海角大神

Stephen King鈥檚 new novel, 鈥淛oyland,鈥� began 20 years ago with a single image the writer couldn鈥檛 shake from his head: a boy, in a wheelchair, flying a kite on a beach.

From that image, a story slowly took shape, King told NPR, until it culminated in his latest book, a retro thriller about a haunted small-town carnival.

Set in North Carolina in 1973, 鈥淛oyland鈥� follows a heartbroken college student who takes a job at the kooky beachfront amusement park where he learns the secret history behind a gory murder and gets pulled into the eerie world of carnies. The book, which is published by hard-boiled crime publisher Hard Case Crime, is set to hit bookstores June 4.

King, who rarely gives interviews, spoke with both NPR and Parade Magazine about 鈥淛oyland.鈥� We鈥檝e included some of the highlights here:

How 鈥淛oyland鈥� harkens back to King鈥檚 childhood:听

King told NPR he chose Hard Case Crime because the publisher reminded him of his favorite childhood reads.听

鈥淗ard Case Crime is a throwback to the books that I loved as a kid,鈥� King said. 鈥淲e lived way out in the country, and my mother would go once a week shopping, and she would go to the Red & White or the A&P to pick up her groceries. And I would immediately beat feet to Robert's Drugstore, where they had a couple of those turn-around wire racks with the hard-boiled paperbacks that usually featured a girl with scanty clothing on the front.鈥�

鈥淛oyland鈥� is a tribute to those old-time favorites, scantily-clad cover girl and all.

On what scares him now:

From his mother, King developed a fondness for horror. 鈥淢y childhood was pretty ordinary, except from a very early age I wanted to be scared,鈥� he told NPR. As a child, he secretly listened to a horror radio show called 鈥淒imension X,鈥� and dreamed of boogymen.

The horror writer isn鈥檛 afraid of much these days, except one thing: acquiring a condition like Alzheimer鈥檚 disease and losing his faculties. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the boogeyman in the closet now,鈥� he says. 鈥淚鈥檓 afraid of losing my mind.鈥澨�

On his literary family

It turns out writing is the King family business. King鈥檚 wife is the novelist Tabitha King, and both his sons are writers, too.

Not surprisingly, all of King鈥檚 children, including daughter Naomi, started reading at a young age, thanks in part to Dad鈥檚 desperation.

鈥淸S]ometimes in the afternoon [King鈥檚 wife] Tabby would say, 鈥業 can鈥檛 deal with it anymore, Steve. I鈥檓 going to lie down.鈥� These kids would be tearing all over the house, and I鈥檇 be trying to think of something I could do with them,鈥� King told Parade. 鈥淥ne day, out of desperation, I got a couple of Spider-Man comic books. I didn鈥檛 expect much, but they went nuts for that stuff. All of them read early. Owen and Naomi read at 2 or something. They were amazing that way.鈥�

Son Owen King鈥檚 recent novel is 鈥淒ouble Feature,鈥� and son Joe (who writes under the name Joe Hill) recently released a vampire book, 鈥淣OS4A2.鈥澨�

Both sons dedicated their books to their mother, who critiques the writing of all three men, Stephen King included.

Husna Haq is a Monitor correspondent.