Dean Koontz

American writer and screenwriter (born 1945)

Dean Koontz

Born| Dean Ray Koontz
(1945-07-09) July 9, 1945 (age 80)
Everett, Pennsylvania,
United States
Pen name|

* Aaron Wolfe
* Brian Coffey
* David Axton
* Deanna Dwyer
* John Hill
* K.R. Dwyer
* Leigh Nichols
* Anthony North
* Owen West
* Richard Paige

Occupation|

* Novelist
* short story writer
* screenwriter
* poet

Education| Shippensburg State College (BA)
Genre|

* Suspense
* horror fiction
* science fiction
* thriller
* fantasy

Notable works|

* Odd Thomas
* Demon Seed
* Watchers
* Hideaway
* Intensity
* Phantoms
* The Face of Fear
* Lightning

Spouse|

Gerda Ann Cerra

(m. 1966)​

Website
www.deankoontz.com

Dean Ray Koontz (born July 9, 1945) is an American author. His novels are billed as suspense thrillers, but frequently incorporate elements of horror, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and satire. Many of his books have appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list, with fourteen hardcovers and sixteen paperbacks reaching the number-one position.[1][2] Koontz wrote under a number of pen names earlier in his career, including "David Axton", "Deanna Dwyer", "K.R. Dwyer", "Leigh Nichols" and "Brian Coffey". He has published over 105 novels and a number of novellas and collections of short stories, and has sold over 450 million copies of his work.

## Early life

[edit]

Koontz was born on July 9, 1945, in Everett, Pennsylvania, the son of Florence (née Logue) and Raymond Koontz.[3][4] He has said that he was regularly beaten and abused by his alcoholic father, which influenced his later writing, as also did the courage of his physically diminutive mother in standing up to her husband.[5] He was raised in Bedford, Pennsylvania and graduated from Bedford High School in 1963.[6] While attending Shippensburg State College, Koontz married his high school girlfriend Gerda Ann Cerra in 1966.[7][8]

In his senior year of college, he won a fiction competition sponsored by Atlantic Monthly magazine.[9] After graduation in 1967, he went to work as an English teacher at Mechanicsburg High School in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.[3] In the 1960s, Koontz worked for the Appalachian Poverty Program, a federally funded initiative designed to help poor children.[10] In a 1996 interview with Reason magazine, he said that while the program sounded "very noble and wonderful, ... [i]n reality, it was a dumping ground for violent children ... and most of the funding ended up 'disappearing somewhere.'"[10] This experience greatly shaped Koontz's political outlook. In his book, The Dean Koontz Companion, he recalled that he

> "... realized that most of these programs are not meant to help anyone, merely to control people and make them dependent. I was forced to reconsider everything I'd once believed. I developed a profound distrust of government regardless of the philosophy of the people in power. I remained a liberal on civil-rights issues, became a conservative on defense, and a semi-libertarian on all other matters."[10]

## Career

[edit]

In his spare time, Koontz wrote his first novel, Star Quest, which was published in 1968. Koontz went on to write over a dozen science fiction novels. Seeing the Catholic faith as a contrast to the chaos in his family, Koontz converted in college because faith provided existential answers for life; he admired Catholicism's "intellectual rigor," saying it permitted a view of life that saw mystery and wonder in all things.[11][12] He says he sees Catholicism as English writer and Catholic convert G. K. Chesterton did: that it encourages a "joy about the gift of life".[11] Koontz says that spirituality has always been part of his books, as are grace and our struggle as fallen souls, but he "never get[s] on a soapbox".[11]

In the 1970s, Koontz began writing suspense and horror fiction, both under his own name and several pseudonyms, sometimes publishing up to eight books a year. Koontz has stated that he began using pen names after several editors convinced him that authors who switched back and forth between different genres invariably fell victim to "negative crossover" (alienating established fans and simultaneously failing to pick up any new ones). Known pseudonyms used by Koontz during his career include Deanna Dwyer, K. R. Dwyer, Aaron Wolfe, David Axton, Brian Coffey, John Hill, Leigh Nichols, Owen West, Richard Paige, and Anthony North. As Brian Coffey, he wrote the "Mike Tucker" trilogy (Blood Risk, Surrounded, Wall of Masks) in acknowledged tribute to the Parker novels of Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake). Many of Koontz's pseudonymous novels are now available under his real name. Many others remain suppressed by Koontz, who bought back the rights to ensure they could not be republished; he has, on occasion, said that he might revise some for republication, but only three have appeared — Demon Seed and Invasion were both heavily rewritten before they were republished, and Prison of Ice had certain sections bowdlerised.

