Stephen King, on writing:

Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art.

The water is free.
So drink.
Drink and be filled up.
- Stephen King.

Recommended reading - King of the Ants

 

King of the Ants

by Charlie Higson.

Filmed as King of the Ants (2003), directed by Stuart Gordon.

Published by Abacus.
First published 1992.

ISBN-10: 0349144877
ISBN-13: 9780349144870

Description:

Charlie Higson's thrillers are major events. – Mark Billingham.

Funny, very tough and full of action – Patricia Highsmith.

A brave, abrasive, alarmingly realistic debut. – Daily Mail.

Uncoils with wit and imagination. – Time Out.

It seemed straightforward enough. Sean had now consumed so much alcohol that everything seemed perfectly reasonable. He'd started planning the job already. The first problem was how to do it. Thirteen thousand pounds in an envelope seems a fair price for a man's life. Particularly if you don't know the man, he seems a nonentity, and you quite fancy his wife. And there's no chance of being caught. Sean is a drifter, working as a building labourer and waiting for something to happen. When Sean is offered easy money to tail someone and even more easy money to dispose of him, it's all more tempting than you might think. Except when you realize that you've been led up the garden path the whole way...

Born on this day – Lois Weber:

Lois Weber

Director

Writer

Actress

June 13, 1879 – November 13, 1939

Credits:

White Heat (1934); The Angel of Broadway (1927); Topsy and Eva (1927); Sensation Seekers (1927); The Marriage Clause (1926); A Chapter in Her Life (1923); What Do Men Want? (1921); The Blot (1921); Too Wise Wives (1921); What's Worth While? (1921); Mum's the Word (1920); Life's Mirror (1920); To Please One Woman (1920); Forbidden (1919); Home (1919); Mary Regan (1919); A Midnight Romance (1919); When a Girl Loves (1919); Borrowed Clothes (1918); For Husbands Only (1918); The Doctor and the Woman (1918); The Price of a Good Time (1917); The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1917); Even As You and I (1917); The Boyhood He Forgot (1917); The Mysterious Mrs. Musslewhite (1917); Alone in the World (1917); The Gilded Life (1916); The Rock of Riches (1916); The People vs. John Doe (1916); The Celebrated Stielow Case (1916); Wanted: A Home (1916); Idle Wives (1916); Under the Spell (1916); Saving the Family Name (1916); Shoes (1916); The Eye of God (1916); Where Are My Children? (1916); John Needham's Double (1916); The Dance of Love (1916); There Is No Place Like Home (1916); The Flirt (1916); Hop - The Devil's Brew (1916); The Dumb Girl of Portici (1916); Discontent (1916); The Children Shall Pay (1916); Idle Wives (1916); Jewel (1915); A Cigarette - That's All (1915); Scandal (1915); Betty in Search of a Thrill (1915); Captain Courtesy (1915); Sunshine Molly (1915); Hypocrites (1915); It's No Laughing Matter (1915); Helping Mother (1914); The Traitor (1914); Daisies (1914); Behind the Veil (1914); Plain Mary (1914); Lost by a Hair (1914); The Pursuit of Hate (1914); Closed Gates (1914); The Stone in the Road (1914); Avenged (1914); The Triumph of Mind (1914); The Career of Waterloo Peterson (1914); An Episode (1914); On Suspicion (1914); The Man Who Slept (1914); The Baby's Doll (1914); In the Days of His Youth (1914); The Spider and Her Web (1914); A Modern Fairy Tale (1914); The Weaker Sister (1914); The Merchant of Venice (1914); Woman's Burden (1914); An Old Locket (1914); The Coward Hater (1914); The Leper's Coat (1914); A Fool and His Money (1914); False Colors (1914); The Female of the Species (1914); The Wife's Deceit (1913); The Jew's Christmas (1913); The Mask (1913); James Lee's Wife (1913); The Blood Brotherhood (1913); The Haunted Bride (1913); Two Thieves and a Cross (1913); The Clue (1913); The Thumb Print (1913); Memories (1913); Shadows of Life (1913); His Brand (1913); Never Again (1913); The Light Woman (1913); Just in Time (1913); Civilized and Savage (1913); The Fallen Angel (1913); How Men Propose (1913); Through Strife (1913); Suspense (1913); The Pretender (1913); The King Can Do No Wrong (1913); The Trifler (1913); The Cap of Destiny (1913); The Poverty of Riches (1913); The Rosary (1913); The Dragon's Breath (1913); A Book of Verses (1913); Until Death (1913); Bobby's Baby (1913); The Peacemaker (1913); An Empty Box (1913); Troubled Waters (1913); In the Blood (1913); Two Thieves (1913); His Sister (1913); Leaves in the Storm (1912); Faraway Fields (1912); A Japanese Idyll (1912); An Old Fashioned Girl (1912); The Greater Christian (1912); The Troubadour's Triumph (1912); The Lash of Fate (1912); The Greater Love (1912); The Power of Thought (1912); The Price of Peace (1912); Eyes That See Not (1912); The Final Pardon (1912); The Bargain (1912); Fine Feathers (1912); Angels Unaware (1912); The Martyr (1911); The Price (1911); A Breach of Faith (1911); Fate (1911); On the Brink (1911); The Twins (1911); From Death to Life (1911); The Realization (1911); The Heiress (1911); A Heroine of '76 (1911).

