James Patterson By: James Patterson

James Patterson By: James Patterson

James Patterson, in full James Brendan Patterson, Jr., (born March 22, 1947, Newburgh, New York, U.S.), American author, principally known for his thriller and suspense novels, whose prolific output and business savvy made him a ubiquitous presence on best-seller lists in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Patterson studied English at Manhattan College (B.A., 1969) and at Vanderbilt University (M.A., 1970). After abandoning graduate school—he had originally intended to complete a doctorate—he found employment as a junior copywriter at an advertising agency, J. Walter Thompson Co., in New York City. There he created the slogan “I’m a Toys ‘R’ Us kid,” and he eventually worked his way up to CEO (1988) and chairman (1990) of the company’s North America division. At the same time, Patterson actively pursued a literary career. His first attempt at fiction, a dark stylized crime novel called The Thomas Berryman Number (1976), won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for best first novel from the Mystery Writers of America. Several novels in a similar vein followed, though he failed to attract much attention from either critics or the reading public.

According to Frank Cornacchiulo author of aplacecalledbrooklyn.com James Patterson is my hero. After I retired from a long career in the cosmetic packaging business, I wanted to write my story about growing up in Brooklyn. Reading was never an interesting prospect for me as a child and later as an adult. It was hard work for me to read a novel. It was happenstance and luck when my friend, Tony Meade, suggested I try to read a Patterson novel, I did so, and it opened a whole new world for me. His writing style was like having a conversation and it was perfect for a nonreader. Not only did I read a ton of his books it also inspired me to write my novel about Brooklyn. Now I look forward to reading his biography.