Dan Wells (author) explained

Dan Wells
Birth Name:Daniel Andrew Wells
Birth Date:1977 3, df=yes
Birth Place:Utah, United States
Education:Brigham Young University (BA)
Occupation:Author, podcast personality
Period:2000–present
Genre:Horror, science fiction, young adult
Notableworks:I Am Not a Serial Killer
Children:6
Spouse:Dawn Wells

Daniel Andrew Wells (born March 4, 1977) is an American horror and science fiction author. Wells's first published novel, I Am Not a Serial Killer, was adapted into a movie in 2016.

Early life

Dan Wells spent his childhood in Salt Lake City, Utah, and began writing at a young age. While in the second grade, he wrote his first stories based on the Choose Your Own Adventure series. He has cited Where the Wild Things Are as one of his first influences.[1] During his childhood, Wells was also exposed to science fiction and fantasy: namely, titles such as The Hobbit and Star Wars.[2] He frequented the library and loved to read.[3] In addition to sci-fi and fantasy novels, he read classics, including those of French and Russian literature. He also enjoyed writing scripts, songs, and poetry as a child.[4]

In high school, Wells wrote a series of comic books, novellas, and a serial. He began to take writing more seriously in college, finishing his first serious novel when he was 22.[5] He studied English and anthropology at Brigham Young University. It was there that he met his wife, Dawn. As a student, Wells also worked on BYU's speculative fiction magazine, Leading Edge, and began writing game reviews; he has since described himself as a "rabid gamer". Before becoming a published novelist, he worked as a corporate writer for NuSkin.[6]

Career

Wells's debut novel, I Am Not a Serial Killer, was published in 2009.[7] [8] It has been printed in English, Spanish, French, German, and Russian.[9] Wells did extensive research to make the novel's protagonist, John Cleaver, appear genuine. His fascination with serial killer predictors also inspired him to write the novel. In 2016, it was adapted into a film, starring Max Records and Christopher Lloyd.[10] Wells wrote a sequel, Mr. Monster, which was published by Tor Books in 2010.[11] [12] In 2011, his third installment to the John Cleaver series, I Don't Want to Kill You, was published.[13] [14] Wells continued John Cleaver's story with a second trilogy,[15] in which the protagonist changes and develops. In 2016, Wells told Deseret News that the fifth book in the series, Over Your Dead Body, was one of the most challenging to write.[16] Some of Wells's novels feature main characters with mental health issues. In Serial Killer, John Cleaver is diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder,[17] and the protagonist of The Hollow City has schizophrenia.

Wells expanded into young adult dystopia with Partials Sequence in 2012.[18] [19] The series made an appearance on the New York Times Best Seller list for children's series in 2014.[20] He followed up in 2016 with a Young Adult science fiction novel, Bluescreen, set in Los Angeles in the year 2050.[21] He continued this Mirador series with Ones and Zeroes in 2017[22] and Active Memory in 2018.[23] Other releases include middle-grade sci-fi audiobooks Zero G (2018),[24] Dragon Planet (2019), and Stargazer (2021).[25]

Wells is one of the four authors (including Mary Robinette Kowal, Brandon Sanderson, and Howard Tayler) who regularly host the podcast Writing Excuses. Wells was a writer for the 2017 TV series Extinct and co-wrote his own stage play, "A Night of Blacker Darkness" along with playwright Allison Hill.[26]

In 2022, he became the Vice President of Narrative for Brandon Sanderson's company, Dragonsteel Entertainment.

Personal life

He is the brother of author Robison Wells.[6] He has six children.[27] He has lived in Utah, Mexico, and Germany.He also has his own YouTube channel[28] on which he reviews tabletop role-playing games. The channel shares his name.

He and author Brandon Sanderson make the podcast Intentionally Blank together where they discuss everything from writing to other fantasy-related topics to their own lives and more.

Wells has described himself as a "card-carrying socialist" and does not like the musical Cats.

He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Critical reception

School Library Journal described his novel Bluescreen as "exciting and innovative".[29] Another School Library Journal review of Ones and Zeroes complimented Wells' complex and diverse characters, plausible dystopian plot, and understandable descriptions of future technology.[30] Kirkus said that Partials' "rushed ending" signaled there would be a sequel.

