European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 25, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 24 scene stars and stripes sunday March 252007 books fit for a King acclaimed thriller written by bestselling authors son a Jjoe Hill knew it was Only a matter of time before one of the publish ing Industry hottest Little secrets be came common knowledge he just wished he could have kept it under wraps a bit longer but when Hills fantasy tinged thriller hear shaped Box came out last month it was inevitable that his thoroughbred blood lines As a writer of horror and the supernatural would be out there for All to see after 10 years of writing Short stories and an unpublished novel under his pen name Hill knows that the world is now viewing him through a different prism As the older son of Stephen King Hill 34 took on his secret identity to test his writing skills and marketability without having to Trade on the family name i really wanted to allow myself to Rise and rail on my own merits he said one of the Good things about it was that it let me make my mistakes in private the Moniker he chose did not come out of the Blue he is legally Joseph Hillstrom King named for the labor organizer whose 1915 execution for author Joe Hill using a pen name tried to keep his real name a secret but he knew to was Only a matter off time murder in Utah inspired the song Joe Hill an Anthem of the labor movement his parents who came of age during the 1960s were both pretty feisty liberals and looked at Joe Hill As a heroic figure he said hear shaped Box a title drawn from a song by the Rock group nirvana is a fast paced tale of another Man with dual identities Judas Coyne born Justin Wowzynski is an overt Hill heavy Metal Rocker with a strange Hobby amassing ghoulish artefacts when Coyne learns that a suit purportedly haunted by a ghost is up for grabs on an online auction site he cant resist adding it to his Creepy collection things turn ugly fast after Coyne learns that the suits occupant is a spooky spiritualist Bent on vengeance following the death of his stepdaughter the Book has drawn Good reviews with the new York times Janet Maslin calling it a wild mesmerizing perversely witty tale of horror that is so visually intense that its Energy never flags and with its cinematic and bloody ending Warner Bros snapped up movie rights six months before the Book hit the Market As excitement percolated about hear shaped Box so too did linger ing questions about its author inklings about Hills family background started appearing in online message boards in 2005 when his collection of Short Sto Ries 20th Century ghosts was published in Britain similarities in subject matter and appearance Hill has his fathers Bushy eyebrows and the dark Beard he sported decades ago were enough to stir suspicion among followers of the horror genre it got blogged to death Hill re called but Only when his identity was trumpeted in variety last year did he realize that the secret was gone for Good that was really the Nail in the coffin he said still his pen name had a Good ride the editor of hear shaped Box was unaware of the King connection and Hills agent remained in the dark for eight years before the author spilled the Beans two years ago Hills decision to follow his fathers career should come As no Surprise his Mother Tabitha King has been turning out novels for decades his younger brother Owen King came out in 2005 with a Well received Novella and Short Story collection that is More literary than horrific and laced with Absurdity the King childrens interest in books and writing took Root Early on we would sit around and read aloud nightly in the living room or on the porch Hill said this was something we kept on doing until i was in High school Usa toddy bestsellers key of fiction a nonfiction hardcover paperback 1 the secret by Rhonda Byrne nah 2 Nineteen minutes by Jodi 3 judge jury by James Patter son Andrew Gross up 4 shiver by Lisa Jackson up 5 prior bad acts by Tami Hoag up 6 women Money owning the Power to control your destiny by suze orman 7 in an instant a family journey of love and Healing by Lee Woodruff Bob Woodruff nah 8 its not easy being mean a clique novel by Lisi Harrison up 9 the memory keepers daughter by Kim Edwards up 10 morning comes softly by Debbie Macomber up 11 you on a diet the own ers manual for Waist ment by Michael f Roizen men met c of nah 12 True believer by Nicholas Sparks up 13 the measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier nip 14 shopaholic and baby by Sophie Kinsella Fth 15 Whitethorn Woods by Maeve Bitchy Fth 16 Bridge to Ter Bithia by Katherine Paterson Art by Donna Diamond up 17 Lover revealed a novel of the Black Dagger brother Hood Byer Ward up 18 dragon of the red Dawn by Mary Pope Osborne Art by a Murdocca up 19 hey Good looking by Fern Michaels up 20 step on a crack by James Patterson Michael Laviage 211 bad about my neck by Nora Ephron nah 22 deadly game by Christine 23 Mckee treks Pride by Linda Lael Miller up 24 Sisters by Danielle steel Fth 25 Naruto volume 13 by Masashi Kishimoto up 26 the Glass Castle a Memoir by Jeannette Walls a Fps 27 go put your strengths to work 6 powerful Steps to achieve outstanding performance by Marcus Buckingham nah 28 forever in Blue the fourth summer of the sisterhood by Ann Brashares Fth 29 Junta b first grader dumb Bunny a stepping Stone Book by Barbara Park Art by Denise Brunkus Fth 30 the audacity of Hope by Barack Obama nah 31 table for two by Nora Roberts up 32 eat Pray love one Wom ans search for everything across Italy India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert nip 33 Star wars legacy of the Force exile by Aaron Allston up 34 the last link closing the Gap that is sabotaging your business by Gregg Crawford nah 35 innocent in death by Nora Roberts writing As cd Robb Fth 36 the Best life diet by Bob Greene nah 37 scattered leaves by pc Andrews up 38 a Long Way gone memoirs of a boy Soldier by Ishmael 39 Irish dreams by Nora Rob erts up 40 hitched by Carol Higgins Clark got a question ask just r from deploy ment we ac2 what s Lojdl i co with us my re a Are hat Pixi this i help Home school spouse club hts base7 a bout fral it will s career i let a Stover a i a cow that spouse Send your questions to issues with m a Laws debuts april 1 with your weekly scene and