny and sweet and she brings out the best in her ka-tet. She is strong and a fierce soldier for the white. How can people hate her? I admit she doesn't have the best storyline. That isn't her fault. She's a great character even if the storyline she follows isn't as interesting as the rest of the characters. When she realizes she's losing herself again it is absolutely heartbreaking. How alone she must have felt... So yeah. I love me some Susannah. She's not my favorite character by any means but she certainly doesn't deserve as much hate as she gets.


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Is there a character that most fans seem to love that you don't?

Frannie Goldsmith from The Stand is a character that a lot of the King fandom seems to ADORE like crazy. I don't actively hate the character but I don't piss my pants over her either. I find her to be annoying. A well written character who just happens to be annoying. It always amazes me when people think of her as the heroine of The Stand. I thought she was a whiny, childish, self absorbed little girl. I've always blamed her for what happened with Harold. Yes, he had choices. Don't get me wrong. He definitely had choices but she didn't help anything by writing nasty things about him in her diary like a high school girl. It wouldn't have hurt to have been up front and honest with Harold from the beginning either. He would have been hurt but Frannie would have been clear of any guilt. I'm glad she felt bad later. She should have. It was her fault. Unfortunately she didn't grow up until it was too late.

So yeah. Frannie Goldsmith is my pick.


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King has created numerous fictional towns, most notably Castle Rock, Derry and (Jeru)'salem's Lot. Which setting is your favorite?

Derry. Derry is by far my favorite. It may not have as many stories based around it as Castle Rock does but that makes the fact that it sticks out in my mind as well as it does so remarkable. I can picture the town perfectly: the barrens, the canal, the standpipe....the house on Neibolt Street. IT was one of the first stories of King's that I read and so the landmarks became part of my childhood. I grew up being afraid of a drainage system that didn't exist. haha The townsfolk were my townsfolk. The descriptions of their behavior and dress were spot on. Sometimes I felt like I'd fallen through the pages and into a town just up the way from my own.  I guess I compare all towns to Derry, real and imaginary, and I guess I always will. :)


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Almost all of Stephen King's books are linked together in some way; which connection is your favorite?

I could go the easy route and say any and all connections from The Dark Tower Series to King's other books but I won't. I enjoy the smaller connections, the links you may not notice if you aren't reading carefully or haven't read all of his stories. For example: obviously Insomnia is linked to The Dark Tower Series with The Crimson King and Patrick, among others, as well as IT seeing as both take place in Derry but my favorite connections from Insomnia are with Bag of Bones (Ralph meets with Mike Noonan briefly in one scene) and Pet Sematary (Gage's shoes are found). Small and simple connections are fun. If you haven't read the other books nothing is ruined for you and if you have you get a lil thrill out of recognizing the characters and such :)


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What King book do you find scariest?

I'm going to have to say IT is the Stephen King book I find the scariest. The book has my favorite scary theme (having no one to turn to who can help you) as well as one of the best baddies ever in Bob "Pennywise the Dancing Clown" Gray. A monster that only children can see. A monster that has control of an entire town and has for centuries. A monster that uses adults (unbeknownst to them) to do its bidding. A monster that feeds off of the fears of children and turns into whatever scares them the most before it kills them. Shit. That's frightening. There are a lot of scenes that stay with you too; my favorite is with Beverly and the blood in the sink. Brilliant scene. To this day I still refuse to look directly into drains; who knows what might be down there, looking back up at me?


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What's scarier to you: the supernatural themes in King's books or the realistic ones such as physical or sexual abuse or murder?

With most of the authors today this would be a no brainer; obviously the realistic stuff. With King though...he has this nasty lil habit of being a brilliant writer and therefore everything he writes seems possible. So I can't even answer this question adequately. I will, however, tell you what is scariest about both of them and then what theme I find scariest in any book or movie. :)

The scariest part, for me, about the supernatural stuff in his books is that the characters are forced into something. It's not something they chose or a situation that could have been avoided. They seemingly have no free will. They have a choice on how they deal with the situations but not whether or not they are thrown into them. Hey look, zombies! Hey look, werewolves! Hey look, aliens! Hey look, the pawns of God and the Devil are fighting their epic battle and guess who they want on their sides?? That shit is scary to me. The idea that you could be wandering through life blissfully unaware of what's going on behind the scenes and then BAM! You're smack in the middle of it. Everything that happens next depends on you. Scary.

