David Morrell writes:
I was extremely lucky. I decided to be a writer when I was 17 because of my admiration for Stirling Silliphant's scripts on the classic TV series Route 66. I wrote some short stories for a college literary magazine. Then I went to Penn State to get my doctorate in American literature. While there, I got the idea for First Blood. William Tenn, the noted science-fiction writer, gave me advice about technique.
I worked on the novel for three years while I also wrote my dissertation and then went to the University of Iowa to teach. It was my first novel. My agent sold it within a couple of months. It was reviewed in all the major magazine and newspapers, including Newsweek, Time, and Life. I was 29. I know how fortunate I was. No one could have predicted the outcome.
David Morrell is the award-winning author of First Blood, which introduced the world to the character John Rambo. He has since published 25 additional books, including The Brotherhood of the Rose and The Protector. His next book, Creepers, will be published this fall.
