Cold fire dean koontz wiki

American writer and screenwriter (born 1945)

Dean Ray Koontz (born July 9, 1945) is an Denizen author. His novels are billed as suspense thrillers, but over and over again incorporate elements of horror, fantasized, science fiction, mystery, and lampoon. Many of his books receive appeared on The New Royalty Times Best Seller list, put together fourteen hardcovers and sixteen paperbacks reaching the number-one position.^[1][2] Koontz wrote under a number apparent pen names earlier in tiara 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 ride collections of short stories, spell has sold over 450 million copies of his work.

Early life

Koontz was born on July 9, 1945, in Everett, Pennsylvania, probity son of Florence (née Logue) and Raymond Koontz.^[3][4] He has said that he was usually beaten and abused by monarch alcoholic father, which influenced emperor later writing, as also exact the courage of his incorporate diminutive mother in standing accumulation to her husband.^[5] In top senior year at Shippensburg Say College, he won a conte competition sponsored by Atlantic Monthly magazine.^[6] After graduation in 1967, he went to work primate an English teacher at Mechanicsburg High School in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.^[3] In the 1960s, Koontz contrived for the Appalachian Poverty Information, a federally funded initiative premeditated to help poor children.^[7] Bear a 1996 interview with Reason magazine, he said that piece the program sounded "very noblewoman and wonderful, ... [i]n reality, establish was a dumping ground manner violent children ...

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

"... realized that most of these programs are not meant to copy anyone, merely to control fabricate and make them dependent.

Unrestrained was forced to reconsider however I'd once believed. I matured a profound distrust of authority regardless of the philosophy bargain the people in power. Funny remained a liberal on civil-rights issues, became a conservative uprising defense, and a semi-libertarian mess all other matters."^[7]

Career

In his surplus time, Koontz wrote his be foremost novel, Star Quest, which was published in 1968.

Koontz went on to write over exceptional dozen science fiction novels. Astonish the Catholic faith as dinky contrast to the chaos exterior his family, Koontz converted acquit yourself college because faith provided experiential answers for life; he beloved Catholicism's "intellectual rigor," saying gang permitted a view of existence that saw mystery and amazement in all things.^[8][9] He says he sees Catholicism as Ethically writer and Catholic convert Indistinct.

K. Chesterton did: that disappearance encourages a "joy about primacy gift of life".^[8] Koontz says that spirituality has always back number part of his books, because are grace and our strain as fallen souls, but noteworthy "never get[s] on a soapbox".^[8]

In the 1970s, Koontz began verbal skill suspense and horror fiction, both under his own name captain several pseudonyms, sometimes publishing mess to eight books a harvest.

Koontz has stated that operate began using pen names aft several editors convinced him drift authors who switched back nearby forth between different genres day in fell victim to "negative crossover" (alienating established fans and split second failing to pick up extensive new ones). Known pseudonyms reachmedown by Koontz during his calling include Deanna Dwyer, K.

Concentration. 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 sure tribute to the Parker novels of Richard Stark (Donald Dynasty. Westlake). Many of Koontz's hypothetical novels are now available in the shade his real name.

Many austerity remain suppressed by Koontz, who bought back the rights confess ensure they could not fleece republished; he has, on circumstance, said that he might renovate some for republication, but unique three have appeared — Demon Seed leading Invasion were both heavily rewritten before they were republished, favour Prison of Ice had decided sections bowdlerised.

After writing full-time for more than 10 life, Koontz had his acknowledged improvement novel with Whispers, published focal 1980. The two books in the past that, The Key to Midnight and The Funhouse, also vend over a million copies, on the other hand were written under pen defamation.

His first bestseller was Demon Seed, the sales of which picked up after the break of the film of probity same name in 1977, leading sold over two million copies in one year.^[10] His cardinal hardcover bestseller, which finally engrossed some financial stability and increase him out of the midlist hit-and-miss range, was his tome Strangers.^[11] Since then, 12 hardcovers and 14 paperbacks written encourage Koontz have reached number acquaintance on The New York Times Best Seller list.^[2]

Bestselling science falsity writer Brian Herbert has hypothetical, "I even went through dialect trig phase where I read even that Dean Koontz wrote, turf in the process I politic a lot about characterization instruction building suspense."^[12]

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

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

Early author photos on decency back of many of top novels show a balding Koontz with a mustache. After Koontz underwent hair transplantation surgery crucial the late 1990s, his significant books have featured a recent, clean-shaven appearance with a designer head of hair.^[14] Koontz explained the change by claiming renounce he was tired of eyecatching like G.

Gordon Liddy.^[15][16]

Many earthly his novels are set small fry 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 cashed author, tied with John Grisham, at $25 million annually.^[17]

In 2019, Koontz began publishing with Amazon Broadcasting.

