Dean Koontz, Author Biographies

Dean Ray Koontz came into this world on July 9, 1945, in Bedford, Pennsylvania. He says his family was very poor and his father was a mean drunk and womanizer. The home they lived in was a shack with four small rooms and a tar paper roof.

In 1967, Dean graduated from Shippensburg University with a degree in English. He married Gerda, his high school sweetheart the same year. They decided not to have children.

Dean took a job with the Appalachian Poverty Program, tutoring and counseling underprivileged children. His love of writing was always with him, so he continued to write after work and the weekends. His first published work, “Star Quest,” was a science fiction novel.

Dean had worked for about 18 months as a high school English teacher when his wife, Gerda, made him a proposition. She got a job in a shoe factory and offered to support the family for five years so that he could concentrate on his writing career. After the five years, Gerda quit her job and tends to the business side of Dean’s writing.

Dean has also written under these pseudonyms: W. H. Allan, David Axton, Brian Coffey, Deanna Dwyer, K.R. Dwyer, John Hill, Aaron Wolf, Leigh Nichols, Anthony North, Richard Paige and Owen West. He says he did this because publishers convinced him that because he was writing in different genres, he could wind up alienating his audience.

Dean had written several science fiction books before he tried his hand at suspense thrillers. He says, “...even the most beautifully decorated, serene welcoming room contains a stunning array of fearsome weapons if one has even the most latent talent for Homicide.” Dean has also written graphic novels, short stories, non fiction and picture books. Some of his books were inspired by his beloved golden retriever, Trixie.

Dean has been called ‘a masterful writer and a quirky character.’ He’s a writer who has the uncanny ability to turn a safe and comfortable world into one of pure horror.

Most of Dean’s novels are set in and around Los Angeles. Several of his books have been made into films, and there is talk of the novel, “Odd Thomas,” being made into a television mini series.

Dean, and Gerda, make their home in southern California.

Books by Dean Koontz:

Series:

Tucker: (as Brian Coffey)

Blood Risk (1973)

Surrounded (1974)

The Wall of Masks (1975)

Moonlight Bay:

Fear Nothing (1997)

Seize the Night (1998)

Odd Thomas:

Odd Thomas (2003)

(2005)

Brother Odd (2006)

Odd Hours (2008)

In Odd We Trust (2008) (with Queenie Chan)

Stand Alone Novels:

Star Quest (1968)

The Fall of the Dream Machine (1969)

Fear That Man (1969)

Anti-man (1970)

Beastchild (1970)

The Dark Symphony (1970)

Hell’s Gate (1970)

The Crimson Witch (1971)

Demon Child (1971) (as Deanna Dwyer)

Legacy of Terror (1971) (as Deanna Dwyer)

A Darkness in My Soul (1972)

The Flesh in the Furnace (1972)

Starblood (1972)

Warlock (1972)

Children of the Storm (1972) (as Deanna Dwyer)

The Dark of the Summer (1972) (as Deanna Dwyer)

Chase (1972) (as KR Dwyer)

Dance With the Devil (1972) (as Deanna Dwyer)

The Haunted Earth (1973) (as Deanna Dwyer)

A Werewolf Among Us (1973)

Hanging on (1973)

Demon Seed (1973)

Shattered (1973)

After the Last Race (1974)

Dragonfly (1974) (as KR Dwyer)

Nightmare Journey (1975)

Invasion (1975) (as Aaron Wolfe)

The Long Sleep (1975) (as John Hill)

Night Chills (1976)

Prisoner of Ice (1976) (as David Axton)

Time Thieves (1977)

The Vision (1977)

The Face of Fear (1977) (as KR Dwyer)

The Key to Midnight (1979) (as Leigh Nichols)

Whispers (1980)

The Voice of the Night (1980) (as Brian Coffey)

The funhouse (1980) (as Owen West)

The Eyes of Darkness (1981) (as Leigh Nichols)

The Mask (1981) (Owen West)

The House of Thunder (1982) (as Leigh Nichols)

Darkness Comes (1983)

Phantoms (1983)

The Servants of Twilight (1984) (as Leigh Nichols)

The Door to September (1985) (as Richard Paige)

1985)

Strangers (1986)

Watchers (1987)

Shadow Fires (1987) (as Leigh Nichols)

Lightening (1988)

Oddkins (1988)

Midnight (1989)

The Bad Place (1989)

Cold Fire (1991)

Hideaway (1991)

Dragon Tears (1992)

Mr Murder (1993)

Winter Moon 1993)

Dark Rivers of the Heart (1994)

Intensity (1995)

Tick Tock (1995)

Santa's Twin(1996)

Sole Survivor (1997)

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)

Life Expectancy (2004)

The Taking (2004)

Robot Santa: The Further Adventures of Santa’s Twin (2004)

Velocity (2005)

The Husband (2006)

The Good Guy (2007)

The Darkest Evening of the Year (2007)

Your Heart Belongs to Me: A Novel (2008)
Relentless: A Novel (2009)

(2009)

Picture Books:

Trixie, Who is Dragon (2009)

Trixie and Jinx (2010)

Graphic Novels:

Trapped (1993) (with Ed Gorman)

Nevermore (2009) (with Keith Champagne)

Non Fiction:

How to Write Best Selling Fiction (1981)

Writing Popular Fiction (1992)

Bliss to You: Trixie’s Guide to a Happy Life (2008) (with Trixie Koontz)

A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog (2009)

Christmas Is Good: Trixie's Guide to a Happy Holiday