Rick Hautala was an American speculative fiction and horror writer. He graduated from the University of Maine in 1974 where he received a Master of Art in English Literature. Rick arrived on the horror scene in 1980 with many of his early novels published by Zebra books. He has written and published over 90 novels and short stories since the early 1980s. Many of his books have been translated to other languages and sold internationally. Cold Whisper, published in October, 1991 by Zebra Books, Inc. was also published in Finnish as Haamu by Werner S�derstr�m, Helsinki, Finland, in August, 1994. Recently he has published many of his works with specialty press and small press publishers like Cemetery Dance Publications and Dark Harvest. His novel The Wildman, was chosen to be Full Moon Press' debut limited edition title. Rick Hautala's third novel, 1986's Night Stone, was one of the first books to feature a holographic cover and it became an international best-seller, selling well over one million copies. "Knocking" was a part of the Bram Stoker Award winning anthology 999: New Stories of Horror and Suspense. 

February 3rd, 1949 in Rockport (Age 75)