James Patterson turns inward on latest project
Author discusses ‘James Patterson by James Patterson’ and more in Westport
WESTPORT — Best selling author James Patterson has collaborated with multiple notable people and authors, such as Dolly Parton and former President Bill Clinton.
The collaboration has even led to a friendship with Parton where she sang “Happy Birthday” to him over the phone, he told an audience at the Westport Library on Tuesday.
Patterson said she once wrote him a poem where she mentioned her song “You Can’t Make Old Friends,” which she told him she believed until he “walked in her door.”
Now, Patterson is writing about another well known figure closer to home — himself.
“It’s been really rewarding,” Patterson said at this week’s event, which focused on his new memoir “James Patterson by James Patterson.”
Patterson is a prolific writer, boasting nearly 400 titles under his name. This memoir is the tenth book he has published so far in 2022, and he’s far from done.
He spoke with fellow author Nina Sankovitch, the facilitator of the night, about various areas of his life, inside and outside of his memoir. Following his talk, two members of the audience were able to ask questions and all audience members were able to get copies of his memoir signed.
Patterson had one rule for the night, which he repeated throughout the event: “If you like the book, I want you to tell everybody. If you don’t like it, keep it to yourself,” he joked.
His lighthearted banter with the audience began as soon as he took the stage, and looked behind him, noticing the cover of his memoir.
“Who is that on the cover of my book?” he asked, as the crowd laughed. “Oh, I know who it is. That’s me when I was 50.”
Patterson said he decided to pen a memoir from his time writing during the pandemic.
During COVID-19, he was stuck in the house and started jotting down ideas, which made him a better writer because he was paying more attention to the sentences he was writing. He also said that he’s had more good comments from this book than ever before, including his best friend calling him on the phone, crying over it. He said that this memoir isn’t a sad book, but it “has its moments.”
In the memoir, Patterson talks about two of his love stories: the first with his late wife, Jane, and the second with his current wife, Sue. He said that he loved Jane so much. The relationship taught him about love and he learned that he was lovable, which gave him hope. Then, he met Sue about 25 years ago, whom he has a son with.
“Sue and I, we go to sleep every night holding hands,” he said. “If Sue leaves me, I’m going with her.”
Patterson also shared other stories from his life, including his time working at McLean Hospital in Massachusetts, where he met James Taylor before fame.
They also talked about how Patterson did not read much as a child. Though, now, he works to encourage reading among students, particularly young ones. Patterson said it shouldn’t just be to get them to read, but to get them to read books they actually enjoy.
He said his most important work is “Walk in My Combat Boots,” a collection of real stories from members of the military he wrote with First Sergeant Matt Eversmann. Patterson said that when they started writing that book, their goal was for readers who were in combat at some point in their life, to say “Eversmann and Patterson got it right.”
Patterson said writing collaborative books isn’t as “weird” as some people may think. Typically, he said, he writes a 50- to 80-page outline, encourages the cowriter to contribute and checks in on the work every few weeks.
One of those collaborative works, “Run, Rose, Run,” which he wrote with Parton, will be turned into a film by Sony, he said.
He also has some upcoming works of his own.
One book will be entitled “Blowback,” and focus around an American president going insane while in office. The crowd laughed, to which he said, “Whoever you’re thinking about, imagine it’s even worse.”