Stephen King used paperback advance from first novel to make sure his mother never had to work again
Stephen King, who grew up poor but whose writing has made him a very wealthy man, praises his mother for giving him the room to become a writer. He reveals now that he used the paperback advance from his first novel, "Carrie," to allow his mother to stop working, he tells "CBS Sunday Morning" anchor Jane Pauley in an interview broadcast June 13.
King's mother, Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King, died at age 60 of cancer. However, she did get to see "Carrie" published. "The hardcover advance was small, but the paperback advance just bowled us over – it was, like, $400,000 in 1974," King told Pauley. "It was a huge amount of money.
"And my brother and I talked a little bit about it. And we went to the Pineland facility where she worked. She was in her … green uniform, green rayon uniform – never told this story before – but she was stoned, totally stoned on over-the-counter medication. She was in excruciating pain by that point. … And my brother and I said, 'Mom, you're done. … There's enough to take care of you now, because the book sold for a lot of money, and you can go home.'
"And she just put her hands over her face and cried."
Pauley sat down with King for a wide-ranging interview about his writing career, his marriage, and his latest project: the miniseries "Lisey's Story" for Apple TV.
King also admits, while he has mastered the craft of providing thrill rides for his millions of readers worldwide through his books, films and TV projects, he's not a fan of roller coaster rides in real life.
"You're not?" Pauley asked.
"No," King said. "No, you see, the thing is, I build the roller coasters. That doesn't mean I have to ride on 'em."
To watch a preview of Jane Pauley's interview with Stephen King click on the video player below:
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To watch a trailer for "Lisey's Story" click on the video player below:
For more info:
- stephenking.com
- "Lisey's Story" on Apple TV