NAMES IN THE NEWS : Rimshot for Master of Macabre

PORTLAND, Me. — Author Stephen King may be a master of the macabre, but he’s not so bad at one-liners.

“People want to know why I do this, why I write such gross stuff,” King told 2,300 fans at City Hall on Tuesday night. “I like to tell them I have the heart of a small boy, and I keep it in a jar on my desk.”

King, who was taking part in the city library’s centennial celebrations, said some people pay psychiatrists to tell them “their most twisted fantasies.”

“I, on the other hand, write them down, and they pay me. It’s a great way to live,” said the author of such chillers as “Carrie,” “The Shining,” “The Dead Zone,” and “Cujo.”

“People want to know if I have nightmares,” he said. “Of course not. I give them to you.”