David Morrell and Sylvester Stallone on the set of First Blood
This week on the Voices In My Head Podcast our special guest is
New York Times Bestselling Author, David Morrell.
About David Morrell: In 1972, David Morrell published his debut novel about a veteran with PTSD who returned home from the Vietnam war, bringing the war home with him. The name of this groundbreaking novel is First Blood. It was called “the father of the modern action novel,” and was widely and enthusiastically reviewed. It was also taught in high schools and colleges. It became a 1982 film, starring Sylvester Stallone, and led to a series of films about Rambo, who joined the ranks of the top five internationally recognized thriller icons: Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, James Bond, and Harry Potter.
In addition to being Rambo's creator, David Morrell also holds a Ph. D. in American literature from Penn State and was a professor in the English department at the University of Iowa where he taught from 1970 to 1986. His numerous New York Times bestsellers include the classic spy novel, The Brotherhood of the Rose, The Fraternity of the Stone, and The League of Night and Fog.
Eventually wearying of two professions, Morrell gave up his academic tenure in order to write full time. Shortly after, tragedy struck theMorrell family, as David's fifteen-year-old son Matthew was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer and died in 1987, a loss that haunts not only Morrell’s life but his work, as in his memoir about Matthew, Fireflies, and his novel Desperate Measures, whose main character lost a son.
In 2007 after 40 years of novels, honors, and awards David Morrell was able to add comic book writer to his resume, writing the acclaimed mini-series turned Graphic Novel, Captain America: The Chosen. Since then he has also written stories for The Amazing Spider-Man as well as the Savage Wolverine.
Find out even more about David Morrell on his official web site at www.DavidMorrell.net
First Blood Author David Morrell on The Voices In My Head Podcast Episode #146