Richard Martin Stern (born March 17, 1915 in Fresno, California; died October 31, 2001 in Santa Fe, New Mexico) was an American novelist. Stern began his writing career in the 1950's with mystery tales of private investigators, winning an Edgar Award for his 1959 for The Bright Road to Fear. He was most notable for his 1973 novel The Tower, in which a fire engulfs a new metal-and-glass frame skyrise. Stern was inspired to write the novel from the construction of the World Trade Center skyscrapers in New York City. Warner Brothers bought the rights to the novel shortly after its publication for roughly $400,000, and Stern's book eventually became the movie The Towering Inferno, directed by Irwin Allen and John Guillermin and featuring an all-star cast. With an incredible fourteen million dollar budget, the film went on to earn over a hundred million at American box office. After the sensational success of The Tower and the move it inspired, Stern continued to write many novels, mainly mysteries and disaster related suspense. He died in 2001 after prolonged illness. March 17 is the 76th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (77th in Leap years). ... 1915 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... For a quick link, please see the city of Fresno, California. ... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... October 31 is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 61 days remaining, as the final day of October. ... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Santa Fe (Spanish for holy faith) or Santa Fé (Portuguese) is the name of a number of places in the world: United States of America: Santa Fe, the state capital of New Mexico Santa Fe, Florida Santa Fe, Missouri Santa Fe, Tennessee Santa Fe, Texas Rancho Santa Fe, California It... State nickname: Land of Enchantment Other U.S. States Capital Santa Fe Largest city Albuquerque Governor Bill Richardson Official languages English and Spanish Area 315,194 km² (5th)  - Land 314,590 km²  - Water 607 km² (0. ... The Edgar Allen Poe Awards (popularly called the Edgars), named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America. ... The Tower was a book of poems by William Butler Yeats, published in 1928. ... The twin towers, photographed from the west The World Trade Center in New York City was a complex of seven buildings around a central plaza, near the south end of Manhattan in the downtown financial district. ... City nickname: The Big Apple Location in the state of New York Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area  - Land  - Water 1,214. ... Warner Bros. ... The Towering Inferno is a 1974 disaster movie starring Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Fred Astaire, Susan Blakely, Richard Chamberlain, Jennifer Jones, O. J. Simpson, Robert Vaughn, and Robert Wagner. ... Irwin Allen (June 12, 1916-November 2, 1991) was a television and film producer nicknamed The Master of Disaster for his work in the disaster film genre. ...

Selected Bibliography

• The Bright Road to Fear (1958)
• The Search for Tabitha Carr (1960)
• These Unlikely Deads (1961)
• I Hide, We Seek (1965)
• Brood of Eagles (1969)
• Manuscript for Murder (1970)
• Death in the Snow (1971)
• Stanfield Harvest (1972)
• The Tower (1973)
• Snowbound Six (1977)
• Flood (1980)
• The Big Bridge (1982)
• Wildfire (1985)
• Tsunami (1988)
• Murder in the Walls (1989)
• Tangled Murders (1989)
• Missing Man (1990)