Author King getting over surgery

Stephen King has undergone surgery to remove fluid and scar tissue

Horror writer Stephen King is recovering in hospital in the US after being treated for pneumonia.

The 56-year-old author has undergone surgery in Maine to remove fluid and scar tissue from one of his lungs.

King's lawyer, Warren Silver, said he was in pain from the operation but his condition was improving and he was expected to make a full recovery.

King, whose works include Carrie and The Shining, suffered a punctured lung in a road accident four years ago.

"It's a slow healing process and he's in some degree of pain from the thoracotomy," Mr Silver said.

"It's hard for him to get comfortable."

King is currently writing a 15-part TV drama series called Stephen King's Hospital, and writing a book.

He had been diagnosed with pneumonia in his right lung before a recent trip to New York, where he received an honorary National Book Award for lifetime achievement.

His condition is said to have worsened when he returned to Maine and the pneumonia spread to the other lung.

The author first checked into hospital on Sunday.