As one of the most influential American writers, Stephen King uses fear to capture his readers by engulfing them in his world of fears. Winning over fifty awards, Stephen King changed the face of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction, and fantasy novels. Stephen King's life influences his literary works through his many fears, his upbringing in Maine, and his life as a parent. Stephen King was born on September 21, 1947 in Portland, Maine. When King was six years old, his father left to buy a carton of cigarettes and never returned. He would later go on to quote, “I'm always interested in the idea that many fiction writers write for their fathers, because their fathers are gone” (King). King was born into a very poor family and his mother struggled to stay afloat on the bills. They moved around a lot until King turned eleven, because at that time they moved back to Maine where his mother took care of his parents. Her family gave them food and clothing while they were there, as she could not have a job while caring for them. King's only sense of elation as a child was when he read. Any extra money he would earn would be invested in purchasing a paperback book from the local bookstore. (Rogak 8-25) Stephen King stands out from everyone else in his writings because he writes about his personal fears. King has many fears such as: the dark, snakes, rats, spiders, soft objects, psychotherapy, deformity, closed spaces, death, clowns, the inability to write, flying and many others. The reason King writes is that when he writes, he says that in that moment all the fears he has no longer exist in that moment. But just when he stops writing, those fears assail him again. For example, one of Stephen King's many fears is clowns, and one of his best-selling books, and later the screenplay, was IT. King “plays on his fears