Stephen King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. He made his first professional short story sale in 1967 to Startling Mystery Stories. In the fall of 1971, he began teaching high school English classes at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels. In the spring of 1973, Doubleday & Co., accepted the novel Carrie for publication, providing him with the means to leave teaching and write full-time. He has since published over 50 books and has become one of the world's most successful writers. In Mr. Mercedes, Bill Hodges, a retired police officer, drinks beer as he watches a television talk show. Next to him on the table is a .38 Smith and Wesson M and P revolver which he pats occasionally. This has become his daily habit since his retirement. He considers using the gun to kill himself and thinks if he could drink he might put off his eventual death for a year or two. He is distracted from his thoughts by the sound of his mail being delivered. Later, among Hodges’ pieces of mail is a letter with a smiley face emoticon where the return address should be. He recognizes the symbol. It brings back bad memories… Listen online to free English audiobook "Mr. Mercedes” on our website to experience Stephen King's novel.
