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James
Patterson
A Conversation with James Patterson about BEACH HOUSE
James Patterson, bestselling author of the Alex Cross thrillers and The Women's Murder Club series, has ventured into yet another realm with his new novel, a collaboration with Peter De Jonge entitled "0316969680.asp">THE BEACH HOUSE.
Q: THE BEACH HOUSE is your first legal thriller, what lead you to write it? Did you enjoy writing it? Would you write another?
A: I didn't specifically set out to write a legal thriller, I was just incredibly intrigued by the story in THE BEACH HOUSE. However, most of us are fed up with the injustice that poses for justice in this country. That's at the core of THE BEACH HOUSE. It also seemed like a fun idea to take on John Grisham at his own game. I generally like his stuff and the legal world is incredibly dramatic.
Q: There is a great deal of corruption in THE BEACH HOUSE in the local officials and in the corporate law firm. Do you think this is a common occurrence? Do you have any experience with the law?
A: Other than my hundreds of arrests I really don't have that much experience with the law. While the majority of people aren't corrupt, there certainly is an awful lot of corruption in this country. It's particularly tragic that some of it takes place at law firms, like the one depicted in THE BEACH HOUSE.
Q: There are many wealthy beach communities you could have chosen as the backdrop for this story. Is there anything in particular that made you decide to use the Hamptons as the setting of the book?
A: Peter de Jonge and I have both spent summers in the Hamptons. We know a lot about the area and I hope it shows. Anybody who wants to take a quick beach trip out there should sit down with the book.
Q: Macklin Mullen is a very well developed and unique character in THE BEACH HOUSE. Is he based on someone you know? Do you usually use real people as models for your characters?
A: Macklin, being Macklin, just took on a life of his own. I almost never use real people as models for my characters.
Q: Your books are always described as "page turners" that are packed with twists and turns, but I bet no one will be quite prepared for the conclusion of THE BEACH HOUSE. When you first began writing this book did you already envision such an ending or did it grow from the story? Do you usually outline your books first or just start writing?
A: As I do with all of my books, I outlined THE BEACH HOUSE from the beginning to end. I did know that the book would end with a mind-boggling trial, but I didn't know exactly how it would turn out. I like a little suspense when I am writing, too.
Q: Will we ever see the Mullen family again in a future book? Or possibly in a movie?
A: THE BEACH HOUSE seems to be a hot summer read in Hollywood, too. A director and a writer, really terrific ones, are about to attach themselves to the movie. As far as seeing the Mullen Family again, who knows, but I've learned to never say never.
Q: Last year you introduced a new Women's Murder Club series and wrote your first love story, SUZANNE'S DIARY FOR NICHOLAS. Now, with THE BEACH HOUSE you have written your first legal thriller. What can we expect next from James Patterson?
A: Always expect the unexpected. Right around Thanksgiving, is when the new Alex Cross will be out. It's called FOUR BLIND MICE and it's a pretty amazing story about several murders inside the military. Then, in the spring, an incredibly fast-paced, exciting, romantic adventure story set in the Crusades. It's called THE JESTER and I think it could be the best story I've been involved with.
(c) Copyright 2002, AOL Time Warner Book Group. All rights reserved.
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A Conversation with James Patterson about 2ND CHANCE
Q. The Women's Murder Club is back in action again with 2ND CHANCE. Since this series follows a numerical sequence is there a certain number of books that you have planned with Lindsay, Claire, Cindy, and Jill?
A. I love writing about the Women's Murder Club, even more than Alex Cross, and I'll keep writing about them until I get tired of the characters. I will not guarantee, however, that Lindsay, Claire, Cindy and Jill will remain in the series until it concludes. In fact, I'm almost positive, one of them will depart, and possibly soon.
Q. Why did you decide to choose San Francisco as the locale for the Women's Murder Club series? Is there something particular in the city that intrigued you?
A. I love San Francisco, who doesn't. For me, the scariest murders are those that take place in places where murder just shouldn't happen.
Q. Now that you have two different series, Alex Cross and the Women's Murder Club, if you have an idea for a villain and his/her crime, how you decide which storyline and character(s) to pair with each series?
