John Saul

For other people named John Saul, see John Saul (disambiguation).

John Saul (born February 25, 1942) is an American author of suspense and horror novels. Most of his books have appeared on the New York Times Best Seller List.[1]

Contents

Biography

Born in Pasadena, Saul grew up in Whittier, California, and graduated from Whittier High School in 1959. He went on to several colleges, variously majoring in anthropology, liberal arts and theater, but never obtained a degree. After leaving college, Saul decided to become a writer, and spent fifteen years working in various jobs while trying to improve his craft.

Prior to the start of his bestselling thriller career Saul had around ten books published under pen names, the first of which he wrote in one weekend after unexpectedly losing his job. His first book sale earned him just $200. [2] Today he has over 60 million books in print. [3]

In 1976, Dell Publishing contacted him and asked if he'd be interested in writing a psychological thriller. The resulting novel, Suffer the Children, appeared on all the best-seller lists in the United States and even reached the number one spot in Canada. In addition to his novels, Saul has had several one-act plays produced in both Los Angeles and Seattle.

Saul lives part-time in the Pacific Northwest, both in Seattle and in the San Juan Islands, and has a residence on the Big Island of Hawaii. Saul is openly gay. He lives with his partner of 32 years, who has collaborated on several of his novels.[1] He is a frequent speaker at the Maui Writers' Conference.

Works

Novels

Year Title
1977 Suffer the Children
1978 Punish the Sinners
1979 Cry for the Strangers
1980 Comes the Blind Fury
1981 When the Wind Blows
1982 The God Project
1984 Nathaniel
1985 Brainchild
1986 Hellfire
1987 The Unwanted
1988 The Unloved
1989 Creature
1990 Second Child
1991 [4] Sleepwalk
1991 Darkness
1992 Shadows
1993 Guardian
1994 The Homing
1995 Black Lightning
1997 Blackstone Chronicles (novel series)
1 An Eye for an Eye: The Doll (1996)
2 Twist of Fate: The Locket (1997)
3 Ashes to Ashes: The Dragon's Flame (1997)
4 In the Shadow of Evil: The Handkerchief (1997)
5 Day of Reckoning: The Stereoscope (1997)
6 Asylum (1997)
1998 The Presence
1999 The Right Hand of Evil
2000 Nightshade
2001 Manhattan Hunt Club
2002 Midnight Voices
2003 Black Creek Crossing
2005 Perfect Nightmare
2006 In the Dark of the Night
2007 The Devil's Labyrinth
2008 Faces of Fear
2009 House of Reckoning

References

  1. ^ a b Steele, Bruce C (2001-08-28), "Fear and loving in the best-seller rack", The Advocate, archived from the original on March 26, 2005, http://web.archive.org/web/20050326031450/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1589/is_2001_August_28/ai_77660070, retrieved 2007-08-30  .
  2. ^ The Horror Zine Presents: an interview with John Saul, http://www.thehorrorzine.com/John%20Saul/JohnSaul.html, retrieved 2011-09-27 .
  3. ^ "John Saul's Blackstone Chronicles", The Computer Show, http://www.thecomputershow.com/computershow/previews/johnsaulsblackstonechronicles.htm, retrieved 2011-09-27 .
  4. ^ Borrego looks like an ordinary New Mexico town: it borders an Indian reservation, its teenagers are bored and restless, and its only industry is the outdated oil refinery. But someone has a plan to shake up Borrego that involves controlling the minds of the local residents. When Judith Sheffield is asked to return to her sleepy hometown to teach high school math, she discovers that the students' mandatory flu shots don't really contain flu vaccine. The teacher joins forces with refinery worker Frank Arnold; his teenage son, Jed, whose mother belonged to the neighboring tribe; and Brown Eagle, the boy's grandfather, to find out what and who is behind the flu-shot edict and an equally mysterious takeover bid for the oil refinery. There are compelling scenes in which Brown Eagle introduces Jed to Native American mysticism, and the novel's climax involves a spectacular display of man restoring nature to its rightful place--after having almost destroyed everything in the process. Saul's ( Creature ) suspenseful tale leaves the reader with no doubt on the question of who wins and who loses in the struggle of good against evil.
  • John Saul: A Critical Companion by Paul Bail

External links