Bruce Coville

Born May 16, 1950, in Syracuse, New York, Bruce Coville is a prolific writer of young adult fiction with over 100 books to his name since his first publication in 1977. His early life was spent in a rural setting, where he recognized his bisexuality during his teenage years. Before establishing his writing career, Coville engaged in a variety of jobs, including toymaker, gravedigger, and elementary school teacher. He is married to Katherine Dietz, and they have three children. Coville's passion for writing was ignited in childhood through his voracious reading of adventure and mystery series, as well as comic books, and he aimed to evoke similar feelings of laughter and terror in his own readers. He has explored various writing methods, from strict outlines to more improvisational approaches, and currently utilizes an 'ever-expanding outline' technique. Coville is also a co-founder of Full Cast Audio, a company dedicated to producing full-cast audiobooks for young adult literature.

Bruce Coville was born on May 16, 1950, in Syracuse, New York. Growing up in a rural environment, he discovered his bisexuality as a teenager. His father, Arthur Farrington, was adopted and took the surname Coville. Coville's formative reading experiences included popular children's series like Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, alongside numerous comic books. He was drawn to stories that could elicit both laughter and fear, a dual emotional response that he later sought to replicate in his own literary creations. This early fascination with the power of storytelling fueled his ambition to become a writer, a goal he committed to by his mid-teens.

Coville's writing journey began with his first published book, 'The Foolish Giant,' in 1977, which was illustrated by his wife, Katherine. He has since authored over 100 young adult books, which have been translated into more than a dozen languages. Coville employs a flexible writing process, experimenting with different methods from detailed outlines to spontaneous creation. As of 2015, his approach involves outlining the beginning and end of a story and then developing the middle sections. He has expressed concern about maintaining quality and originality as he continues to write, finding each subsequent book more challenging than the last. His work has been recognized with several awards, including three Golden Duck Awards and the Skylark Award for contributions to science fiction.

“books that made [him] laugh, but also made [him] shiver in terror.”

“writing from the seat of my pants”

“ever-expanding outline”