John Coyne (writer)
Encyclopedia
John Coyne is an American
writer. He is the author of more than twenty-five nonfiction and fiction
books, including a number of horror novels
, while his short stories have been collected in "best of" anthologies such as Modern Masters of Horror and The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror. A former Peace Corps
Volunteer and a life-long lover of golf
, Coyne has edited and written a number of books dealing with both subjects, the most recent two novels areThe Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan and The Caddie Who Played With Hickory.
, he earned a masters in English at Western Michigan University, served in the Air Force, and in the Peace Corps
from 1962 to 1964, teaching English at the Commercial School in Addis Ababa
, Ethiopia
. He currently lives in Pelham Manor, New York
, with his wife and son, where he works in communications and edits PeaceCorpsWriters.org.
, before cutting back on genre writing in the mid 1980s. His short stories have been collected in a number of "best of" anthologies, including Modern Masters of Horror and The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror.
Coyne's most recent novels, The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan
, was published in 2006 and is a literary exploration of golf and everyday life. Norman Rush
praised the novel, saying that "John Coyne has managed to employ golf as a lens through which aspects of Midwestern daily life in the 1940s, of thwarted love, of social class, are revealed with stark and unsettling clarity." His latest novel is "The Caddie Who Played With Hickory" which is set in 1946 at the Midlothian Country Club.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer. He is the author of more than twenty-five nonfiction and fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
books, including a number of horror novels
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
, while his short stories have been collected in "best of" anthologies such as Modern Masters of Horror and The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror. A former Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
Volunteer and a life-long lover of golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, Coyne has edited and written a number of books dealing with both subjects, the most recent two novels areThe Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan and The Caddie Who Played With Hickory.
Life
Coyne was born in Chicago, Illinois; at age of ten he began working as a caddie at Midlothian Country Club. After graduating from Saint Louis UniversitySaint Louis University
Saint Louis University is a private, co-educational Jesuit university located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by the Most Reverend Louis Guillaume Valentin Dubourg SLU is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River. It is one of 28 member institutions of the...
, he earned a masters in English at Western Michigan University, served in the Air Force, and in the Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
from 1962 to 1964, teaching English at the Commercial School in Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. He currently lives in Pelham Manor, New York
Pelham Manor, New York
Pelham Manor is a village located in Westchester County, New York, USA. As of the 2010 census, the village had a total population of 5,486. It is located in the town of Pelham.- Demographics :...
, with his wife and son, where he works in communications and edits PeaceCorpsWriters.org.
Writing career
Coyne became one of modern horror fiction's "brand name" writers with the publication of his first novel, The Piercing, in 1978. He followed this up with a number of other horror novels, including bestsellers such as The Legacy and HobgoblinHobgoblin (book)
Hobgoblin by John Coyne is a 1981 horror novel about Scott Gardiner, a teenaged boy who becomes obsessed with Hobgoblin, a fantasy roleplaying game based on Irish mythology, as his life in the game and in reality slowly blend.-Description:...
, before cutting back on genre writing in the mid 1980s. His short stories have been collected in a number of "best of" anthologies, including Modern Masters of Horror and The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror.
Coyne's most recent novels, The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan
Ben Hogan
William Ben Hogan was an American golfer, generally considered one of the greatest players in the history of the game...
, was published in 2006 and is a literary exploration of golf and everyday life. Norman Rush
Norman Rush
Norman Rush is an American novelist whose introspective novels and short stories are set in Botswana in the 1980s. He is the son of Roger and Leslie Rush...
praised the novel, saying that "John Coyne has managed to employ golf as a lens through which aspects of Midwestern daily life in the 1940s, of thwarted love, of social class, are revealed with stark and unsettling clarity." His latest novel is "The Caddie Who Played With Hickory" which is set in 1946 at the Midlothian Country Club.
Novels
- The Legacy, NY: Berkley, 1979
- The Piercing, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1979
- The Searing, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1980
- HobgoblinHobgoblin (book)Hobgoblin by John Coyne is a 1981 horror novel about Scott Gardiner, a teenaged boy who becomes obsessed with Hobgoblin, a fantasy roleplaying game based on Irish mythology, as his life in the game and in reality slowly blend.-Description:...
, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1981 - The Shroud, NY: Berkley, 1983
- Brothers & Sisters, NY: Dutton, 1986
- The Hunting Season, NY: Macmillan, 1987
- Fury, NY: Warner Books, 1989
- Child of Shadows, NY: Warner Books, 1990
- The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan, Thomas Dunne Books, 2006; paperback, St. Martin's Griffin, 2007.
- The Caddie Who Played With Hickory", Thomas Dunne Books, 2008; paperback, St. Martin's Griffin, 2009.
Selected short stories
- "Cabin in the Woods" Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, July 1976. Reprinted in Modern Masters of Horror (1988).
- "The Crazy Chinaman" published in The Dodd Mead Gallery of Horror, ed. Charles L. Grant, 1983. Reprinted in Gallery of Horror by Stephen King, Charles L. Grant, 1997.
- "Snow Man" published in Monsters in Our Midst, ed. Robert Bloch, (1993). Reprinted in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Seventh Annual Collection (1994).
- "The Ecology of Reptiles" published in Predators, ed. Ed Gorman & Martin H. Greenberg (1993). reprinted in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Seventh Annual Collection (1994).
Anthologies
- Alfred Hitchcock’s Tales to Take Your Breath Away, NY: Dial Press, 1977 (Contributor)
- Hitchcock's Anthology, 1977 (Contributor)
- The Berkley Showcase: New Writings in Science Fiction and Fantasy, no date (Contributor)
- Modern Masters Of Horror, Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, 1981 (Contributor)
- Dodd Mead Gallery Of Horror, 1983 (Contributor)
- The Second Black Lizard Anthology of Crime Fiction, 1988 (Contributor)
- Masques IV, Pulphouse PublishingPulphouse PublishingPulphouse Publishing was an American small press publisher based in Eugene, Oregon and specializing in science fiction and fantasy. It was founded by Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch in 1988. The press was active until 1996...
, 1993 (Contributor) - Monsters in Our Midst, Tor, 1993 (Contributor)
- Predators, Roc, 1993 (Contributor)
- The Year's Best Fantasy & Horror (contributor), St. Martin's Press, 1994
- Gallery of Horror (contributor), Penguin Group, 1997.
- Living on the Edge: Fiction by Peace Corps Writers, editor and contributor, Curbstone Press, 1999
Selected Nonfiction
- Letters from the Peace Corps (contributor), Washington: Robert B. Luce, Inc., 1964
- Better Golf, Follett, 1972
- This Way Out: A Guide to Alternatives to Traditional College Education in the United States, Europe and the Third World, with Tom Hebert, NY: Dutton, 1972 (Co-author)
- Getting Skilled: A Guide to Private Trade and Technical Schools, with Tom Hebert, NY: Dutton, 1972 (Co-author)
- New Golf For Women, NY: Doubleday, 1973
- By Hand: A Guide to Schools and Careers in Crafts, with Tom Hebert, NY: Dutton, 1974 (Co-author)
- Ellery Queen's Cookbook, Random House, 1974 (Contributor)
- Playing with the Pros: Golf Instruction from the Senior Tour, NY: Dutton, 1990
- Peace Corps Writers Talk About Their Craft: Talking with . . . (21 Interviews), Rochester, NY: RPCV Writers & Readers, 1992 (Editor)
- Going Up Country, Travel Essays by Peace Corps Writers, Scribner’s, 1994 (Editor)
- To Touch the World: The Peace Corps Experience, editor and contributor, Peace Corps/USGPO, DC, 1994, 1995
- At Home in the World: The Peace Corps Story, editor and contributor, Peace Corps/USGPO, 1996
- Peace Corps: The Great Adventure, editor and contributor, Peace Corps/USGPO, 1997, 1999
External links
- Peace Corps Writers website, edited and published by John Coyne and Marian Haley Beil
- Official website for The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan