DEAN KOONTZ AND THE DEAN KOONTZ NEWSGROUP FAQ AND CHARTER
Firstly, this FAQ refers to the Usenet newsgroup alt.books.dean-koontz,
which is carried by most ISPs, as well as being available through
Google and other on-line news sources. In order to make the FAQ
easier to read, here is a table of contents:
Excerpt From The Katherine Ramsland Biography
Dean Koontz's Books And Short Stories
Movies From The Books Of Dean Koontz
Disclaimers And Other Information
This newsgroup is for the discussion of the author Dean Koontz, his works, movies and anything else related to him. Relevant advertising (i.e. advertisements not cross-posted to numerous unrelated groups) is acceptable. All posts must be in plain text with the exception of PGP signatures. HTML and other types of formatted text are not permitted. No binaries are permitted but references to relevant downloadable resources are acceptable.
Q. If I want to talk about a Dean Koontz book here, is there
anything special that I should be aware of?
A. You can talk about any book that you wish, but as long as spoiler
space is used. This is usually 30 lines of blank space, achieved
simply by pressing the 'return' key. This is enough to ensure
that anything that might spoil the enjoyment of the book is placed
out of sight from an accidental look. Also, it is recommended
that in the message header, the word 'SPOILERS' is used.
Q. Can I post in HTML?
A. The answer to this is no. A lot of newsreaders do not understand
this and for those that don't, it's just nonsensical rubbish.
Also, as HTML allows a lot more freedom than plain text, messages
have a habit of getting bigger and bigger. For those people that
have to pay to be on-line and download all the messages in one
go, this takes longer, thus giving them a bigger phone bill.
Q. I've got this great photo of Dean. Can I post it here?
A. Again, no. Binaries or any attachment files are big, especially
once they have been encoded for Usenet transmission. As probably
only a few people will be interested by the binary, the rest of
the group is going to find it useless. For the people that download
all the messages in one go, binaries in a newsgroup will lengthen
the download time. If you really want it to pass it around, email
it to people or post it to a website. Also, people could post
viruses, claiming that they are something that they are not and
this could have nasty effects for anyone that opens them without
checking first for viruses.
Q. Where do I post the replies to a message?
A. In alt.books.dean-koontz, we follow a posting order that might
seem different to other groups on Usenet. Here, replies to messages
go at the TOP, not the bottom. The problem with bottom-posting
is that people have to scroll all the way down, especially if
it's a long message, to read a reply. Therefore, it's easier to
read it at the top. However, some people do feel more comfortable
posting at the bottom, so it really depends on your personal preference
and where the reply would make more sense.
Q. What languages can I post in here?
A. This is an 'alt' newsgroup and thus is international, without
there being a set language. However, as the majority of posters
to this group are American and English, English is the preferred
language.
Q. Am I allowed to crosspost?
A. This is another negative answer, I'm afraid. Alt.books.dean-koontz
has had some bad experiences with cross-posting and thus it is
forbidden.
Q. Can I post adverts here?
A. The only type of adverts that we allow here are adverts for
Dean Koontz books, simply because there is chance that someone
could find a book that they have been looking for. Any other advertising,
i.e. spam, is forbidden and a complaint will be sent to the ISP
of the offender.
Q. What is the Koontz Castle?
A. The Koontz Castle is not something official from Dean Koontz,
it is a bit of fun that has been created by the regulars of the
group. Basically, if you post enough to be considered a regular,
you can have your own position in it. Linda keeps the Castle up
to date. It is only a bit of fun and is by no means exclusive.
Ask if you can have a position and it's 99% certain that you will
get one - provided it's not already taken, of course! Its home
can be found here.
Q. What is the traffic report?
A. The alt.books.dean-koontz traffic report recently collapsed
and I await developments on this front. If you can host a perfectly
harmless PERL script, please email me.
Right, that's all the official stuff about the newsgroup out of
the way, now let's get down to the proper stuff about the man
himself:
DEAN KOONTZ FAQ
Full Name: Dean Ray Koontz
Date of Birth: July 9th, 1945 - Everett, Pennsylvania
Residence: Laguna Niguel, California
Education: Shippensburg State Teachers College, Pennsylvania
Career: Teacher/Counselor with Appalachian Poverty Program, 1966-67;
High School English Teacher, 1967-69;
Full-Time writer, 1969 - Present
Family: Married October 15th, 1966 to Gerda. No Children.
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 9529
Newport Beach, CA. 92658
Dean's favorite author is John D. McDonald.
A novel generally takes Dean five months to a year to complete
- Working 70 hours a week.
You may have noticed that "Dean R. Koontz" was the name
that appeared on all his earlier books but on all later books
it is simply "Dean Koontz". The reason for this was
just to accommodate the artwork for the books. The "R"
always looked out of place.
Dean's answer as to why he has written under so many pen names
(The major ones were Leigh Nichols, Brian Coffey, K.R. Dwyer,
and Owen West):
"There are many reasons for using pen names, but I resorted
to them largely because, early in my career, agents and editors
insisted that I use a pen name every time I wrote something different
from what I had written before. They said that readers always
wanted pretty much the same book from an author every time, and
because I refused to write to formula, they wanted me at least
to group books of similar narrative style under the same pen name.
Brian Coffey was for shorter novels with a brisk style - The
Face of Fear, The Voice of the Night.
Nichols was for larger novels of suspense and intrigue that sometimes
had elements of the horror story in them -The Servants
of Twilight, Shadowfires, The
Key to Midnight, The House of Thunder.
Eventually I became convinced that readers would be pleased by
diversity as long as the books grabbed and held them, and we began
to reissue the pen-name books under my real name. I no longer
use any pen names."
David Axton
Leonard Chris
Brian Coffey
Deanna Dwyer
K.R. Dwyer
John Hill
Leigh Nichols
Anthony North
Richard Paige
Owen West
Aaron Wolfe
Dean Koontz is not:
David Axton ('Stolen Thunder', 'Dragonjet' and others)
Brian Coffey, the Irish poet ('Big Laugh')
Leigh
Kidder
Dolores Komo, the detective story writer
Jane Nichols
Rumours:
I recently learned that approximately
20 more books, written under a variety of pseudonyms, exist. These
are all pornographic novels in the style of 'Hung'. The quest
for verification of these books continues.
Writing a novel is like making love, but it's also like having a tooth pulled. Pleasure and pain. Sometimes it's like making love while having a tooth pulled. The pain is a product of the ceaseless self-doubt that sits like a demonic imp on my shoulder from the moment I begin the first sentence until long after I finish the last, informing me in a whisper - occasionally in a stentorian rant - that I am composing this story with less success than any three-legged toad might experience if it attempted to herd sheep. This imp, which I visualize as an evil twin of exercise guru Richard Simmons - actually, a cross between the ebullient Mr. Simmons and the glowering Hannibal Lecter - is with me at dinner, muttering vicious judgments on that day's writing while intermittently offering scathing comments on my table manners. At night, as I sleep, it sits on the headboard of my bed, happily swinging its tiny sneakered feet, urging me to forsake my career as a novelist and take work for which it believes that I am better suited - such as gutting halibut on an Alaskan fishing trawler
When other novelists ask me how I avoid writer's block, which has never afflicted me, I answer that self-doubt is the cause of all blocks, that I have more self-doubt than any writer I know, but that the trick is to embrace this demonic imp and cherish it. Use the doubt to motivate yourself through another draft of the current page, then another draft, then ten more drafts. Encourage this inner critic to be the most merciless you'll ever encounter - then strive to please it even while recognizing that it cannot be satisfied.
