Robert Lawrence Stine (born October 8, 1943), sometimes known as
Jovial Bob Stine and
Eric Affabee, is an American novelist, short story writer, television producer, screenwriter, and executive editor. He has been referred to as the "
Stephen King of children's literature" and is the author of hundreds of
horror fiction novels, including the books in the
Fear Street,
Goosebumps,
Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, and
The Nightmare Room series. Some of his other works include a
Space Cadets trilogy, two
Hark gamebooks, and dozens of joke books. As of 2008, Stine's books have sold over 400 million copies.