James Patterson
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| Born: | March 22, 1947 (age 60) |
|---|---|
| Occupation: | Novelist |
| Genres: | Thriller |
| Debut works: | The Thomas Berryman Number |
| Website: | http://www.jamespatterson.com/ |
- For other people named James Patterson, see James Patterson (disambiguation)
James B. Patterson (born March 22, 1947) is an award-winning American author. He is one of the few authors that can go into the bathroom and come out with a new novel. Formerly the chairman of advertising company J. W. Thompson in the early 1990s, Patterson came up with the slogan "Toys R Us Kid". Shortly after his success with Along Came A Spider he retired from the firm and devoted his time to writing. The novels featuring his character, Alex Cross, a black forensic psychologist formerly of the Washington, D.C. Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation, now working as a private psychologist and government consultant, are the most popular books among Patterson readers.
James Patterson has been criticized by Stephen King, who called Patterson's books "dopey thrillers."[1] Patterson shrugged off the comments, stating that he wants to be the "thrillingest thriller writer of all time".[citation needed] Patterson's last 16 novels have not only been No. 1 best sellers, but have also grossed more than $1 billion in sales. He soon went on to catch a spot as one of Forbes magazine's top 100.
James Patterson has sold more than 12 million books in North America alone. In total, James's books have sold an estimated 130 million copies worldwide. He has won awards including the Edgar, the BCA Mystery Guild's Thriller of the Year, and the International Thriller of the Year award. James Patterson was even named "the man who can't miss" in Times. He is the first author to have #1 new titles simultaneously on the New York Times adult and children's lists. He even made an appearance on The Simpsons as himself.
In addition to his own writing, Patterson's name has appeared on several books written in collaboration with other authors, such as Maxine Paetro and Andrew Gross. These collaborative authors are acknowledged ghost writers for story outlines provided by Patterson.
Patterson has also pledged $500,000 for the 2006 James Patterson PageTurner Award "intended to celebrate the people, companies, schools, and other institutions who find original and effective ways to spread the excitement of books and reading."
The creator of the books behind six movies on the Hollywood fast-track, including the young adult series Maximum Ride, an adaptation of the celebrated illustrated children's book, santaKid, the thrillers Honeymoon and Lifeguard, the Alex Cross series, and a stunning horror novel to be published later on in '07, You've Been Warned. His Women's Murder Club series has also been green-lighted as a pilot for ABC television, and could be on the air as soon as fall, 2007.
He lives in Palm Beach, Florida with his wife. They have a son named Jack.
Contents |
- Along Came A Spider (1992, ISBN 0-446-36419-3)
- Kiss the Girls (1994, ISBN 0-446-60124-1)
- Jack & Jill (1996, ISBN 0-446-60480-1)
- Cat and Mouse (1997, ISBN 0-446-60618-9)
- Pop Goes the Weasel (1999, ISBN 0-375-40854-1)
- Roses are Red (2000, ISBN 0-446-60548-4)
- Violets are Blue (2001, ISBN 0-446-61121-2)
- Four Blind Mice (2002, ISBN 0-446-61326-6)
- The Big Bad Wolf (2003, ISBN 0-446-61326-6)
- London Bridges (2004, ISBN 0-446-61335-5)
- Mary, Mary (2005, ISBN 0-316-15976-X)
- Cross (2006, ISBN 0-316-15979-4 )
- Double Cross (September 6, 2007) [1]
- 1st to Die (2001, ISBN 0-446-61003-8)
- 2nd Chance (2002, ISBN 0-446-61279-0, with Andrew Gross)
- 3rd Degree (2004, ISBN 0-316-60357-0, with Andrew Gross)
- 4th of July (2005, ISBN 0-316-71060-1, with Maxine Paetro)
- The 5th Horseman (2006, ISBN 0-316-15977-8, with Maxine Paetro)
- The 6th Target (changed from "6th Nanny") (2007, ISBN 0-316-01479-6, with Maxine Paetro)
- 7th Heaven (February 5, 2008), ISBN 0-316-00432-4, with Maxine Paetro)
- Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment (2005)
- Maximum Ride: School's Out—Forever (2006)
- Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports Scheduled release (May, 2007)
