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{{Short description|American writer and screenwriter (born 1945)}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see ] -->

| name =Dean Koontz
{{Infobox writer
| image =
| name = Dean Koontz
| caption =
| image =
| pseudonym = Aaron Wolfe, Brian Coffey, David Axton, Deanna Dwyer, John Hill, K.R. Dwyer, Leigh Nichols, Anthony North, Owen West, Richard Paige.
| birth_name = | caption =
| pseudonym = {{Startflatlist}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1945|7|9}}
* Aaron Wolfe
| birth_place = ]
* Brian Coffey
| death_date =
* David Axton
| death_place =
* Deanna Dwyer
| occupation = novelist, short story writer, screenwriter
* John Hill
| genre = ], ], ], ]
* K.R. Dwyer
| notableworks = ], ], ], ], ].
* Leigh Nichols
| political party = Republican
* Anthony North
| influences = ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ]
* Owen West
|influenced = ], ]
* Richard Paige
| website = http://deankoontz.com
{{endflatlist}}
| birth_name = Dean Ray Koontz
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1945|7|9}}
| birth_place = ], Pennsylvania,<br />United States
| death_date =
| death_place =
| education = ] (])
| occupation = {{flatlist|
* Novelist
* short story writer
* screenwriter
* poet
}}
| genre = {{Flatlist}}
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
{{endflatlist}}
| notableworks= {{Flatlist}}
* '']''
* '']''
* '']''
* '']''
* '']''
* '']''
* '']''
* '']''
{{Endflatlist}}
| spouse = {{marriage|Gerda Ann Cerra|October 15, 1966}}
| website = {{Official URL}}
}} }}


'''Dean Ray Koontz''' (born July 9, 1945) is a prolific American author best known for his ]s which could be described broadly as ]s. He also frequently incorporates elements of ], ], ], and ]. A number of his books have appeared on the ], with 12 hardcovers and 14 paperbacks reaching the number one slot.<ref name="deankoontz.com">{{cite web|title=http://www.deankoontz.com/about-dean/|accessdate=27 May 2011}}</ref> Early in his career, Koontz wrote under an array of ]s, such as David Axton, Gerda Ann Cerra, and Brian Coffey. '''Dean Ray Koontz''' (born July 9, 1945) is an American ]. His novels are billed as ], but frequently incorporate elements of ], fantasy, science fiction, ], and ]. Many of his books have appeared on ], with fourteen hardcovers and sixteen paperbacks reaching the number-one position.<ref name="nyt chart toppers">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/01/15/books/review/bestsellers-weekly-graphic.html |title=Koontz's Chart Toppers |date=January 11, 2012 |access-date=2012-01-29 |work=] }}</ref><ref name="deankoontz.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.deankoontz.com/about-dean/ |title=About Dean |website=Deankoontz.com |access-date=23 September 2019 }}</ref> Koontz wrote under a number of ]s 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&nbsp;million copies of his work.


==Early life== == Early life ==
Koontz was born on July 8, 1945, in ].<ref name="bio"> accessed May 3, 2010.</ref> In his senior year at ], he won a fiction competition sponsored by ].<ref>Piazza, Judyth: St. Augustine News, July 27, 2009</ref> After graduation in 1967, he went to work as an English teacher at ] in ].<ref name="bio" /> In the 1960s, Koontz worked for the Appalachian Poverty Program, a federally funded initiative designed to help poor children.<ref name=Advocates>, ]</ref> In a 1996 interview with '']'', he said that while the program sounded "very noble and wonderful, . . . n reality, it was a dumping ground for violent children . . . and most of the funding ended up 'disappearing somewhere.'"<ref name=Advocates/> This experience greatly shaped Koontz's political outlook. In his book, ''The Dean Koontz Companion'', he recalled that he: Koontz was born on July 9, 1945, in ], the son of Florence (née Logue) and Raymond Koontz.<ref name="bio">{{Cite web|url=http://www.veinotte.com/koontz/bio.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418074217/http://www.veinotte.com/koontz/bio.htm|url-status=dead|title=Dean Koontz biography|access-date=2024-03-26|archive-date=2009-04-18}}</ref><ref name="google">{{cite book|title=Discovering Dean Koontz: Essays on America's Bestselling Writer of Suspense and Horror Fiction|author=Munster, B.|date=1998|publisher=Borgo Press|isbn=9781557421456|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CVGmM1RuwB4C|page=10|access-date=2014-10-27}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |first=Jerry |last=Carroll |title=Dean Koontz Fears Nothing |newspaper=] |date=February 23, 1998 |page=E-1 |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1998/02/23/DD78392.DTL&ao=all |access-date=2012-06-10}}</ref> In his senior year at ], he won a fiction competition sponsored by ].<ref>Piazza, Judyth: {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110316154751/http://staugnews.com/2009/07/27/judyth-piazza-chats-with-dean-koontz-and-mark-constant-the-market-on-granada.html |date=2011-03-16 }} St. Augustine News, July 27, 2009</ref> After graduation in 1967, he went to work as an English teacher at ] in ].<ref name="bio" /> In the 1960s, Koontz worked for the Appalachian Poverty Program, a federally funded initiative designed to help poor children.<ref name=Advocates>{{cite web|url=http://www.libertarianism.com/pop_celebrity/44|title=Dean Koontz – Friend of Liberty|publisher=Advocates for Self-Government|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819135951/http://www.libertarianism.com/pop_celebrity/44|archive-date=2010-08-19}}</ref> In a 1996 interview with '']'' magazine, he said that while the program sounded "very noble and wonderful, ...&nbsp;n reality, it was a dumping ground for violent children&nbsp;... and most of the funding ended up 'disappearing somewhere.'"<ref name=Advocates /> This experience greatly shaped Koontz's political outlook. In his book, ''The Dean Koontz Companion'', he recalled that he


<blockquote>"...&nbsp;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."<ref name=Advocates /></blockquote>
<blockquote>
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."<ref name=Advocates/>
</blockquote>