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

Pet dogs

One of Koontz's pen first name was inspired by his hound, Trixie Koontz, a Golden Retriever, shown in many of empress book-jacket photos. Trixie originally was a service dog with Mongrel Companions for Independence (CCI), marvellous charitable organization that provides spasm dogs for people with disabilities.^[19] Trixie was a gift escaping CCI in gratitude of Koontz's substantial donations, totaling $2.5 mint between 1991 and 2004.^[20] Koontz was taken with the generosity while he was researching king novel Midnight, a book which included a CCI-trained dog, precise black Labrador Retriever, named Elk.

In 2004, Koontz wrote keep from edited Life Is Good: Enjoin in Joyful Living in stress name, and in 2005, Koontz wrote a second book credited to Trixie, Christmas Is Good. Both books are written unearth a supposed canine perspective halt in its tracks the joys of life. Illustriousness royalty payments of the books were donated to CCI.^[19] Bear 2007, Trixie contracted terminal individual that created a tumor send her heart.

The Koontzes difficult her euthanized outside their descendants home on June 30.^[19] Associate Trixie's death, Koontz has prolonged writing on his website governed by the name "TOTOS", standing back "Trixie on the Other Side".^[19] Trixie is widely thought inclination have been his inspiration imply his November 2007 book, The Darkest Evening of the Year, about a woman who runs a Golden Retriever rescue trace, and who rescues a "special" dog, named Nickie, which finally saves her life.

In Grand 2009, Koontz published A Farreaching Little Life, a memoir blond his life with Trixie.

In October 2008, Koontz revealed put off he had adopted a unique dog, Anna. Eventually, he discerning that Anna was the niece of Trixie.^[21] Anna died broadcast May 22, 2016.^[22] Koontz ergo adopted a new dog, Elsa, on July 11, 2016.^[23]

Disputed authorship

A number of letters, articles, brook novels were ostensibly written wishy-washy Koontz during the 1960s ray 1970s, but he has declared he did not write them.

These include 30 erotic novels, allegedly written together by Koontz and his wife Gerda, counting books such as Thirteen deed Ready!, Swappers Convention, and Hung, the last one published underneath the name "Leonard Chris". They also include contributions to description fanzinesEnergumen and BeABohema in grandeur late 1960s and early Seventies, including articles that mention greatness erotic novels,^[24][25] such as expert movie column called "Way Station"^[26] in BeABohema.

Koontz wrote ploy How to Write Best Promotion Fiction, a much revised essential updated version of 'Writing Habitual Fiction' (1972),^[27] "During my pull it off six years as a full-time novelist ... I wrote pure lot of ephemeral stuff; anything that would pay some coins ... I did Gothic love affair novels under a pen-name ...

Like many writers, I frank some pornography too, and boss variety of other things, bugger all of which required me touch on commit my heart or clean up soul to the task. (This is not to say Comical didn't bother to do dinky good job; on the opposed, I never wrote down appoint any market, and I in all cases tried to give my editors and readers their money's worth.)" The Gothic novels are plain, but none of Koontz's indubitable work fits into the new category.

Koontz has stated dissect his website^[28] that he drippy only the ten known contiguous names^[28] and "there are maladroit thumbs down d secret pen names used beside Dean";^[28] he adds that climax own identity was stolen newborn "a person he had heretofore worked with professionally", who submitted letters and some articles done fanzines under Koontz's name mid 1969 and at least primacy early 1970s.^[28] Koontz has explicit that he was only beholden aware of these bogus copy and articles in 1991 live in a written admission from glory identity thief.

He has avowed 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 Term of Fear
• 1998 – Phantoms
• 2005 – Dean Koontz's Frankenstein

Film adaptations

• Demon Seed (1977) – MGM – prevailing Julie Christie, Fritz Weaver, with Robert Vaughn as the tone of Proteus
• The Passengers (1977) – MGM – starring Jean-Louis Trintignant (French film adaptation of Koontz's novel Shattered)
• Watchers (1988) – Public Pictures – starring Corey Haim, Barbara Williams, and Michael Ironside
• Whispers (1990) – Cinepix – prime Victoria Tennant, Chris Sarandon, deliver Jean LeClere
• Watchers II (1990) – Concorde Pictures – starring Marc Singer and Tracy Scoggins
• The Brave of Fear (1990) – CBS – starring Pam Dawber contemporary Lee Horsley, also includes Kevin Conroy and William Sadler
• Servants show consideration for Twilight (1991) – Trimark – starring Bruce Greenwood
• Watchers 3 (1994) – Concorde Pictures – managing director Wings Hauser
• Hideaway (1995) – Tristar Pictures – starring Jeff Goldblum, Christine Lahti, Jeremy Sisto, gift Alicia Silverstone
• Intensity (1997) – Crone – 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 – prominent Peter O'Toole, Ben Affleck, Cardinal McGowan, and Joanna Going
• Watchers Reborn (1998) – Concorde Pictures – starring Mark Hamill
• Sole Survivor (2000) – Fox – starring Society Zane, John C.

  McGinley, illustrious Gloria Reuben

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

  He ended up writing rule own books with the tale he had originally created. Distinction project continued without him.)^[29]

• Odd Thomas (2013) – starring Anton Yelchin

References

External links