Interviews
What’s New & Updated, September 19, 2022
September 19, 2022
I’m taking a bye week. Enjoy this interview in the meantime.
Dean and the Weather
March 29, 2022
Best-Selling Author, Weather Enthusiasts Explain Allure of California Weather
In the city of Los Angeles, every time the heavens open up, the hashtag #LArain trends on Twitter. People say rain, and the weather in general, is different in California. Anyone who has lived in the Desert Southwest long enough is fascinated by the rare appearance of rain and the wonder of a storm.
Every wind gust and raindrop is big news in L.A. In Arizona, the monsoon comes and goes every year like clockwork. But what precisely is different about rain in the desert? To find out, we asked a bestselling author, a storm chaser and TV meteorologists who have known both coasts.
From his home in Southern California, Dean Koontz, the bestselling author whose latest novel Quicksilver was published in January, has written dozens of books in which the weather adds to the suspense. According to Google Books Ngram Viewer, he mentions weather terms a total of 168 times in his book Midnight, 165 times in The Taking and 158 times in the aptly titled Lightning.
Koontz spent roughly half his life on the East Coast before he moved to California and that has given him an appreciation for the unique weather in the state. Why does weather feature prominently in his novels? Koontz told AccuWeather via email he uses the frequently changing Southern California weather as a template to set the scene.
“Here in Southern California, I can be basking in a light 80-degree off-shore breeze and, within two hours be in the snow country in Big Bear, be on the seashore in the morning and in Death Valley in the afternoon,” Koontz said. “The extremes fascinate me and make for good dramatic effects in fiction.”
Read the full article @ Newsweek.com
Koontz news from the Writers, Ink podcast
February 3, 2022
Two interesting tidbits from Dean’s recent interview on the Writers, Ink podcast:
- RE: Quicksilver (26:40)
“I’ve been asked whether this is a series or not, but no it’s not; I think it works as a stand-alone.” - RE: The next books (47:08)
“I just signed a new five book contract and delivered the first book.”
[I’m assuming The Big Dark Sky is that first book.]
Bookish with Sandra Tsing Loh, Lisa See, Peggy Orenstein and Dean Koontz
July 12, 2021
Dean Koontz on Thriller Talk
November 30, 2020
Dean Koontz on Thriller Talk
November 13, 2020
12 November 2020
K.J. and Ryan launch the first episode of Thriller Talk with the prolific author Dean Koontz.
Southern California News Group Newsmaker Series: A Conversation with Dean Koontz
October 14, 2020
Recorded live on October 13, 2020.
The Kindle Chronicles #636: Dean Koontz
October 12, 2020
Dean on the Otherppl Podcast
October 8, 2020
Dean Koontz discusses Elsewhere with The Poisoned Pen Bookstore
October 6, 2020
Dean on the Writer’s Bone podcast
October 6, 2020
Dean on Amazon Live
October 5, 2020
Dean was on Amazon Live today. Did you miss it. For now the video is still available on Amazon.com.
Goodreads Ask the Author
September 19, 2020
Dean’s doing an Ask the Author over on Goodreads. Don’t know how long it will last or how many questions he’ll be answering.
Two recent interviews with Dean I’ve not mentioned yet
June 21, 2020
Beyond the Cover with Special Guest #1 NYT Bestselling Author Dean Koontz
February 10, 2020
1/20/2020
What more can you say about Dean Koontz? He’s one of the most prolific writers ever, and one of the most popular writers of the 20th and 21st Century. Dean has done almost everything a writer can do, but late in his career he decided it was time to do something different. Signing with Amazon for a novella series, that includes six stories that all roll together called “Nameless”. Amazon Prime members will get the books for FREE! Yep, you heard that right, FREE for Prime Members. We were lucky enough to be invited to Dean’s house and have a great three hour conversation with him. You will hear the the hour long interview we had with Dean, sitting in his office. The “Nameless” series consists of these six books: IN THE HEART OF THE FIRE, PHOTOGRAPHING THE DEAD, THE PRAYING MANTIS BRIDE, RED RAIN, THE MERCY OF SNAKES and MEMORIES OF TOMORROW.
Source: LaunchpadDM
New Interview in December 2019 issue of Suspense Magazine
January 3, 2020
Suspense Magazine’s Best of 2019 Issue contains a new interview with Dean mostly around the release of Nameless. Check out the full issue on the Suspense Magazine web site. (It starts on page 105.)
Meet the Thriller Author #86: Dean Koontz
December 21, 2019
A podcast from 12 November 2019. Not embed-able so you’ll need to head on over to the MTTA site to give it a listen.
Just One More Chapter Podcast Chapter 19 | Dean Koontz: The Legend
November 28, 2019
Dean Koontz reveals 6 new thrillers — and why you won’t find them in bookstores by Jim Ruland
November 7, 2019
Built-in bookshelves line both sides of the hallway that leads to Dean Koontz’s office at his sprawling home in Newport Coast, and every one of them is crammed with books. Not just any books. His books.
“When I’m having a bad day,” he says as we pass through the hallway, “this reminds me that I’ve done this before.”
That’s a bit of an understatement.
Dean Koontz is one of a handful of writers whose name people recognize even if they haven’t read his work. He’s written more than 100 books, 14 of which have landed on the top spot of the New York Times Best Seller list. He’s sold more than 450 million copies of his work.
But his latest project, “Nameless,” isn’t on these shelves. Nor will you find a copy at your local library or bookstore.
Published by Amazon, the “Nameless” series is being released only in electronic and audio formats. If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can download the first installment free starting Nov. 12. It’s an unconventional approach for an unconventional book.
I spoke with Koontz about “Nameless” at his home office, where he says he spends a minimum of 10 hours a day, six days a week, typing away on a computer that does not have access to the internet.
Like much of his home, the room’s furnishings and design reflect an Art Deco aesthetic. “I just love the Art Deco period,” Koontz says. “Common everyday objects were made like works of art. That’s all lost now.”
His latest project is a bit of a throwback to the Parker novels by Donald E. Westlake (writing as Richard Stark): short, gritty crime stories with a no-nonsense protagonist. In one scene, Koontz even drops the name “Alan Grofield,” a recurring character in Parker’s capers.
Read the full article @ the LA Times
Image: Author Dean Koontz at his Newport Coast home with Elsa. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
World Over Interview from 2014
November 2, 2019
Missed this one at the time so here you go.