==Career== == Career ==
In his spare time, he wrote his first novel, '']'', which was published in 1968. Koontz went on to write over a dozen ] novels. Seeing the ] as a contrast to the chaos in his family, Koontz converted in college because it gave him answers for his life, admiring its "intellectual rigor" and saying it permits a view of life that sees mystery and wonder in all things.<ref name=Drake_2007>{{cite news |accessdate=2009-11-28 |last=Drake |first=Tim |title= Chatting With Koontz About Faith |work=] |url=http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/2013 |date=March 6, 2007}}</ref><ref>Rossi, Tony, Catholic Exchange, August 1, 2009</ref> He says he sees the Church as English writer and Roman Catholic convert ] did.<ref name=Drake_2007/> Koontz notes that spirituality has always been part of his books, as are grace and our struggle as fallen souls, but he "never get on a soapbox".<ref name=Drake_2007/> In his spare time, Koontz wrote his first novel, '']'', which was published in 1968. Koontz went on to write over a dozen ] 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.<ref name=Drake_2007>{{cite news|access-date=2009-11-28 |last=Drake |first=Tim |title=Chatting With Koontz About Faith |work=] |url=http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/2013 |date=March 6, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100117060951/http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/2013 |archive-date=January 17, 2010 }}</ref><ref>Rossi, Tony, Catholic Exchange, August 1, 2009</ref> He says he sees Catholicism as English writer and Catholic convert ] did: that it encourages a "joy about the gift of life".<ref name=Drake_2007 /> Koontz says that spirituality has always been part of his books, as are grace and our struggle as fallen souls, but he "never get on a soapbox".<ref name=Drake_2007 />


Over a six-month period in 1970 Koontz collaborated with his wife on 30 erotic novels; in an article for the fanzine Energumen 8 (1971) Koontz described the period and named some of the titles, others have only been identified in recent years. In the 1970s, Koontz began writing suspense and ], both under his own name and several ]s, sometimes publishing up to eight books a year. Koontz has stated that he began using pen names after several ]s convinced him that authors who switched back and forth between different ]s 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 in acknowledged tribute to the Parker novels of ] (]). 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 re-publication, but only 3 have appeared - ''Demon Seed'' and ''Invasion'' were both heavily rewritten before they were republished, and ''Prison of Ice'' had certain sections bowdlerised. In the 1970s, Koontz began writing suspense and ], both under his own name and several ]s, sometimes publishing up to eight books a year. Koontz has stated that he began using pen names after several ]s convinced him that authors who switched back and forth between different ]s 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 (]). 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 ].


After writing full time for more than ten years, Koontz's acknowledged breakthrough novel was '']'', published in 1980. The two books before that, '']'' and '']'', also sold over a million copies, but were written under pen names. Thus although ''Whispers'' is Koontz's third paperback bestseller, it was the second credited to Koontz.<ref>{{cite web|author=deankoontz.com|title=shadowfires from the author|url=http://www.deankoontz.com/shadowfires-from-the-author/|accessdate=2010-06-27}}</ref> His very first bestseller was '']'', 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.<ref>{{cite web|author=deankoontz.com|title=demon seed from the author|url=http://www.deankoontz.com/demon-seed-from-the-author/|accessdate=2011-01-01}}</ref> After writing full-time for more than 10 years, Koontz had his acknowledged breakthrough novel with '']'', published in 1980. The two books before that, '']'' and '']'', also sold over a million copies, but were written under pen names. His first bestseller was '']'', the sales of which picked up after the release of the ] in 1977, and sold over two million copies in one year.<ref>{{cite web|title=demon seed from the author|url=http://www.deankoontz.com/demon-seed-from-the-author/|website=Deankoontz.com|access-date=2011-01-01}}</ref> His first hardcover bestseller, which finally promised some financial stability and lifted him out of the midlist hit-and-miss range, was his book '']''.<ref>{{cite web|title=strangers from the author|url=http://www.deankoontz.com/strangers-from-the-author/|website=Deankoontz.com|access-date=2010-06-27}}</ref>
Since then, 12 hardcovers and 14 paperbacks written by Koontz have reached number one on ].<ref name="deankoontz.com" />
''Demon Seed''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s success may have been a fluke, but from 1979 on, Koontz's books regularly became paperback bestsellers. His first hardcover bestseller, which finally promised some financial stability and lifted him out of the midlist hit-and-miss range was his book '']''.<ref>{{cite web|author=deankoontz.com|title=strangers from the author|url=http://www.deankoontz.com/strangers-from-the-author/|accessdate=2010-06-27}}</ref>
Since then, 12 hardcovers and 13 paperbacks written by Koontz have reached #1 on the ].<ref name="deankoontz.com"/>


Bestselling science fiction author ] has stated, that "I even went though a phase where I read everything that Dean Koontz wrote, and in the process I learned a lot about characterization and building suspense."<ref>{{cite web|publisher=www.frankherbert.net|title=Interview with Brian Herbert|url=http://www.frankherbert.net/news/BrianHerbertInterview.pdf/|accessdate=2011-05-03}}</ref> Bestselling science fiction writer ] 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."<ref>{{cite web|publisher=www.frankherbert.net |title=Interview with Brian Herbert |url=http://www.frankherbert.net/news/BrianHerbertInterview.pdf/ |access-date=2011-05-03 }}{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>


In 1997, ] ] published an extensive biography of Koontz based on interviews with him and his family. This "]" (as Ramsland called it) often showed the conception of Koontz's characters and plots from events in his own life.<ref> In 1997, psychologist ] published an extensive biography of Koontz based on interviews with his family and him. This "]" (as Ramsland called it) often showed the conception of Koontz's characters and plots from events in his own life.<ref>{{cite book |title=Dean Koontz : a writer's biography |author-link=Katherine Ramsland |first=Katherine M. |last=Ramsland |location=New York, N.Y. |publisher=] |year=1997 |isbn=0-06-105271-X |lccn=97030839 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/deankoontzwriter0000rams }}</ref>
{{cite book |title=Dean Koontz : a writer’s biography |authorlink=Katherine Ramsland |first=Katherine M. |last=Ramsland |location=] |publisher=] |year=1997 |isbn=006105271X}} {{lccn|97||030839}}
</ref>


