R.L. Stine Reflects on the ‘Goosebumps’ Craze He Created in the ’90s [Video]

At 80 years old, R.L. Stine is as busy as ever.

The famed young adult author was the stuff of legend with his Fear Street and Goosebumps franchises, which took over the Scholastic book fairs in the 1990s and early aughts.

And while Stine is a giant in the space, the author believes he simply got lucky.

“Everything that ever happened to me was an accident, almost none of it was my idea,” he tells PEOPLE exclusively. “Seriously, it’s embarrassing. My story is embarrassing,” he jokes.

The Columbus, Ohio, native moved to New York City in pursuit of a writing career right after college. He soon realized, however, that his intended audience was not interested in what he had to offer.

“I came to New York to write funny novels for adults, but nobody wanted funny novels for adults. Adults don’t read funny novels,” he says. “So I needed to …