THE man behind the Wolf Creek novel series returned to his old stomping ground in Ballarat on Saturday.
Aaron Sterns, who lived and studied in Ballarat for most of his childhood, returned to Collins Bookstore to sign copies of his new novel Origins: Wolf Creek.
About 30 people including old school friends and fans of the film made an appearance on the day.
“Some of them were friends ... some people I had not seen in 20 years,” he said.
“Without putting words in their mouths, I’d say they were quite proud.
“They knew back then I was very driven in my interests ... I was really into horror books back then.”
Groups of teenage girls posed for happy snaps with the author, while others purchased the book without any knowledge of the film.
Before the Melbourne writer co-wrote the prequel to the box office hit, he lived in Gordon and attended Ballarat East High School.
While living in Ballarat, Mr Sterns discovered his passion for horror writing.
Today, Mr Sterns is enjoying the success of the novel series and the film.
He said Wolf Creek 2 made number one at the Australia Box Office in the first week of its release.
Mr Sterns also said the film had recently scored a release date in the United States on May 16.
The prequel novel series Origin: Wolf Creek, which he co-wrote with Greg McLean, is also doing well.
“For a while it was trending as the number one book on the Penguin (Books) website,” he said.
“We have had positive reviews.”
Mr Sterns said he was in the process of writing a novel which was based on his old school in Ballarat.
“(Ballarat) has always been quite nostalgic for me,” he said. “I’m surprised how little (Ballarat) has changed.”
