James Patterson

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James Patterson
[[Image:
<http://www.jamespatterson.com/jp_photo.html-->|200px]]
Born March 22, 1947 (1947-03-22) (age 61)
Newburgh, New York, United States
Occupation Novelist
Genres Thriller
Notable work(s) Alex Cross (series)

Maximum Ride (series)
Official website
For other people named James Patterson, see James Patterson (disambiguation).

James B. Patterson (born March 22, 1947) is an award-winning American author.

Contents

[edit] Biography

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Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2008)

James Patterson is an award-winning American author. Formerly the chairman of advertising company J. W. Thompson in the early 1990s, Patterson came up with the slogan "Toys R Us Kid."[1] 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 and the top selling US Detective series in the past ten years.

In 2007, one of every fifteen hardcover novels sold was a James Patterson title – totaling an estimated of 16 million books sold last year in North America alone.[2] In total, Patterson’s books have sold an estimated 150 million copies worldwide.[2] 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 called "the man who can’t miss" in Time magazine. He is the first author to have #1 new titles simultaneously on The New York Times adult and children’s bestsellers lists, and to have two books on NovelTracker’s top-ten list at the same time. He holds the New York Times bestsellers list record with 39 New York Times bestselling titles overall.[2] He even made an appearance on the Fox TV show The Simpsons (in the episode "Yokel Chords") as himself.

Patterson is also well known for sharing the spotlight with different co-authors such as Maxine Paetro and Andrew Gross and has often said that collaborating with others brings new and interesting ideas to his stories.

He also founded the James Patterson PageTurner Awards, now in its third year. Patterson has personally given away over $600,000 to reward “people, companies, schools, and other institutions who find original and effective ways to spread the excitement of books and reading.”

Patterson’s bestselling Women’s Murder Club series is now a TV show starring former Law & Order star Angie Harmon. The show premiered in the fall of 2007 on ABC television. Other movie deals are currently in the works with various Hollywood studios including a major motion picture based on his Maximum Ride series, to be produced by Avi Arad, the producer of the X-Men and Spiderman film series. Most recently, the forthcoming Dangerous Days of Daniel X has been optioned by New Regency.[3]

Patterson received his bachelor's degree from Manhattan College, and his Masters degree at Vanderbilt University.

He lives in Palm Beach, Florida with his wife, Susan, and son, Jack.

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Alex Cross

  1. Along Came A Spider (1992, ISBN 0-446-36419-3)
  2. Kiss the Girls (1995, ISBN 0-446-60124-1)
  3. Jack & Jill (1996, ISBN 0-446-60480-1)
  4. Cat and Mouse (1997, ISBN 0-446-60618-9)
  5. Pop Goes the Weasel (1999, ISBN 0-375-40854-1)
  6. Roses are Red (2000, ISBN 0-446-60548-4)
  7. Violets are Blue (2001, ISBN 0-446-61121-2)
  8. Four Blind Mice (2002, ISBN 0-446-61326-6)
  9. The Big Bad Wolf (2003, ISBN 0-446-61326-6)
  10. London Bridges (2004, ISBN 0-446-61335-5)
  11. Mary, Mary (2005, ISBN 0-316-15976-X)
  12. Cross (2006, ISBN 0-316-15979-4 )
  13. Double Cross (2007, ISBN 0-316-01505-9)
  14. Cross Country (November 14, 2008, ISBN 0-316-018724)

[edit] Women's Murder Club[4]

  1. 1st to Die (2001, ISBN 0-446-61003-8)
  2. 2nd Chance (2002, ISBN 0-446-61279-0, with Andrew Gross)
  3. 3rd Degree (2004, ISBN 0-316-60357-0, with Andrew Gross)
  4. 4th of July (2005, ISBN 0-316-71060-1, with Maxine Paetro)
  5. The 5th Horseman (2006, ISBN 0-316-15977-8, with Maxine Paetro)
  6. The 6th Target (2007, ISBN 0-316-01479-6, with Maxine Paetro)
  7. 7th Heaven (2008, ISBN 0-316-01770-1, with Maxine Paetro)
  8. 8th Confession (2009, ISBN 978-1846052583 )

[edit] Maximum Ride

  1. Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment (USA: April 11 |UK: July 4, 2005 | ISBN 031615556X)
  2. Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever (USA: May 23 |UK: August 14, 2006 | ISBN 0316155594)
  3. Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports (USA & UK: May 3, 2007 | ISBN 0316155608)
  4. Maximum Ride: The Final Warning (USA: March 17, 2008 | ISBN 0316002860)

[edit] Michael Bennett

  1. Step on a Crack (with Michael Ledwidge) (2007, ISBN 0-316-01394-3)
  2. Run For Your Life (with Michael Ledwidge) (February 2, 2009, ISBN 0-316-018740)

[edit] Graphic Novels

[edit] Manga

[edit] Miscellaneous

[edit] Filmography

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.[5]
Kiss the Girls 1997 Film Forensic detective/author Alex Cross investigates the disappearance of his niece from her North Carolina campus, and learns seven other women are also missing.[6]
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.[7]
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 son of a United States senator and the daughter of a famous actress 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.[8]
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.[9]
Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas 2005 TV
Women's Murder Club 2007 TV Based on James Patterson's Women's Murder Club series. This tv series revolved around San Francisco homicide Inspector Lindsay Boxer (Angie Harmon) and her three friends: Assistant District Attorney Jill Bernhardt, Medical Examiner Claire Washburn, and reporter Cindy Thomas.
Maximum Ride 2010 Film James Patterson has had an "online rally" which has led him to arrange to have a movie based on his best selling teen series; Maximum Ride. The movie will be based on the first three books, but it is unknown whether it will also be based on the recently published fourth installment.
  • It has been confirmed that a 3rd Alex Cross movie, an adaptation of Roses Are Red, is being made, though it is unknown whether Morgan Freeman will return and has been in the works since 2005.

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://mostlyfiction.com/sleuths/patterson2.htm
  2. ^ a b c JamesPatterson.com
  3. ^ Regency books 'Dangerous Days' - Entertainment News, Film News, Media - Variety
  4. ^ The television show Women's Murder Club is based on the books by James Patterson.
  5. ^ Child of Darkness, Child of Light an adaptation of Virgin
  6. ^ Kiss the Girls synopsis
  7. ^ Miracle on the 17th Green synopsis' at the Internet Movie Database
  8. ^ Along Came a Spider synopsis
  9. ^ 1st to Die synopsis' at the Internet Movie Database

[edit] External links