Early author photos on the back of many of his novels show a balding Koontz with a mustache. After Koontz underwent ] surgery in the late 1990s, his subsequent books have featured a new clean-shaven appearance with a fuller head of hair.<ref>{{cite web|author=deankoontz.com|title=photo gallery|url=http://deankoontz.com/about-dean/photo-gallery.php|accessdate=2007-08-03 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070629153158/http://www.deankoontz.com/about-dean/photo-gallery.php <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2007-06-29}}</ref> Koontz explained the change by claiming that he was tired of looking like ].{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}} Early author photos on the back of many of his novels show a balding Koontz with a mustache. After Koontz underwent ] surgery in the late 1990s, his subsequent books have featured a new, clean-shaven appearance with a fuller head of hair.<ref>{{cite web|title=photo gallery |url=http://deankoontz.com/about-dean/photo-gallery.php |access-date=2007-08-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629153158/http://www.deankoontz.com/about-dean/photo-gallery.php |archive-date=2007-06-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Koontz explained the change by claiming that he was tired of looking like ].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Fiction: From C.S. Lewis to Left Behind|last=Tischler|first=Nancy M.|publisher=Greenwood Press|year=2009|isbn=978-0-313-34568-5|pages=187}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0hXBd-V3vncC&pg=PA187 |title=Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Fiction: From C.S. Lewis to Left Behind |first=Nancy M. |last=Tischler |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2009 |page=187 |isbn=9780313345685}}</ref>


Many of his novels are set in and around ]. As of 2006, he lives there with his wife, Gerda (Cerra), in Newport Coast, California, behind the gates of Pelican Hills. In 2008, he was the world's sixth-most highly paid author, tied with ], at $25&nbsp;million annually.<ref name="bbc100308">{{cite news
Koontz does not to spend much time on partisan politics and doesn't believe politics solves many problems.<ref name=Advocates/> Since 1988, he has contributed almost $73,000 to ] ] ]s and causes. He donated to the ] of ] and ].<ref>, ▷ Dean Koontz's Federal Campaign Contribution Report]<!-- Bot generated title --></ref> He and Mrs. Koontz have contributed over $138,000 to Republican candidates for federal office and Republican organizations (1991–2009).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.php?name=Koontz%2C+gerda&state=&zip=&employ=&cand=&all=Y&sort=N&capcode=8nqtk&submit=Submit |work=]|title=Donor Lookup: Find Individual and Soft Money Contributors – Koontz, Gerda |publisher=] |accessdate=2009-11-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.php?name=Koontz%2C+gerda&state=&zip=&employ=&cand=&all=Y&sort=N&capcode=8nqtk&submit=Submit |work=]|title=Donor Lookup: Find Individual and Soft Money Contributors – Koontz, Dean |publisher=Center for Responsive Politics |accessdate=2009-11-28}}</ref> In 2005, he supported ] ] with $5000 in cash donations and more than $100,000 for a fund-raising dinner for 123 guests.<ref>{{cite web
|title=CalAccess – Campaign Finance |publisher=] |accessdate=2009-11-28
|url=http://cal-access.ss.ca.gov/Campaign/Committees/Detail.aspx?id=1279675&session=2005&view=contributions}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
|title=Support Base: OC's Money, Moderation Bankrolls Schwarzenegger – Consumer Watchdog
|work=] |accessdate=2009-11-28 <!-- |authorlink=Pat Maio --> |first=Pat |last=Maio
|url=http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/corporateering/articles/?storyId=16805
|quote=The governor has held a few fund-raisers this year in a bid to drum up $50 million. Those include a dinner last month at Koontz's in Newport.}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web |url=http://cal-access.ss.ca.gov/PDFGen/pdfgen.prg?filingid=1124979&amendid=0
|title=Major Donor and Independent Expenditure Committee Campaign Statement
|authorlink=Dean Koontz |first=Dean |last=Koontz |accessdate=2009-11-28}}
</ref>

Many of his novels are set in ]. As of 2006, he lives there with his wife, Gerda. In 2008, he was the world's sixth most highly paid author, tied with ] at $25 million annually.<ref name="bbc100308">{{cite news
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7649962.stm |title=Rowling makes £5 every second |publisher=] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7649962.stm |title=Rowling makes £5 every second |publisher=]
|date=October 3, 2008 |accessdate=2009-11-29}}</ref> |date=October 3, 2008 |access-date=2009-11-29}}</ref>


In 2019, Koontz began publishing with ]. At the time of the announcement, Koontz was one of the company's most notable signings.<ref>{{Cite web| title = Dean Koontz's Jump to Amazon Publishing: Will Other Authors Follow?| work = Publishing Perspectives| access-date = 2020-04-25| date = 2019-07-22| url = https://publishingperspectives.com/2019/07/bestseller-dean-koontz-jumps-to-amazon-publishing-five-book-deal-plus-stories/}}</ref>
== Inspiration ==
One of Dean Koontz's pen names was inspired by his dog, '''Trixie Koontz''', a ], shown in many of his book-jacket photos. Originally a service dog with ] (CCI), a ] that provides service dogs for people with disabilities.<ref name="trixie">{{cite web|author=deankoontz.com|title=Trixie Koontz|url=http://deankoontz.com/trixie/monthly-columns.php|accessdate=2007-08-01 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070710211834/http://www.deankoontz.com/trixie/monthly-columns.php <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2007-07-10}}</ref> Trixie was a gift from CCI in gratitude of the Koontz's substantial donations, totalling $2,500,000 between 1991 and 2004.<ref name="benfox">{{cite news|author=Ben Fox|title=Associated Press|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20041226/ai_n11495304|accessdate=2007-08-01 | work=Deseret News | date=2004-12-26}}</ref> Koontz was taken with the charity while he was researching his novel '']'', a book which included a CCI-trained dog, a black ] named Moose.
In 2004, when 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 ] of the books were donated to Canine Companions for Independence.<ref name="trixie"/> In 2007, Trixie contracted terminal ] creating a ] in her heart. The Koontzes had her ] outside of their family home on June 30.<ref name="trixie"/> After Trixie's death, Koontz has continued writing on his website under Trixie's names, in "TOTOS", standing for Trixie on the Other Side.<ref name="trixie"/>
It is widely thought that Trixie was his inspiration for his November 2007 book '']'', about a woman who runs a golden retriever rescue home, and who rescues a 'special' dog, named Nickie, who eventually saves her life. In August 2009, Koontz published "A Big Little Life," a memoir of his life with Trixie.


