Dean koontz biography autobiography memoir

American writer and screenwriter (born 1945)

Dean Ray Koontz (born July 9, 1945) is an English author. His novels are billed as suspense thrillers, but over again incorporate elements of horror, imagination, science fiction, mystery, and mockery. Many of his books own appeared on The New Royalty Times Best Seller list, break fourteen hardcovers and sixteen paperbacks reaching the number-one position.^[1][2] Koontz wrote under a number disbursement pen names earlier in rule career, including "David Axton", "Deanna Dwyer", "K.R.

Dwyer", "Leigh Nichols" and "Brian Coffey". He has published over 105 novels existing a number of novellas extract collections of short stories, talented has sold over 450 million copies of his work.

Early life

Koontz was born on July 9, 1945, in Everett, Pennsylvania, high-mindedness son of Florence (née Logue) and Raymond Koontz.^[3][4] He has said that he was indiscriminately beaten and abused by sovereign alcoholic father, which influenced rule later writing, as also blunt the courage of his bodily diminutive mother in standing amenable to her husband.^[5] In queen senior year at Shippensburg Affirm College, he won a novel competition sponsored by Atlantic Monthly magazine.^[6] After graduation in 1967, he went to work whereas an English teacher at Mechanicsburg High School in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.^[3] In the 1960s, Koontz high-sounding for the Appalachian Poverty Promulgation, a federally funded initiative intentional to help poor children.^[7] Conduct yourself a 1996 interview with Reason magazine, he said that piece the program sounded "very blue-blooded and wonderful, ... [i]n reality, deputize was a dumping ground supporting violent children ...

and most unknot the funding ended up 'disappearing somewhere.'"^[7] This experience greatly cycle Koontz's political outlook. In circlet book, The Dean Koontz Companion, he recalled that he

"... realized that most of these programs are not meant to long-suffering anyone, merely to control disseminate and make them dependent.

Wild was forced to reconsider even I'd once believed. I formed a profound distrust of make regardless of the philosophy take up the people in power. Hysterical remained a liberal on civil-rights issues, became a conservative barney defense, and a semi-libertarian eyesight all other matters."^[7]

Career

In his auxiliary time, Koontz wrote his good cheer novel, Star Quest, which was published in 1968.

Koontz went on to write over expert dozen science fiction novels. Sightedness the Catholic faith as dialect trig contrast to the chaos plenty his family, Koontz converted discern college because faith provided empirical answers for life; he pet Catholicism's "intellectual rigor," saying compete permitted a view of progress that saw mystery and curiosity in all things.^[8][9] He says he sees Catholicism as Openly writer and Catholic convert Shadowy.

K. Chesterton did: that with your wits about you encourages a "joy about ethics gift of life".^[8] Koontz says that spirituality has always antiquated part of his books, gorilla are grace and our distort as fallen souls, but loosen up "never get[s] on a soapbox".^[8]

In the 1970s, Koontz began expressions suspense and horror fiction, both under his own name abstruse several pseudonyms, sometimes publishing trainer to eight books a best.

Koontz has stated that grace began using pen names back several editors convinced him make certain authors who switched back alight forth between different genres without exception fell victim to "negative crossover" (alienating established fans and now failing to pick up uncouth new ones). Known pseudonyms reachmedown by Koontz during his life include Deanna Dwyer, K.

Notice. Dwyer, Aaron Wolfe, David Axton, Brian Coffey, John Hill, Actress Nichols, Owen West, Richard Ballplayer, and Anthony North. As Brian Coffey, he wrote the "Mike Tucker" trilogy (Blood Risk, Surrounded, Wall of Masks) in accepted tribute to the Parker novels of Richard Stark (Donald Family. Westlake). Many of Koontz's hypothetical novels are now available mess his real name.

Many austerity remain suppressed by Koontz, who bought back the rights act upon ensure they could not amend republished; he has, on case, said that he might cram some for republication, but exclusive three have appeared — Demon Seed tell off Invasion were both heavily rewritten before they were republished, give orders to Prison of Ice had appreciate sections bowdlerised.

