Uploaded October 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Start your education here: http://hillsdale.edu
In this episode of The Larry Arnn Show, Hillsdale College President Larry P. Arnn interviews best-selling author Dean Koontz. The two discuss Koontz's greatest influences, the future of government surveillance, and the difficulty of creating villains who resonate.
This interview was conducted on August 20, 2024.
Discover more at podcast.hillsdale.edu.
Discover Dean Koontz work at deankoontz.com
00:00 - The Strength of Ordinary People
00:37 - Themes of Courage in Fiction
01:10 - Guest Introduction
02:16 - Growing Up in Poverty
03:49 - Dealing with an Alcoholic Parent
05:35 - College Education and Early Writing
07:00 - Influence of a High School Teacher
10:14 - College Experiences and First Writing Success
12:56 - Realizing Writing as a Career
13:17 - First Novel and Early Writing Journey
14:55 - Support from His Wife
16:06 - The Joy and Challenges of Writing
17:22 - Finding His Own Voice as a Writer
18:32 - Literary Influences and Inspirations
20:10 - The Importance of Reading for Writers
21:01 - The Jane Hawk Series and Staying Off the Grid
26:34 - Developing a Strong Female Protagonist
30:24 - The Growth of a Character Through a Series
32:22 - The Role of Evil in Storytelling
38:09 - Portraying Evil Without Glorification
42:16 - Writing as a Reflection of Life
47:39 - Exploring Themes of Purpose and Meaning
50:10 - The Foolishness of Evil Characters
54:15 - The Power of Poetry and Concise Writing
55:45 - Upcoming Book and Creative Process
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Support Hillsdale College: https://secured.hillsdale.edu/hillsdale/support-hillsdale-college
Visit our website: http://hillsdale.edu
Learn from our online courses: http://online.hillsdale.edu
Read Imprimis: https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/
Undergraduate programs: https://www.hillsdale.edu/information-for/undergraduate-admissions/
Graduate School of Statesmanship: https://www.hillsdale.edu/academics/graduate-school/
Graduate School of Government: https://dc.hillsdale.edu/School-of-Government/Program-Overview/
Graduate School of Education: https://classicalgrad.hillsdale.edu/
Listen to the Hillsdale College Podcast Network: https://podcast.hillsdale.edu/
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Hillsdale College is an independent institution of higher learning founded in 1844 by men and women “grateful to God for the inestimable blessings” resulting from civil and religious liberty and “believing that the diffusion of learning is essential to the perpetuity of these blessings.” It pursues the stated object of the founders: “to furnish all persons who wish, irrespective of nation, color, or sex, a literary, scientific, [and] theological education” outstanding among American colleges “and to combine with this such moral and social instruction as will best develop the minds and improve the hearts of its pupils.” As a nonsectarian Christian institution, Hillsdale College maintains “by precept and example” the immemorial teachings and practices of the Christian faith.
The College also considers itself a trustee of our Western philosophical and theological inheritance tracing to Athens and Jerusalem, a heritage finding its clearest expression in the American experiment of self-government under law.
By training the young in the liberal arts, Hillsdale College prepares students to become leaders worthy of that legacy. By encouraging the scholarship of its faculty, it contributes to the preservation of that legacy for future generations. By publicly defending that legacy, it enlists the aid of other friends of free civilization and thus secures the conditions of its own survival and independence.
Start your education here: http://hillsdale.edu
In this episode of The Larry Arnn Show, Hillsdale College President Larry P. Arnn interviews best-selling author Dean Koontz. The two discuss Koontz's greatest influences, the future of government surveillance, and the difficulty of creating villains who resonate.
This interview was conducted on August 20, 2024.
Discover more at podcast.hillsdale.edu.
Discover Dean Koontz work at deankoontz.com
00:00 - The Strength of Ordinary People
00:37 - Themes of Courage in Fiction
01:10 - Guest Introduction
02:16 - Growing Up in Poverty
03:49 - Dealing with an Alcoholic Parent
05:35 - College Education and Early Writing
07:00 - Influence of a High School Teacher
10:14 - College Experiences and First Writing Success
12:56 - Realizing Writing as a Career
13:17 - First Novel and Early Writing Journey
14:55 - Support from His Wife
16:06 - The Joy and Challenges of Writing
17:22 - Finding His Own Voice as a Writer
18:32 - Literary Influences and Inspirations
20:10 - The Importance of Reading for Writers
21:01 - The Jane Hawk Series and Staying Off the Grid
26:34 - Developing a Strong Female Protagonist
30:24 - The Growth of a Character Through a Series
32:22 - The Role of Evil in Storytelling
38:09 - Portraying Evil Without Glorification
42:16 - Writing as a Reflection of Life
47:39 - Exploring Themes of Purpose and Meaning
50:10 - The Foolishness of Evil Characters
54:15 - The Power of Poetry and Concise Writing
55:45 - Upcoming Book and Creative Process
------------------------------
Support Hillsdale College: https://secured.hillsdale.edu/hillsdale/support-hillsdale-college
Visit our website: http://hillsdale.edu
Learn from our online courses: http://online.hillsdale.edu
Read Imprimis: https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/
Undergraduate programs: https://www.hillsdale.edu/information-for/undergraduate-admissions/
Graduate School of Statesmanship: https://www.hillsdale.edu/academics/graduate-school/
Graduate School of Government: https://dc.hillsdale.edu/School-of-Government/Program-Overview/
Graduate School of Education: https://classicalgrad.hillsdale.edu/
Listen to the Hillsdale College Podcast Network: https://podcast.hillsdale.edu/
------------------------------
Hillsdale College is an independent institution of higher learning founded in 1844 by men and women “grateful to God for the inestimable blessings” resulting from civil and religious liberty and “believing that the diffusion of learning is essential to the perpetuity of these blessings.” It pursues the stated object of the founders: “to furnish all persons who wish, irrespective of nation, color, or sex, a literary, scientific, [and] theological education” outstanding among American colleges “and to combine with this such moral and social instruction as will best develop the minds and improve the hearts of its pupils.” As a nonsectarian Christian institution, Hillsdale College maintains “by precept and example” the immemorial teachings and practices of the Christian faith.
The College also considers itself a trustee of our Western philosophical and theological inheritance tracing to Athens and Jerusalem, a heritage finding its clearest expression in the American experiment of self-government under law.
By training the young in the liberal arts, Hillsdale College prepares students to become leaders worthy of that legacy. By encouraging the scholarship of its faculty, it contributes to the preservation of that legacy for future generations. By publicly defending that legacy, it enlists the aid of other friends of free civilization and thus secures the conditions of its own survival and independence.
