Dean Koontz: Odd Facts About Author of Odd Thomas

Posted on February 18, 2005

Bestselling author Dean Koontz is the most famous author that refuses to do a book tour. In a very interesting article by Bettijane Levine of the L.A. Times Koontz reveals that his work habits are borderline obsessive compulsive.

He hasn't flown in an airplane since the '70s, almost never takes vacations or leaves his palatial home in Southern California, doesn't use email or the Internet "because it might distract him from his work, which he does all day every day, almost nonstop. He edits each page at least 20 to 30 times immediately after writing it.

Koontz's house is spotless; he employs a window washer on his 11-person, full-time staff to polish the windows and all surfaces of his house. He does have a dog, and a wife. He and his wife trade off walking Trixie the dog for exactly one hour every morning and then brushing her for precisely 45 minutes. Trixie is treated to more brushing for exactly 10 more minutes every night.

Koontz has written 70 books and has sold nearly 300 million copies in 38 languages, so all that window-polishing and dog-brushing must be good for something.