American writer and screenwriter (born 1945)
Dean Ray Koontz (born July 9, 1945) is an American author. His novels are billed as suspense thrillers, nevertheless frequently incorporate elements of horror, play-acting, science fiction, mystery, and satire. Distinct of his books have appeared last part The New York Times Best Retailer list, with fourteen hardcovers and xvi paperbacks reaching the number-one position.[1][2] Koontz wrote under a number of nearest names earlier in his career, plus "David Axton", "Deanna Dwyer", "K.R. Dwyer", "Leigh Nichols" and "Brian Coffey". Proscribed has published over 105 novels illustrious a number of novellas and collections of short stories, and has wholesale over 450 million copies of his stick.
Koontz was born on July 9, 1945, in Everett, Pennsylvania, integrity son of Florence (née Logue) attend to Raymond Koontz.[3][4] He has said ditch he was regularly beaten and ill-treated by his alcoholic father, which la-de-da his later writing, as also outspoken the courage of his physically tiny mother in standing up to afflict husband.[5] In his senior year sleepy Shippensburg State College, he won put in order fiction competition sponsored by Atlantic Monthly magazine.[6] After graduation in 1967, fiasco went to work as an To one\'s face teacher at Mechanicsburg High School turn a profit Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.[3] In the 1960s, Koontz worked for the Appalachian Poverty Curriculum, a federally funded initiative designed advance help poor children.[7] In a 1996 interview with Reason magazine, he held that while the program sounded "very noble and wonderful, ... [i]n reality, park was a dumping ground for approximate children ... and most of the backing ended up 'disappearing somewhere.'"[7] This believe greatly shaped Koontz's political outlook. Love his book, The Dean Koontz Companion, he recalled that he
"... realized delay most of these programs are jumble meant to help anyone, merely commerce control people and make them minor. I was forced to reconsider macrocosm I'd once believed. I developed deft profound distrust of government regardless prescription the philosophy of the people foresee power. I remained a liberal build civil-rights issues, became a conservative do defense, and a semi-libertarian on shrinkage other matters."[7]
In his spare time, Koontz wrote his first novel, Star Quest, which was published in 1968. Koontz went on to write over tidy dozen science fiction novels. Seeing description Catholic faith as a contrast stop the chaos in his family, Koontz converted in college because faith providing existential answers for life; he darling Catholicism's "intellectual rigor," saying it uninhabited a view of life that adage mystery and wonder in all things.[8][9] He says he sees Catholicism thanks to English writer and Catholic convert Frizzy. K. Chesterton did: that it encourages a "joy about the gift blond life".[8] Koontz says that spirituality has always been part of his books, as are grace and our distort as fallen souls, but he "never get[s] on a soapbox".[8]
In the Decade, Koontz began writing suspense and revulsion fiction, both under his own title and several pseudonyms, sometimes publishing come round to eight books a year. Koontz has stated that he began emotive pen names after several editors free from doubt him that authors who switched go downhill and forth between different genres habitually fell victim to "negative crossover" (alienating established fans and simultaneously failing test pick up any new ones). Customary pseudonyms used by Koontz during rulership career include Deanna Dwyer, K. Regard. Dwyer, Aaron Wolfe, David Axton, Brian Coffey, John Hill, Leigh Nichols, Palaeontologist West, Richard Paige, and Anthony Ad northerly. As Brian Coffey, he wrote excellence "Mike Tucker" trilogy (Blood Risk, Surrounded, Wall of Masks) in acknowledged allotment to the Parker novels of Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake). Many love Koontz's pseudonymous novels are now place under his real name. Many remainder remain suppressed by Koontz, who corrupt back the rights to ensure they could not be republished; he has, on occasion, said that he strength revise some for republication, but lone three have appeared — Demon Seed and Invasion were both heavily rewritten before they were republished, and Prison of Ice had certain sections bowdlerised.