After writing full-time for more than 10 years, Koontz had his acknowledged breakthrough novel with Whispers, published in 1980. The two books before that, The Key to Midnight and The Funhouse, also sold over a million copies, but were written under pen names. His first bestseller was Demon Seed, the sales of which picked up after the release of the film of the same name in 1977, and sold over two million copies in one year.[13] His first hardcover bestseller, which finally promised some financial stability and lifted him out of the midlist hit-and-miss range, was his book Strangers.[14] Since then, 12 hardcovers and 14 paperbacks written by Koontz have reached number one on The New York Times Best Seller list.[2]

Bestselling science fiction writer Brian Herbert has stated, "I even went through a phase where I read everything that Dean Koontz wrote, and in the process I learned a lot about characterization and building suspense."[15]

In 1997, psychologist Katherine Ramsland published an extensive biography of Koontz based on interviews with his family and him. This "psychobiography" (as Ramsland called it) often showed the conception of Koontz's characters and plots from events in his own life.[16]

Early author photos on the back of many of his novels show a balding Koontz with a mustache. After Koontz underwent hair transplantation surgery in the late 1990s, his subsequent books have featured a new, clean-shaven appearance with a fuller head of hair.[17] Koontz explained the change by claiming that he was tired of looking like G. Gordon Liddy.[18][19]

Many of his novels are set in and around Orange County, California. As of 2006, he has lived there with his wife, Gerda, in Newport Coast, California, behind the gates of Pelican Hills. In 2008, he was the world's sixth-most highly paid author, tied with John Grisham, at $25 million annually.[20]

In 2019, Koontz began publishing with Amazon Publishing. At the time of the announcement, Koontz was one of the company's most notable signings.[21]

## Pet dogs

[edit]

One of Koontz's pen names was inspired by his dog, Trixie Koontz, a Golden Retriever, shown in many of his book-jacket photos. Trixie originally was a service dog with Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), a charitable organization that provides service dogs for people with disabilities.[22] Trixie was a gift from CCI in gratitude of Koontz's substantial donations, totaling $2.5 million between 1991 and 2004.[23] Koontz was taken with the charity while he was researching his novel Midnight, a book which included a CCI-trained dog, a black Labrador Retriever, named Moose.

In 2004, Koontz wrote and edited Life Is Good: Lessons in Joyful Living in her name, and in 2005, Koontz wrote a second book credited to Trixie, Christmas Is Good. Both books are written from a supposed canine perspective on the joys of life. The royalty payments of the books were donated to CCI.[22] In 2007, Trixie contracted terminal cancer that created a tumor in her heart. The Koontzes had her euthanized outside their family home on June 30.[22] After Trixie's death, Koontz has continued writing on his website under the name "TOTOS", standing for "Trixie on the Other Side".[22] Trixie is widely thought to have been his inspiration for his November 2007 book, The Darkest Evening of the Year, about a woman who runs a Golden Retriever rescue home, and who rescues a "special" dog, named Nickie, which eventually saves her life. In August 2009, Koontz published A Big Little Life, a memoir of his life with Trixie.

In October 2008, Koontz revealed that he had adopted a new dog, Anna. Eventually, he learned that Anna was the grandniece of Trixie.[24] Anna died on May 22, 2016.[25] Koontz then adopted a new dog, Elsa, on July 11, 2016.[26]

## Disputed authorship

[edit]

A number of letters, articles, and novels were ostensibly written by Koontz during the 1960s and 1970s, but he has stated he did not write them. These include 30 erotic novels, allegedly written together by Koontz and his wife Gerda, including books such as Thirteen and Ready!, Swappers Convention, and Hung, the last one published under the name "Leonard Chris". They also include contributions to the fanzines Energumen and BeABohema in the late 1960s and early 1970s, including articles that mention the erotic novels,[27][28] such as a movie column called "Way Station"[29] in BeABohema.

Koontz wrote in How to Write Best Selling Fiction, a much revised and updated version of 'Writing Popular Fiction' (1972),[30] "During my first six years as a full-time novelist ... I wrote a lot of ephemeral stuff; anything that would pay some bills ... I did Gothic romance novels under a pen-name ... Like many writers, I did some pornography too, and a variety of other things, none of which required me to commit my heart or 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 I always tried to give my editors and readers their money's worth.)" The Gothic novels are identifiable, but none of Koontz's acknowledged work fits into the latter category.

