Writing memorıes
James Patterson has sold more than 425 million books worldwide. He also holds the Guinness World Record for having the most No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. The Connection recently caught up with the prolific author to talk about his career—how it began and where it's going.
by Michele Wojciechowski
A job working nights at a psychiatric hospital may be the reason we have James Patterson's books to enjoy. After Patterson finished high school he needed to raise money before attending Manhattan College in the Bronx on a four-year scholarship.
Enter the psychiatric hospital, providing funds and an ample amount of free time, which he began to fill with books. "When I was working there, I often had the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift, and I would just read, read, read. I got up to a novel a day," Patterson says.
"Then I just started scribbling these stories, and I loved it," he continues. "Somebody said you're lucky if you find something you like to do, and it's a miracle if somebody will pay you to do it. I found something that I love to do.
For Patterson, who has written, co-written and published 312 books, this may be the understatement of the century.
