2. So at first he published his stories in MAD Magazine, he even published several amateur magazines such as Ming, Whanny, Stine's Line and others, during his school years. Wanting to be a journalist, he worked for magazines such as Search, Junior Scholastic, Bananas and even published a few colouring books. Hard to believe that one of the masters of horror was such a funny writer. Good thing he would keep his sense of humour for the rest of his life.
3. At first Stine signed a contract for just six Goosebumps titles, and as he candidly admitted later he mainly did it for the money. Not him, and certainly not the publishing house, even began to imagine how successful will the series turn out to be. A global phenomenon, the Goosebumps stories will soon earn him the title of "Stephen King for children". Maybe the best recognition a horror author could ever hope to achieve.
4. A prolific author, he writes everyday (at least he tries). He always starts with the title, then the ending and for every single book he lays a thorough plan, chapter by chapter. The first editor of his stories is his wife, and Stine has often said that she is one of the toughest book editors ever.
5. R.L. Stine is a Twitter fan.
6. He is an admirer of Ray Bradbury, and he often said that this was the main influence and literary hero. He is also a fan of P.G. Wodehouse and Agatha Christie.
7. Although he is famous for his horror stories, R.L. Stine doesn't believe in ghosts or monsters, or any supernatural phenomenon.
8. He is discreet about his personal life, as much as he likes talking to his readers (of all ages). In 1997 he published an autobiography titled It Came From Ohio! My Life as a Writer, with a Goosebumps style cover and the main source of information regarding his life behind the success.
9. Goosebumps is one of the most popular and best sold children books series of all times, as it has sold over 400 million copies all over the world, and has been translated in 32 languages.
Photo: rlstine.com
