(October 31, 2000) — Gory, sinister and morbid are some words that critics have used to describe works from Stephen King. King has only one explanation for the amount of blood and gore in his books: he is just simply “warped.” From the young age of seven, King was already writing about dinosaurs and monsters, impressing both his family and friends. Some psychologists believe that his fascination with horror originates from the disappearance of his father and the witnessing of a friend getting run over by a train. Even though train scenes do appear in his novels, King believes that his writing has not been influenced by his childhood trauma. King has produced more than 30 novels over the past three decades. And to think, the world might not have known of this great writer if not for his wife, Tabitha. Tabitha King was the one who found the first chapters of what would be her husband’s first published novel. King claimed that he became bored with the plot and decided to trash it. What’s the name of this novel, you might ask? It’s none other than the legendary, “Carrie.” Some people are fascinated and intrigued by King’s work, while others simply accuse him of being sick. He explains that the plots for his stories come from his innermost fears. He claims to be petrified of spiders, elevators, closed-in places, the dark, sewers, funerals, the idea of being buried alive, cancer, heart attacks, the number 13, black cats and walking under ladders. With the above mentioned topics, King is able to create countless stories that scare the pants off of people, a reaction from his audience that he likes. King not only writes horror, but fantasy, adventure and even fairy tales. An example of one of his different styles is the book “Different Seasons,” a collection of four stories. Two of those became the basis for the famous movies, “Shawshank Redemption” and “Stand By Me.” Stephanie Sajjadieh, one of Clark’s English teachers, comments, “It was surprising to read a book from Stephen King that was more reflective. The stories [in “Different Seasons”] were such a contrast to what people normally see from him.” Most people have also come to think of King as somehow weird or quirky as a result of his books. But he claims to be just “a regular guy” who happens to live in a Victorian mansion with wrought-iron fences, festooned with bats and spiders. At 6’4” and 200 lbs, King is easily spotted in crowds, especially when he has his occasional beard. King has a ritual of growing his beard at the end of the World Series and shaving it when spring season starts. He loves to play poker and go bowling with friends and shows his love for rock and roll by playing in the band “Rock Bottom Remainders.” Today King is considered one of the richest and most successful writers in the world. He is continually releasing new books at the rate of almost one per year, and most of his books have been turned into films. Some of those have failed, but others like the “Shawshank Redemption” received great success and fame. With over a hundred million copies of his books in print and the number still climbing, Stephen King deserves the title, King of Horrors. King has also tried his skills in acting. When one of his books is turned into a movie, to King’s fans, it is almost like a game trying to find where he might be in that movie. His cameo appearances include: · Knightriders- spectator in an audience · Creepshow- Jordy Verill in the episode, The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verill · Creepshow 2- a truck driver in the episode “The Hitchiker” · Maximum Overdrive- the man who takes out money from an ATM machine · Pet Sematary- minister · Golden Years- part 5, Bus driver · Sleepwalkers- cemetery caretaker · The Stand- part 3 and 4 (Teddy Weizak) · Baseball- voice · The Langoliers- part 2 (Tom Holby) · Thinner- a pharmacist, Mr. Banghor · The Shining (miniseries)- part 3, a bandleader (Gage Creed) · Storm of the Century– art 1, lawyer in a TV commercial