James Patterson and Patricia Cornwell: Author One-on-One
In this Amazon special, we delivered mutually blockbuster authors James Patterson and Patricia Cornwell and asked them to interview every other. Locate out what two of the top authors of their genres have to say concerning their characters, writing process, and extra. Patricia Cornwell is the former Director of Applied Forensic Technology at the National Forensic Academy, and a member of the Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital's National Council, where she is an advocate for psychiatric research. She is the author of sixteen previous Kay Scarpetta mysteries, five non-Scarpetta novels (counting At Risk), and Portrait of a Killer. Read on to see Patricia Cornwell's questions for James Patterson, or turn the tables to see what Patterson asked Cornwell.  Cornwell: James, your questions were so good, I'm going to ask you similar ones. Let's begin together with why you put in writing? Do you love it or love having done it? What motivates you?
Patterson: I truly love writing. I sometimes believe concerning my grandfather when I reflect on this. When I was a boy, I lived in a town on the Hudson River. During the summers, my grandfather would get me one time a week on his frozen food and ice cream delivery route. We'd be up at four in the morning packing up the truck, and by five we'd be on our way. Driving a delivery truck isn't the much glamorous job in the world, but each morning, my grandfather would drive over the Storm King Mountain toward West Point, and he'd be singing at the top of his voice. And he told me this: "Jim," he said, "when you grow up, I don't care if you're a truck driver or a famous surgeon—just remember this when you go over the mountain to work in the morning, you've got to be singing." Writing stories keeps me singing. Writing to me isn't work, and I like this a ton. Cornwell: What is your routine when you're facing your next novel? What is the process like for you, and what is your favorite part of it? Least favorite?
Patterson: I like to have a lot of ideas in the air at one time. I've got all-around 20 manuscripts sitting in my office right now, in some degree of completion. It's a lot of material, a lot of stories. My least favorite part? Hmm. Maybe sharpening pencils? Actually, I’ve always kind of liked sharpening pencils. I don’t indicate to seem too over the top concerning this, but I really wouldn’t modify any of it.
Cornwell: What do you and Alex Cross have in common? How are you different?
Patterson: We're together family-oriented guys. I believe it's a real treat to be effective to get along together with your wife each day, which I do; my wife and I really have trouble being apart for very long. And I believe readers will agree Alex is generally doing better in the romance department. One difference between us would be this I'm much extra content to sit all-around and put in writing. I believe Alex would get a little bored on a "ride-along" together with me.
Cornwell: What inspired you to make Alex Cross?
Patterson: Hardly anyone recognizes it but when I initiated the first Alex Cross novel, Alex was a woman named Alexis. Afterwards 100 pages or so, I changed the character to Alex. When I was a kid growing up, my grandparents had a small restaurant and the cook was an African-American woman who eventually moved into our house. All throughout my growing up period I spent a lot of time together with this woman's family. They were funny, wise, the food was excellent, so was the music, and the family is at least part of the inspiration for the Crosses.
Cornwell: What's the one thing a reader has said this you've never forgotten and perhaps found startling?
Patterson: I'm sure you've had this, too, Patricia, but the one comment this gets me each time is hearing people say my books have them reading again. I recognize sometimes you and I get some heat for being as popular as we are, and are saddled together with this old equation this says if you're a bestseller, you must be lowbrow. But I frankly don't believe there’s anything extra meaningful than hearing this I've turned a person back into a reader (or in the case of younger readers, got them initiated).
Cornwell: How concerning you? You're the one together with all the movies! Good experience or not?
Patterson: Sounds like we're on the same page there, Patricia. I definitely feel like some past projects didn't quite exist up to their potential. And I likewise have hopes for a couple of movies in the works: the third Alex Cross movie, and the very first Maximum Ride movie, which has Avi Arad (producer of Spider Man), Catherine Hardwicke (director of Twilight), and Don Payne (writer for The Simpsons) on board. There's in addition a very promising TV series based on a new book I've written this's being developed together with CBS and Imagine.
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