In 2011, Wells was nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.[31] His novella, The Butcher of Khardov, received a nomination for the Hugo Award for Best Novella in 2014;[32] Wells stated that this was the result of his unwittingly having been selected by Larry Correia for the Sad Puppies campaign.[33]

He is a cohost of Writing Excuses, which won the Hugo Award for Best Fancast and three Parsec Awards.[34]

In February 2017, Wells was the Literary Guest of Honor and Keynote Speaker at the 35th annual Life, the Universe, & Everything professional science fiction and fantasy arts symposium.[35]

Awards

Bibliography

John Wayne Cleaver series

Partials Sequence

Mirador series

The Zero Chronicles

Apocalypse Guard

Stand-alone novels

Novellas

Short stories

Editorials

Additional reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Vanishing point: Humanity gets terminated - almost - in Orem author's grim teen sci-fi novel. Clark. Cody. March 4, 2012. The Daily Herald. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120313140707/http://www.heraldextra.com/lifestyles/vanishing-point-humanity-gets-terminated---almost--/article_95525b10-64c9-11e1-acd6-001871e3ce6c.html. March 13, 2012. March 4, 2012.
  2. Web site: About Dan. October 15, 2015. Dan Wells. en-US. March 5, 2020. March 19, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200319195644/https://thedanwells.com/index.php/about-dan/. dead.
  3. Web site: Dan Wells biography, bibliography and reviews. www.fantasybookreview.co.uk. March 3, 2020.
  4. Web site: Dan Wells — Mormon Artist. Crowder. Ben. October 12, 2013. mormonartist.net. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20131012162645/http://mormonartist.net/interviews/dan-wells/ . October 12, 2013 . March 3, 2020.
  5. Web site: Questions and Answers with Dan Wells - Hortorian.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100605190333/http://hortorian.com/2010/06/questions-and-answers-session-with-dan-wells/ . June 5, 2010 .
  6. Web site: Brothers by the book. 2020-11-20. The Salt Lake Tribune. en-US.
  7. Web site: Title: I Am Not a Serial Killer . September 14, 2021 . Internet Speculative Fiction Database.
  8. News: Kermode. Mark. I am not a Serial Killer review – portrait of the sociopath as a young man. December 11, 2016. The Guardian. March 3, 2020. critic. Observer film. en-GB. 0261-3077.
  9. Web site: Formats and Editions of I am not a serial killer [WorldCat.org]]. byu.worldcat.org. en. March 12, 2020.
  10. News: Gold. Daniel M.. Review: 'I Am Not a Serial Killer,' but Somebody Is. August 25, 2016. The New York Times. March 3, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  11. Web site: Title: Mr. Monster . September 14, 2021 . Internet Speculative Fiction Database.
  12. Web site: Mr. Monster Dan Wells Macmillan. US Macmillan. en-US. March 3, 2020.
  13. Web site: Title: I Don't Want to Kill You . September 14, 2021 . Internet Speculative Fiction Database.
  14. Web site: I Don't Want to Kill You Dan Wells Macmillan. US Macmillan. en-US. March 3, 2020.
  15. Web site: Book review: Utah author Dan Wells brings sixth book in sociopath sci-fi series. Feldschau. Rick. June 15, 2017. Deseret News. en. March 5, 2020.
  16. Web site: Dan Wells talks about right, wrong in horror fiction. Loftus. Hikari. April 30, 2016. Deseret News. en. March 5, 2020.
  17. Web site: Fantasy Review: I Am Not a Serial Killer. Sedai. Mashiara. June 8, 2016. Dragonmount.com. en-US. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200804091944/https://dragonmount.com/news/fantasyreview/fantasy-review-i-am-not-a-serial-killer-r921/ . August 4, 2020 . March 5, 2020.
  18. Web site: Partials by Dan Wells book review. Lawler. Ryan. www.fantasybookreview.co.uk. en. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150803103853/http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk:80/Dan-Wells/Partials.html . August 3, 2015 . March 5, 2020.
  19. Book: PARTIALS Kirkus Reviews. en.
  20. News: Children's Series Books - Best Sellers - March 30, 2014 - The New York Times. The New York Times. March 3, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  21. Web site: Bluescreen - Dan Wells - Hardcover. HarperCollins Publishers: World-Leading Book Publisher. en-US. March 10, 2020.
  22. Book: ONES AND ZEROES Kirkus Reviews. en.
  23. Web site: Active Memory - Dan Wells - Hardcover. HarperCollins Publishers: World-Leading Book Publisher. en-US. March 10, 2020.