Koontz has stated on his website[31] that he used only the ten known pen names[31] and "there are no secret pen names used by Dean";[31] he adds that his own identity was stolen by "a person he had previously worked with professionally", who submitted letters and some articles to fanzines under Koontz's name between 1969 and at least the early 1970s.[31] Koontz has stated that he was only made aware of these bogus letters and articles in 1991 in a written admission from the identity thief. He has stated that he will reveal this person's name in his memoirs.[31]

## Bibliography

[edit]

Main article: Dean Koontz bibliography

## Awards

[edit]

Work | Year & Award | Category | Result | Ref.

|
|
|
|

Beastchild | 1971 Locus Award | SF Novel  | Nominated  | [32]
1971 Locus Award  | Short Fiction  | Nominated  |
1971 Hugo Award | Novella  | Nominated  |
Strangers | 1986 British Fantasy Award | August Derleth Award  | Nominated  | [33]
1987 World Fantasy Award | Novel  | Nominated  |
Oddkins: A Fable for All Ages | 1989 Locus Award  | Novella  | Nominated  | [34]
Midnight | 1989 Bram Stoker Award | Novel  | Nominated  |
1990 Locus Award  | Horror  | Nominated  | [35]
The Bad Place | 1991 Locus Award  | Horror/Dark Fantasy Novel  | Nominated  |
Hideaway | 1992 Bram Stoker Award  | Novel  | Nominated  |
1995 Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire | Foreign Novel  | Nominated  | [36]
Watchers | 1993 Japan Adventure Fiction Association Prize |  | Won  |
Mr. Murder | 1994 Locus Award  | Horror Novel  | Nominated  |
Dark Rivers of the Heart | 1995 Prometheus Award  | SF Novel  | Nominated  |
Strange Highways | 1995 Bram Stoker Award  | Fiction Collection  | Nominated  |
1996 Locus Award  | Collection  | Nominated  | [37]
Fear Nothing | 1998 Bram Stoker Award  | Novel  | Nominated  |
The Paper Doorway: Funny Verse and Nothing Worse | 2003 Utah Beehive Book Award  | Poetry  | Nominated  | [38]
Robot Santa | 2004 Bram Stoker Award  | Work for Young Readers  | Nominated  |
Life Expectancy | 2005 Gumshoe Awards | Thriller  | Nominated  | [39]
Odd Thomas | 2006 Evergreen Book Award  |  | Nominated  | [40]
What the Night Knows | 2011 Goodreads Choice Awards | Horror  | Nominated  | [41]
Odd Apocalypse | 2012 Goodreads Choice Awards  | Horror  | Nominated  | [42]
2013 Audie Awards | Thriller or Suspense  | Nominated  |
Deeply Odd | 2013 Goodreads Choice Awards  | Horror  | Nominated  | [43]
Innocence | 2014 Killer Nashville Awards  | Silver Falchion Award - Speculative/Horror/Science Fiction/Fantasy  | Won  | [44]
The City | 2014 Goodreads Choice Awards  | Horror  | Nominated  | [45]
Saint Odd | 2015 Goodreads Choice Awards  | Horror  | Won  | [46]
The Forest of Lost Souls | 2025 Audie Awards  | Thriller or Suspense  | Nominated  |

Koontz was also nominated in 1988 & 1989 for the World Fantasy Special Award—Professional award. He also won the World Horror Convention Grand Master Award in 1996 & the Ross Macdonald Literary Award in 2003.

## Screenplays

[edit]

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

## Film adaptations

[edit]

* Demon Seed (1977) – MGM – starring Julie Christie, Fritz Weaver, and Robert Vaughn as the voice of Proteus
* The Passengers (1977) – MGM – starring Jean-Louis Trintignant (French film adaptation of Koontz's novel Shattered)
* Watchers (1988) – Universal Pictures – starring Corey Haim, Barbara Williams, and Michael Ironside
* Whispers (1990) – Cinepix – starring Victoria Tennant, Chris Sarandon, and Jean LeClere
* Watchers II (1990) – Concorde Pictures – starring Marc Singer and Tracy Scoggins
* The Face of Fear (1990) – CBS – starring Pam Dawber and Lee Horsley, also includes Kevin Conroy and William Sadler
* Servants of Twilight (1991) – Trimark – starring Bruce Greenwood
* Watchers 3 (1994) – Concorde Pictures – starring Wings Hauser
* Hideaway (1995) – Tristar Pictures – starring Jeff Goldblum, Christine Lahti, Jeremy Sisto, and Alicia Silverstone
* Intensity (1997) – Fox – 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 – starring Peter O'Toole, Ben Affleck, Rose McGowan, and Joanna Going
* Watchers Reborn (1998) – Concorde Pictures – starring Mark Hamill
* Sole Survivor (2000) – Fox – starring Billy Zane, John C. McGinley, and Gloria Reuben
* Black River (2001) – Fox – starring Jay Mohr and Stephen Tobolowsky
* Frankenstein (2004) – USA Network – starring Adam Goldberg, Parker Posey, Michael Madsen, Vincent Perez, and Thomas Kretschmann (Koontz pulled out of the project midway through production because he did not like the direction the film was headed. He ended up writing his own books with the storyline he had originally created. The project continued without him.)[47]
* Odd Thomas (2013) – starring Anton Yelchin

