Novelist Dean Koontz has published over 120 titles and sold around 500 million books. He’s one of the most successful storytellers of the last fifty years, author of such works as Odd Thomas, and recently appeared on the popular podcast Why I Write, hosted by David Perell. Together, they talked about writing process, creativity, the difference between sentiment and sentimentality in fiction, and the deep mystery of life that justifies the storytelling pursuit.

Toward the end of the interview, Koontz talks about how the writer’s entire vocation revolves around metaphysics. A nihilist who believes there is no ultimate purpose or meaning to life can only ever write one book, according to Koontz. Or perhaps the nihilist can only write one kind of book with the same predictable outcome. But the writer who affirms the deep mystery, beauty, and creative order of the world will have endless stories to tell. For a man who has written over 100 books, I am tempted to take him at his word.

Koontz is also connected with Wesley J. Smith, a frequent contributor to Mind Matters and the host of the Humanize Podcast. In fact, in 2022, Smith invited Koontz on his own show where they enjoyed a similar kind of conversation on human creativity, writing, and dogs –– one of Koontz’s many passions.

Interestingly, Koontz challenges Darwinism in his chat with Perell on the grounds that Darwin himself was clueless about the intricate inner workings of a single cell. Koontz also paid homage to the notion of irreducible complexity as articulated by scientists like Michael Behe. Koontz’s fiction is borne from a sense of wonder, a notion that the world entails far more mystery and complexity than what meets the eye. It didn’t come from materialistic chance. And that opens up the possibility for story. The writer, if he’s doing his job, helps us look.