Born on this day – Kristine Miller:

Kristine Miller

Actress

June 13, 1925 – 2015 Exact date of death unknown

Credits:

Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok (1951); Big Town (1953); Campbell Summer Soundstage (1952–1953); Cavalcade of America (1956); China Smith (1953); Club Havana (1945); Crossroads (1955); Dangerous Assignment (1952); Desert Fury (1947); Domino Kid (1957); Father Knows Best (1959); Fireside Theatre (1952–1953); Flight Nurse (1953); Four Star Playhouse (1955); From Here to Eternity (1953); Geraldine (1953); Gruen Guild Theater (1951); Hell's Outpost (1954); High Lonesome (1950); I Walk Alone (1947); Jungle Patrol (1948); Kraft Theatre (1951); Lux Video Theatre (1953); M Squad (1958); My Little Margie (1953); Paid in Full (1950); Ramar of the Jungle (1954); Schlitz Playhouse (1953); Science Fiction Theatre (1955–1957); Secret of Outlaw Flats (1953); Shadow on the Wall (1950); Soldiers of Fortune (1955); Sorry, Wrong Number (1948); Stage 7 (1955); Stars Over Hollywood (1951); Stories of the Century (1954–1955); Suspense (1946); Tales of Wells Fargo (1961); The Donna Reed Show (1959–1961); The Heart Is a Rebel (1958); The Hurricane at Pilgrim Hill (1950); The Lone Wolf (1954); The Millionaire (1957); The Persuader (1957); The Restless Gun (1958); The Star and the Story (1955); The Steel Fist (1952); The Texan (1959–1960); The Trouble with Women (1947); Thunder Over Arizona (1956); Too Late for Tears (1949); Tropical Heat Wave (1952); Variety (1951); Wagon Train (1958); Young Daniel Boone (1950); Your Show Time (1949).