== Pet dogs ==
In October 2008, Koontz released he had adopted a new dog, Anna. It was eventually learned that Anna was the grandniece of Trixie.<ref>{{cite web | last = Koontz | first = Dean | title = The Write Stuff: All About Anna | url = http://www.deankoontz.com/about-dean/the-write-stuff/ | accessdate = 2008-10-30}}</ref>
One of Koontz's pen names was inspired by his dog, Trixie Koontz, a ], shown in many of his book-jacket photos. Trixie originally was a service dog with ] (CCI), a ] that provides service dogs for people with disabilities.<ref name="trixie">{{cite web|title=Trixie Koontz |url=http://deankoontz.com/trixie/monthly-columns.php |access-date=2007-08-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070710211834/http://www.deankoontz.com/trixie/monthly-columns.php |archive-date=2007-07-10 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Trixie was a gift from CCI in gratitude of Koontz's substantial donations, totaling $2.5 million between 1991 and 2004.<ref name="benfox">{{cite news|author=Ben Fox |title=Associated Press |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20041226/ai_n11495304 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071123115347/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20041226/ai_n11495304 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2007-11-23 |access-date=2007-08-01 |work=Deseret News |date=2004-12-26 }}</ref> Koontz was taken with the charity while he was researching his novel '']'', a book which included a CCI-trained dog, a black ], 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 ]s of the books were donated to CCI.<ref name="trixie" /> In 2007, Trixie contracted terminal ] that created a ] in her heart. The Koontzes had her euthanized outside their family home on June 30.<ref name="trixie" /> After Trixie's death, Koontz has continued writing on his website under the name "TOTOS", standing for "Trixie on the Other Side".<ref name="trixie" /> Trixie is widely thought to have been his inspiration for his November 2007 book, '']'', 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.
== Bibliography ==
{{Main|Dean Koontz bibliography}}
{{Refbegin|colwidth=30em}}
* 1965 – "The Kittens", short fiction
* 1965 – "This Fence", short fiction
* 1965–1967 – The Reflector, poetry collection
* 1966 – "Some Disputed Barricade", short fiction
* 1966 – "A Miracle is Anything", short fiction
* 1966 – "Ibsen's Dream", essay
* 1966 – "Of Childhood", essay
* 1967 – "To Behold the Sun", short fiction
* 1967 – "Love 2005", short fiction
* 1967 – "Soft Come the Dragons", short fiction
* 1968 – "The Psychedelic Children", short fiction
* 1968 – "The Twelfth Bed", short fiction
* 1968 – "Dreambird", short fiction
* 1968 – Star Quest
* 1969 – Fear That Man
* 1969 – The Fall of the Dream Machine
* 1969 – "Muse", short fiction
* 1969 – "The Face in His Belly: Part One", short fiction
* 1969 – "Dragon In the Land", short fiction
* 1969 – "The Face in His Belly: Part Two", short fiction
* 1969 – "Where the Beast Runs", short fiction
* 1969 – "Killerbot", short fiction
* 1969 – "Temple of Sorrow", short fiction
* 1969 – "In the Shield", short fiction
* 1970 – "Unseen Warriors", short fiction
* 1970 – "A Third Hand", short fiction
* 1970 – "The Good Ship Lookoutworld", short fiction
* 1970 – "The Mystery of His Flesh", short fiction
* 1970 – "Beastchild", short fiction (expanded as novel, also 1970)
* 1970 – "The Crimson Witch", short fiction (expanded as novel, 1971)
* 1970 – "Shambolain", short fiction
* 1970 – "Nightmare Gang", short fiction
* 1970 – "Emanations", short fiction
* 1970 – Dark of the Woods
* 1970 – Anti-Man
* 1970 – Dark Symphony
* 1970 – Hell's Gate
* 1970 – Hung (as Leonard Chris)
* 1970 – Soft Come the Dragons, short story collection
* 1970 – The Pig Society (with Gerda Koontz), nonfiction
* 1970 – The Underground Lifestyles Handbook (with Gerda Koontz), nonfiction
* 1971 – Legacy of Terror (as Deanna Dwyer)
* 1971 – The Crimson Witch (expanded from 1970 short fiction)
* 1971 – "Bruno", short fiction
* 1972 – Warlock!
* 1972 – Time Thieves
* 1972 – Starblood
* 1972 – Demon Child (as Deanna Dwyer)
* 1972 – A Darkness in My Soul
* 1972 – The Dark of Summer (as Deanna Dwyer)
* 1972 – Children of the Storm (as Deanna Dwyer)
* 1972 – A Darker Heritage (as Gerda Ann Cerra)
* 1972 – The Flesh in the Furnace
* 1972 – Chase (as K. R. Dwyer)
* 1972 – Writing Popular Fiction, nonfiction
* 1972 – "A Mouse in the Walls of the Global Village", short fiction
* 1972 – "Ollie's Hands", short fiction
* 1972 – "Altarboy", short fiction
* 1972 – "Cosmic Sin", short fiction
* 1972 – "The Terrible Weapon"
* 1973 – Shattered (as K. R. Dwyer)
* 1973 – Demon Seed (completely rewritten in 1997)
* 1973 – A Werewolf Among Us
* 1973 – The Haunted Earth
* 1973 – Hanging On
* 1973 – Dance with the Devil (as Deanna Dwyer)
* 1973 – Blood Risk (as Brian Coffey)
* 1973 – "The Undercity", short fiction
* 1973 – "Terra Phobia", short fiction
* 1973 – "Wake Up To Thunder", short fiction
* 1973 – "The Sinless Child", short fiction
* 1973 – "Grayworld", short fiction
* 1974 – Surrounded (as Brian Coffey)
* 1974 – After the Last Race
* 1974 – "Night of the Storm", short fiction
* 1974 – "We Three", short fiction
* 1975 – Wall of Masks (as Brian Coffey)
* 1975 – Nightmare Journey
* 1975 – The Long Sleep (as John Hill)
* 1975 – Dragonfly (as K. R. Dwyer)
* 1975 – Invasion (as Aaron Wolfe), extensively revised as Winter Moon in 1994
* 1976 – Prison of Ice (as David Axton), revised as Icebound in 1995
* 1976 – Night Chills
* 1977 – The Vision
* 1977 – The Face of Fear (as Brian Coffey)
* 1979 – The Key to Midnight (as Leigh Nichols)
* 1980 – Whispers
* 1980 – The Voice of the Night (as Brian Coffey)
* 1980 – The Funhouse (as Owen West)
* 1981 – The Mask (as Owen West)
* 1981 – The Eyes of Darkness (as Leigh Nichols)
* 1981 – How To Write Best-Selling Fiction, nonfiction
* 1982 – The House of Thunder (as Leigh Nichols)
* 1983 – Phantoms
* 1984 – Darkness Comes
* 1985 – Twilight Eyes, reissued with extension in 1987
* 1985 – The Door to December (as Richard Paige)
* 1986 – Strangers
* 1986 – "The Black Pumpkin", short fiction
* 1986 – "The Monitors of Providence", short fiction
* 1986 – "Snatcher", short fiction
* 1986 – "Weird World", short fiction
* 1986 – "Down in the Darkness", short fiction
* 1987 – Watchers
* 1987 – Shadow Fires (as Leigh Nichols)
* 1987 – "Graveyard Highway", short fiction
* 1987 – "Twilight of the Dawn", short fiction
* 1987 – "Miss Atilla the Hun", short fiction
* 1987 – "Hardshell", short fiction
* 1987 – "The Interrogation", short fiction
* 1988 – The Servants of Twilight (as Leigh Nichols)
* 1988 – Lightning
* 1988 – Oddkins: A Fable for All Ages, a children's book
* 1989 – Midnight
* 1989 – "Trapped", short fiction
* 1990 – The Bad Place
* 1991 – Cold Fire
* 1992 – Hideaway
* 1993 – Mr. Murder
* 1993 – Dragon Tears
* 1994 – Winter Moon
* 1994 – Dark Rivers of the Heart
* 1995 – Icebound
* 1995 – Strange Highways, short story collection
* 1996 – Intensity
* 1996 – Ticktock
* 1996 – Santa's Twin, a children's book
* 1997 – Demon Seed (rewritten from 1973 original)
* 1997 – Sole Survivor
* 1998 – Fear Nothing
* 1998 – "Pinkie", short fiction
* 1999 – False Memory
* 1999 – Seize the Night
* 1999 – "Black River", short fiction
* 2000 – From the Corner of His Eye
* 2001 – One Door Away from Heaven
* 2001 – The Paper Doorway : Funny Verse and Nothing Worse, a children's book
* 2001 – "Qual Con", short fiction
* 2002 – By the Light of the Moon
* 2003 – The Face
* 2003 – Odd Thomas
* 2003 – Every Day's a Holiday : Amusing Rhymes for Happy Times, a children's book
* 2003 – The Book Of Counted Sorrows, poetry collection
* 2004 – The Taking
* 2004 – Life Expectancy
* 2004 – Robot Santa: The Further Adventures of Santa's Twin, a children's book
* 2004 – Life is Good! Lessons in Joyful Living (with Trixie Koontz), nonfiction
* 2005 – Prodigal Son (with Kevin J. Anderson), Book One in the Dean Koontz's Frankenstein series
* 2005 – Velocity
* 2005 – City of Night (with Ed Gorman), Book Two in the Dean Koontz's Frankenstein series
* 2005 – Forever Odd
* 2005 – Christmas Is Good!: Trixie Treats And Holiday Wisdom (with Trixie Koontz), nonfiction
* 2006 – The Husband
* 2006 – Brother Odd
* 2007 – The Good Guy
* 2007 – The Darkest Evening of the Year
* 2008 – Odd Hours
* 2008 – In Odd We Trust
* 2008 - Bliss to You: Trixie's Guide to a Happy Life with Trixie Koontz
* 2008 – Your Heart Belongs to Me
* 2009 – Relentless
* 2009 – A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog
* 2009 – Nevermore
* 2009 – Breathless
* 2009 – Frankenstein: Dead and Alive(Book Three)
* 2009 – I, Trixie, Who is Dog
* 2010 – Frankenstein: Lost Souls
* 2010 – Darkness Under the Sun
* 2010 – What the Night Knows
* 2011 – Frankenstein: Dead Town
* 2011 - 77 Shadow Street
* 2012 - House of Odd
* 2012 - Odd Apocalypse
{{Refend}}