Objectivity about any piece of writing comes only with time; after you finish it, you might allow yourself to begin to like it. Writers who love their own work too much and too soon are usually not very good. Regardless of this quarrelsome antimuse on your shoulder, however, you will eventually have to declare the current book finished; thereupon, you must snatch up the imp, seal it in a Ziploc bag, and, until you start the next book, store the nasty little beast in the freezer, beside those obnoxious neighbors with whom you finally dealt last month.
You probably think that the pleasure of writing, for me, is to be found only when the work is done and the imp is as solid as a Popsicle, stacked between a package of frozen peas and a microwave pizza. In fact, however, even during the long months in which this inner critic is at room temperature, moments of pure pleasure overtake me when I suddenly realize that a page of dialogue or a metaphor or a passage of description is polished, seductive, and effective. At this point, of course, the inner critic becomes as shrill as Donald Duck on massive doses of methamphetamine, but for a few minutes - or, on rare occasions, for hours at a time - the criticism cannot touch me.
Once in a great while, a book feels so true and right from
the first chapter, the characters so alive, that I become - and
remain - joyful on a deep instinctive level even as I remain tortured
by doubt. I obsessively revise every page, as before, but at least
I dare to talk back to the imp. "You should be writing the
text for nothing more complicated than beer commercials,"
it says, and I remind it that Voltaire once described certain
critics as serpents who feed on filth and venom. When a novel
proceeds this well, I am so effervescent as to be annoying. After
a ten-hour session at the keyboard, I virtually burst out of my
study singing show tunes, and at dinner I regale my patient wife
with bits of amusing dialogue that the characters spoke in the
latest scene - as though I have not been writing at all but rather
eavesdropping on the adventures of real people.
NOTE: This is a cut-down version and the full text can be found
at http://home.earthlink.net/~abdk-faq/faqarch.htm
Copyright 1998 Dean Koontz.
When he was a senior in college, Dean Koontz won an Atlantic Monthly fiction competition and has been writing ever since. His books are published in 38 languages; worldwide sales are nearly 200 million copies, and that figure currently increases by more than 17 million copies per year. Seven of his novels have risen to number one on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list (Lightning, Midnight, Cold Fire, Hideaway, Dragon Tears, Intensity, and Sole Survivor), making him one of only ten writers ever to have achieved that milestone. Eleven of his books have risen to the number one position in paperback. His books have also been major bestsellers in countries as diverse as Japan and Sweden.
He has written a screenplay for the film adaptation of his novel Cold Fire; he wrote and executive produced The Face of Fear for Warner Brothers-CBS Television. Phantoms, based on the author's screenplay - starring Peter O'Toole and Joanna Going - was released by Miramax/Dimension in January 1998. Intensity, which went to number one on the New York Times bestseller list, was filmed by Peter Gruber's Mandalay as a miniseries for the Fox Network, and aired initially in August 1997. Mandalay has also developed a TV movie based on one of the author's most recent works of fiction, Sole Survivor, and it was released in 2000. Meanwhile, a TV movie of Mr. Murder has been developed.
The author signed a three-book deal with Bantam Books, these became FEAR NOTHING, Seize The Night and False Memory. The New York Times has called his writing "psychologically complex, masterly and satisfying." The New Orleans Times-Picayune said Koontz is, "at times lyrical without ever being naive or romantic. [He creates] a grotesque world, much like that of Flannery O'Conner or Walker Percy ... scary, worthwhile reading." Of Cold Fire, a worldwide #1 bestseller, the United Press International said, "An extraordinary piece of fiction. It will be a classic."
Dean Koontz was born and raised in Pennsylvania. He graduated from Shippensburg State College (now Shippensburg University), and his first job after graduation was with the Appalachian Poverty Program, where he was expected to counsel and tutor underprivileged children on a one-to-one basis. His first day on the job, he discovered that the previous occupier of his position had been beaten up by the very kids he had been trying to help and had landed in the hospital for several weeks. The following year was filled with challenge but also tension, and Koontz was more highly motivated than ever to build a career as a writer. He wrote nights and weekends, which he continued to do after leaving the poverty program and going to work as an English teacher in a suburban school district outside Harrisburg. After he has been a year and a half in that position, his wife, Gerda, made him an offer he couldn't refuse: "I'll support you for five years," she said, "and if you can't make it as a writer in that time, you'll never make it." By the end of those five years, Gerda had quit her job to run the business end of her husband's writing career. Dean and Gerda Koontz live in southern California.
Dean Koontz was born and raised in Pennsylvania. His childhood
was filled with turmoil and abuse, his father being an alcoholic
who was prone to violent outbursts and was eventually diagnosed
as being mentally ill. Koontz, being an only child with a mother
who was prone to illness, developed his own survival strategies
to cope with the horrors of his homelife. Books became a large
part of this, as he found that they could take him into a better
world. As a child Koontz desired to create this same escape for
others, to give them a world to step into when their own became
too harsh. Most of his novels written later contained characters
who were or had been troubled children, as well as the underlying
theme that that those who embrace friendship, love, faith and
an unwavering commitment to freedom will inevitably win out over
those who are motivated by power, envy, and greed.
Koontz received no encouragement from his parents as far as writing
was concerned. They considered books and reading to be a waste
of time and money, and actually discouraged him from reading.
Undaunted by this, Koontz began selling original fiction when
he was eight years old. He wrote short stories on tablet paper
and sharpened them up with colorful covers, stapled the left margin
of each story, put electrician's tape over the staples, and tried
to peddle them to relatives and neighbors, usually for a nickel
a story. When he was twelve he won a wristwatch and twenty-five
dollars in a nationwide newspaper essay competition, writing on
the subject "What being an American means to me". He
realized early the need to charge a fee for his work in order
to be taken seriously. As a senior in college Koontz won a fiction
competition, and wrote consistently from then on.
His first 'real' fiction sale was called Kittens
which he sold while still in college at the age of twenty. He
graduated from Shippensburg State College (now ShippensburgUniversity),
and his first job after graduation was with the Appalachian Poverty
Program, where he was expected to counsel and tutor underprivileged
children on a one-on-one basis. His first day on the job, he discovered
that the previous occupier of his position had been beaten up
by the very kids he had been trying to help and had landed in
the hospital for several weeks. The following year was filled
with challenges and struggle, but Koontz was more highly motivated
than ever to build a career as a writer.
