SOURCE: "A Coupl'a Authors Sittin' Around Talkin'," in Publishers Weekly, May 11, 1984, pp. 253-55.

In the following interview, Straub and Stephen King discuss their collaboration on The Talisman.

They met in England in 1976 or 1977, at Brown's Hotel in London. Each had read the other's books, and they had corresponded a bit. "We had a drink or two and got along well enough that we thought we could sit down and have a meal," Stephen King remembers. "So we went along to Crouch End, Peter's house, my wife and I."

He stops to pinpoint the date. "I do remember this. You can find out. When we came back, Stephanie, my sister-in-law, who was staying at our little house in Fleet, came out and said, 'You'll never guess what happened! Bing Crosby died.'"

Feeding the straight line, King adds, "And now Marvin Gaye is dead." Peter Straub jumps on it...