On a new episode of the Humanize podcast, Wesley J. Smith’s guest is the internationally famous novelist Dean Koontz. Dean and Wesley discuss how he came to be an author, how life is filled with meaning, his art, the importance of human exceptionalism, the problem with transhumanism, and how Dean uses humor to further his plots and character development. He recalls his upbringing in an impoverished household that did not have running water until he was 11, how a high school English teacher changed his life, and his love for the use of the English language. He and Wesley also discuss the beauty of the human/dog relationship and his philanthropic support for Canine Companions for Independence, a school that trains service dogs to help people with disabilities lead independent lives. Any reader of Dean Koontz and supporter of human exceptionalism will want to listen to this fascinating interview with one of America’s most successful and prolific authors. Download the podcast or listen to it here.

Dean Koontz was born and raised in Pennsylvania and graduated from Shippensburg State College (now Shippensburg University). When he was a senior in college, he won an Atlantic Monthly fiction competition and has been writing ever since. Fourteen of his novels have risen to number one on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list, making him one of only a dozen writers ever to have achieved that milestone. His books are published in 38 languages and he has sold over 500 million copies to date. Dean is also a committed philanthropist, a famous lover of dogs, and as the interview amply illustrates, a deep thinker with a big and tender heart.