A Writer's Tale

4. At a Pink Tea at Gary Brandner’s house, I met Dean Koontz. (Dean was not a member, and disapproved of the criticisms that were being thrown around at various writers.) Dean has not only been a great friend, but he has influenced my life and career in many significant ways. He advised me to “broaden my scope” and he got me Bob Tanner as an agent. Under Bob’s guidance, my career bloomed and he remains my agent to this day.

Without the Pink Tea, my life would probably not have included Jay Garon, Dean Koontz, Bob Tanner, my wife Ann and my daughter Kelly. Those are biggies, with ripple effects that touch every aspect of my life.

But to everything there is a season…

The season of the Pink Tea was when I was an innocent, aspiring writer learning from the old vets. We were a boy’s club of hard-drinking, smoking, raunchy guys along with a handful of good gals who didn’t try to change us.

But then the “Aunt Sallys” took control.

Some of us wanted no truck with getting civilized, so we lit out for the territories.

And so the season of the Pink Tea came to an end.

About the Lists

Included in this volume are lists of my favorite films, books, authors, etc. They are not intended to be lists of “the best.” In fact, I was very careful to judge names and titles entirely on the basis of my own preference not because the person or the work is generally considered wonderful. I tried to be as honest as possible.

They are very personal lists, reflecting nobody’s taste but my own.

We (myself, John, Peter and Bob) felt that the lists would serve several purposes.

One, my fans would be eager to see them. They are always asking about my favorite writers, books and movies.

Two, many writers will be curious to find out who and what is listed. In particular, are they? Are their friends? Are their enemies?

Three, the lists provide aspiring writers with names of authors and works that have been significant influences on a successful writer me. If they use the lists as guidelines for their own reading, they’ll gain a fairly broad background that will certainly improve their own writing.

Four, readers in general might use the lists to discover some excellent writers, books, and films that they might enjoy exploring.

Five, just about anyone might find it interesting to see what a guy like me prefers to read and watch at the movies. I am known as a horror writer. A lot of readers probably think that my tastes are limited to weird, hardcore, gruesome material. Some editors and critics and writers probably assume that I read nothing at all. I think the lists will surprise nearly everyone except for a few close friends.

Each list is arranged alphabetically; it would’ve been impossible to arrange the names or titles in order of preference.

I didn’t set out to come up with a certain number of names or titles for any list. I named my favorites first, then counted. So you can be sure that I didn’t include or exclude anything in order to round out the number.

The lists are extremely subjective. I pulled most of the names and tides off the top of my head, though I did sometimes scan my shelves to make sure I wasn’t leaving out anyone important. I undoubtedly did leave out certain names and titles simply because I failed to think of them. But many others were omitted on purpose. After all, a list doesn’t mean much if it includes everything.

Some readers may feel that my choices were influenced by factors such as friendship.

They may also suspect I omitted certain names or titles because of personal feelings about the author or a distaste for their material.

Guilty as charged. They’re my lists.

My 15 All-Time Favorite Books

THINKING OF ALL THE BOOKS I’VE READ SO FAR, THE FIFTEEN LISTED below stand out as having made such strong impressions on me that they inspired me and changed my life.

1. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Mark Twain

2. The Carpetbaggers - Harold Robbins

3. The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger

4. For Whom the Bell Tolls - Ernest Hemingway

5. Last Summer - Evan Hunter

6. Lonesome Dove - Lany McMurtry

7. Look Homeward, Angel - Thomas Wolfe

8. The Moon and Sixpence - W. Somerset Maugham

9. A Moveable Feast - Ernest Hemingway

10. The Night of the Hunter - Davis Grubb

11. The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway

12. Soldier in the Rain - William Goldman

13. The Temple of Gold - William Goldman

14. The Travels of Jamie MacPheeters - Robert Lewis Taylor

15. True Grit - Charles Portis

On Being A Horror Writer

HORROR WRITERS FIND OUT HOW IT FEELS TO BE THE TARGET OF bigotry. We are the second class citizens of the literary world.

Hell, we aren’t even citizens of that world. We are aliens, trespassers, interlopers.