Even though King’s father ran out on them, his belongings kept on moving from place to place with them. Nearly a decade after he disappeared, King was looking through his aunt and uncle’s attic, when he found a box with his dad’s name.

Inside were several old Avon paperbacks including a 1947 edition of H.P. Lovecraft called The Lurking Fear and Other Stories. He started reading them and his love of eldritch horror began.