Born on this day – Irene Franklin:

 

Irene Franklin

Actress

Vaudeville comedian

Singer

June 13, 1885 - June 16, 1941

Credits:

A Very Honorable Guy (1934); Actors' Fund Field Day (1910); Along Came Love (1936); Animated Weekly, No. 37 (1912); Blazing Barriers (1937); Change of Heart (1934); Death Flies East (1935); Down to Their Last Yacht (1934); Fast Workers (1933); Fatal Lady (1936); Finishing School (1934); Fixer Dugan (1939); Flirting with Fate (1938); Irene Franklin, the American Comedienne (1929); Ladies Crave Excitement (1935); Ladies Love Danger (1935); Land Beyond the Law (1937); Lazy River (1934); Married Before Breakfast (1937); Midnight Madonna (1937); Rebellious Daughters (1938); Registered Nurse (1934); Saratoga (1937); Song and Dance Man (1936); Strictly Dynamite (1934); Swingtime in the Movies (1938); The Affair of Susan (1935); The Cat and the Fiddle (1934); The Garden of Allah (1936); The President Vanishes (1934); The Women in His Life (1933); Those Were the Days (1929); Timothy's Quest (1936); Wanted for Murder (1918); Wanted! Jane Turner (1936); Whipsaw (1935).

Born on this day – Tay Garnett:

Tay Garnett

Director

Writer

June 13, 1894 – October 3, 1977

Born on this day – L.B. Abbott:

L.B. Abbott

Cinematographer

Special effects expert

Cameraman

June 13, 1908 – September 28, 1985

Credits:

Wrong Is Right (1982); When Time Ran Out... (1980); 1941 (1979); The Swarm (1978); The Return of Captain Nemo (1978); Viva Knievel! (1977); Fire (1977); Flood (1976); Logan's Run (1976); Planet of the Apes (1974); The Towering Inferno (1974); Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973); Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973); Emperor of the North (1973); The Poseidon Adventure (1972); Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972); Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971); City Beneath the Sea (1971); The Great White Hope (1970); Cover Me Babe (1970); Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970); Move (1970); Myra Breckinridge (1970); Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970); Land of the Giants (1968–1970); The Challenge (1970); Patton (1970); M*A*S*H (1970); The Only Game in Town (1970); City Beneath the Sea (1969); Hello, Dolly! (1969); John and Mary (1969); Daughter of the Mind (1969); The Undefeated (1969); Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969); Justine (1969); Che! (1969); Hard Contract (1969); 100 Rifles (1969); The Man from the 25th Century (1968); Lady in Cement (1968); The Boston Strangler (1968); Star! (1968); The Secret Life of an American Wife (1968); The Sweet Ride (1968); Bandolero! (1968); The Detective (1968); Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964–1968); Batman (1967–1968); Lost in Space (1965–1968); Planet of the Apes (1968); Valley of the Dolls (1967); Doctor Dolittle (1967); The Flim-Flam Man (1967); The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967); Caprice (1967); A Guide for the Married Man (1967); The Time Tunnel (1966–1967); The Green Hornet (1967); In Like Flint (1967); The Sand Pebbles (1966); Way... Way Out (1966); Fantastic Voyage (1966); Batman: The Movie (1966); Stagecoach (1966); Our Man Flint (1966); Do Not Disturb (1965); The Flight of the Phoenix (1965); The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965); The Reward (1965); Morituri (1965); Von Ryan's Express (1965); John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965); The Sound of Music (1965); Valentine's Day (1964–1965); Dear Brigitte (1965); Goodbye Charlie (1964); Fate Is the Hunter (1964); Shock Treatment (1964); What a Way to Go! (1964); Move Over, Darling (1963); Take Her, She's Mine (1963); Cleopatra (1963); Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962); Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man (1962); Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962); State Fair (1962); Tender Is the Night (1962); Bachelor Flat (1961); Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961); Snow White and the Three Stooges (1961); The Wizard of Baghdad (1960); North to Alaska (1960); High Time (1960); The Lost World (1960); The Story of Ruth (1960); From the Terrace (1960); Wake Me When It's Over (1960); Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959); The Man Who Understood Women (1959); The Blue Angel (1959); Holiday for Lovers (1959); Woman Obsessed (1959); Warlock (1959); The Diary of Anne Frank (1959); Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys! (1958); The Roots of Heaven (1958); The Hunters (1958); The Fiend Who Walked the West (1958); A Nice Little Bank That Should Be Robbed (1958); The Fly (1958); From Hell to Texas (1958); Ten North Frederick (1958); Fräulein (1958); The Young Lions (1958); South Pacific (1958); The Long, Hot Summer (1958); The Gift of Love (1958); The Enemy Below (1957); Kiss Them for Me (1957); Stopover Tokyo (1957); April Love (1957); No Down Payment (1957); The Three Faces of Eve (1957); Forty Guns (1957); Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957); Bernardine (1957); A Hatful of Rain (1957); An Affair to Remember (1957); The Wayward Bus (1957); The Return of Don Camillo (1953); The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951).

