Stephen King is the most popular and successful contemporary horror writer in the United States. He has published over 260 titles, sold over 350 million copies worldwide, and continues to produce best-selling literature at a rate of about one book per year.
As the creator of The Shining (1977), Cujo (1981), Pet Sematary (1983), IT (1986), and Misery (1987), King has built the reputation of being the godfather of modern horror, both psychological and supernatural.
Many believe that his taste for the horrific means that King is comfortable with the darker side of literature and life and has nothing to fear himself.
But as King described in 1984, he is mortally afraid of the number 13.
Fear of the number 13 can result in physical symptoms, such as panic attacks, and affects up to 10 percent of the US population.
For King, this phobia manifests itself in more impractical ways. For example, he has to take the last two steps of a 13-step staircase in one stride, meaning that he only takes 12 steps.
He also refuses to finish reading if he lands on pages 94, 193, 382, and so on, because the individual digits within these numbers all add up to 13.
King is especially frightened of what he calls “triple-whammy years,” in which Friday the 13th occurs three times. It’s even worse when these dates are 13 days apart.
In one of these years, 1984, King stated that he was particularly fearful because he had been married for 13 years, had a 13-year-old daughter, and had published 13 books to date.
To King’s relief, most hotels do not have a 13th floor, many airplanes do not label the 13th seat.
