Dan Wells

Dan Wells studied at Brigham Young University and Escuela Secundaria Técnica #47. The recorded working language is English. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are detective fiction. Works named in the authority record are I Am Not a Serial Killer. Distinctions recorded are Hugo Award for Best Related Work and Whitney Awards.

• Name — Dan Wells • Birth Name — Daniel Andrew Wells • Born — 4 March 1977 • Birthplace — Utah, United States • Education — Brigham Young University (BA) • Occupation — Author, podcast personality • Period — 2000–present • Genre — Horror, science fiction, young adult • Notable Works — I Am Not a Serial Killer • Website — http: thedanwells.com/ • Children — 6 • Spouse — Dawn Wells

Dan Wells spent his childhood in Salt Lake City, Utah, and began writing at a young age. While in the second grade, he wrote his first stories based on the Choose Your Own Adventure series. He has cited Where the Wild Things Are as one of his first influences. During his childhood, Wells was also exposed to science fiction and fantasy: namely, titles such as The Hobbit and Star Wars. He frequented the library and loved to read. In addition to sci-fi and fantasy novels, he read classics, including those of French and Russian literature. He also enjoyed writing scripts, songs, and poetry as a child. In high school, Wells wrote a series of comic books, novellas, and a serial. He began to take writing more seriously in college, finishing his first serious novel when he was 22. He studied English and anthropology at Brigham Young University. It was there that he met his wife, Dawn. As a student, Wells also worked on BYU's speculative fiction magazine, Leading Edge, and began writing game reviews; he has since described himself as a "rabid gamer". Before becoming a published novelist, he worked as a corporate writer for NuSkin.

Wells's debut novel, I Am Not a Serial Killer, was published in 2009. It has been printed in English, Spanish, French, German, and Russian. Wells did extensive research to make the novel's protagonist, John Cleaver, appear genuine. His fascination with serial killer predictors also inspired him to write the novel. In 2016, it was adapted into a film, starring Max Records and Christopher Lloyd. Wells wrote a sequel, Mr. Monster, which was published by Tor Books in 2010. In 2011, his third installment to the John Cleaver series, I Don't Want to Kill You, was published. Wells continued John Cleaver's story with a second trilogy, in which the protagonist changes and develops. In 2016, Wells told Deseret News that the fifth book in the series, Over Your Dead Body, was one of the most challenging to write. Some of Wells's novels feature main characters with mental health issues. In Serial Killer, John Cleaver is diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder, and the protagonist of The Hollow City has schizophrenia. • Illustration — Wells at the 2017 Phoenix Comicon Wells expanded into young adult dystopia with Partials Sequence in 2012. The series made an appearance on the New York Times Best Seller list for children's series in 2014. He followed up in 2016 with a Young Adult science fiction novel, Bluescreen, set in Los Angeles in the year 2050. He continued this Mirador series with Ones and Zeroes in 2017 and Active Memory in 2018. Other releases include middle-grade sci-fi audiobooks Zero G (2018), Dragon Planet (2019), and Stargazer (2021). Wells is one of the four authors (including Mary Robinette Kowal, Brandon Sanderson, and Howard Tayler) who regularly host the podcast Writing Excuses. Wells was a writer for the 2017 TV series Extinct and co-wrote his own stage play, "A Night of Blacker Darkness" along with playwright Allison Hill. In 2022, he became the Vice President of Narrative for Brandon Sanderson's company, Dragonsteel Entertainment.

He is the brother of author Robison Wells. He has six children. He has lived in Utah, Mexico, and Germany. • Illustration — Wells reading at the 2015 National Book Festival He also has his own YouTube channel on which he reviews tabletop role-playing games. The channel shares his name. He and author Brandon Sanderson make the podcast Intentionally Blank together where they discuss everything from writing to other fantasy-related topics to their own lives and more. Wells has described himself as a "card-carrying socialist" and does not like the musical Cats. He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

• First trilogy • * • * • * * • Second trilogy • * • * • *

* * * *

* * *

* * *

• The Apocalypse Guard (with Brandon Sanderson, forthcoming)

• Written as "Fred Whithers". * * *

*

• "The Amazing Adventures of George" in Leading Edge #40 (September 2000) • "Charybdis" in Leading Edge #61 (June 2011) • "The Mountain of the Lord" in Monsters & Mormons edited by Theric Jepson and Wm. Morris (October 2011, Peculiar Pages) • "Elsecaller" (2024) With Brandon Sanderson. Released as part of a collectible card set. Republished in a bundled volume the following year by Dragonsteel books. • "Chasmfriends Get a Pet!" (2024) With Brandon Sanderson for the same card set; to be adapted in future as a picture book.

• How to Write Good (September 2000), in Leading Edge #40

• Interview with Teenreads, March 2, 2017

Dan Wells is recorded as having received Hugo Award for Best Related Work and Whitney Awards. The authorities additionally record the heading Daniel Andrew Wells.