Nate Kenyon: September 2010 Archives

Bestselling thriller author Steve Alten  has his own remarkable personal journey to tell. Signed to a first-contract mega-deal for his novel MEG, which was promptly sold to Disney as a blockbuster movie in the making, Alten seemed to be living the dream of all aspiring authors. Indeed, MEG hit the bestseller lists all over the world, and spawned a number of sequels. But the movie became caught up in Hollywood "development hell," and Alten's relationship with his first publisher soured after it was bought by another company.

Still, he persevered, continuing to build his fan base with his trademark blend of well-researched, high-octane thrillers and founding his well-known Adopt an Author Program to encourage teen literacy--until four years ago, when a tragedy of another kind struck: a doctor diagnosed him with Parkinson's disease.

Rather than allowing this news to destroy his confidence, Alten described the diagnosis as one of life's "speed bumps," and began writing his newest thriller, GRIM REAPER: END OF DAYS, which he describes as his best novel, and into which he poured much of his own struggles and triumphs.