Nolan was also a prolific
editor of collections (by others), and
anthologies, most recently co-editing two anthologies with friend, filmmaker, and writer
Jason V Brock: The Bleeding Edge (2009), with stories from fellow writers
Ray Bradbury,
Richard Matheson,
George Clayton Johnson,
John Shirley,
Dan O'Bannon, and several others, and The Devil's Coattails (2012), which featured offerings from
Ramsey Campbell,
S. T. Joshi,
Richard Selzer,
Earl Hamner Jr., and more, both from Cycatrix Press. Nolan teamed up with
Bluewater Productions for a
comic book series, Logan's Run: Last Day, released in 2010. In addition, he developed comics based on one other property of his for Bluewater: Tales from William F. Nolan's Dark Universe (featuring stories adapted by Nolan and Brock and published in 2013). Another comic book mini-series Sam Space (forthcoming) has been scripted and approved.
After a few years working in offices, he met
Charles Beaumont, who would remain a close friend until Beaumont's untimely death at age thirty-eight.[1] Beaumont was instrumental in Nolan becoming an author.
Nolan was a close friend to radio writer
Norman Corwin as well as speculative writer Ray Bradbury. He was also a member of the influential
Southern California School of Writers in the 1950s–1960s (known informally as "The Group"), many of whom wrote for Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone, Star Trek, and other popular series of the day. Nolan was an ethical
vegetarian and loved animals. In later life, he still wrote new material and was active in various literary projects, and conventions (he was Guest of Honor at
Killer Con and Portland's
Orycon, as well as a special guest at the
World Horror Convention,
World Fantasy Convention, and many others), and promotional opportunities.
Though estranged for more than ten years, he had been married since 1970. He resided in Vancouver, Washington. With regard to his work, he said: "I get excited about something, and I want to write about it."[8]
Nolan died from complications of an infection in July 2021 at the age of 93.[9][10]
Nolan On Bradbury: Sixty Years of Writing about the Master of Science Fiction (2013;
Hippocampus Press) – Collected nonfiction book (Edited by
S. T. Joshi)
Other biographies and nonfiction
Adventure on Wheels (1959) –
John Fitch autobiography
Like a Dead Man Walking and Other Shadow Tales (edited by Jason V Brock; a mix of science fiction, horror, poetry, and literary stories;
Centipede Press, 2014)
Screenplays
Burnt Offerings (1976)
Who Goes There? (a.k.a. The Thing) Screen treatment (1978), written for Universal Studios (not produced), published by
Rocket Ride Books in "Who Goes There?: The Novella That Formed The Basis of THE THING" (2009)
Bridge Across Time, a.k.a. Terror at London Bridge (1985) – NBC Movie of the Week
Trilogy of Terror II (The Graveyard Rats; He Who Kills) (1996) – USA Movie of the Week
References
^
abcdefJason V. Brock, "Finding Sanctuary: Running from the Zone to Logan" in Brock, Disorders of Magnitude: A Survey of Dark Fantasy. New York: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014.
ISBN9781442235243 (p. 101-109).
^
abcdHarold Lee Prosser, "Nolan, William F(rancis)" in Twentieth-century science-fiction writers, edited by Curtis C. Smith. Chicago, St. James, 1986.
ISBN9780912289274 (p. 539-41).
^
abRay Russell, "Nolan, William F(rancis)" in John M. Reilly, Twentieth-century crime and mystery writers.Second Edition. St. James, 1986 (pp. 677-9)
ISBN9780912289175