Koontz wrote when he could - nights and weekends - and continued
this as he left the poverty program and started teaching in a
suburban school district near Harrisburg. After teaching there
for about a year and a half, Koontz's wife, Gerda, made him an
offer too attractive to refuse: She offered to support him for
a period of five years, so that he could pursue his freelance
writing full-time. "&if you can't make it as a writer
by that time, you'll never make it." She told him. Of course
Koontz made full use of these five years and by the end of that
time his wife had quit her job in order to run the business end
of her husband's galloping writing career. By this time Koontz
had published a great deal of science fiction, both short stories
such as Unseen Warriors (Worlds of Tomorrow,
1970) and novels like The Haunted Earth (Lancer
Books, 1970) and Demon Child (Lancer Books, 1971).
Among the writers who influenced Koontz , John D. Macdonald stands among the top of the list. Koontz refers to Macdonald as a "brilliant writer" and, speaking of works he has read of Macdonald's, said "When I read something like Slam the Big Door, Cry Hard Cry Fast, The Damned, or The End of the Night, I usually turn to the last page thinking, "O.K. Koontz, face it, you don't belong in the same craft as this man; go learn plumbing, Koontz get yourself and honest trade!". His respect for writers of this caliber obviously played a part in his severely critical view of his own work. Koontz is an admitted obsessive-compulsive, and this personal characteristic drives him to accept nothing but high quality work from himself. A novel normally takes him from five months to a year to complete, and he often works seventy hours a week. In 1976 the Koontz's moved to southern California, where they still reside.
Interviews with Dean Koontz are always very different to interviews with other authors. This interview, which comes from the Mystery Guild is no exception.
Q. What has inspired you most
to write your wonderful books?
A. Number one, there's nothing else I can do.
Number two, I need to stay out of trouble with the police, and
that means keeping my time filled. Number three, I have a passion
for storytelling and a love of the English language. Though you
might not know that from the degree of incoherency I will no doubt
exhibit in this chat.
Q. Where do you come up with
your stories? Are any based on personal experience?
A. All writing is to some degree based on personal
experience, especially the emotions my characters feel, the thoughts
they have about life and the struggles of life. I have not, however,
been assaulted by an evil clone, chased by a mutant escapee of
a genetic engineering lab, or been locked in my own house by a
mad computer system.
Q. If someone who has never read
any of your books wants to know which book he/she should start
with, which would you recommend?
A. I can only suggest they start with one of the
titles that I get the most positive reader response about: Watchers,
Lightning, The Bad Place, Intensity,
Dark Rivers of the Heart, Fear Nothing, and
False Memory.
Q. You have a lot of very strong
female characters. Are they inspired by people in your life?
A. Most of them bear an uncanny resemblance to
my wife, who was my high school sweetheart...and still is. She
is an enormously strong person, which is why, in all these years
of marriage, I've never declined to take out the trash.
Q. How many of your books have
been turned into movies?
A. Too many. If you've seen them, you know what
I mean.
Q. What gave you the idea for
your masterpiece Watchers?
A. That book came to me almost full -blown. Beginning
with the thought that it would be fascinating to know what a dog
is thinking. Don't ask me why such a thought would ever have crossed
my mind in the first place. At the bottom of everything, is the
simple fact that my mind is a strange place.
Q. Your Christopher Snow series
of books seem to address the issues of animals being genetically
altered by scientific experiments. What personal experiences/knowledge
do you have on this subject?
A. I have been fascinated with genetic engineering
for at least 20 years. When I first started writing about it,
it seemed like far-future science fiction.
Now, it's a reality. But the Snow books, in my mind,
are less about genetic engineering than about friendship, romantic
love, family, and the courage to turn ones adversity into blessings.
Q. Do
you have other pets besides your dog Trixie?
A. No, Trixie is seven pets in one, some days. She is such a highly
trained little pooch, having been a wheelchair-service dog. She
is undeniably smarter, more clever, and more amusing than I am.
She keeps me on my toes, and I don't think I'd have time for any
other pet, except perhaps a turtle.
Q. Do
you ever go to bed wondering where your story will go, and wake
up with the answer?
A. No. If I go to bed wondering about such things I'd never sleep.
After all these years, I know that the story will go somewhere,
that it will seldom go where I expected it to, and that the smartest
thing for me to do is just be along for the ride.
Q. Do you ever have nightmares?
A. Rarely. In my youth I used to have nightmares about the original
Frankenstein film, but that passed early, oh, when I was about
45.
Q. What inspired you to write The
Face of Fear?
A. Several things inspired me. One, I had to buy shoes. Two, I
loved the idea of somebody being trapped in a forty story office
tower alone at night with a sociopathic killer. This image had
come to me when I was publishing with Atheneum, a publisher that
was then housed in the Chanin Building in Manhattan. I left an
editorial meeting one night after 6:30 when the building seemed
deserted, and right then the story came to me. Three, I liked
the idea of reverse multiple personality: that is, a story in
which, instead of one killer with two identities, we had two killers
pretending to be one. Later, I did a variation of this when I
wrote Whispers.
Q. How did you get the inspiration
for a sunlight shy character and why did he reappear in the second
book? Is he based a person you have met?
A. I like to write about people who are to one degree or another
outsiders, because I think all of us, to one degree or another,
are outsiders. Someone who can't live in light because he has
XP seemed to me to be an ultimate outsider. Then the challenge
was to make him so appealing that each of us would like him to
be a friend.
Q. I've read that you spend hours
rewriting a paragraph and won't continue with the story until
you feel the words are perfect. What keeps you so focused?
A. I've always been my own worst critic. And over the years, I've
fallen into this method of writing that would probably drive most
writers mad. That is, assuming that I'm not actually mad myself.
Staying focused is easy if you are writing with the desire to
produce something that is polished, not merely on a story level,
not merely on a character level, but on the level of sentence
and image. Plus I drink 16 Diet Pepsi's a day, and caffeine leaves
me as focused as a hawk circling a mouse.
Q. Do
you have any advice for struggling writers who want to get published?
A. Perseverance is as important as talent. Self doubt, while crippling,
is actually healthy, and can pretty much be seen as an indication
that your writing has merit; because only bad writers have no
self doubt.
Q. What
was your inspiration for Demon Seed?
A. I can't remember the inspiration for that one. But it amuses
me that in 1977, when the film was released, a few reviewers disparaged
it on the basis that "it's ludicrous to imagine that anyone
would one day have a computer in his own home." My, how times
have changed.
Q. I have read Gerda's Darker
Heritage and was curious if she was ever considering writing
again?
A. Gerda says that one writer in the family is enough. We already
use most of the house to make room for my ego. There isn't really
room for two writers' egos.
Q. The last time I was at a book signing
of yours in Orange, you were still working on your new home. Have
you finished it yet and did it turn out the way you wanted it
to?
A. We have been building this house for three years, and there
is another year of work before it will be finished. It was always
a four-year schedule, so it's right on track. But I should clarify
one thing: I am not personally building it. Given my lack of mechanical
skills, if I personally worked on anything in the house, it would
blow up upon our moving in.