In October 2008, Koontz revealed that he had adopted a new dog, Anna. Eventually, he learned that Anna was the grandniece of Trixie.<ref>{{cite web | last=Koontz | first=Dean | title=The Write Stuff: All About Anna | url=http://www.deankoontz.com/about-dean/the-write-stuff/ | access-date=2008-10-30}}</ref> Anna died on May 22, 2016.<ref>{{cite web | last=Koontz | first=Dean | title=Anna Koontz: June 22, 2006 – May 22, 2016 | url=http://www.deankoontz.com/anna-koontz-june-22-2006-may-22-2016/ | access-date=2016-09-15 | archive-date=September 6, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160906042101/http://www.deankoontz.com/anna-koontz-june-22-2006-may-22-2016 | url-status=dead }}</ref> Koontz then adopted a new dog, Elsa, on July 11, 2016.<ref>{{cite web | last=Koontz | first=Dean | title=Introducing Elsa | url=http://www.deankoontz.com/introducing-elsa// | access-date=2016-09-15 | archive-date=2016-09-22 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160922104722/http://www.deankoontz.com/introducing-elsa | url-status=dead }}</ref>
== Screenplays ==
* 1979 – CHiPs episode 306: Counterfeit (as Brian Coffey), screenplay
* 1998 – Phantoms, screenplay
* 2005 – Dean Koontz's Frankenstein, screenplay


