Frequently Asked Questions

GENERAL QUESTIONS

Who is F. Paul Wilson?

Paul was born and raised in New Jersey where he misspent his youth playing with matches, poring over Uncle Scrooge and E.C. comics, reading Lovecraft, Matheson, Bradbury, and Heinlein, listening to Chuck Berry and Alan Freed on the radio, and watching Soupy Sales and Shock Theatre with Zacherley.

He is the author of more than thirty books: six science fiction novels (HEALER, WHEELS WITHIN WHEELS, AN ENEMY OF THE STATE, DYDEETOWN WORLD, THE TERY, SIMS), nine horror thrillers (THE KEEP, THE TOMB, THE TOUCH, REBORN, REPRISAL, NIGHTWORLD, BLACK WIND, SIBS, MIDNIGHT MASS), three contemporary thrillers (THE SELECT, IMPLANT, DEEP AS THE MARROW) and a number of collaborations. In 1998 he resurrected his popular antihero, Repairman Jack, and has chronicled his adventures in LEGACIES, CONSPIRACIES, ALL THE RAGE, HOSTS, THE HAUNTED AIR, GATEWAYS, CRISSCROSS, HARBINGERS, BLOODLINE and BY THE SWORD.

Short stories from his first 20 years as a writer are collected in SOFT & OTHERS (1989) and THE BARRENS & OTHERS (1998). A third collection is in the works. He has edited two anthologies: FREAK SHOW (1992) and DIAGNOSIS: TERMINAL (1996).

THE KEEP and THE TOMB both appeared on the New York Times Bestsellers List. WHEELS WITHIN WHEELS won the first Prometheus Award in 1979; THE TOMB received the 1984 Porgie Award from The West Coast Review of Books. His novelette “Aftershock” won the 1999 Bram Stoker Award for short fiction. DYDEETOWN WORLD was on the young adult recommended reading lists of the American Library Association and the New York Public Library, among others. He is listed in the 50th anniversary edition of Who's Who in America.

His novel THE KEEP was made into a visually striking but otherwise incomprehensible movie (screenplay and direction by Michael Mann) by Paramount in 1983. THE TOMB is in development as “Repairman Jack” by Beacon Films and hopefully will not suffer a similar fate. His original teleplay "Glim-Glim" aired on Monsters in 1989 and is currently in reruns on the Sci-Fi Channel. An adaptation of his short story "Menage a Trois" was part of the pilot for The Hunger series that debuted on Showtime in July 1997. He has written for stage, screen, and interactive media as well.

If you want to know more about F. Paul Wilson, please check out all the pages on this web site. Of particular interest:

Where I'll Be (Conferences & Book Tours)
My So-Called Life
FPW's Works (novels, short stories, etc.)
Complete FPW Bibliography
FPW Merchandise
Latest News

What is F. Paul Wilson's Official Web Site?

The site you're own right now is the official web site: http://www.repairmanjack.com

You can also post messages for Paul and other fans on his popular forum: http://www.repairmanjack.com/forum/index.php?

Where can I Find [Insert Title of Book]?

The first places you should look to find F. Paul Wilson’s books are in the WORKS section of this site. There are links below each book to Amazon, Barnes & Noble or other booksellers where that title is available. If they don't have them in stock, there is almost certainly a used bookseller associated with Amazon or Barnes & Noble that does. This is a great option if you don't mind buying used, or are specifically looking for special/first editions.

F. Paul Wilson has written a heck of a lot of books, so if you have trouble finding it in the WORKS sections, try our SEARCH engine. It will search for the mention of that title anywhere on this site.

A site that a lot of the Repairman Jack Forum members’ favor, largely because of its name but also for its great search engine, is Abe Books. You can use their search engine to find just about any of F. Paul Wilson’s books. This is a great place to look for the really hard to find titles. Another place is Overlook Connection.

Ebay is always a prospect, but it may frustrate you if you are into immediate gratification since you must compete against other bidders. Also check out www.half.com, as the booksellers on here usually have a nice assortment of titles.

There is always your hometown (or another town's) used bookstore. Last, but not least, don't forget the Repairman Jack Forum. Once in a while a kind member offers up his or her extra copies of F. Paul Wilson’s books, and usually it's free.