Q.
I love the fact that all your books are based in the local
Orange Co. area. Do you plan on continuing the tradition?
A. I do so much research for books, that I look for ways to lighten
the research burden wherever I can. By setting the books where
I live, I'm saving myself a huge amount of time and energy. That
means, yes, they're probably going to be set in California as
long as I am coherent enough to write.
Q. On average, how much time do you
spend on research for a book?
A. It's impossible to pin a number of hours to it, because I am
always researching when I am not actually writing. And some things
that I read out of personal interest, like quantum physics, end
up in books where I never expected to use the subject.
Q. I'm trying to get my first novel
published and I must admit that your writing has provided me with
quite an amount of creative inspiration. My question is how do
you manage to be so well-informed on so many subjects especially
those dealing with what some people might call "sensitive
information" ?
A. Perpetual curiosity. An excellent ability to make a really
annoying pest of myself with people who possess unusual information.
And a determination to get things right. When I screw up there
are a large number of you just waiting to let me know. For instance,
when I had a character in the Snow books twist the cap off a bottle
of Corona beer, I received over 300 letters informing me that
Corona beer does not feature a twist-off cap. I don't dare make
a mistake of any consequence.
Q. False Memory is fabulous,
it seems more of a return to some of your earlier stuff, was that
your intention?
A. My intention when I sit down to start a book is, first, to
entertain myself. Having been, most of my life, a potential slacker
of historic proportions, I don't think I'd have written anything
if I weren't able to keep my own interest high in the story, day
by day.
Q. What
made you decide to shave your mustache and change your appearance?
A. Certain warrants for my arrest in various states! I admit to
my share of vanity, which is why I started with the hair transplant.
For years, I had thought about having a state of the art surgical
assault on my scalp, but I hesitated because every surgeon I discussed
it with repeatedly used the word "pain". Then, when
I discovered that I had to have 18 months of gum surgery, because
I had brushed my teeth too diligently and had worn away the gums,
I decided that I was facing a window of opportunity for the hair
transplant: no matter how painful the transplants, I wasn't going
to notice them during 18 months of regular visits to a periodontist.
Once the hair was done, I decided to shave off my moustache, which
I'd had for 28 years. Gerda was enthusiastic at first, but at
the last minute panicked, and said "I'm afraid if you shave
it off, your face is going to look big and moon-round". And
still, I call her my high school sweetheart!
Q. Aside
from writing, what do you do in your spare time?
A. What spare time?
Q. In Watchers the smart
animal was kind, the smart animals seem to be getting more sinister,
is there a reason you are perceiving them that way?
A. Gee, I don't think Orson, in the Snow books, is meaner than
Einstein. Nor is Mungo Jerrie. Some of my people, like the bad
guy in False Memory, do seem to be getting darker to me, although
they are also becoming strangely funnier.
Q. Do you have any famous role models?
A. Richard Simmons.
Q. What did you find most interesting
about writing Lightning?
A. The complications of the time-travel paradoxes led me to many
long nights of despair. There was a point, two-thirds of the way
through the book, where I thought it could not possibly be resolved
in any logical fashion. Happily, I was wrong.
Q. Where
do you find the forwards to each chapter? I notice you use a lot
of poems...are you also a poet?
A. Much of the poetry used in my books, and all of the poetry
attributed to The Book of Counted Sorrows, is mine. Whether I'm
a poet is for real poets to judge, although I have gotten some
very nice mail from several famous ones whose work I admire.
Q. Ever
plan to write more genre stuff, like horror or sci-fi?
A. I think I've always included elements of those genres
in my work, and you can certainly find both in the Chris Snow
books. But what interests me is any book that breaks genre rules,
or rules in general, and that melds the best of multiple genres.
Q. What kinds of grades did you get
in school?
A. Well, I could lie, but you might turn out to be one of my old
teachers. I was a determinedly C student, unless the subject really
interested me, and then I would work for an A. In college, for
my first two years, I have no recollection of any courses I took,
but many fond memories of Olympic pinochle games.
Q.
Do you believe in the Loch Ness Monster a.k.a Nessie?
A. Of course I do. I correspond with Nessie's sister, Bessie.
Q.
With so many well known horror authors out there competing
for the same market, do you find it increasingly difficult to
come up with new ideas?
A. First, I've never believed that authors are in competition.
I know that many feel that way, but I don't see how we can be
in competition when there are never enough good books. The more
good books I read, the more I want to read. So every time I see
a writer pull off a great piece of work, I'm delighted, because
I think everyone who reads it will get enthusiastic about books
in general. As for ideas, fortunately, I've never had a problem
coming up with them. In fact, I have a drawer in my desk filled
with ideas I'll probably not get to before I need adult diapers.
Q. Were you a creative child, did
you write stories?
A. I started writing stories when I was eight years old. But I
was "creative" long before that, always trying to con
my mother one way or another.
Q. Why did you drop the "R"
from your name?
A. My middle name is Ray, which was my father's name, and everyone
who knows about my father (his violence and his alcoholism) assumes
that I dropped the name to distance myself from him. That is not
the case. When my books started to sell so well the publishers
wanted to make my name very large on the cover, they started putting
my name on two lines. This left the R dangling at the end of the
first line. As a matter of
design, it just looked stupid, which is why I suggested we drop
it. There is also the added benefit that when anyone complains
about an early book of mine and asks for their money back, I am
able to claim that Dean R. Koontz was another person altogether.
Q. Why did you write under a different
name for some books?
A. Many reasons. One primary reason was that I always had the
desire to write in multiple genres, while my publishers wanted
me to always write the same thing. They felt that writing in more
than one genre would confuse book buyers, so for marketing purposes
they pushed me into multiple names.
Q. How
do you deal with writer's block?
A. I never have writers block. I once had writers hesitation,
but it passed in three minutes.
Q. Do
you actually dictate into a tape recorder or actually write?
A. I can barely tolerate listening to myself while doing the yearly
publicity interviews for a new book. The thought of listening
to myself talk all day long is suicide-inducing. Besides, prose
looks far different on the page than it sounds when spoken, and
one finds much more wrong with it when its there to be seen. Likewise,
I've found that prose on the computer screen looks far different
than on a printout, and that no matter how many drafts I do on
the screen, I will have to do multiple pencil corrections on hard
copy.
Q. Do you have a general mistrust
of the government, because some of your books deals with that?
A. Generally, I have a mistrust of large organizations of any
type, government or otherwise. I love people, and I have great
faith and trust in human beings, especially singly and in small
groups. But history shows us, over and over again, that large
groups of people given too much power over other people, lose
their humanity. We just left a century that gave us the worst
mass murderers in history: Hitler, Stalin, Mao. I think it's naive
not to distrust large and powerful organization. I know that I
would never trust myself with absolute power over others. First
of all, I would probably issue an edict requiring everyone to
own and serve a golden retriever.
And here is another interview, which came from the Barnes and Noble website.
Q. Where
do we find you -- at home or on the road?