== Disputed authorship ==
== Recurring themes and elements ==
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 ], 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 ]s ''Energumen'' and '']'' in the late 1960s and early 1970s, including articles that mention the erotic novels,<ref name="efanzines">{{cite web|url=http://efanzines.com/Energumen/Energumen08.pdf |title="Dean's Drive", Energumen 8; June 1971, page 9 |publisher=efanzines.com|access-date=2015-04-06}}</ref><ref>''BeABohehma'' #8, 1970, ed. Frank Lunney; page 5</ref> such as a movie column called "Way Station"<ref name="way station">{{cite web|url=http://sjhtn2007.livejournal.com/3810.html|title=Round 8 of the auction|website=Sjhtn2007.livejournal.com|access-date=13 August 2017}}</ref> in ''BeABohema''.
=== Characters ===
* Art dealer and professional thief (Tucker appeared in the novels ''Blood Risk'', ''Surrounded'', and ''The Wall of Masks'', all written under the pseudonym Brian Coffey); and the (as yet unfinished) '']'', whose hero, Christopher Snow, appears in the novels '']'' and '']'' (a proposed third entry, '']'', has yet to appear). In recent years, however, Koontz has written four novels featuring the character of ] ('']'', '']'', '']'', and '']''), as well as the ongoing '']'' series, based on a concept for a failed television series that Koontz was briefly involved with. The show's pilot episode wound up being repackaged as a direct-to-DVD movie. Additionally, the Christopher Snow novels are loosely connected to '']'', and the Tranquility Motel of ''Strangers'' appears in the Odd Passenger web series. Odd Thomas also had a link to the Christopher Snow series via a sweatshirt with the words "mystery Train." Deucalion of the Frankenstein series made an appearance at St. Bart's monastery which was the backdrop for Brother Odd.
* The female lead is often intelligent, beautiful, witty, and assertive, and is just as often paired with a more sensitive and easygoing male counterpart (for example, Bobby and Julie Dakota in '']'', Detectives Michael Madison and Carson O'Conner in ''Dean Koontz's Frankenstein'', Tommy and Del in '']'', and Jimmy and Lorrie Tock in '']'', and Odd and Stormy in '']'', to name a few).
* Several of Koontz's female protagonists are single mothers bringing up their children against all the odds.
* Male protagonists are usually tough and capable, often either police officers (as in '']'', '']'', or '']'') or seemingly mild mannered sorts who are revealed to have police or military experience in their background (as in '']'', '']'', ''],'' ''],'' '']'', and others).
* Many of Koontz's heroes come from abusive (or at least dysfunctional) backgrounds, but are nonetheless portrayed as successful, financially independent, strong-willed, and emotionally stable.
* Conversely, his antagonists are often ]ic monsters with no redeeming or humanizing qualities whatsoever, who are invariably destroyed by the story's end; many of Koontz's villains are ]al, and consider their extremely warped and elaborate worldviews to be philosophically transcendent (for example, Edgler Vess from '']'', Corky Laputa from '']'', Vassago from '']'', Bryan Drackman from ''Dragon Tears'', Vince Nasco from '']'', Preston Maddoc from '']'', Valis in '']'', Thomas Shaddack in ''Midnight'', Junior Cain in '']'', Krait in '']'', and Alton Turner Blackwood in '']'').
* Many of Koontz's novels feature sympathetic portrayals of characters who suffer from some mental or physical abnormality (for example, Christopher Snow from ''the Moonlight Bay Trilogy'', Regina from ''Hideaway'', Shepherd in '']'', Thomas in '']'', and Harry in '']'', which smoothly combines with Koontz's common theme of dogs, as portrayed by Harry's helpful service dog who also provides him with friendship).
* Koontz is an ], and many of the protagonists in his stories are only children (for example, Christopher Snow, Odd Thomas, Jimmy Tock – although born a twin, he was raised an only child – from ''Life Expectancy'', Laura Shane from '']'', Fric from '']'').
* While in Koontz's early novels like '']'' the protagonist may still be a pot-smoking, highly sexual cynic with no respect or patience for traditional moral authorities, in his later bestsellers like '']'' or '']'' the protagonist is already a morose, conservative-minded individual who shrinks back in disgust at elements of contemporary life like extreme metal, street graffiti, magical literature and psychological explanations for the motivation of 'evil' deeds.


Koontz wrote in ''How to Write Best Selling Fiction'', a much revised and updated version of 'Writing Popular Fiction' (1972),<ref>Writer's Digest Books, 1981, pp18</ref> "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.
=== Plot ===
* Though Koontz's books often feature fantastical plot elements, he usually offers plausible, ] science-based explanations for these bizarre events. Very few of Koontz's novels involve the overtly ], instead often relying on unique genetic traits and congenital conditions. Exceptions, however, are found in the following: '']'', which features 'nightmarish alien-like & ethereal' creatures which are primarily organic, with the majority of them being 'fungal' and 'insectile' by nature. '']'', as well as '']'', make mention of an 'amoebic' being; however, though the general basal characteristics are varying, their principal function is congruent. Neither being consists of functioning organs; these are living beings who thrive on the consumption of other living creatures and human beings. The creature from '']'' is able to embody the consumed beings and in turn take any form it wishes, simultaneously assuming the consciousness and intelligence of the consumed beings as almost an 'evolved' higher-being. The opposite applies to the creature from '']'', as the amoebic being is viewed as almost a 'devolution' of the human race, taking on a basal primitive (simplest) form of basic human needs. The creatures who form the main storyline thread throughout '']'' are both somewhat alien and somewhat genetically engineered. Though their origins are left a mystery and open to each readers interpretation (be it 'alien' or a bizarre genetic experiment), the image of an 'ewok' is almost conjured in the mention of their characteristics.
* Koontz's protagonists often arm themselves with guns to combat the various monsters and madmen they are forced to do battle with. Often a ] or Combat Magnum ] appear as handguns (Koontz himself is a lifelong gun owner). An exception to this rule has been the recurring character Odd Thomas who is said, in fact, to dislike guns due to his childhood trauma of his mother threatening suicide by using her favorite gun, however the fourth book in the series, '']'' seems to ignore this established trait.
* A protagonist having to hide a dead body.
* A desperate struggle for survival that leads to a final confrontation where good completely vanquishes evil, usually leading to a "happy ending" for the main characters.
* A shadowy conspiracy of assassination or illicit and unethical scientific research – or both – involving the police or a government agency, or rogue elements within them.


Koontz has stated on his website<ref name="collectors">{{cite web| title=Facts for Collectors | url=http://www.deankoontz.com/about-dean/collectors/ |work=deankoontz.com |access-date=2012-12-14}}</ref> that he used only the ten known pen names<ref name="collectors" /> and "there are no secret pen names used by Dean";<ref name="collectors" /> 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.<ref name="collectors" /> 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.<ref name="collectors" />
=== Themes ===
* Koontz employs serious themes about the importance of faith, especially faith in God. While in his early science fiction Koontz may describe God as an evil amoeba with delusions of grandeur, as in '']'', 15 years later it is Satan who is the evil amoeba with delusions of grandeur ('']''); and in his 2009 book '']'' the plot follows a ] logic of new species just appearing suddenly, positive characters discussing their issues with the theory of evolution , and evil characters admitting to themselves that they are evil because they do not believe in divine justice and thus have no values save seeking pleasure at the expense of others.
* Duality, such as ''Mr. Murder'' or a key point in ''House of Thunder''.
* Characters who follow an unwavering moral compass, but do not conform to organized religion or depend on the law.
* The ideal that love and compassion can save one from the apparent absurdities of existence and the cruelties of life.
* Love for children by their parents.
* Reflection (sometimes at length), in his post-1970s books on the decline of modern society in the past 20 to 30 years, either in a dialogue between two characters or in the private musings of the protagonist, sometimes centering the blame on ]-based tolerance of criminal and/or undesirable activity; ], ] use, and ] are frequent targets (the antagonist of ''Dragon Tears'', for instance, evidently owes not only his superhuman abilities but also his pathological personality to his mother's use of illicit drugs while he was ''in utero'').
* A particular high respect for humanity and repugnance for those who degrade any human. Sometimes (as in ''One Door Away from Heaven'') taking a critical stance against "life" issues like ].
* A lack of atonement or redemption from the villains and antagonists, coinciding with main characters who are (eventually) clearly depicted as either good or evil with little moral ambiguity. Little sympathy is elicited for the antagonists. However, some exceptions to this are ''Watchers'', ''Whispers'', and ''Mr. Murder''.
*Scientific themes such as ] and ] have emerged in many of Koontz's novels, providing a new territory of subject matter.
* A recurrent theme is the power and immutability of Fate or Destiny. Koontz's Fate is a singular entity which is very hard, if not impossible to change. A central theme in ], to paraphrase, " Fate will always struggle to reassert itself."