In addition to his novels, F. Paul Wilson has written numerous short stories and introductions to other people's work. These short pieces are inconveniently scattered over approximately 100 different compilations/con programs/magazines/etc. to the extent that only “the man” himself and some board regulars have any idea which, what, and where they are. If you are looking for a particular story your best bet is to check the downloadable bibliography or post your query on the Repairman Jack Forum and someone “in the know” can help you out.

What is the hardest to find out of F. Paul Wilson's entire catalog?

When asked, Paul responded with:

The ultimate rarity is the special binding of THE TOUCH done by the president of Hodder & Stoughton in the UK. (I'm told he loved the novel) and given to the officers of the company as a Christmas gift. (He didn't forget me, thankfully.) It's a truly wonderful example of quality design and binding. Probably fewer than 20 copies exist.

There is also something called ARC’s (Advanced Reader Copies) of a lot of F. Paul Wilson’s work. These are usually very limited in number and are quite rare.

Who publishes limited/lettered editions of F. Paul Wilson’s books?

For the most up to date list of limited editions available, please check out our WORKS page - Limited Editions section.

Gauntlet Press prints special editions of the Repairman Jack books as well as some chapbooks.
Cemetery Dance Publications sells The Christmas Thingy, Midnight Mass and the series Sims, as well as compilations and back issues of their magazine with stories by F. Paul Wilson.
Overlook Connection Press will soon be publishing The Tery in its first hardcover edition.
Borderlands Press has published the limited editions of the Adversary Cycle, the little beige book of nondescript stories, Virgin, an audio/chapbook of Sex Slaves of the Dragon Tong, and will be publishing a limited of Black Wind.

Have there been any graphic adaptations of F. Paul Wilson’s work?

There is a graphic adaptation of “Pelts” (in The Barrens and Others) in Gauntlet Magazine #3.

There is a graphic story called “Trolling” in the book Weird Business. “Trolling” is a prequel to “Faces” (in The Barrens and Others).

Two of the earliest stories F. Paul Wilson had published were two comic scripts: “The Sound of Wings” (Eerie #34) and “With Silver Bells and Cockle Shells...” (Creepy #44).

IDW Publishing published in 2006 an adaptation of The Keep which was written by F. Paul Wilson and was illustrated by Matthew D. Smith. A graphic novel combining the five scripts has also been released.

IDW Publishing has also adapted two short stories based on F. Paul Wilson's work:“Cuts,” “Slasher,” “Pelts” and “Faces”. These can be found in DOOMED issues 1-4.

Does F. Paul Wilson have any pseudonyms?

Yes. F. Paul Wilson has been published in the UK under the pseudonym “Colin Andrews.” He chose this name so that British people would be able to see his books without standing on their heads to see the bottom shelf (where the “W” authors generally are filed).

Also, he once wrote a novel with his wife called Virgin. This was published under his wife’s maiden name, Mary Elizabeth Murphy, but F. Paul Wilson did about 90% of the writing. This novel has since been reissued by Borderlands Press under the author’s name.

Are there any fan websites out there?

Repairman Jack Forum regular Lisa Krause has a fan page. Kade Cole has a fan page too. Although Kade's page is somewhat outdated (since 1997), but still contains some good information. It used to be the sole place for F. Paul Wilson information on the web.

Are there any gatherings for fans of F. Paul Wilson?

An annual gathering started in 2001 known as The Grand Unification (GU for short). Originally, the GU started as a small gathering of on-line friends who shared a common interest (i.e. F. Paul Wilson). Since the original GU three more gatherings have taken place:

GU-1 was held in Baltimore, MD in October 2001
GU-2 was held in Atlanta, GA in September 2002
GU-3 was held in Chicago, IL in February 2004
GU-4 was held in Orlando, FL in February 2005
GU-5 was held in Boston, MA in March 2006

No announcements have been made for a GU-6 in 2007 due to personal commitments from several of the regulars. Therefore, GU-6 will most likely be held in 2008. For the latest information please check out COOL STUFF page-Grand Unifications section.

So far F. Paul Wilson has graced us with his presence each time. Here’s hoping he continues to do so, not only because we have him to thank for the friends we’ve made over the years, but because we consider him a friend as well. For more information on past Grand Unifications (including photos) please visit Lisa Krause’s GU web page.