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Koontz's Chart Toppers". The New York Times. January 11, 2012. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
2. ^ a b "About Dean". Deankoontz.com. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
3. ^ a b "Dean Koontz biography". Archived from the original on 2009-04-18. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
4. ^ Munster, B. (1998). Discovering Dean Koontz: Essays on America's Bestselling Writer of Suspense and Horror Fiction. Borgo Press. p. 10\. ISBN 9781557421456. Retrieved 2014-10-27.
5. ^ Carroll, Jerry (February 23, 1998). "Dean Koontz Fears Nothing". San Francisco Chronicle. p. E-1. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
6. ^ "Reviewers praise novel by former Everett native". Bedford County Press. February 15, 1973. p. 6.
7. ^ Fox, Ben (January 2, 2005). "Popular Author Defers to his Dog". Standard Speaker. Hazelton, Pennsylvania. p. E1-6.
8. ^ Pierleoni, Allen (February 3, 2015). "Checking in with Dean Kootnz". The Sacramento Bee. p. E1.
9. ^ Piazza, Judyth: "Judyth Piazza chats with Dean Koontz and Mark Constant, The Market on Granada" Archived 2011-03-16 at the Wayback Machine St. Augustine News, July 27, 2009
10. ^ a b c "Dean Koontz – Friend of Liberty". Advocates for Self-Government. Archived from the original on 2010-08-19.
11. ^ a b c Drake, Tim (March 6, 2007). "Chatting With Koontz About Faith". National Catholic Register. Archived from the original on January 17, 2010. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
12. ^ Rossi, Tony, Best-selling Author Dean Koontz Explores Catholic Values in Novels Catholic Exchange, August 1, 2009
13. ^ "demon seed from the author". Deankoontz.com. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
14. ^ "strangers from the author". Deankoontz.com. Retrieved 2010-06-27.
15. ^ "Interview with Brian Herbert". www.frankherbert.net. Retrieved 2011-05-03.[permanent dead link]
16. ^ Ramsland, Katherine M. (1997). Dean Koontz : a writer's biography. New York, N.Y.: HarperPrism. ISBN 0-06-105271-X. LCCN 97030839.
17. ^ "photo gallery". Archived from the original on 2007-06-29. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
18. ^ Tischler, Nancy M. (2009). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Fiction: From C.S. Lewis to Left Behind. Greenwood Press. p. 187\. ISBN 978-0-313-34568-5.
19. ^ Tischler, Nancy M. (2009). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Fiction: From C.S. Lewis to Left Behind. ABC-CLIO. p. 187\. ISBN 9780313345685.
20. ^ "Rowling makes £5 every second". BBC. October 3, 2008. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
21. ^ "Dean Koontz's Jump to Amazon Publishing: Will Other Authors Follow?". Publishing Perspectives. 2019-07-22. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
22. ^ a b c d "Trixie Koontz". Archived from the original on 2007-07-10. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
23. ^ Ben Fox (2004-12-26). "Associated Press". Deseret News. Archived from the original on 2007-11-23. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
24. ^ Koontz, Dean. "The Write Stuff: All About Anna". Retrieved 2008-10-30.
25. ^ Koontz, Dean. "Anna Koontz: June 22, 2006 – May 22, 2016". Archived from the original on September 6, 2016. Retrieved 2016-09-15.
26. ^ Koontz, Dean. "Introducing Elsa". Archived from the original on 2016-09-22. Retrieved 2016-09-15.
27. ^ ""Dean's Drive", Energumen 8; June 1971, page 9" (PDF). efanzines.com. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
28. ^ BeABohehma #8, 1970, ed. Frank Lunney; page 5
29. ^ "Round 8 of the auction". Sjhtn2007.livejournal.com. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
30. ^ Writer's Digest Books, 1981, pp18
31. ^ a b c d e "Facts for Collectors". deankoontz.com. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
32. ^ https://www.sfadb.com/Locus_Awards_1971
33. ^ https://www.sfadb.com/British_Fantasy_Awards_1987
34. ^ https://www.sfadb.com/Locus_Awards_1989
35. ^ https://www.sfadb.com/Locus_Awards_1990
36. ^ https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ay.cgi?25+1995
37. ^ https://www.sfadb.com/Locus_Awards_1996
38. ^ https://www.claubeehive.org/uploads/1/5/5/6/15561978/poetry_nominees.pdf
39. ^ https://www.mysteryinkonline.com/2005/03/gumshoe_awards_.html
40. ^ https://www.evergreenbookaward.org/past-winners-booktalks
41. ^ https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-horror-books-2011
42. ^ https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-horror-books-2012
43. ^ https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-horror-books-2013
44. ^ https://www.killernashville.com/past-award-winners/2014
45. ^ https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-horror-books-2014
46. ^ https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-horror-books-2015
47. ^ "Dean Koontz Website, Suspense Novel – Dean Koontz – The Official Site". Archived from the original on 2008-01-19.

