What’s the weirdest fan mail you’ve received? My favorite was from a girl early on in my career.  She said, “Dear R. L. Stine, I loved The Babysitter.  The same thing happened to me, only it was my uncle who tried to kill me.  Keep up the good work.”  My all-time favorite letter was from a boy who wrote, “Dear R. L. Stine, I’ve read 40 of your books and I think they’re really boring.”  Isn’t that perfect?

Do you answer all your mail? In the early days I could; I think every kid deserves an answer, because it’s hard for kids to write letters.  I make sure everyone gets an answer; at one point I had a staff of five answering mail.  I try to read as much of it as I can.

People think they lose their imagination as they age.  Why do people believe that? I think that most people don’t have the luxury of sitting at home and writing stories.  They have to find other ways to earn a living which might not demand as much imagination.

What has been your most frightening personal experience? I haven’t had a scary life, aside from real personal things.  I do have a phobia that my nephews think is just insane: I cannot jump into water.  I have to step into swimming pools.  It’s a real phobia, but my nephews think it’s hilarious that this scary guy is so terrified of jumping into water.

Why do you think people like to be scared? I think everyone likes a good scare, and I think everyone likes to be able to have creepy adventures and face monsters when they know they’re safe at the time.  When kids read my books, they’re facing a lot of their real fears in these books but know that they’re not in any real danger.

Do you ever get ideas from readers? That’s never worked out; it’s a shame.

Do you believe in ghosts? No, I don’t believe in any of the stuff I write.