  24. Web site: Zero G. December 10, 2018. Dan Wells. en-US. March 5, 2020.
  25. Web site: DRAGON PLANET (ZERO G–Book 2) Release Date. Calendar. The Events. November 21, 2019. Dan Wells. en-US. March 5, 2020.
  26. Web site: Dan Wells Authors Macmillan. US Macmillan. en-US. March 3, 2020.
  27. Web site: Binowski. Brittany. March 18, 2017. 36 writing tips from Dan Wells and other NYT bestselling authors. March 3, 2020. Deseret News. en.
  28. Web site: Dan Wells. .
  29. Web site: Bluescreen by Dan Wells SLJ Review. SLJ. School Library Journal. March 10, 2020.
  30. Web site: Leffel. Ashley. 1 February 2017. Ones and Zeroes. live. 2021-09-14. School Library Journal. https://web.archive.org/web/20210914154147/https://www.slj.com/?reviewDetail=ones-and-zeroes . September 14, 2021 .
  31. Web site: Renovation - Hugo Awards . August 8, 2011 . October 16, 2011 . March 11, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120311132551/http://www.renovationsf.org/hugo-intro.php/ . dead .
  32. Web site: 2014 Hugo Awards. April 20, 2014. April 29, 2014.
  33. https://web.archive.org/web/20150410202850/http://www.fearfulsymmetry.net/?p=2282 My four cents on the Hugo thing
  34. Web site: Dan Wells. HarperCollins Publishers: World-Leading Book Publisher. en-US. March 3, 2020.
  35. Web site: Life, the Universe, & Everything 35: The Marion K. "Doc" Smith Symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy . LTUE Press. February 1, 2018.
  36. Web site: 2009 Winners – The Whitney Awards . 2020-11-20 . whitneyawards.com.
  37. Web site: 2010 Winners – The Whitney Awards . 2020-11-20 . whitneyawards.com.
  38. Web site: 2011 Winners – The Whitney Awards . 2020-11-20 . whitneyawards.com.
  39. Web site: 2015 Winners – The Whitney Awards . 2020-11-20 . whitneyawards.com.
  40. Web site: 2016 AML Awards . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170604221114/http://associationmormonletters.org/blog/2017/04/2016-aml-awards/ . June 4, 2017 . 2020-11-13 . Dawning of a Brighter Day.
  41. Web site: Title: I Am Not a Serial Killer . September 14, 2021 . Internet Speculative Fiction Database.
  42. Web site: Title: Mr. Monster . September 14, 2021 . Internet Speculative Fiction Database.
  43. Web site: Title: I Don't Want to Kill You . September 14, 2021 . Internet Speculative Fiction Database.
  44. Web site: Lee . Mandelo . A review of I Don't Want to Kill You by Dan Wells . November 21, 2014 . Tor.com.
  45. Web site: Title: Next of Kin . September 14, 2021 . Internet Speculative Fiction Database.
  46. Web site: Title: The Devil's Only Friend . September 14, 2021 . Internet Speculative Fiction Database.
  47. Web site: Title: Over Your Dead Body . September 14, 2021 . Internet Speculative Fiction Database.
  48. Web site: Title: Nothing Left To Lose . September 14, 2021 . Internet Speculative Fiction Database.
  49. Web site: Title: Isolation . September 14, 2021 . Internet Speculative Fiction Database.
  50. Web site: Title: Partials . September 14, 2021 . Internet Speculative Fiction Database.
  51. Web site: Dan Wells . Dan Wells talks about Partials . September 17, 2011.
  52. Web site: Title: Fragments . September 14, 2021 . Internet Speculative Fiction Database.
  53. Web site: Title: Ruins . September 14, 2021 . Internet Speculative Fiction Database.
  54. Web site: Title: Bluescreen . . September 14, 2021 .
  55. Web site: Title: Ones and Zeroes . . September 14, 2021 .
  56. Web site: Title: Active Memory . . September 14, 2021 .
  57. Web site: Title: Zero G . . September 14, 2021 .
  58. Web site: Title: Dragon Planet . . September 14, 2021 .
  59. Web site: Title: Stargazer . . September 14, 2021 .
  60. Web site: Title: A Night of Blacker Darkness . . September 14, 2021 .
  61. Web site: Title: The Hollow City . . September 14, 2021 .
  62. Web site: Title: Extreme Makeover . . September 14, 2021 .
  63. Web site: Title: Ghost Station . . September 14, 2021 .
  64. Web site: Title: The Butcher of Khardov . . September 14, 2021 .
  65. Stories, Listed by Author (2000) . . 2000 . February 24, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100626041522/http://www.locusmag.com/index/yr2000/s77.htm . June 26, 2010 . dead .
  66. Web site: Publication: The Leading Edge, September 2000 . . September 14, 2021 .
  67. Web site: Title: Charybdis . . September 14, 2021 .
  68. Web site: Publication: Monsters & Mormons . . September 14, 2021 .

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