- Step on a Crack (with Michael Ledwidge) (2007, ISBN 0-316-01394-3)
- The Thomas Berryman Number (1976) (Edgar Award, 1977, Best First Novel)
- Season of the Machete (1977)
- The Midnight Club (1988)
- Hide & Seek (1996)
- Miracle on the 17th Green (1996) (with Peter De Jonge)
- See How They Run (1997, previously published in 1977 as The Jericho Commandment)
- When the Wind Blows (1998)
- Black Friday (2000, previously published in 1986 as Black Market)
- Cradle & All (2000, previously published in 1980 as Virgin)
- Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas (2001)
- Beach House (2002) (with Peter De Jonge)
- The Jester (2003) (with Andrew Gross)
- The Lake House (2003) (sequel to When The Wind Blows)
- Sam's Letters to Jennifer (2004)
- Santa Kid (2004)
- Honeymoon (2005) (with Howard Roughan)
- Lifeguard (2005) (with Andrew Gross)
- Beach Road (2006) (with Peter De Jonge)
- Judge and Jury (2006) (with Andrew Gross)
- The Quickie (Releases on July 3, 2007) (with Michael Ledwidge)
- You've Been Warned (Releases on September 11, 2007) (with Howard Roughan)
| Novel Adapted | Year of Adaptation | Film / TV | Extra Information |
| Child of Darkness, Child of Light | 1991 | TV | Child of Darkness, Child of Light was adapted from the novel Virgin.[2] |
| Kiss the Girls | 1997 | Film | Forensic detective and best-selling crime author Alex Cross is cool and professional about his work, passionate and protective about his family. A widower with a teenage son and a daughter, the bonds of blood are all important to him. So when his niece Naomi turns up missing from her college campus in North Carolina, Cross knows he must apply his formidable investigative skills to search for her. But unlike his previous cases, this one is personal and there's no room for error. Arriving in Durham, where the antebellum ruins of the Old South meets the modern buildings of the New South's Research Triangle, Cross learns a special Task Force Officer is already operating and that Naomi isn't the only victim. Seven other girls are missing and two bodies have been found, with a note left at the second murder scene signed "Cassanova." Cross receives only gruging cooperation from the local detectives who are wary of big city specialists and view Cross' investigation as unwelcome infringement.[3] |
| Miracle on the 17th Green | 1999 | TV | A 50 year old adman (Robert Urich) loses his job. Rather than facing trying to find a new job, he decides to try to make it on the senior golf tour. This causes him to neglect his wife (Meredith Baxter) and family.[4] |
| Along Came a Spider | 2001 | Film | Washington, D.C. homicide detective Alex Cross is through playing mind games with criminals--that is until a methodical predator, Gary Soneji kidnaps the young daughter of a United States senator from an elite school and lures Cross into the case. Soneji's not out for ransom, he wants something much bigger--a place in the history books. His every move is planned with the precision of a spider spinning his web, and Cross and secret service agent Jezzie Flannigan are in a race against time to stop him.[5] |
| 1st to Die | 2003 | TV | Based on James Patterson's bestseller, this three-hour thriller is about a homicide inspector -- Lindsay Boxer (Tracy Pollan) -- who teams with three other professional women to catch an ingenious serial killer targeting newlyweds on their wedding nights. But while Boxer is trying to solve the biggest case of her career, she is also falling in love with her partner (Gil Bellows) -- and privately waging her own battle with a life-threatening illness.[6] |
| Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas | 2005 | TV |
- ^ "Readers can’t get enough of Patterson" by Jodi Holopirek, KUJH-TV News, University of Kansas, December 4, 2006.
- ^ http://www.answers.com/topic/james-patterson-children-s-author Child of Darkness, Child of Light an adaptation of Virgin
- ^ http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1800300427/details Kiss the Girls synopsis
- ^ http://imdb.com/title/tt0227060/ Miracle on the 17th Green synopsis
- ^ http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1803453946/details Along Came A Spider synopsis
- ^ http://imdb.com/title/tt0252133/ 1st to Die synopsis