The scariest part about the realistic stuff, other than the fact that it really does happen all of the time, that is, is that King makes you care about the victims. When you see it on the news, yes, you do care, but it's such an oh-that's-awful-what's-for-dinner? kind of reaction. They don't bring you into that particular person's world and so you do your best to not relate to them. Why would you want to be sad all of the time? But with King's books...his characters are REAL to me in a way most actual people will never be. My response to their pain is guttural. It's happening to them but it's happening to me through them. It might not be "scary" but it is unnerving and that can be worse. Fear is all BOO- AHHH; it is bold and blunt but it happens quickly and leaves the way your nightmares do upon waking, where as the unnerving things creep up on you and settle into your bones like the slowly oncoming winter weather and just like that cold it can take a long time to fully leave your system.

The scariest theme by far, in my opinion, is not being able to trust anyone. The character might have a small group of friends or people going through it with him/her but they are just as scared and fucked up as he/she is...and outside of them..there is no one to turn to for help. That theme never gets old. It always fucks with me. Imagine you are being stalked by a menacing presence whether human or supernatural, and you are helpless to stop them on your own. Everywhere you turn, every person you find, is either in on it with them (because they are evil too or because they are under its spell), doesn't believe you or care or is murdered before they can help you. Fuck me. That shit is scary. Love it so much. :)


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What do you feel is the biggest misconception about King and/or his work?

People who haven't read his books often assume he writes stories similar to that of bad shock horror movies. They assume he has no talent, is a hack, couldn't write his way out of a paper bag. They think he just kills off everyone in his books and who cares because he never could have created a good character in the first place.

These people are what I like to call idiots.

Stephen King writes character studies. He writes love stories. The fact that his characters live and love during some fucked up situations doesn't change the fact that the backbone of most of his stories is love. Good triumphing over evil if only for a short period of time. That while sometimes the monsters in our heads and in the real world do win...sometimes the good guys win too. Love is worth living for. That's what King writes about and he writes about it damn well.


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Which of King's books have you read? Which of his movies, mini series and tv series have you seen?

I've read just about every book he's published and a few short stories that were released in magazines and such. I think there may be more of the singlet stories that I've read but I can't remember their titles or if for sure I read them. So let's just say this is an accurate list :)

( cut because this is a long list )

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How were you introduced to Stephen King's work?

My dad has always been a fan of King's stuff and when I was a toddler he would read me excerpts from the books. I was young enough that I didn't understand what was going on and was soothed by my dad's steady voice. My love for King started early, as you can see. :) I was always interested in the morbid side of life and so I was drawn to the King books on our bookshelves. I loved the covers. I'd stare at them for hours, tracing my fingers over the bubbly letters and wondering what secrets the stories contained. One of my favorite images was the illustration of the hand crushing a spider from Eyes of the Dragon. Who am I kidding? I STILL love that picture. :)

As I got older (first grade and on) I'd watch horror movies with my dad. Some of those were based on King's books. I remember being entranced with Carrie; the idea that she could make things move with her mind was so badass. I was super jealous of that skill. I absolutely LOVED Stand By Me, too. A story of kids looking for a dead body? Oh yeah. I was totally into that. I'd watch it all the time. I'd reenact it with my friends in the woods.

I remember being horrified by Children of the Corn (the original). My biggest fear was being left behind and all of the parents being killed at the beginning? Scared me so bad. I linked it with these ugly ass curtains we had in the kitchen. The breeze kept blowing them when I was watching the opening of the movie and so for months after, whenever those red and white checked curtains blew in the wind I'd get super nervous and find some place else to be real fucking quick. :)

The next year I rewatched the movie and couldn't believe I'd been scared by it. Life is amusing :)

But yeah. I've known of his work for as long as I can remember and while I first became a fan because my dad was one, it didn't take me too long to realize I loved King just as much, if not more than my dad did. I may die of excitement next month when I meet him at a book signing. Dear God, it will be amazing kjagdhasdjkghasdg YAY!

People are always doing 30 day challenges on dw, lj, and tumblr. I was feeling left out since they almost always use fandoms I don't give a shit about (Joss Whedon anyone? haha) so I looked around for Stephen King challenges. I found some...but they were kind of craptastical. They asked general questions that were way too open (who is your favorite character) or spoileriffic questions (what did you think of the ending of The Dark Tower Series). So! I created my own! It is all kinds of wonderful and if you've read more than one of his books you'll be able to participate in most of the days and I hope you will :)

( clicky click for the challenge )

If you participate (and keep your posts public) please tag your entries as 30 day Stephen King challenge. It'd be awesome if you gave me credit too but it's not necessary. :)

This is also posted here at stephenking .