A. I'm alive, and that's
a good first step. I'm at home, in Newport Beach, California.
I've never toured for a book, and I'm probably too old to start.
Q. Do
you try to stick to the schedule of writing one book per year?
Does that time schedule get constraining or overly stressful?
A. I
would like to do two books some years, and I believe that I could.
But then, just as I start getting ahead of schedule, a book like
FALSE MEMORY comes along and takes twice as long as I
expected. Work doesn't stress me. There is some stress, however,
in my new hobby of alligator wrestling.
Q. Just
wondering where you draw inspiration [from]. I love your books,
by the way. Keep on writing! It gives my husband and son something
to buy me for birthdays!
A.Inspiration,
for me, comes out of character. When I see real-life people with
fascinating histories or qualities, fictional people begin to
grow in my head, and I've got to get them out. By writing a book,
I evict them from my brain.
Q. In FALSE MEMORY, you write about phobias and
how they control and terrorize people. Have you ever had a phobia
yourself, or is the story written strictly based on your research
of phobias?
A. Well, I have a healthy
fear of madmen with machine guns, but that's not quite a phobia,
that's just life in contemporary America. Like everyone, I have
things that give me pause. For example, I'm not crazy about flying.
But I haven't developed a phobia that's wrecked my life quite
like Martie's autophobia in FALSE MEMORY. I almost succumbed
to pogonophobia. That is a fear of beards. But then I got my head
on straight.
Q. HAUNTED EARTH was great, but I was wondering
if you have considered another vampire or other undead-type novel?
A. HAUNTED
EARTH comes
from my callow youth. Those are books that I suggest fans collect,
but for God's sake never read. Personally, I think the world has
all the vampire stories it needs, and before I wrote one, I'd
have to come up with a really new twist.
Q. Was FALSE MEMORY an effort to take a break
from the Moonlight Bay series, or was it an idea that came to
you that you just had to finish before going on? When is the third
installment expected to be in the bookstores? The suspense is
killing me!
A. FALSE
MEMORY
came to me when I was halfway through RIDE THE STORM.
The Snow book is turning out to be epic, and I need to give it
time to brew itself. I paused for FALSE MEMORY and one
other book, partly because they were two ideas that overwhelmed
me.
Q. How
long did it take you to write FALSE MEMORY? Where did
you get the idea?
A. Eleven months, two weeks,
three days. I thought that it would take about six months and
be 300 pages long. What do I know? Years ago I ran across the
term "autophobia" and became fascinated with the idea
of someone fearing himself. It sounded like real Koontz material.
Q. Congrats
on FALSE MEMORY! Really enjoyed it! However, one thing
I still question is the information about the good doctor and
his "friends." Was that thrown in to take away from
his evilness? For me, while what the doctor was doing was terrible,
he was instructed to do a good many of the things he did....
A. No,
I think this guy is almost pure evil. The tipoff is his name:
Mark Ahriman. Ahriman is one of the names of Satan. So this guy
carries the mark of Satan. That doesn't mean he can't be funny!
And I do think that the good doctor's unintentionally and darkly
funny side was more pleasure to write than anything that's come
my way for quite a while.
Q. I
wonder if, when you are writing the grotesque parts -- like the
arm being torn off the girl in DRAGON TEARS, et cetera
-- do you just type those words freely? Do you ever gross yourself
out? That leads to the next question: Is this world as scary --
for real -- as your writing depicts? Whew -- only have a couple
of minutes -- I admire your philosophy and characterizations.
You have kept me up very late this last year.
A. Eighteen
books in one year? People who read that much Koontz in that short
a time usually end up in a room with rubber wallpaper. No, I don't
easily gross myself out, largely because my reading into criminal
behavior has shown me that nothing I write in a book can be half
as disturbing as things that some people have done in real life.
Q. Who
was your inspiration in becoming a writer?
A. My
favorite writer of all time was John D. MacDonald. But I was also
inspired by certain science fiction writers, including Theodore
Sturgeon, Robert Heinlein, and numerous others.
Q. How
does creating suspenseful and frightening stories impact you psychologically?
Do you ever check under the bed, sleep with the light on, et cetera?
A. I'm
a total mess.
Q. Does
your friend there in the picture, the dog, ever coax ideas out
of that devious mind of yours?
A. Trixie,
my dog, has been with us for almost a year and a half. She is
a four-year-old golden retriever who was trained as a service
dog for the wheelchair-bound. She was actually in service for
6 months, but developed a leg problem. After surgery, she was
fine, but relieved of her official duties. In early retirement
she came to live with us. She knows more tricks than I do, is
far more obedient than I even have any hope of being, and has
given me ideas for two new dog novels utterly unlike any dog stories
I've had before. In short, already she's earning her kibble.
Q. I
read your book on how to write years ago and loved it. Easy to
understand and informative. What is your best advice today for
an aspiring writer? I enjoy your writing!
A. In
this chat, there's not much time for complex advice. So the best
I can say is, never stop!
Q. Alligator
wrestling? Why?
A. Why not?
Q. Does
the plot of this book symbolize something greater? The fear Martie
(a video game designer) develops of herself is like the idea of
people focusing so much on technology and machines that they lose
their comfort with human interaction and grasp on reality. What
do you think -- am I reaching too far?
A. No, you're not reaching
too far at all. The primary themes underlying the story in this
book are: 1) We are living in a time when a great many people
have increasing difficulty distinguishing between reality and
fantasy, with the consequence that we don't recognize real evil
anymore, even when it walks up and shakes our hand; 2) The devil
is in the details, meaning that the reality of evil is everywhere
to be seen, no matter how much we try to pretend that the world
and all human behavior can be seen in shades of gray; 3) God is
in the details, meaning that life has purpose and direction and
a larger design that is everywhere evident if we choose to look.
In this book, every smallest detail is layered in with a particular
intention, either directly bearing on the plot or on the underlying
theme and metaphor. Now don't you feel like you're back in high-school
English class?
Q. What
music or specific CDs do you like to put on to create a romantic
mood?
A. Metallica!
It's widely known that I'm a big Chris Isaak fan, and because
I like big band music and a lot of music from that era, I have
long been one of those who still finds a good Sinatra album romantic.
And then of course, William Shatner's single album.
Q. I
was wondering, how long did it take you to write FALSE MEMORY,
and were any of the characters based on real-life people?
A. Are
you trying to get me sued?
Q. Do
you plan on writing sequels to any of your other books (WATCHERS,
for example)? P.S. In FALSE MEMORY, you wrote that autophobia
is a personality disorder; phobias are really anxiety disorders.
A. Sequels?
I don't ever intend to write a sequel unless I'm struck with an
idea that makes for a better book than the first. The Chris Snow
books were always seen as a trilogy, and I felt confident at the
start that I could keep my interest going and the three books
fresh. The therapists with whom I spoke, regarding treatment of
severe phobias, often referred to them as personality disorders.
But that term may be reserved for truly severe phobias, not your
garden-variety fear of spiders.