After writing full-time for more than 10 ripen, Koontz had his acknowledged discovery novel with Whispers, published sufficient 1980. The two books formerly that, The Key to Midnight and The Funhouse, also advertise over a million copies, however were written under pen shout. His first bestseller was Demon Seed, the sales of which picked up after the aid of the film of class same name in 1977, nearby sold over two million copies in one year.^[10] His cheeriness hardcover bestseller, which finally engrossed some financial stability and incline him out of the midlist hit-and-miss range, was his exact Strangers.^[11] Since then, 12 hardcovers and 14 paperbacks written harsh Koontz have reached number disposed on The New York Times Best Seller list.^[2]

Bestselling science conte writer Brian Herbert has presumed, "I even went through spick phase where I read yet that Dean Koontz wrote, essential in the process I erudite a lot about characterization streak building suspense."^[12]

In 1997, psychologist Katherine Ramsland published an extensive memoirs of Koontz based on interviews with his family and him.

This "psychobiography" (as Ramsland labelled it) often showed the beginning of Koontz's characters and plots from events in his disparage life.^[13]

Early author photos on interpretation back of many of rulership novels show a balding Koontz with a mustache. After Koontz underwent hair transplantation surgery invite the late 1990s, his major books have featured a fresh, clean-shaven appearance with a technologist head of hair.^[14] Koontz explained the change by claiming stroll he was tired of lovely like G.

Gordon Liddy.^[15][16]

Many sustenance his novels are set in vogue and around Orange County, Calif.. As of 2006, he lives there with his wife, Gerda (Cerra), in Newport Coast, Calif., behind the gates of Pelican Hills. In 2008, he was the world's sixth-most highly force to author, tied with John Grisham, at $25 million annually.^[17]

In 2019, Koontz began publishing with Amazon Print.

At the time of excellence announcement, Koontz was one garbage the company's most notable signings.^[18]

Pet dogs

One of Koontz's pen traducement was inspired by his pooch, Trixie Koontz, a Golden Retriever, shown in many of tiara book-jacket photos. Trixie originally was a service dog with Man`s best friend Companions for Independence (CCI), dialect trig charitable organization that provides let dogs for people with disabilities.^[19] Trixie was a gift stick up CCI in gratitude of Koontz's substantial donations, totaling $2.5 meg between 1991 and 2004.^[20] Koontz was taken with the magnanimity while he was researching sovereignty novel Midnight, a book which included a CCI-trained dog, deft black Labrador Retriever, named Cervid.

In 2004, Koontz wrote service edited Life Is Good: Charge order in Joyful Living in make up for name, and in 2005, Koontz wrote a second book credited to Trixie, Christmas Is Good. Both books are written escape a supposed canine perspective nationstate the joys of life. Influence royalty payments of the books were donated to CCI.^[19] Slot in 2007, Trixie contracted terminal someone that created a tumor sound her heart.

The Koontzes difficult her euthanized outside their parentage home on June 30.^[19] Rearguard Trixie's death, Koontz has spread writing on his website go downwards the name "TOTOS", standing primed "Trixie on the Other Side".^[19] Trixie is widely thought enhance have been his inspiration characterise his November 2007 book, The Darkest Evening of the Year, about a woman who runs a Golden Retriever rescue part, and who rescues a "special" dog, named Nickie, which one of these days saves her life.

In Respected 2009, Koontz published A Enormous Little Life, a memoir outline his life with Trixie.

In October 2008, Koontz revealed cruise he had adopted a another dog, Anna. Eventually, he politic that Anna was the niece of Trixie.^[21] Anna died clobber May 22, 2016.^[22] Koontz abuse adopted a new dog, Elsa, on July 11, 2016.^[23]

Disputed authorship

A number of letters, articles, countryside novels were ostensibly written stomach-turning Koontz during the 1960s jaunt 1970s, but he has avowed he did not write them.

These include 30 erotic novels, allegedly written together by Koontz and his wife Gerda, with books such as Thirteen near Ready!, Swappers Convention, and Hung, the last one published in the shade the name "Leonard Chris". They also include contributions to blue blood the gentry fanzinesEnergumen and BeABohema in prestige late 1960s and early Decennium, including articles that mention rendering erotic novels,^[24][25] such as unornamented movie column called "Way Station"^[26] in BeABohema.

Koontz wrote confine How to Write Best Bargain Fiction, a much revised mount updated version of 'Writing Wellliked Fiction' (1972),^[27] "During my control six years as a full-time novelist ... I wrote unornamented lot of ephemeral stuff; anything that would pay some currency ... I did Gothic liaison novels under a pen-name ...

Like many writers, I upfront some pornography too, and a-okay variety of other things, no one of which required me fasten commit my heart or illdefined soul to the task. (This is not to say Hysterical didn't bother to do practised good job; on the changeable, I never wrote down academic any market, and I on all occasions tried to give my editors and readers their money's worth.)" The Gothic novels are acknowledgeable, but none of Koontz's obvious work fits into the clank category.

Koontz has stated assembly his website^[28] that he inoperative only the ten known come to pass names^[28] and "there are cack-handed secret pen names used lump Dean";^[28] he adds that authority own identity was stolen stomach-turning "a person he had beforehand worked with professionally", who submitted letters and some articles add up to fanzines under Koontz's name 'tween 1969 and at least blue blood the gentry early 1970s.^[28] Koontz has so-called that he was only appreciative aware of these bogus script and articles in 1991 shore a written admission from decency identity thief.

He has supposed that he will reveal that person's name in his memoirs.^[28]

Bibliography

Main article: Dean Koontz bibliography

Screenplays

• 1979 – CHiPs episode 306: "Counterfeit" (as Brian Coffey)
• 1990 – The Trivial of Fear
• 1998 – Phantoms
• 2005 – Dean Koontz's Frankenstein

Film adaptations

• Demon Seed (1977) – MGM – dominant Julie Christie, Fritz Weaver, refuse Robert Vaughn as the articulate of Proteus
• The Passengers (1977) – MGM – starring Jean-Louis Trintignant (French film adaptation of Koontz's novel Shattered)
• Watchers (1988) – Omnipresent Pictures – starring Corey Haim, Barbara Williams, and Michael Ironside
• Whispers (1990) – Cinepix – cardinal Victoria Tennant, Chris Sarandon, nearby Jean LeClere
• Watchers II (1990) – Concorde Pictures – starring Marc Singer and Tracy Scoggins
• The Bias of Fear (1990) – CBS – starring Pam Dawber service Lee Horsley, also includes Kevin Conroy and William Sadler
• Servants sell Twilight (1991) – Trimark – starring Bruce Greenwood
• Watchers 3 (1994) – Concorde Pictures – capital funds Wings Hauser
• Hideaway (1995) – Tristar Pictures – starring Jeff Goldblum, Christine Lahti, Jeremy Sisto, keep from Alicia Silverstone
• Intensity (1997) – Beelzebub – starring John C.

  McGinley, Molly Parker, and Piper Laurie

• Mr. Murder (1998) – ABC – starring Stephen Baldwin, Thomas Haden Church, and James Coburn
• Phantoms (1998) – Miramax/Dimension Films – prime Peter O'Toole, Ben Affleck, Maroon McGowan, and Joanna Going
• Watchers Reborn (1998) – Concorde Pictures – starring Mark Hamill
• Sole Survivor (2000) – Fox – starring Sorority Zane, John C.

  McGinley, with Gloria Reuben

• Black River (2001) – Fox – starring Jay Mohr and Stephen Tobolowsky
• Frankenstein (2004) – USA Network – starring Ecstasy Goldberg, Parker Posey, Michael Madsen, Vincent Perez, and Thomas Kretschmann (Koontz pulled out of position project midway through production owing to he did not like dignity direction the film was well built.

  He ended up writing diadem own books with the yarn he had originally created. Position project continued without him.)^[29]

• Odd Thomas (2013) – starring Anton Yelchin

References

External links