Stephen Coonts
Biographical Information
Buckhannon native Stephen Coonts grew up in this small West Virginia town (population then about 6,000), moving on to study political science at West Virginia University and earning a A.B. degree in 1968. After graduation, Coonts received his commission as a naval Ensign and reported for flight training in Pensacola, Florida. Upon receiving his wings in 1969, Stephen Coonts then served two combat tours as an A-6 bomber pilot on the USS Enterprise in the final years of Vietnam. After the conflict ended, Coonts served as an A-6 flight instructor and then served as an assistant catapult and arresting gear officer on the USS Nimitz. Coonts left active duty in 1977 and moved to Colorado, entering the Colorado School of Law in Fall 1977.
Stephen Coonts received his law degree in late 1979 and returned to West Virginia to practice. After a few years in his native state, Coonts returned to Colorado in 1981 as a staff attorney for a large independent oil company, specializing in oil and gas law.
After being rejected by many different publishers, Stephen Coonts's first novel Flight of the Intruder was published by the Naval Institute Press in September 1986. The Press had recently published Tom Clancy's first novel, The Hunt for Red October, and was hoping to repeat that success. Intruder was wildly successful for a first novel from a small press, remaining on the New York Times bestseller list for 28 weeks and going on to become a Paramount motion picture and a video game.
Since then, Stephen Coonts has become a regular visitor to the New York Times bestseller list. He has published eleven more novels, nine starring Jake Grafton, the hero of Flight of the Intruder. His latest novel, Saucer, was published March 2002.
In addition to his writing career, Stephen Coonts served as a trustee of West Virginia Wesleyan College from 1990-1998. He was honored by West Virginia University by his induction into the West Virginia University Academy of Distinguished Alumni in 1992. He received the 1986 U.S. Naval Institute Author of the Year Award for The Flight of the Intruder. Coonts and his wife, Deborah, reside in Clarksville, Maryland. To contact Stephen Coonts, write to:
P.O. Box 221
Highland, MD 20777
or email coonts@erols.com .
Critical Responses
Stephen Coonts is consider a master of the techno-thriller. Kirkus Reviews called him "The premier purveyor of flyboy thrillers. " His work is praised for its strong and empathic characters, fast-paced action, tightly-woven and believable plots, and attention to detail. His first novel, The Flight of the Intruder, became a major motion picture from Paramount Studios starring Danny Glover, Willem Dafoe, and Brad Johnson. The hero Coonts introduced in Flight of the Intruder, Jake Grafton, has earned Coonts a legion of dedicated and eager fan who regularly push his books onto the bestseller lists. His fourth novel, Under Siege, was cited as a New York Times Notable Book for 1990.
Coonts' high-flying adventures have also garnered international praise, with his books being translated and republished in the British Commonwealth, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Turkey, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Russia, Cana, Japan, and Israel.
Stephen Coonts has received recognition as the U. S. Naval Institute Author of the Year (1986) and as a member ofc the West Virginia University Academy of Distinguished Alumni.
Works Published
Novels:
Flight of the Intruder
Final Flight
The Minotaur
Under Siege
The Red Horseman
The Intruders
Fortunes of War
Cuba
Hong Kong
America
SaucerNon-Fiction
Cannibal Queen
War in the AirAnthologies
First to Fight
Combat
Selected Bibliography
Coonts, Stephen. The Philosophy of Luck--Stephen Coonts on luck, professionalism, and military aviation. Flying Safety. 52:1, 1996. pp. 5+.
Ryan, William F. The Genesis of the Techo-Thriller. Virginia Quarterly Review. 69:1, Winter 1993. pp. 24-40.
Stroby, W.C. Five Questions Every First Novelist Must Answer. Writer's Digest. 70:10, October 1, 1990. pp. 24+.
Warren, Tim. Stephen Coonts: Ace of Suspense.Publishers Weekly. 246:32, August 9, 1999. pp. 326-7.
Author Website
Stephen Coonts Online -- http://www.stephencoonts.com