Q. How do you structure your day for writing? Do you wake
up and start writing immediately? Or do you have a planned period
later within the day?
A. If
it's my turn to walk the dog, I start writing at 8:00 or 8:30.
If it's Gerda's turn to walk the dog, I start writing at 7:00.
Either way, I write until dinner. If the dog decides she wants
to walk me, I get started later, because she hasn't learned to
control my leash yet, and I run wild.
Q. Mr.
Koontz, I am currently doing a research paper on you for my English
class. Can you tell me something about your influences that would
help me?
A. In
addition to what I've said previously in this chat, I was greatly
influenced by Dickens, James M. Cain, and Jay Fred Muggs, the
famous performing chimpanzee.
Q. Is
Hollywood looking to do any more of your books for the "big
screen"?
A. Occasionally,
they threaten to do so. Given the mess they've generally made
of previous films, I'm not sure how I feel about that. Right now,
nothing is due soon, and if I'm lucky, nothing will appear prior
to the next asteroid striking the earth.
Q. Mr.
Koontz, I was wondering if you would consider writing a sequel
to LIGHTNING? I am dying to find out if Stefan and Laura
find happiness together.
A. It is my hope that eventually
LIGHTNING might be the first really good film based on
one of my books. As I pursue that possibility, a sequel to LIGHTNING
would depend on whether the development of the screenplay gave
me new ideas for the characters to carry them forward.
Q. The
only thing I dislike about your stories is coming to the last
page! It always creeps up too soon. How much of a story do you
work out ahead of time, and how much is made up as you go? Thank
you.
A. I
start with nothing except the simple premise, one or perhaps two
lead characters, and a deep interest in discovering what will
happen. No outlines. No notes. I just leap off a narrative cliff
and hope I don't make an idiot of myself.
Q. I'm a teenager who is an
avid reader of your novels. I'm always looking for older novels
that I have not yet read. Of all of the books that you have written,
which is your personal favorite? My favorite is FEAR NOTHING.
Great read! I've also heard that you have several pseudonyms,
and I'm curious why you need to use them. I enjoy your books --
keep up the good writing!
A. I have not used pseudonyms
in quite a few years. I used them in my early career because publishers
were frustrated that I enjoyed writing so many different types
of stories, and they felt that I was very hard to market because
of all the different genres in which I worked. Ultimately, I realized
I could throw all those genres into the same book, give them even
a bigger marketing headache, and drop the pen names. It's difficult
to pick my favorites of my own books, but a quick list would have
to include: WATCHERS, LIGHTNING, THE BAD
PLACE, INTENSITY, DARK RIVERS OF THE HEART,
FEAR NOTHING, and FALSE MEMORY.
Q. Any
final comments for the online audience?
A. Thanks,
all of you, for coming by tonight. I put out these big bowls of
snacks, and none of you ate anything. This is such an odd medium
for meeting my readers, but in every forum that I meet them, I
find myself pleased and impressed by them. Now, don't come to
my next book signing and spit on my shoes. That would ruin my
whole image of all of you.
NOTE: Other interviews with Koontz can be found reproduced at http://home.earthlink.net/~abdk-faq/faqarch.htm and the original of a very different type of interview (much more serious) is at http://www.reason.com/9611/int.koontz.html
One of today's most popular writers, author of some seventy
novels, including many New York Times bestsellers, Dean Koontz
has never fully revealed one of his more dramatic stories: his
own. Critically acclaimed biographer, Katherine Ramsland, now
undertakes that task.
From his difficult childhood in rural Pennsylvania, to his years
as a school teacher striving to get published, to his spectacular
breakthrough to worldwide literary fame, Dean Koontz's life has
been filled with struggle. Yet he developed the tenacity, vision,
and business savvy to make himself succeed. He also married an
amazingly supportive and resourceful woman. Although he studied
the classics and often utilizes a literary approach, Koontz initially
worked in genre fiction, meeting with early success under an astonishingly
variety of pseudonyms in science fiction, fantasy, gothic romance,
capers, how-to books, and international thrillers. When he moved
on to writing mainstream suspense, he began to develop what has
come to be recognized as his unique cross-genre style.
Through it all, Koontz worked out the childhood torment of
having an abusive, alcoholic father who was ultimately diagnosed
as mentally ill. An only child whose mother was afflicted with
much illness, Koontz had to develop his own psychological survival
strategies. As he matured, this unrelenting childhood struggle
to protect himself gave him a special sensitivity to the politics
of the individual. He used his writing, no matter what the subject,
to entertain but also to explore both the dark and light sides
of the human heart, to champion the rights of the individuals
over those of institutions. In an age of widespread cynicism,
each of Koontz's novels insists that those who embrace friendship,
love, faith and an unwavering commitment to freedom will inevitably
win out over those who are motivated by power, envy, and
greed.
And through it all, Dean Koontz was troubled by the secret his mother had tried to tell him before she died. What was the key to his father's rages: the mysterious tempests that haunted the family and inspired the monsters in Koontz's novels? Was Ray Koontz even his father? More perhaps than any other writer today, Dean Koontz embodies in his own life and work the chiaroscuro contradictions, the glaring light and moody darkness, of modern America. Ruthlessly honest, ambitious, and ready to experiment, he has fearlessly delved into every corner of his own psyche, and it is this artistic integrity and its application to larger social issues, that has endeared his work to millions
1965 (all poems in 'The
Reflector')
The Day
Growing Pains
Kittens
Sing A Song Of Sixpence
This Fence
1966 (all poems in 'The
Reflector' unless stated otherwise)
Cellars
Cloistered Walls
Flesh
For A Breath I Tarry
Hey, Good Christian
Holes
Ibsen's Dream (essay)
It
I've Met One
A Miracle Is Anything (short story)
Mold In The
Jungle
Of Childhood (essay)
Once
The Rats Run
Sam: the Adventurous, Exciting, Well-Traveled Man
Some Disputed Barricade (short story)
