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https://www.wsj.com/articles/writer-r-l-stine-is-a-master-of-safe-scares-11666974479
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Robert Lawrence Stine always knew he was a writer. He was nine years old when he dragged his family’s typewriter into his room, where he spent most afternoons banging away at stories and jokes. “My parents were kind of horrified,” he recalls over video from his home in Manhattan. “My father would say, ‘What’s wrong with you? Go outside and play! Stop typing!’ It was the worst advice I ever got.”
As one of the bestselling children’s authors in the world, Mr. Stine has had the last laugh—or ghoulish cackle. His scary stories for young readers—including the Goosebumps series, which turned 30 this year—have sold nearly 500 million copies in 24 languages and spawned many adaptations for the big and small screen, including a Disney+ Goosebumps series that started filming this month. At 79, he still publishes several books a year: “Stinetinglers,” a collection of spooky short stories, appeared in August, followed by the novel “Slappy, Beware!” in September.
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This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.