By admin 
Prolific author R.L. Stine had multiple generations of horror fans on the edge of their seats in a dimly lit Crest Theater on Oct. 7.
Read more Teen likely ran over baby after giving birth on Central Coast roadside, sheriff says
In a one-hour Q&A conversation, moderated by Reading Rainbow host and librarian Mychal Threets, the pair brought a night of horror, humor and nostalgia to Sacramento.
Robert Lawrence Stine, or better known as R.L. Stine, said he “never planned to be a scary guy.”
At age nine, he started writing joke books, comic books and graphic novels before becoming the legend behind the Goosebumps and Fear Street novels.
They depicted a young cast of characters that fought against evil zombies, ghosts, vampires, werewolves, mummies and haunted houses.
The books, stocked in many libraries and Scholastic Book Fairs, were a hit because they were “easy and fun to read,” Stine said.
When Stine first started Goosebumps, he said there were many complaints about the series, as no one had ever done a scary book series for seven- to 11-year-olds.
“But teachers and librarians were our biggest support,” he said. “They were behind us right from the beginning because they saw kids were coming in the library and reading.”
Now, with over 400 million copies sold, the series has been widely adapted into TV shows and films, including one starring actor Jack Black.
“People always ask me about Slappy, the evil dummy,” Stine said. “He’s my favorite character because everyone loves him so much.”
“And he’s my least favorite character because I’m sick of him,” he confessed.
Below is a recap of the Q&A conversation with Threets and Stine.
Is Halloween your favorite holiday?
“Kind of,” Stine said. “I’m almost never home. I’m always out talking. It’s really my busiest time.”
Read more Trump administration probes UC Davis, 8 other schools over potential visa fraud
But when he is home in New York for the spooky festivities, Stine said Halloween only lasts about 10 minutes as children make their rounds in his apartment building.
“And I say: Would you like a book?” Stine said, recalling his attempts to offer Goosebumps books during the holiday.
‘No thanks.’ (The kids would respond.)
When you’re writing books, what is your setting?
Stine said he writes from his home office from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. six days a week. He says a skeleton and a three-foot-long cockroach also accompany him in the office.
“How many people have a three-foot-long cockroach?” Stine said.
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
“Don’t listen to those writers who say that it’s hard,” Stine said. “I think aspiring writers are like me. You don’t have to tell them to write because they’re already doing it.”
If you hadn’t been a writer, what do you think you would have become?
“A seal in the Central Park Zoo,” Stine said. “They’re on the rock. They can swim at any time they want. People throw fish at them.”
Stein also spoke about being a shy child, transitioning from comedy to horror after a friend convinced him to do so and looking up to Fahrenheit 451 author Ray Bradbury.
Stine’s recent and upcoming projects include Goosebumps books titled What We Do at Night and How to Train Your Dummy, and an adult thriller called Let’s All Kill Rosalie.
For those who missed the event, the Sacramento Public Library will share a YouTube video on Halloween.
At the tail end of the night, library staff rolled out a cake to celebrate Stine’s 83rd birthday. Sitting atop the grandiose cake was a figurine of Slappy the Dummy.
Read more PG&E warns of possible power shutoffs in 17 California counties this weekend