Born on this day – Ben Johnson:

Ben Johnson

Actor

Stuntman

Rodeo cowboy

June 13, 1918 – April 8, 1996

Born on this day – Ángela Álvarez:

 

Ángela Álvarez

Singer

Composer

Actress

June 13, 1927 – December 6, 2024

Credits:

In 2022, she was the oldest recipient of the Latin Grammy Award for Best New Artist.

Songs:
 

Amor; Añoranzas; Ansias Locas; Camino Sin Rumbo; El Regreso; El Sol; En Mi Jardín; María; Mi Gran Amor; Pedacito De Cielo; Que Linda Es; Quiéreme Mucho; Romper El Yugo; Sé Que Te Vas; Seguirei; Un Canto a Mi Cuba; Un Nuevo Amanecer.

 

Movies and television:
 
Father of the Bride (2022); Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2022); Miss Angela (2021); Today (2021).

On this day in television history - M Squad (1958)

M Squad

Season 1. Episode 38.

Episode entitled: Accusation.

Released June 13, 1958.

Directed by Don Taylor.

Written by Harry W. Junkin.

Music by Stanley Wilson.

Cast:
Lee Marvin, Fay Spain, Ken Clark, Paul Newlan, Larry J. Blake, Dan Riss, George Eldredge, Cindy Ames.

On this day in movie history - The Get-Away (1941)

The Get-Away

directed by Edward Buzzell and Richard Rosson,

written by Wells Root and W.R. Burnett,

based on a story by J. Walter Ruben and Wells Root,

was released in the United States on June 13, 1941.

Music by Daniele Amfitheatrof, Earl K. Brent, Joseph Nussbaum, Leonid Raab.

Cast:

Robert Sterling, Charles Winninger, Donna Reed, Henry O'Neill, Dan Dailey Jr., Don Douglas, Ernest Whitman, Grant Withers, Chester Gan, Charles Wagenheim, Guy Kingsford, Matty Fain, Fred Aldrich, Barbara Bedford, Clara Blandick, Veda Ann Borg, Wade Boteler, Ed Brady, George M. Carleton, Eddy Chandler, Naomi Childers, Dean Collins, Sayre Dearing, Eddie Dunn, Eddie Fetherston, Dink Freeman, John George, Jack Gordon, Roy Gordon, George Guhl, Frank Hagney, Harry Hayden, Edward Hearn, George Hoagland, Robert Homans, Jack King, Richard Kipling, William Lally, George J. Lewis, Jack Luden, Pierce Lyden, George Magrill, Mickey Martin, Jim Mason, May McAvoy, Mathew McCue, Jewel McGowan, Pat McKee, Art Miles, Philip Morris, Frank O'Connor, Patrick O'Moore, Anne O'Neal, Bob Perry, Lee Phelps, James Pierce, Edwin Rochelle, Dick Rush, Robert Ryan, Charles Sherlock, Ray Spiker, Henry Sylvester, William Tannen, John Wald, Joe Yule.

On this day in movie history - The Big Shot (1942)

The Big Shot

directed by Lewis Seiler,

written by Bertram Millhauser, Abem Finkel, and Daniel Fuchs,

was released in the United States on June 13, 1942.

Music by Adolph Deutsch.

