Elsewhere on this site, I have sung the praises of Stephen King. I will not rehash such here, save to say ...

This man, the world's best-selling novelist, had a profound impact on me as a young man. My passion for reading, enthusiasm for writing, and love of tales of supernatural suspense, was initially sparked by King. (Even the name I chose for this blog, The Wordslinger, is a term I first heard coined in King's The Dark Tower series. I'm not the first person to utilize this moniker, but as I loved the name, and felt it appropriate, I snatched it up - but King deserves the credit.)

STEPHEN KING

Those fans not familiar with his rags to riches story should check out the 5-part video below. Originally produced in 1999, not long after the filming of The Green Mile and a horrible accident where King was struck, and nearly killed, by a van, this A&E Biography is an excellent (if overly abbreviated) document of his humble origins and meteoric rise.

Check it out.