Author Neal Shusterman is known to many readers as the writer of the popular teen series Dark Fusion and the controversial science fiction novel, Unwind. However, what most readers don’t know is that besides writing books for teens (young adult books) and adults, Neal Shusterman is a successful screen and television writer.

 Neal Shusterman: Biography

 Born in Brooklyn, New York on November 12, 1962, Neal Shusterman grew up reading and writing at an early age.

In ninth grade, his English teacher noticed his writing abilities and challenged him to write one story a month for extra credit. Commenting on this memory, he reports, “Since I desperately needed extra credit in her class, I took her up on the challenge, and by the end of ninth grade, I really began to feel like a writer. That's when writing emerged above all my other interests as my driving passion.” (Neal Shusterman's site)

When he was 16 his family moved to Mexico where he spent his junior and senior years. He was grateful for the opportunity to live outside the United States and writes, “Having an international experience changed my life, giving me a fresh perspective on the world, and a sense of confidence I might not have had otherwise.” (Neal Shusterman's site)

After graduating from high school Shusterman attended the University of California at Irvine where he joined the swim team and wrote a humor column for the campus paper. He graduated with degrees in drama and psychology and in less than a year after graduation had a book deal.

He is the father of four children and currently resides in Southern California where he continues to write novels and is working on a screenplay for his book Everlost.

Neal Shusterman: Career

 Neal Shusterman has been entertaining teen and adult audiences for more than 20 years as a novelist, screenwriter, and television writer.  During his writing career he has written novels, fiction series, short stories, essays, poems, and a nonfiction game series for teens called How to Host a Murder. Under the pseudonym Royce Easton he also wrote novelizations for the popular TV show The X-Files. When asked why most of his books targeted a teen audience, Shusterman responded, “I've always felt that stories aimed at adolescents and teens are the most important stories that can be written, because it's adolescence that defines who we are going to be. (Neal Shusterman's site)

In addition to writing novels, Shusterman has written television and movie scripts for the TV series Goosebumps and Animorphs and several screenplays for the Disney Channel. When he’s not busy writing, Neal travels the country to speak to school groups and writing workshops.

 Neal Shusterman: On Books and Writing

 At age 8 Neal Shusterman wrote a letter to children’s author E.B. White telling him that Charlotte’s Web needed a sequel. White wrote back stating that a sequel was not needed, but that Shusterman should continue to write. Neal Shusterman took that advice and has since received several awards for his writing accomplishments.

 In 1988 his young adult book The Shadow Club received the Children’s Choice Award from the International Reading Association.  Since then he has  written more than twenty books including The Eyes of King Midas (1993) and Downsiders (1999) which were chosen by the American Library Association as Best Young Adult Books. When asked how he came to write Downsiders, Shusterman answered, “I wanted to write a story about a primitive civilization fighting for its own survival. The idea of putting that society in an unlikely place (under New York) really excited me, because it was a challenge to make something so absurd believable.” In 2005 he won the Boston-Globe Horn Book for his novel The Schwa Was Here.    

Some of Shusterman’s books, like the Antsy stories, are humorous and written for younger teens. His fantasy books, such as the Dark Fusion series and the The Skinjacker Trilogy, are darker retellings of popular myths and are aimed at older teens. Shusterman’s most controversial book is the futuristic novel Unwind where readers must deal with the topic of organ harvesting and wrestle with questions about the value of life.  In answering questions about the themes of his book, Shusterman said, “Unwind intentionally does not take a side on any issue. My point was to point out the fact that there are two sides on all of these gray-area issues, and that’s part of the problem. You have to look at it from a different perspective.” (YA Highway Interview)

Neal Shusterman: Advice for Aspiring Writers

Shusterman believes writers should challenge themselves to write in a wide range of genres and formats. Although a challenging task, Shusterman believes this will help writers grow in their writing abilities. He also encourages writers to hold on to four basic writing principles: “Write, Rewrite, Read, and Persevere.”