Cast:

Humphrey Bogart, Irene Manning, Richard Travis, Susan Peters, Stanley Ridges, Minor Watson, Chick Chandler, Joe Downing, Howard Da Silva, Murray Alper, Roland Drew, John Ridgely, Joe King, John Hamilton, Virginia Brissac, William Edmunds, Virginia Sale, Ken Christy, Wallace Scott, Leah Baird, Morgan Brown, Eddy Chandler, Cliff Clark, Clancy Cooper, Ralph Dunn, Thornton Edwards, Carl Faulkner, James Flavin, Gus Glassmire, Sol Gorss, William Gould, Creighton Hale, Henry Hall, Herbert Heywood, Dorothy Kelly, Donald Kerr, Wilbur Mack, Frank Mayo, Jack Mower, Wendell Niles, Frank O’Connor, Eleanor Parker, Don Phillips, Lee Prather, Jeffrey Sayre, Charles Sherlock, Walter Soderling, Harry Strang, Brick Sullivan, Ray Teal, Don Turner, Dale Van Sickel, Tom Wilson, Joan Winfield, Bill Wolfe, Victor Zimmerman.

On this day in movie history - Roadie (1980)

Roadie

directed by Alan Rudolph,

written by Big Boy Medlin and Michael Ventura,

based on a story by Big Boy Medlin, Michael Ventura, Zalman King and Alan Rudolph,

was released in the United States on June 13, 1980.

Music by Craig Huxley.

Cast:

Meat Loaf, Kaki Hunter, Art Carney, Gailard Sartain, Don Cornelius, Rhonda Bates, Joe Spano, Richard Marion, Sonny Carl Davis, Ginger Varney, Al Mays, Cindy Wills, Allan Graf, Merle Kilgore, Jack Elliott, Roy Orbison, Hank Williams Jr., Hector Britt, Larry Lindsey, Conrad E. Palmisano, Tim Chitwood, Bobby Sargent, Rick Seaman, Hamilton Camp, Lenore Woodward, Terry Wills, Chuck Bulot, Helena Humann, Marcy Hanson, Carole McClellan, Rudy Ortiz, Bruce Patron, Debbie (Deborah) Harry, Chris Stein, Clem Burke, Jimmy Destri, Nigel Harrison, Frank Infante, William Hanna, James Lewis, Ray Benson, Richard Portnow, Anthony Casertano, Alice Cooper, Sheryl Cooper, Joe Gannon, Jesse Frederick, Larry Marshall, Rick Brunt, Eric Gardner, Kurtwood Smith, Paul Jamieson, Alvin Crow, Fred Mandel, Davey Johnstone, Roger Powell, Kasim Sulton, John Wilcox, Chris O’Connell, Bobby Black, Pat Ryan, Daniel Levin, John Nicholas, Francis Christina, Dean DeMerritt, Rick Crow, Smoothie, D.K. Little, Pete Finney, Tiny McFarland, Roger Crabtree, Kerry Craig, Joe Hamilton, Warren Keith, Charles Smith, Dale Stratton, Shona Lay, Bob Murray, Larry Seaman, Randy Franklin, David Cardwell, Peter Frampton, John Lizzi, Johnny Stevens.

On this day in movie history - King of the Ants (2003)

King of the Ants

directed by Stuart Gordon,

written by Charlie Higson,

based on the novel by Charlie Higson,

was released in the United States on June 13, 2003.

Music by Bobby Johnston.

Cast:

Chris McKenna, Kari Wuhrer, George Wendt, Vernon Wells, Lionel Mark Smith, Timm Sharp, Daniel Baldwin, Carissa Kosta, Briana Beghi, Carlie Westerman, Ian Patrick Williams, Antoine Joseph, Shuko Akune, Steve Heller, Ken ‘Bam Bam’ Johnson Jr., Tino Marquez Jr., Adam Noble, Joe Davis, Mike Hawks, Ron Livingston.