Author RL Stine is the 2011 Thrillermaster for this year Thriller Fest. Stine’s thrillers and horror tales have proven to be great reading motivation for young people. The YA series, Fear Street, started in 1989 and was followed in 1992 by Goosebumps, which quickly took off around the world. Goosebumps has been translated into 35 languages. These days, Stine continues to add books to the Goosebumps series, scaring a new generation of kids.
D: As the author of over 330 books for children, and three thrillers for adults, there is no doubt that you are a ThrillerMaster! What does this title entail for this year’s ThrillerFest VI?
RS: I'm very honored to be singled out for this award. It means a lot to me to be recognized by other thriller writers, especially since I admire and read so many of them.
D: What is your involvement with the ThrillerFest sponsors, International Thriller Writers?
RS: I've been a member of ITW almost since the beginning of the organization. It's given me a chance to meet and make friends with many authors. And it allows me to talk and give advice to beginning authors who wish to write for young people—and to appear in panel discussions on all kinds of topics of interest to authors and readers.
D: Had you always assumed you’d become a writer?
RS: Yes. I started writing when I was nine. Not sure why I thought it was so interesting. I was a weird kid, just stayed in my room typing stories and joke books. I think I knew when I was nine that I wanted to be a writer.
D: You’ve been drawn to both horror fiction and humor – penning numerous joke books and humor magazines – is there a correlation between the two genres?
RS: I think there's a very close connection. When I go to a scary movie or read a scary book, I never get frightened. They always make me laugh. I write horror the same way you write jokes—a series of punchlines. And of course I use humor a lot in Goosebumps to keep the books from getting too intense for kids.
D: Some authors are very habitual in the way that they write – do you have any idiosyncrasies you’d like to share?
RS: I'm pretty much a writing machine. I can write anywhere. I treat it as a job. I'm usually at my computer by 9 or 10 in the morning, and I don't get up until I've written ten pages. If I write ten pages a day, I can do a Goosebumps book in two weeks. But of course you have to count all the planning—and then lots of revising.
About the Author
R. L. Stine is the author of over 330 books for children. His Goosebumps, Fear Street, and other book series have sold nearly 400 million copies around the world, making him one of the best-selling children’s authors in history. Stine is a three-time winner of the Nickelodeon Children’s Choice Award and a recipient of the American Library Association Award.