== Bibliography ==
=== Other trademarks ===
{{Main|Dean Koontz bibliography}}
* Koontz is an avid dog lover, and canines (typically an unusually smart Golden or Labrador Retriever) often feature prominently in his works: ''Fear Nothing'', '']'', '']'', '']'', ''Dark Rivers of the Heart'', ''Dragon Tears'', '']'', '']'', '']'' (Towards the end of the book) and '']'' are prime examples. Cats have often fared worse in his books (Koontz is allergic to felines), though he has occasionally included cats as characters, most notably the smart feline Mungojerrie in the Christopher Snow novels, Terrible Chester in the ''Odd Thomas'' novels and Aristophanes in '']''.
* A setting in ].
* A Smith and Wesson .38 caliber Chiefs Special or Heckler and Koch P7.
* Use of the words "]", "heretofore", "]", "]", "spoor," "susurration", "malocholy", "malevolent", and "momentous" is prevalent in his books, and the phrase "from the corner of his/her eye".
* Vivid, detailed descriptions of the settings' architectural and interior design elements, such as ].
* Street lights being described as "Sodium Vapor lights".
* Bitumen is described as McAdam(macadam)frequently
* Amoral scientists using brutalizing techniques (sometimes upon children) to further their research ('']'', ''Midnight'', ''Frankenstein'', '']'', '']'', '']'')
* References to literature and poetry of which Koontz is a fan. The poetry of ] plays a prominent role in '']'', and many of the same lines by Eliot are seen in '']''. ''Fear Nothing'' includes a character named Tom Eliot, another reference to the famous poet. Little Ozzie from the Odd Thomas series often quotes T.S. Eliot and Shakespeare.
* Plants and flowers are described in horticultural detail, and ] flowers often feature in Dean Koontz's books.
* Small references to Japan are often made. Such as plants and characters with a Japanese name, or people having Japanese gardens, furniture or enjoying Japanese food and drink.
* Strange, quirky descriptions, for example, '']'' "...but a pair of lamps shed light as lusterless as ashes and the colors were muted as though settled smoke from a long-quenched fire had laid a patina on them." <!--not really, more poetic, literary - needs better example-->
* Frequent references to '']''.
* Frequent quotations from '']'', a book that Koontz made up. Aside from the quotes, he personally wrote, Koontz wrote one book of poetry, entitled "The Paper Doorway."
* Frequent instances of characters with minor wounds self-administering or being treated with ].
* Main characters drive a ] in several novels.
* Frequent references to ].
* Male characters often wear Rockport boots.
* Use of a lugwrench/tire iron as a weapon.
* Use of the word "elfin" to describe a female character's looks.
* Many of his characters are often seen eating tacos.


== Screenplays ==
'''Film adaptations'''
* 1979 – '']'' episode 306: "Counterfeit" (as Brian Coffey)
* '']''<ref></ref>
* 1990 – ''The Face of Fear''
* '']'' (TBA) – ]<ref></ref>
* 1998 – ''Phantoms''
* '']'' (2004) – ] – starring ], ], ], ], and ] (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.)<ref></ref>
* 2005 – ''Dean Koontz's Frankenstein''
* '']'' (2001) – ] – starring ], and ]

* '']'' (2000) – ] – starring ], ], and ]
==Film adaptations==
* '']'' (1998) – Concorde Pictures – starring ]
* '']'' (1998) – ]/Dimension Films – starring ], ], ], and ].
* '']'' (1998) – ABC–starring ], ], and ]
* '']'' (1997) – Fox–starring ], ], and ]
* '']'' (1995) – Tristar Pictures–starring ], ], ], and ]
* '']'' (1994) – Concorde Pictures – starring ]
* '']'' (1991) – Trimark–starring ]
* '']'' (1990) – ]–starring ] and ]. Also includes ].
* '']'' (1990) – Concorde Pictures – starring ] and ]
* '']'' (1990) – Cinepix–starring ], ], and Jean LeClere
* '']'' (1988) – ] – starring ], ], and ]
* '']'' (1977) – MGM – starring ] (French film adaptation of Koontz's novel ])
* '']'' (1977) – MGM – starring ], ], and ] as the voice of Proteus * '']'' (1977) – MGM – starring ], ], and ] as the voice of Proteus
* '']'' (1977) – MGM – starring ] (French film adaptation of Koontz's novel '']'')
* '']'' (1988) – ] – starring ], ], and ]
* ''Whispers'' (1990) – Cinepix – starring ], ], and Jean LeClere
* '']'' (1990) – Concorde Pictures – starring ] and ]
* '']'' (1990) – ] – starring ] and ], also includes ] and ]
* ''Servants of Twilight'' (1991) – Trimark – starring ]
* '']'' (1994) – Concorde Pictures – starring ]
* '']'' (1995) – Tristar Pictures – starring ], ], ], and ]
* '']'' (1997) – Fox – starring ], ], and ]
* '']'' (1998) – ABC – starring ], ], and ]
* '']'' (1998) – ]/Dimension Films – starring ], ], ], and ]
* '']'' (1998) – Concorde Pictures – starring ]
* '']'' (2000) – Fox – starring ], ], and ]
* '']'' (2001) – ] – starring ] and ]
* '']'' (2004) – ] – starring ], ], ], ], and ] (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.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://deankoontz.com/about-dean/10-questions/june-8-2006.php|title=Dean Koontz Website, Suspense Novel – Dean Koontz – The Official Site|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080119231320/http://www.deankoontz.com/about-dean/10-questions/june-8-2006.php|archive-date=2008-01-19}}</ref>
* '']'' (2013) – starring ]