A. I don't have any hard line about which villains or crimes will go into the two different series. At this point, the Cross books are a little more graphic.
Q. How have your readers responded to this new series? Do you find that your male readers are just as excited about these four dynamic women as they are about Alex Cross?
A. The response has been beyond my wildest dreams. So far, I haven't had any complaints, and the praise has been higher than I deserve. I'm finding that men like the four lead characters just about as well as women do.
Q. Is there a chance that we will ever see Alex Cross and the Women's Murder Club combine forces to solve a case?
A. Actually I wanted to do this-but Paramount Pictures stopped me cold. They said if Alex Cross ever wound up in a Women's Murder Club Book then they would own all of those characters too. Needless to say, I wasn't tremendously happy with that decision.
Q. We have already seen two of your books, ALONG CAME A SPIDER and KISS THE GIRLS, on the big screen. Are there plans for any others?
A. ROSES ARE RED and SUZANNE'S DIARY FOR NICHOLAS have both been bought for the movies. I expect that THE BEACH HOUSE and a medieval thriller I'm working on will also be bought.
Q. In the future if there are screen versions of the Women's Murder Club series, do you have any ideas for actresses you would like to see play the parts of Lindsay, Claire, Cindy, and Jill?
A. I think the really fun game is for the reader to try and put actresses against the various characters in the Women's Murder Club. There are so many absolutely terrific actresses who would work. Play the game yourself.
Q. Last year you thrilled your readers with the introduction of this new series and you wrote your first love story, what new and exciting project can we expect from James Patterson in 2002?
A. In June Little, Brown will be publishing THE BEACH HOUSE, which is kind of James Patterson meets John Grisham. I guarantee that it has a courtroom sequence like nothing you've ever read before. Then, in the fall, my favorite Alex Cross novel in years-it's called FOUR BLIND MICE. And as I said earlier, I'm working on an incredibly fast-paced thriller set in medieval times; and also a love story along the lines of SUZANNE'S DIARY FOR NICHOLAS. So yes, I'm keeping busy.
(c) Copyright 2005, Time Warner Bookmark. All rights reserved.
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A Conversation with James Patterson
Suspense master James Patterson is back with FOUR BLIND MICE, the latest novel in his bestselling Alex Cross series. In this interview Patterson discusses his works-in-progress, his fans' reactions to his non-Alex Cross books, and how he feels about the upcoming NBC miniseries of 1ST TO DIE.
Q: Will FOUR BLIND MICE describe the last Detective Alex Cross case?
JP: I will guarantee readers this: if Alex returns, he will be very different from the way he is now.
Q: The NBC miniseries for 1ST TO DIE is scheduled to air soon. Did you visit the set? What did you think about the casting?
JP: What excites me the most about 1ST TO DIE is that they set out to make a movie movie rather than a TV movie. The director is from cinema and they really went out of their way to get exceptional actors. Tracy Pollan, Pam Grier, and Robert Patrick are exceptional in their parts. It was also gratifying that the producer/writer stayed close to the story of the book. I can't wait to see 1ST TO DIE, and NBC also recently bought the second book in the series.
Q: What's next for James Patterson?
JP: In March I'll be publishing a historical thriller called THE JESTER. It takes place around the time of the First Crusade. The publisher's line is 'every thousand years or so a truly great adventure story comes along.' THE JESTER is the kind of historical novel that readers are used to, but at a faster and more exciting pace.
Q: How has your fan base responded to your non-Alex Cross novels, including 1ST TO DIE and SUZANNE'S DIARY FOR NICHOLAS?
JP: Interesting to both myself and my publisher, 1ST TO DIE and SUZANNE'S DIARY FOR NICHOLAS have both outsold the Alex Cross novels.
Q: You write two or three books a year. How do you come up with fresh ideas for that many stories?
JP: I have a big thick folder of story ideas, far too many for me to actually write. I'm incredibly fascinated by how a story will turn out once I begin to write it. That's my chief motivation for doing two or three books a year.
Q: Would you ever do a cameo in a movie based on one of your books?
JP: No way! I'm holding out for the romantic lead in SUZANNE'S DIARY FOR NICHOLAS.
(c) Copyright 2002, Time Warner Bookmark. All rights reserved.
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