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R.L. Stine, author of the multimillion-selling Goosebumps and Fear Street series, lives in New York City with his wife, Jane, an editor and publisher, and their dog, Minnie. Visit RLStine.com.
However believable his plots seem to his readers, Stine insists he has never lived one of his stories. "I've never turned into a bee -- I've never been chased by a mummy or met a ghost. But many of the ideas in my books are suggested by real life. For example, one Halloween my son, Matt, put a mask on and then had trouble pulling it off. That gave me the idea for The Haunted Mask."
Although he never experienced terror first hand, he did enjoy reading about it. "When I was a kid, there were these great comic books called Tales From The Crypt and The Vault of Horror. They were gruesome. I discovered them in the barbershop and thought they were fabulous. I used to get a haircut every Saturday so I wouldn't miss any of these comic books. I had no hair at all when I was a kid!"
His ideas came from two sources: his memory and his imagination. "When I write, I try to think back to what I was afraid of or what was scary to me, and try to put those feelings into books." He also keeps a tribal mask and a skeleton hanging in his writing studio to provide eerie surroundings. Although he handles the writing by himself, Stine says he gets "lots of help from my editors, my readers, and my friends."
Kids reading Goosebumps may be looking for a scare, but the laughs they get are no accident. Before he was R. L., he was Jovial Bob, author of such works as 101 Silly Monster Jokes, and Bozos on Patrol and editor of Bananas magazine. His ability to know what kids will laugh at , as well as what will frighten them, makes the Goosebumps series all the more enjoyable for his readers.
Stine started writing when he was 9 years old! He would write stories and jokes on an old typewriter and hand them out at school. "The teacher would grab them and take them away," Stine says, "but I kept doing it." He wrote for his high school newspaper in Columbus Ohio. After graduating from Ohio State University, he moved to New York City, where he worked on a variety of writing jobs.
Although his books are fun and exciting, writing them is serious stuff. He treats writing "...like a job." To unwind after work he enjoys playing the pinball machine conveniently located in his own apartment.
For aspiring authors, Stine feels reading is as important as writing. He offers this advice: "If you want to be a writer, don't worry so much about writing. Read as much as you can. Read as many different writers as you can. Soak up the styles. You can learn all kinds of ways to say things." As a boy he read Norse legends, Greek myths, Edgar Allan Poe and baseball stories. "And Mad Magazine changed my life." Author biography courtesy of Scholastic, Inc.
"My first job in New York was making up fake interviews with movie and TV stars for a group of six movie magazines. I never spoke to the stars I wrote about. I wrote three-to-four "interviews" a day, all out of my imagination."
"'I've written over 300 books but I never learned to type. I use only one finger, the pointer on my left hand -- that's all. Three hundred books on one finger! The finger is very ugly now -- completely bent and curled and callused. When I show it to audiences, they can't believe it! This is my sacrifice for my art!"
"Sometimes kids show up at my country house and ask if my son Matt can come out and play. That's because they saw him mentioned in the back of my books. But they're very disappointed when he comes to the door -- because Matt is in his mid-twenties now! They were reading very old books! Matt is a musician, composer, and sound designer. You can hear his music at my web site, www.rlstine.com."
"I hope my readers get a chance to see my 4-D movie, R. L. Stine's Haunted Lighthouse. The movie stars Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Lea Thompson, Weird Al, and others. You can find it playing at four parks: SeaWorld San Antonio, SeaWorld San Diego, Busch Gardens Tampa, and Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Virginia. Watch out -- you might get very wet!"
Anonymous
Posted October 18, 2007
this book is awesome!! i love the suspension in it!! of course i like scary stories and i love r.l. stine!! all the books r amazing!!!!!!!!!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 4, 2005
it was really good. i loved it. i finished it in like 4 hours. definatly one of the best
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 28, 2011
All i got to say is BEST BOOK EVER!!! i read it like 5 times! literally and im only 11 in 5th
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 27, 2011
I really wanna read babysitter one and two i read three
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.The main idea is a guy had taken a test for a girl and what he wants from her is a date for taking the math test.
The guy had asked to go on another date after the first date with her then it just got out of control, because he would ask her over and over. She had said yes to everything until..
This book is awesome there is some mystery going on. Most R.L. Stine books I've read are mysteries. The book's from R.L. Stine are similar in some way.
I am not gonna get into detail but this book has been one of the best books I've read.
This book was awesome. I am recommending everybody to read it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.R.L. Stine is just amazing. This book really got me going. The suspense, the drama. It's super good. I didnt want to finish it.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 10, 2008
This book was another one of R.L. Stine greatest works of art.Its one of my favorites consitering the other 85 I have read.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 26, 2013
Me too
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Posted April 23, 2012
Hey waz up
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.7649262
Posted July 13, 2011
Best book ever! Are there more like it!?
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Posted March 28, 2011
OMG!!!!!!!!! i love this book so much i couldnt put it down R.L.Stine is and always will be my favorite writer :)
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Posted March 6, 2011
this book was almost as good as the babysitter but that one was my favorite
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Posted May 17, 2003
This is the best book I have ever read. Great work Mr. R.L. Stine!
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Posted October 15, 2002
I love this book !! And R.L Stine is the best !! You sould go and buy this book.....soon !!!!!
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Posted May 14, 2002
I read this book in like an hour. I love rl stine's fear street! This book was really good! I totally reccommend it!
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Posted April 21, 2002
This is a great book witch you will never forget. Once you start readind it you won't want to stop. So if your mom or dad says your grounded it's books like this that make being grounded to your room fun. And that is how it is with alot of Fear street books and other R.L. Stine stories. This book is defantly reconmended! And deserves 5 stars!
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Posted April 11, 2001
This book is cool. I got really in to it. It had a nice sweat ending not that excieting ending though but one that makes you feel like it was worth reading.
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Posted February 25, 2001
This was a good book, but it wasn't that exceiting~
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Posted August 27, 2010
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Posted November 24, 2010
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Overview
Under pressure to perform well on her math exam, Carter Phillips persuades math whiz Adam to take the test for her in exchange for one date, but one date is not enough for the dangerous young man.