Something
About This City
The Standard Unusual
A Trio Of Possible Futures
You Dirty Jap, Said The Jap
1967
Love 2005
(short story in 'Mr')
Soft
Come The Dragons (short story in 'The Magazine Of Fantasy
& Science Fiction')
To
Behold The Sun (short story in 'The Magazine Of Fantasy And
Sci-Fi')
Where No One Fell (poem 'The
Reflector')
1968
Dreambird
(short story in 'If')
The
Psychedelic Children (short story in 'The Magazine of Fantasy
and Sci-Fi')
Star
Quest
The
Twelfth Bed (short story in 'The Magazine of Fantasy and Sci-Fi')
1969
A
Dragon In The Land (short story in 'Venture Science Fiction')
In The
Shield (short story in 'If')
The Face In His Belly (short story)
The
Fall of the Dream Machine
Fear That
Man (Combination of 'Where The Beast Runs' and 'In The Shield')
Killerbot
(short story in 'Galaxy')
The Muse
(short story in 'The Magazine Of Fantasy And Sci-Fi')
Temple
Of Sorrow (short story in 'Amazing Stories')
That Moon Plaque (essay in 'Men
On The Moon')
Where
The Beast Runs (short story in 'If')
1970
Anti-Man
(expansion of 'The Mystery Of His Flesh')
Beastchild
Bounce
Girl (reprinted as 'Aphrodisiac Girl')
A Darkness
In My Soul (short story in 'Fantastic Stories')
Dark of
the Woods
The
Dark Symphony
Emanations
(short story in 'Swank')
The
Good Ship Lookoutworld (short story in 'Fantastic Stories')
Hell's
Gate
Hung
(As Leonard Chris)
The
Mystery Of His Flesh (short story in 'The Magazine Of Fantasy
And Sci-fi)
Nightmare
Gang (short story in 'Infinity One')
The
Pig Society (non-fiction)
Shambolain
(short story in 'If')
Soft
Come the Dragons (short story collection)
A
Third Hand (short story in 'The Magazine Of Fantasy And Sci-fi)
The
Underground Lifestyles Handbook (non-fiction)
Unseen
Warriors (short story in 'Worlds Of Tomorrow')
1971
Bruno
(short story in 'Magazine of S.F. and Fantasy')
The Crimson
Witch
Dean's Drive: Some days in the life of another writer (essay in
'Energumen 8')
Demon
Child (as Deanna Dwyer)
Legacy
of Terror (as Deanna Dwyer)
1972
Altarboy
(short story in 'Infinity 3')
Chase
(as K.R. Dwyer)
Children
Of The Storm (as Deanna Dwyer)
Cosmic
Sin (short story in 'Magazine of S.F. and Fantasy')
Dance With
The Devil (as Deanna Dwyer)
The
Dark Of Summer (as Deanna Dwyer)
A Darkness
In My Soul
The
Flesh In The Furnace
A
Mouse In the Walls Of The Global Village (short story in 'Again
Dangerous Visions')
The Muse (reissue of short story in 'Themes In Science Fiction'
anthology)
Ollie's
Hands (short story in 'Infinity Four')
Starblood
The Terrible Weapon (short story in 'Trend' magazine)
Time Thieves
(as Leigh Nichols)
Warlock
Writing
Popular Fiction (non-fiction)
1973
Aprodisiac
Girl (reprint of Bounce Girl)
Blood
Risk (as Brian Coffey)
Demon
Seed
Grayworld
(short story in 'Infinity Five')
Hanging
On
The
Haunted Earth
Nightmare Gang (reissue in 'The Edge Of Never' anthology)
Shattered
(as K.R. Dwyer)
The
Sinless Child (short story in 'Flame Tree Planet')
Terra Phobia
(short story in 'Androids, Time Machines and Blue Giraffes')
The
Undercity (short story in 'Future City')
Wake Up
To Thunder (short story in 'Children Of Infinity')
A Werewolf
Among Us
1974
After
the Last Race
Strike
Deep (as Anthony North)
Surrounded
(as Brian Coffey)
Night
Of The Storm (short story in 'Continuum 1')
Soft
Come The Dragons (short story in 'The Liberated Future: Voyages
Into Tomorrow)
The
Twelfth Bed (reissue in 'Wondermakers 2')
We
Three (short story in 'Final Stage')
1975
Dragonfly
(as K.R. Dwyer)
Invasion
(as Aaron Wolfe) (reissued as 'Winter Moon')
The Long
Sleep (as John Hill) (rewrite of 'Grayworld')
Nightmare
Journey
The
Undercity (reissue in 'The City: 2000 AD')
The Wall
Of Masks (as Brian Coffey)
1976
Night
Chills
Prison
Of Ice (as David Axton) (reissued as 'Icebound')
1977
The Face
of Fear (as Brian Coffey)
A
Season For Freedom (revision of 'Killerbot', short story in
'The Future Now: Saving Tomorrow')
The
Undercity (reissue in 'Criminal Justice Through Science Fiction')
The
Vision
1979
The Key
To Midnight (as Leigh Nichols)
1980
The
Funhouse (as Owen West)
The Voice
Of The Night (as Brian Coffey)
Whispers
1981
The Eyes
Of Darkness (as Leigh Nichols)
How To
Write Best-selling Fiction (non-fiction)
The Mask
(as Owen West)
1982
The House
Of Thunder (as Leigh Nichols)
Soft
Come The Dragons (reissue in 'Dragon Tales')
1983
Phantoms
1984
Darkfall/Darkness
Comes (same book, different titles for US/UK)
Twilight
(as Leigh Nichols) (re-released as 'The Servants of Twilight')
1985
The Door
To December (as Richard Paige) (Signet as Leigh Nichols)
Shattered
(reissue)
Twilight
Eyes
1986
The
Black Pumpkin (short story in 'Twilight Zone')
Down In The
Darkness (short story in 'Horror Show')
The
Monitors Of Providence (novelette, co-written by Koontz)
Snatcher
(short story in 'Night Cry')
Strangers
The
Vision (reissue)
Weird
World (short story in 'Horror Show')
1987
Hardshell
(short story in 'Night Visions 4')
The
Interrogation (short story in 'Horror Show')
Keeping
The Reader On The Edge Of His Seat (essay in 'How
To Write Tales Of Horror, Fantasy & Science Fiction)
Miss
Attila the Hun (short story in 'Night Visions 4')
Shadowfires
(as Leigh Nichols)
Tater
Baron (introduction to 'The Nightrunners')
Twilight
Eyes (revision w/ sequel)
Twilight
Of The Dawn (short story in 'Night Visions 4')
Watchers
Why Novels Of Fear Must Do More Than Frighten
(essay in 'How
To Write Tales Of Horror, Fantasy & Science Fiction)
1988
Graveyard
Highway (short story in 'Tropical Chills')
Lightning
The Mask
(reissue)
Oddkins:
A Fable For All Ages
Introduction to 'Night
Visions VI'
1989
The Coming
Blaylockian Age (essay in 'Two Views Of A Cave Painting')
The Bone Yard (reissue of Night Visions VI, introductory
essay by Koontz)
Down
in the Darkness (reissue in 'Architecture of Fear')
A Genre In Crisis (essay in 'Proteus', revised from intro to 'Night
Visions 6')
The Man Who Knows All About Hippodurkees (introduction to 'The
Stress Of Her Regard')
Midnight
Post
Mortem: New Tales Of Ghostly Horror (afterword only)
Trapped
(short story in 'Stalkers')
1990
The
Bad Place
The
Servants of Twilight (reissue)
Susan Allison And The Mysteries Of The Universe (essay in World
Fantasy Convention Program Book 1990)
Twilight
Of The Dawn (short story in 'The Complete Masters Of Darkness
III')
1991
Cold
Fire
The
Interrogation (reissued short story in 'Obsessions')
The Voice
of the Night (reissue)
1992
Beastchild
(reissue)
Hideaway
The House
Of Thunder (reissue)
Oh, To Be In Cedar Rapids
When The Hog Blood Flows (introduction to Prisoners
And Other Stories)
Where
There's A Will (introduction only)
1993
Dragon
Tears
Hardshell
(reissue in 'Predators')
Mr.
