R.L Stine author page

R.L. Stine biography

R.L. Stine is an American author best known for his contributions to children’s horror literature. Born Robert Lawrence Stine on October 8, 1943, in Columbus, Ohio, he began writing at the age of nine after discovering a typewriter in his family’s attic. He graduated from Ohio State University in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and served as editor of the university’s humor magazine, The Sundial, for three years.

Stine’s early career included writing joke books and creating the humor magazine Bananas for Scholastic Press. In 1986, he published his first horror novel, Blind Date, and subsequently wrote several other novels in the genre. He co-created and served as head writer for the children’s television series Eureeka’s Castle, which aired from 1989 to 1995.

In 1989, Stine launched the Fear Street series, targeting teenage readers. The series has sold over 80 million copies and was adapted into a trilogy of films released on Netflix in 2021. In 1992, he introduced the Goosebumps series, which became a global phenomenon, selling over 400 million copies worldwide and translated into 35 languages. The franchise expanded to include a television series, video games, and feature films.

Stine has also written other series such as Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, and The Nightmare Room, as well as adult novels including Superstitious (1995) and Red Rain (2012). His autobiography, It Came from Ohio!: My Life as a Writer, was published in 1997.

Throughout his career, Stine has received numerous accolades, including the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2013 and the Horror Writers Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.