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— CH. 1 · A FARM IN MONROE —

Dave Wolverton

~3 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
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  • John David Wolverton arrived in Springfield, Oregon on the 28th of May 1957. His family moved to a farm in Monroe when he was six years old. He grew up there and graduated from Monroe High School. Following graduation, he served a volunteer mission in Illinois for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Afterward, he attended Ricks College before transferring to Brigham Young University. He met his wife, Mary, at that university. They married in the Provo Utah Temple on the 22nd of June 1985. The couple went on to have two daughters and three sons.

  • Wolverton began writing in 1985 during college. He published the short story "The Sky Is an Open Highway" in the fall 1985 issue of The Leading Edge. He entered short stories into various contests after that. He won first place in the 1987 Writers of the Future contest with the novella "On My Way to Paradise". That story expanded into a novel of the same name. Bantam Spectra published it in 1989. The novel received nominations for both the Locus Award and the Philip K. Dick Award. He became a judge for the Writers of the Future contest in 1991. He eventually took over editing the annual anthology from volume 9 until volume 14. He later returned to edit volumes 29 through 37.

  • Dave Wolverton wrote under his own name at the beginning of his career. He changed to the pseudonym David Farland in the mid-1990s. This shift coincided with the release of the first Runelords book. Wolverton chose the pseudonym to have a name more fitting for a fantasy author. He also wanted his physical books shelved closer to customers' eye levels. His real last name placed them on lower shelves where fewer people would see them. The Runelords series became international bestsellers. These books hit the New York Times bestsellers list multiple times. The series included titles like The Sum of All Men and Brotherhood of the Wolf.

  • Wolverton worked as an English professor of creative writing at Brigham Young University from 1999 to 2002. He held writing workshops for aspiring and established writers. One of his former students, Brandon Sanderson, took over the creative writing class he taught. Wolverton mentored other famous writers including Brandon Mull and Stephenie Meyer. He also taught Jessica Day George and Eric Flint. James Dashner was another student who learned from him. He created online writing workshops and groups that reached many readers. His influence extended far beyond the classroom walls.

  • In 1998, Wolverton started working part-time at Saffire Studios. He helped create video games during that time. He was responsible for the concept of "lurkers" in Starcraft: Brood War. This game became a well-known real-time strategy title. In 2002, he began working as a movie producer. He greenlighted movies and worked on film adaptations. He was developing a film adaptation of his Runelords series. He also wrote stories featuring actors like Jackie Chan and Dwayne The Rock Johnson. These stories were part of the Mummy franchise. He wrote 24 stories for the Star Wars franchise and three for the Mummy franchise.

  • On the 13th of January 2022, Wolverton suffered from a fall. The accident resulted in a severe head injury and a hemorrhagic stroke. He remained on life support until he died early the next morning. He passed away at the age of 64 in St. George, Utah. He was buried in the Tonaquint Cemetery in St. George, Utah. At the time of his death, he was known to be working on three books. These included a rewrite of Nightingale from 2011. He was also writing a new Runelords installment titled A Tale of Tales. A fourth book in his Ravenspell series called S.W.A.R.M. was another unfinished project.

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Common questions

When was Dave Wolverton born and where did he arrive in Springfield Oregon?

John David Wolverton arrived in Springfield, Oregon on the 28th of May 1957. He grew up there after his family moved to a farm in Monroe when he was six years old.

What pseudonym did Dave Wolverton use for his fantasy novels starting in the mid-1990s?

Dave Wolverton changed to the pseudonym David Farland in the mid-1990s. This shift coincided with the release of the first Runelords book to place physical books closer to customers' eye levels.

Who were some famous writers mentored by Dave Wolverton at Brigham Young University?

Dave Wolverton mentored Brandon Sanderson, Brandon Mull, Stephenie Meyer, Jessica Day George, Eric Flint, and James Dashner. Brandon Sanderson took over the creative writing class he taught from 1999 to 2002.

Which video game concept did Dave Wolverton create while working at Saffire Studios in 1998?

Dave Wolverton was responsible for the concept of lurkers in Starcraft: Brood War during his part-time work at Saffire Studios. He also wrote stories featuring actors like Jackie Chan and Dwayne The Rock Johnson for the Mummy franchise.

When did Dave Wolverton die and what unfinished projects remained at the time of his death?

Dave Wolverton died early on the 14th of January 2022 after suffering a fall on the 13th of January 2022. At the time of his death he was working on three books including a rewrite of Nightingale from 2011, a new Runelords installment titled A Tale of Tales, and a fourth book in his Ravenspell series called S.W.A.R.M.

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