Bizarro (introduction to 'Blood Test')
Mr. Murder
Shadowfires
(reissue)
Snatcher
(short story in 'The Ultimate Witch')
1994
Dark
Rivers Of The Heart
The Door
To December (revision)
The
Funhouse (reissue)
Pastime (short story in
'Great Mysteries, Great Writers', SOUND RECORDING)
Winter
Moon
1995
Ambush
At Ruby Ridge (foreword only)
David Copperfield's Tales Of The Impossible (PREFACE ONLY)
Godzilla
Vs. Megadeth (essay promoting Megadeth's album YOUTHANASIA)
Icebound
(revision of 'Prison Of Ice')
The Key
to Midnight (revision)
Nightmare Gang (reissue,
in 'Between
Time & Terror')
Strange
Highways (Collection of short stories)
1996
Beautiful
Death (introduction to a non-fiction book containing photos
of cemeteries)
The
Black Pumpkin (short story, reissued in 'Ghost Movies II:
Famous Supernatural Television Programmes')
The Eyes Of
Darkness (revision)
Hell
House: The 25th Anniversary Edition (introduction only)
Intensity
Moonchasers
And Other Stories (introduction only)
Santa's
Twin (not an actual novel, but a picture-book story)
1997
Demon
Seed (revision)
The Fox In The Chicken Suit (introduction to 'Fiends')
Screamplays
(introduction only)
Sole
Survivor
Ticktock
The
Undercity (reissue in 'Cyber-Killers')
1998
Fear Nothing
(book one in the Christopher Snow/Moonlight Bay series)
My Reluctant Retriever (essay in 'Love of Goldens' anthology)
Pinkie
(short story in 'USA Weekend: June 12-14', available here)
1999
False
Memory
The
Old Curiosity Shop (afterword only)
Seize
the Night (book two in the Christopher Snow/Moonlight Bay
series)
THESE
Immigrants Don't Need No Stinkin' Green Cards (essay in 'They're
Here: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: A Tribute')
2000
Black
River (novella in 'Legacies' and Mystery Scene magazine)
The
Black Pumpkin (short story, reissued in 'October Dreams: A
Celebration Of Halloween')
From
The Corner Of His Eye
The
Scariest Thing I Know (short story in 'Martha Stewart Living'
magazine)
2001
The
Book Of Counted Sorrows (ebook)
One
Door Away From Heaven
The Paper
Doorway: Funny Verse And Nothing Worse (children's book of
poems, in collaboration with Phil Parks)
2002
By The
Light Of The Moon
Kittens (short story, reissued
in 'SCARY
2: More Tales That Will Make You Scream!')
The Science
Of Superheroes (introduction only)
Snatcher
(short story, reissued in 'Witches' Brew')
2003
The Book
Of Counted Sorrows (normal book format)
Every
Day's A Holiday: Amusing Rhymes For Happy Times
The Face
Great
Escapes: New Designs for Home Theaters (introduction only)
Love
Heels: Tales from Canine Companions for Independence (foreword
only)
Odd
Thomas
2004
Life
Expectancy
Life
is Good (as Trixie Koontz)
Robot
Santa
The
Taking
2005
Christmas
is Good (as Trixie Koontz)
Forever
Odd
Frankenstein:
City of Night
Frankenstein:
Prodigal Son
Velocity
Winesburg,
Ohio (afterword only)
2006
Brother Odd
The Husband
Work In Progress
'Dead or Alive: Frankenstein', co-written with Ed Gorman, to be published May
2007.
'The Good Guy', thriller to be published May 2007.
'Odd Thomas 4', currently untitled, to be published late 2007.
'Ride The Storm', the third in the Chris Snow/Moonlight
Bay series. SEE FAQ SECTION BELOW.
Black River
'CHIPS' episode 306: Counterfeit
(under name of Brian Coffey)
Demon Seed
Frankenstein
Haute Tension/Switchblade Romance (Uncredited, allegedly
plagiarised version of 'Intensity')
Hideaway
Intensity
Mr. Murder
Phantoms
Santa's Twin (forthcoming)
Sole
Survivor
The Face of Fear
The Funhouse (movie first, then book)
The Intruders/Les
Passagers (French version of 'Shattered')
The Servants
of Twilight
Watchers
Watchers II
Watchers III
Watchers Reborn
Whispers
There is also a film called 'Shattered', but it is not the same
as the Koontz book, it's totally different.
"Eventually, as my books became best-sellers, the nickels
piled up and one day I was offered a substantial four-book deal
that was lucrative as any airliner hijacking in history. Though
writing those four books was hard work, at least I didn't have
to wear Kevlar body armor, carry heavy bandoliers of spare ammunition,
or work with associates named Mad Dog."
Dean Koontz
"Ever since I was a kid , I've loved humour of the absurd.
Ernie Kovacs, Stan Freberg, Jack Douglas, Ed Bluestone, early
Steve Martin, recently Steven Wright - all of those guys with
the really strange extra edge can make me laugh until I'm too
limp to stand up. Then I have to be taken to a dry cleaner to
be steamed, starched and pressed, but thereafter I'm as good as
new."
Dean Koontz
In 2001, Dean Koontz was ranked 61 in the 'Power Rank' of the Forbes Celebrity 100 list. In the 'Money Rank', he comes in at 22, with earnings of $35 million. He has 22, 900 web hits and 622 press clips.
The Book Of Counted Sorrows
Many people have seen the quotes from this 'book' at the start
of Dean's novels. There have been claims that Stephen King quotes
from it, but this is untrue. It was published as an ebook in October
2001, through the electronic division of Barnes and Noble. It
appeared in 2003 in standard book format, in a very limited edition
published by Charnel House. Bianca Thomsen, who posts regularly
to the newsgroup, has collated all the quotes and has published
them on her website.
http://koontz.iwarp.com/-
Probably the best Dean Koontz website in existence. Special thanks
go to the author of this website for allowing me to use the covers
of the books, especially those very hard to find ones.
http://www.xmission.com/~emailbox/glenda/koontz/koontz.htm
- Another useful site, offering novel summaries
http://www.randomhouse.com/features/koontz
- the official Dean Koontz website
http://groups.yahoo.com/
- The Yahoo Groups website has numerous Dean Koontz groups, often
providing information for people who do not have newsgroup access.
Any trademarks used herein remain the property of their respective owners, all rights recognised. Any opinions expressed here are not represented as those of the author. The author excludes liability for financial loss caused by inaccuracies being present in this document. Any legal action in relation to this document should be commenced in the courts of England and Wales. Portions may be reproduced so long as this message is included. It may be reproduced in its entirety for archival purposes.
This FAQ is maintained by Luke Croll, based on a first draft by The Ranch. Any omissions, additions, corrections or general comments to be sent to this address, where they will be received with thanks. Any opinions, views, etc on Dean can be expressed at alt.books.dean-koontz
Last updated on Dec 21, 2006