Biography of John Saul
Biography of John Saul
I chose to do my paper on John Saul. I chose this author because I have already read many works by him. His books are psychological thrillers that keep you turning pages. Every book of his that I’ve read has been awesome. I plan to read his 15th novel, Second Child. I have already learned a minimum amount of information about him from reading some of his books. During this research project I hope to gain more information about his life.
John Saul was born in Pasadena, California on February 25, 1942. He grew up in Whittier where he graduated from Whittier High School in 1959. He attended several colleges after graduation. They included Antioch, in Ohio -Cerritos, in Norwalk, California, -Montana State University and San Francisco State College. He majored in anthropology, liberal arts, and theater, but never obtained a degree. After leaving college, he decided the best thing for him, being a college drop out, to do was become a writer. He spent the next fifteen years working in various jobs while attempting to write a book someone would want to publish.
During those years he gained a collection of unpublished manuscripts, but not a lot of money. He eventually found an agent in New York, who spent several years sending his manuscripts around, and trying to make rejection sound hopeful. Then, in 1976, one of his manuscripts reached Dell, who didn’t want to buy it, but asked if he’d be interested in writing a psychological thriller. He put together an outline, and hoped for the best. After that, things started getting strange. His agent decided the outline had all the makings of a best seller. They decided to gamble on a first novel. They backed the book with television advertising. That was one of the first times a paperback original was promoted on television. The gambling paid off. Within a month, Suffer the Children appeared on all the best-seller lists in the country and made the #1 spot in Canada. All 19 of his books have made all the best-seller lists and have been published world- wide. Though many of his books were published by Bantam/Doubleday/Dell, his last three books have been published by Ballantine/Fawcett/Columbine. In addition to his works as a novelist, John is also interested in theater. He has acted, and as a playwright has had several one-act plays produced in Los...