Stephen Edwin King, one of the greatest horror writers of the 20th and 21st centuries, was born on September 21, 1947, in Portland, Maine. Stephen was born at Maine General Hospital. He was the second son and only son born to his mother in the King family. Stephen had an older brother who was adopted two years before he was born. (1) (2) (5) Stephen King's parents were not together until shortly after Stephen was born. As Stephen was just a toddler, his father, Donald Edwin King, left Stephen's mother, Ruth Pillsbury King, leaving her to care for the family with the help of relatives. Stephen's mother had moved from Fort Wayne, Indiana and Stratford, Connecticut finally making a decision and staying in Durham, Maine in 1958. The family was given a small house by her relatives and was supported financially by their relatives. Times were tough for the King family, as their mother worked in a kitchen at a facility for the mentally handicapped. (1)(5)Stephen King wanted to start writing when he was 12 years old. Stephen and his brother David began writing their own journal which they would sell for five cents each, called their journal "Dave's Rag". David had enough money to buy a mimeograph machine and help Stephen and David print their newspaper. (5) In Durham, Mr. King attended high school and was later enrolled in Lisbon High School. In high school, Mr. King began writing with his best friend Chris Cheesley. Stephen and Chris began writing for their newspaper during their sophomore year. They began by writing short stories and accumulated a total of 18 short stories by 1963. In 1964, Stephen King was published by Triad and Gaslight Books for his two-part book "Star Inv...... middle of paper. .. ... from the famous author of stories. Stephen has been called "The King" and "The King of Horror" because of his many horror books, such as one of his most famous books, Misery. His writing style has led him to become one of the best writers of all time. He is a great example of how you can overcome addictions and difficulties to achieve extraordinary work in life. (5) Sources cited “Stephen King overcame his addiction to alcohol and drugs.” Stephen King overcame his addiction to alcohol and drugs. Np, and Web. November 21, 2013. IMDb. IMDb.com, and Web. November 21, 2013. “Stephen King Biography.” Stephen King. Np, and Web. November 21, 2013 « StephenKing.com-About the Author » StephenKing.com-About the Author. Np, and Web. November 17, 2013Domnius, Susan. "Stephen King's Family Business - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking news, world news and multimedia. Np, . Internet. November 17. 2013.