"The Glass Floor." The very first short story published.

In 1967, Stephen King sold his first short story, "The Glass Floor" to a mystery magazine called, "Starting Mystery Stories" for $35. At the time, the magazine sold for fifty cents, but today? Today, over at Bloody Rare Books, a whopping $1,250 will get you a vintage and preserved copy. If you'd like to read this short six-page story, click here. It's got quite a Gothic feel to it, and I honestly had a sense that it was set in some small town in England. It is a short story for a magazine, so it doesn't have the verbose, rambling style King is known for, but it does set the stage quite dramatically for what more he has in store for his fans. Enjoy.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Stevie

There seems to be a severe lack of SK pics around the web, unfortunately, so I bring you this picture that has been posted previously! It's really a nice one. You know, with the Corgi and all.

Apparently, I've had my head under a rock and completely forgot that September 21st is Stephen King's birthday. How could I forget? Kathleen and I chatted about this via email a few months ago, and then somehow, who knows... it just slipped my mind. My apologies.

So in case you were wondering, Mr. King was born on September 21, 1947 in Portland, Maine. With more than 300 million copies of his books sold throughout the years since the early 1970s, it's clear that he's cemented his legacy in literary (yes, I did say literary) history. So please tip your hat, drink, or whatever you prefer, in his honor.

Which takes me to the Insatiable Booksluts' fantastic site, and while they are indie book reviewers, they have an extremely soft spot in their hearts for Uncle Stevie. Apparently, I was under yet another rock and missed announcements of Stephen King Week at their page, until Mandy at Adventures in Borkdom posted that she contributed with an article about the "Stephen King Universe," which is quite the valuable reference for fans to truly grasp that Stephen King is so much, much more than just one book, and that, in fact, each book may actually be one piece of a bigger story. Brilliant stuff! There are other posts this week relating to Stephen King's focus on battered and abused women, the stories that are adapted into bad, or amazing, films, and more. One of my favorite posts is the advice on how to speak with someone who responds condescendingly when you tell them you read Stephen King books. Good stuff, folks, with more to come this week!

I encourage you all to head on over to the Insatiable Booksluts' page for book reviews and more, and to throw your hat up and cheer to celebrate Stephen King Week!

Did you hear about Carrie, the...musical?

Well, I'm sure I could wax philosophic on this for hours, but here's the news: Carrie is a musical. I guess it's been a hit since 1988 when it first appeared on Broadway, not to mention there are some big names associated with the music and lyrics. So on September 25, 2012, Ghostlight Records will release the musical adaptation of Stephen King's Carrie and apparently, the songs are pretty cool. Click here to learn more. I think I need to see this one.

The Stephen King Project 2012, September Reviews

Apologies all around for the delay in putting up the September reviews link. It's been an interesting start to September, thus the delay. Here you go! Looking forward to your reviews. It is a special month as it is the master of stories' birthday this month - September 21st. So let's celebrate with your reviews and thoughts on films and books by the legendary Stephen King!