==References== ==References==

{{Reflist|2}}
{{reflist}}


== External links == == External links ==
{{Library resources box}}
{{wikiquote}} {{wikiquote}}
* . *
* {{ISFDB name|id=286|name=Dean R. Koontz}}
* – The most complete online listing of the American first editions and pseudonyms
* {{IBList|type=author|id=408|name=Dean Koontz}}
* – Comprehensive list of Koontz works, with summaries of his novels
*
* {{isfdb name|id=Dean_R._Koontz|name=Dean R. Koontz}}
* {{worldcat id|lccn-n79-81582}} * {{IMDb name|nm0465588}}
* , interview in '']'' by ] and Lisa Snell.
*
* - Dean Koontz article including information on his erotic books
{{Dean Koontz}} {{Dean Koontz}}


{{Authority control}}
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{{Persondata
|NAME= Koontz, Dean
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Koontz, Dean Ray (full name); Axton, David (pseudonym); Coffey, Brian (pseudonym); Dwyer, Deanna (pseudonym); Dwyer, K. R. (pseudonym); Hill, John (pseudonym); Nichols, Leigh (pseudonym); North, Anthony (pseudonym); Paige, Richard (pseudonym); West, Owen (pseudonym); Wolfe, Aaron (pseudonym)
|SHORT DESCRIPTION= Novelist, short story writer, screenwriter
|DATE OF BIRTH= July 9, 1945
|PLACE OF BIRTH= ], ], ]
|DATE OF DEATH=
|PLACE OF DEATH=
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koontz, Dean}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Koontz, Dean}}
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Latest revision as of 01:27, 22 September 2024

American writer and screenwriter (born 1945)
Dean Koontz
BornDean Ray Koontz
(1945-07-09) July 9, 1945 (age 79)
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
EducationShippensburg State College (BA)
Genre
Notable works
Spouse Gerda Ann Cerra ​(m. 1966)​
Website
www.deankoontz.com Edit this at Wikidata

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. 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

Koontz was born on July 9, 1945, in Everett, Pennsylvania, the son of Florence (née Logue) and Raymond Koontz. 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. In his senior year at Shippensburg State College, he won a fiction competition sponsored by Atlantic Monthly magazine. After graduation in 1967, he went to work as an English teacher at Mechanicsburg High School in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. In the 1960s, Koontz worked for the Appalachian Poverty Program, a federally funded initiative designed to help poor children. In a 1996 interview with Reason magazine, he said that while the program sounded "very noble and wonderful, ... n reality, it was a dumping ground for violent children ... and most of the funding ended up 'disappearing somewhere.'" 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."

Career

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. 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". Koontz says that spirituality has always been part of his books, as are grace and our struggle as fallen souls, but he "never get on a soapbox".

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. 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. Since then, 12 hardcovers and 14 paperbacks written by Koontz have reached number one on The New York Times Best Seller list.

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."

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.

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. Koontz explained the change by claiming that he was tired of looking like G. Gordon Liddy.

Many of his novels are set in and around Orange County, California. As of 2006, he lives there with his wife, Gerda (Cerra), 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.

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

Pet dogs

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. Trixie was a gift from CCI in gratitude of Koontz's substantial donations, totaling $2.5 million between 1991 and 2004. 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. 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. After Trixie's death, Koontz has continued writing on his website under the name "TOTOS", standing for "Trixie on the Other Side". 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. Anna died on May 22, 2016. Koontz then adopted a new dog, Elsa, on July 11, 2016.

Disputed authorship

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, such as a movie column called "Way Station" in BeABohema.

Koontz wrote in How to Write Best Selling Fiction, a much revised and updated version of 'Writing Popular Fiction' (1972), "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 that he used only the ten known pen names and "there are no secret pen names used by Dean"; 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. 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.

Bibliography

Main article: Dean Koontz bibliography

Screenplays

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

Film adaptations

References

  1. "Koontz's Chart Toppers". The New York Times. January 11, 2012. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  2. ^ "About Dean". Deankoontz.com. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  3. ^ "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. 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
  7. ^ "Dean Koontz – Friend of Liberty". Advocates for Self-Government. Archived from the original on 2010-08-19.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. Rossi, Tony, Best-selling Author Dean Koontz Explores Catholic Values in Novels Catholic Exchange, August 1, 2009
  10. "demon seed from the author". Deankoontz.com. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
  11. "strangers from the author". Deankoontz.com. Retrieved 2010-06-27.
  12. "Interview with Brian Herbert". www.frankherbert.net. Retrieved 2011-05-03.
  13. Ramsland, Katherine M. (1997). Dean Koontz : a writer's biography. New York, N.Y.: HarperPrism. ISBN 0-06-105271-X. LCCN 97030839.
  14. "photo gallery". Archived from the original on 2007-06-29. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
  15. 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.
  16. Tischler, Nancy M. (2009). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Fiction: From C.S. Lewis to Left Behind. ABC-CLIO. p. 187. ISBN 9780313345685.
  17. "Rowling makes £5 every second". BBC. October 3, 2008. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
  18. "Dean Koontz's Jump to Amazon Publishing: Will Other Authors Follow?". Publishing Perspectives. 2019-07-22. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  19. ^ "Trixie Koontz". Archived from the original on 2007-07-10. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
  20. Ben Fox (2004-12-26). "Associated Press". Deseret News. Archived from the original on 2007-11-23. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
  21. Koontz, Dean. "The Write Stuff: All About Anna". Retrieved 2008-10-30.
  22. Koontz, Dean. "Anna Koontz: June 22, 2006 – May 22, 2016". Archived from the original on September 6, 2016. Retrieved 2016-09-15.
  23. Koontz, Dean. "Introducing Elsa". Archived from the original on 2016-09-22. Retrieved 2016-09-15.
  24. ""Dean's Drive", Energumen 8; June 1971, page 9" (PDF). efanzines.com. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
  25. BeABohehma #8, 1970, ed. Frank Lunney; page 5
  26. "Round 8 of the auction". Sjhtn2007.livejournal.com. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  27. Writer's Digest Books, 1981, pp18
  28. ^ "Facts for Collectors". deankoontz.com. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
  29. "Dean Koontz Website, Suspense Novel – Dean Koontz – The Official Site". Archived from the original on 2008-01-19.

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