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James Patterson Facts

James Patterson Facts
James Patterson is an American author best known for his Alex Cross series of books. James Patterson was born on March 22nd, 1947 in Newburgh, New York to Isabelle Morris Patterson, a teacher, and insurance broker Charles Patterson. James Patterson attended Manhattan College, graduated summa cum laude, and earned a B.A. in English, and then went on to Vanderbilt University where he graduated summa cum laude with an M.A. in English. James took a job as an advertising executive at J. Walter Thompson, and he began writing novels in his spare time. His first book was The Thomas Berryman Number, published in 1976. His most famous character Alex Cross wasn't introduced until his novel Along Came a Spider was published in 1993.
Interesting James Patterson Facts:
James Patterson retired from advertising in 1996. He was already a best-selling author. From then on he devoted himself to writing full-time.
James Patterson has said that his greatest influence was Mrs. Bridge, written by Evan S. Connell in 1959.
Sales of James Patterson's first book The Thomas Berryman Number were not staggering but he won an Edgar Award for the best first mystery novel by an American author.
James Patterson's second novel was Season of the Machete (1977). He published several more novels before his first Alex Cross book Along Came a Spider in 1993, including The Jericho Commandment (1979), Virgin (1980), Black Market (1986), The Midnight Club (1989), and The Day America Told the Truth (1991).
Alex Cross is James Patterson's most famous character. Alex Cross is a private psychologist and consultant for the government, who used to work as a forensic psychologist for the FBI and the Washington D.C. Metro Police.
James Patterson has written more than 95 novels since his debut novel in 1976.
James Patterson's hardcover novels account for approximately 1 out of every 17 hardcovers sold in the United States.
James Patterson holds The New York Times' record for the most bestselling hardcover fiction novels by one author.
James Patterson's novels have sold more than Dan Brown, John Grisham, and Stephen King's novels combined.
James Patterson's books have sold more than 300 million copies around the world. The number continues to climb with each new release.
James Patterson has written several series in addition to the Alex Cross series including the Women's Murder Club series, the Maximum Ride series, the Michael Bennett series, the Daniel X series, the Witch & Wizard series, and the Middle School series.
James Patterson wrote a non-fiction book titled Against Medical Advice: A True Story.
James Patterson has co-written books with other authors including Peter de Jonge (Beach House, 2003), Neil McMahon (Toys, 2011), Michael Ledwidge (Now You See Her, 2011), and David Ellis (Mistress, 2013, and Invisible, 2014).
James Patterson has won several awards including the BCA Mystery Guild's Thriller of the Year, International Thriller of the Year, and the Children's Choice Book Award for Author of the Year.
Several of James Patterson's books have been adapted into film including Kiss the Girls, Along Came a Spider, and Alex Cross, and several books have been made into television movies.


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