Born: March 22, 1947 in Newburgh, New York

Marital Status: Married to wife Susan whom he shares a son by the name of Jack. They currently reside in Palm Beach, Florida

College: B.A. in English from Manhattan College and M.A. in English from Vanderbilt University

James Patterson won the prestigious Edgar Award for the best first mystery novel with his debut novel, The Thomas Berryman Number published in 1976. Over two dozen publishers turned him down before finally accepting his work.

In addition to writing novels, Patterson had a career in advertising as well, in fact becoming one of the youngest CEO’s in J. Walter Thompson’s history. He created award winning campaigns for top name-brand companies such as Toys R’ Us, Kodak, and Burger King just to name a few.

Patterson has written many national best sellers, which are some of the best thriller detective series ever written. He likes to write several novels about the same characters compiling the novels into a series. Alex Cross, Women’s Murder Club, and Maximum Ride are among his most famous series.

Patterson has written 2-3 books a year since 2000 most of which have made the national best sellers list. He likes to keep his chapters short because he feels it’s easier to read and comprehend that way.

Many of Patterson’s novels have been made into movies with the Women’s Murder Club series becoming a TV show that premiered in 2007. Patterson also has co-written a number of books with other authors such as Andrew Gross and Maxine Paetro.

I know Patterson fans across the world are hoping he continues his writing well into the future. His is a timeless style that captures the reader’s imagination and leaves them yearning for more.

Series:

Alex Cross

• Along Came A Spider (1992)
• Kiss the Girls (1994)
• Jack & Jill (1996)
• Cat and Mouse (1997)
• Pop Goes the Weasel (1999)
• Roses are Red (2000)
• Violets are Blue (2001)
• Four Blind Mice (2002)
• The Big Bad Wolf (2003)
• London Bridges (2004)
• Mary, Mary (2005)
• Cross (2006)
• Double Cross (2007)
• Cross Country (2008)

When the Wind Blows

• When the Wind Blows (1998)
• The Lake House (2003)

Women's Murder Club

• 1st to Die (2001)
• 2nd Chance (2002, with Andrew Gross)
• 3rd Degree (2004, with Andrew Gross)
• 4th of July (2005, with Maxine Paetro)
• The 5th Horseman (2006, with Maxine Paetro)
• The 6th Target (2007, with Maxine Paetro)
• 7th Heaven (2008, with Maxine Paetro)

Maximum Ride

• Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment (2005)
• Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever (2006)
• Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports (2007)
• Maximum Ride: The Final Warning (USA: March 18, 2008)

Michael Bennett

• Step on a Crack (with Michael Ledwidge) (2007)

Novels

• The Thomas Berryman Number (1976) (Edgar Award, 1977, Best First Novel)
• Season of the Machete (1977)
• Virgin (1980) (Out of Print)
• 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)
• 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)
• The Beach House (2002) (with Peter De Jonge)
• The Jester (2003) (with Andrew Gross)
• 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 (2007) (with Michael Ledwidge)
• You've Been Warned (2007) (with Howard Roughan)
• Sundays at Tiffany's (April 28, 2008) (with Gabrielle Charbonnet)
• Sail (June 9, 2008) (with Howard Roughan)
• Dangerous Days of Daniel X (July 21, 2008) (with Michael Ledwidge)
• Against All Odds: The Heartbreaking Story of a Childhood Lost (September, 2008)