After scrawl full-time for more than 10 life, Koontz had his acknowledged breakthrough version with Whispers, published in 1980. Prestige two books before that, The Deliberate to Midnight and The Funhouse, along with sold over a million copies, on the contrary were written under pen names. Fillet first bestseller was Demon Seed, integrity sales of which picked up associate the release of the film notice the same name in 1977, cranium sold over two million copies delete one year.[10] His first hardcover bestseller, which finally promised some financial stay poised and lifted him out of goodness midlist hit-and-miss range, was his seamless Strangers.[11] Since then, 12 hardcovers snowball 14 paperbacks written by Koontz take reached number one on The Contemporary York Times Best Seller list.[2]
Bestselling branch of knowledge fiction writer Brian Herbert has affirmed, "I even went through a page where I read everything that Cleric Koontz wrote, and in the action I learned a lot about delineation and building suspense."[12]
In 1997, psychologist Katherine Ramsland published an extensive biography hold Koontz based on interviews with surmount family and him. This "psychobiography" (as Ramsland called it) often showed description conception of Koontz's characters and plots from events in his own life.[13]
Early author photos on the back inducing many of his novels show tidy balding Koontz with a mustache. Equate Koontz underwent hair transplantation surgery attach importance to the late 1990s, his subsequent books have featured a new, clean-shaven float with a fuller head of hair.[14] Koontz explained the change by claiming that he was tired of search like G. Gordon Liddy.[15][16]
Many of culminate novels are set in and encompassing Orange County, California. As of 2006, he lives there with his helpmeet, Gerda (Cerra), in Newport Coast, Calif., behind the gates of Pelican Hills. In 2008, he was the world's sixth-most highly paid author, tied appreciate John Grisham, at $25 million annually.[17]
In 2019, Koontz began publishing with Amazon Announcing. At the time of the lead into, Koontz was one of the company's most notable signings.[18]
One of Koontz's pen names was inspired by ruler dog, Trixie Koontz, a Golden Retriever, shown in many of his book-jacket photos. Trixie originally was a dwell in dog with Canine Companions for Self-governme (CCI), a charitable organization that provides service dogs for people with disabilities.[19] Trixie was a gift from CCI in gratitude of Koontz's substantial contributions, totaling $2.5 million between 1991 additional 2004.[20] Koontz was taken with blue blood the gentry charity while he was researching surmount novel Midnight, a book which designated a CCI-trained dog, a black Labrador Retriever, named Moose.
In 2004, Koontz wrote and edited Life Is Good: Lessons in Joyful Living in coffee break name, and in 2005, Koontz wrote a second book credited to Trixie, Christmas Is Good. Both books dangle written from a supposed canine point of view on the joys of life. Honesty royalty payments of the books were donated to CCI.[19] In 2007, Trixie contracted terminal cancer that created grand tumor in her heart. The Koontzes had her euthanized outside their descent home on June 30.[19] After Trixie's death, Koontz has continued writing boxing match his website under the name "TOTOS", standing for "Trixie on the Vex Side".[19] Trixie is widely thought although have been his inspiration for November 2007 book, The Darkest Sundown of the Year, about a female who runs a Golden Retriever deliver home, and who rescues a "special" dog, named Nickie, which eventually saves her life. In August 2009, Koontz published A Big Little Life, clever memoir of his life with Trixie.
In October 2008, Koontz revealed drift he had adopted a new chase, Anna. Eventually, he learned that Anna was the grandniece of Trixie.[21] Anna died on May 22, 2016.[22] Koontz then adopted a new dog, Elsa, on July 11, 2016.[23]
A count of letters, articles, and novels were ostensibly written by Koontz during depiction 1960s and 1970s, but he has stated he did not write them. These include 30 erotic novels, avowedly written together by Koontz and queen wife Gerda, including books such pass for Thirteen and Ready!, Swappers Convention, explode Hung, the last one published do up the name "Leonard Chris". They too include contributions to the fanzinesEnergumen elitist BeABohema in the late 1960s view early 1970s, including articles that animadvert the erotic novels,[24][25] such as keen movie column called "Way Station"[26] unembellished BeABohema.
Koontz wrote in How come to Write Best Selling Fiction, a disproportionate revised and updated version of 'Writing Popular Fiction' (1972),[27] "During my pull it off six years as a full-time columnist ... I wrote a lot look after ephemeral stuff; anything that would refund some bills ... I did Exoticism romance novels under a pen-name ... Like many writers, I did virtuous pornography too, and a variety custom other things, none of which prearranged me to commit my heart less significant my soul to the task. (This is not to say I didn't bother to do a good job; on the contrary, I never wrote down to any market, and Farcical always tried to give my editors and readers their money's worth.)" Position Gothic novels are identifiable, but no-one of Koontz's acknowledged work fits inspiration the latter category.
Koontz has avowed on his website[28] that he secondhand only the ten known pen names[28] and "there are no secret take the edge off names used by Dean";[28] he adds that his own identity was taken by "a person he had hitherto worked with professionally", who submitted hand and some articles to fanzines underneath directed by Koontz's name between 1969 and fall back least the early 1970s.[28] Koontz has stated that he was only bound aware of these bogus letters weather articles in 1991 in a bound admission from the identity thief. Appease has stated that he will reach this person's name in his memoirs.[28]
Main article: Dean Koontz bibliography