## External links

[edit]

Library resources about
Dean Koontz

* * *

* Resources in your library
* Resources in other libraries

Wikiquote has quotations related to Dean Koontz.

* Dean Koontz – The Official Website
* Dean R. Koontz at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
* Dean Koontz at the Internet Book List
* Dean Koontz article including information on his erotic books
* Dean Koontz at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Works by Dean Koontz

Novels|

* Star Quest (1968)
* The Flesh in the Furnace (1972)
* Chase (1972)
* Demon Seed (1973)
* Shattered (1973)
* Dragonfly (1975)
* Invasion (1975)
* Night Chills (1976)
* The Face of Fear (1977)
* The Vision (1977)
* The Key to Midnight (1979)
* The Voice of the Night (1980)
* The Funhouse (1980)
* Whispers (1980)
* The Mask (1981)
* The Eyes of Darkness (1981)
* The House of Thunder (1981)
* Phantoms (1983)
* Darkfall (1984)
* The Servants of Twilight (1984)
* Twilight Eyes (1985)
* The Door to December (1985)
* Strangers (1986)
* Watchers (1987)
* Shadow Fires (1987)
* Lightning (1988)
* Midnight (1989)
* The Bad Place (1990)
* Cold Fire (1991)
* Hideaway (1992)
* Mr. Murder (1993)
* Dragon Tears (1993)
* Winter Moon (1994)
* Dark Rivers of the Heart (1994)
* Icebound (1995)
* Strange Highways (1995)
* Intensity (1996)
* Ticktock (1996)
* Sole Survivor (1997)
* Fear Nothing (1998)
* Seize the Night (1998)
* False Memory (1999)
* From the Corner of His Eye (2000)
* One Door Away from Heaven (2001)
* By the Light of the Moon (2002)
* The Face (2003)
* Odd Thomas (2003)
* The Taking (2004)
* Life Expectancy (2004)
* Prodigal Son (2005)
* Velocity (2005)
* City of Night (2005)
* Forever Odd (2005)
* The Husband (2006)
* Brother Odd (2006)
* The Good Guy (2007)
* The Darkest Evening of the Year (2007)
* Odd Hours (2008)
* Your Heart Belongs to Me (2008)
* Dead and Alive (2009)
* Breathless (2009)
* Lost Souls (2010)
* What the Night Knows (2010)
* The Dead Town (2011)
* 77 Shadow Street (2011)
* Odd Apocalypse (2012)
* Deeply Odd (2013)
* Innocence (2013)
* The City (2014)
* Saint Odd (2015)

Film adaptations|

* Demon Seed (1977)
* The Passengers (1977)
* Watchers (1988)
* Whispers (1990)
* Watchers II (1990)
* The Face of Fear (1990)
* Servants of Twilight (1991)
* Watchers 3 (1994)
* Hideaway (1995)
* Intensity (1997)
* Mr. Murder (1998)
* Phantoms (1998)
* Watchers Reborn (1998)
* Sole Survivor (2000)
* Black River (2001)
* Frankenstein (2004)
* Odd Thomas (2013)

Children's books|

* Oddkins: A Fable for All Ages (1988)

Other|

* The Book of Counted Sorrows

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* 2
* VIAF
* 2
* 3
* FAST
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Japan
* Italy
* Australia
* Czech Republic
* Russia
* Spain
* Portugal
* Netherlands
* Norway
* Latvia
* Croatia
* Chile
* Greece
* 2
* Korea
* Sweden
* Poland
* Israel
* Finland

Academics|

* CiNii

Artists|

* MusicBrainz

People|

* Trove
* DDB

Other|

* IdRef
* SNAC

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