The King of Horror has a heart

Steven King is giving 12,999+1$ to help Maine's National Guard troops get home for Christmas

King and his wife, Tabitha, who live in Bangor, are paying $13,000 toward the cost of two bus trips so that members of the 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry Unit can travel from Camp Atterbury in Indiana to Maine for Christmas. The soldiers left Maine last week for training at Camp Atterbury. They are scheduled to depart for Afghanistan in January.

So why the 12,999+1?

But Stephen King thought the number 13 was a bit unlucky, so the couple pitched in $12,999 instead. Eugley (one of King's personal assistants) chipped in $1 to make for an even $13,000.

I read everything I could get from him in the 80’s but then his writing became too much like a book mill, it seemed he was just writing for the dollar and they weren’t fun to read anymore. May be after I’m finished with the Sword of Truth series I’ll pick up one of his and see if he snapped out of it.