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Dean Ray Koontz (b. July 9, 1945) is a best selling American author born in Everett, Pennsylvania. He has also written under the pseudonym Leigh Nichols. Koontz has written primarily in the horror and science fiction genres. Several of his novels have been adapted for the screen.
Biography
Koontz grew up poor in Pennsylvania. Following his graduation from Shippensburg State College (now a university), he went to work with the Appalachian Poverty Program counseling and tutoring children living in poverty as he once had. He moved on to Mechanicsburg High School where he taught English and worked on his first novel, Star Quest. While working as a teacher, his wife, Gerda offered to support him financially so he could work on his writing. Koontz took her up on the offer and at the end of her five year limit she was able to quit her job and manage her husband's budding writing career.
His first published novel was Star Quest. His breakthrough came with the novel Whispers, a horror thriller published by Putnam. Koontz has met with enormous success over his long career. He has been a #1 New York Times Best Selling author multiple times.
Dean and Gerda Koontz live with their dog, Trixie, in Southern California.
Pseudonyms
- Aaron Wolfe
- Anthony North
- Brian Coffey
- David Axton
- Deanne Dwyer
- John Hill
- K. R. Dwyer
- Leigh Nichols
- Owen West
- Richard Paige
Bibliography
Collections
Anthologies
Nonfiction
- Writing Popular Fiction (1972)
- How To Write Best Selling Fiction (1981)
Nongenre
- Strike Deep (1974) as by Anthony North
Short Stories
Essays
Film Adaptations
External Links
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