Patricia Cornwell and James Patterson: Author One-on-One
In this Amazon exclusive, we brought together blockbuster
authors Patricia Cornwell and James Patterson and asked them to
interview each other. Find out what two of the top authors of
their genres have to say about their characters, writing process,
and more.
James Patterson is one of the bestselling writers of all time,
with more than 170 million copies of his books sold worldwide. He
is the author of two of the most popular detective series of the
past decade, featuring Alex Cross and the Women's Murder Club,
and he also writes nonfiction and The Maximum Ride series for
young readers. Read on to see James Patterson's questions for
Patricia Cornwell, or turn the tables to see what Cornwell asked
Patterson.
James Patterson Patterson: Here's a chance to say all the great
things the critics would about The petta Factor, if there
were any newspapers left that still reviewed books. Or, as they
say in the TV interviews: Tell us about this one, Patricia.
Cornwell: As was true in the last book (petta), the new one
is set in New York City, and it begins with Kay petta working
on the autopsy of a young woman who presumably was murdered the
night before in Central Park. While the apparent circumstances of
the violent crime say one thing, the body is telling petta a
very different and incredibly disturbing story that causes the
prosecutor, the , other officials, and even petta's
friends and colleagues, to wonder if she's making mistakes or has
be to believe her own legend. While others are questioning and
criticizing her, she begins to doubt herself and her decision to
be the senior forensic analyst for CNN—an exposure that possibly
leads to her BlackBerry disappearing and a suspicious package
being left for her at her apartment building. As the intrigue
unfolds, the past is no longer past, and she is soon faced with
an old nemesis who threatens to be her final undoing.
Patterson: This book is set in New York again—what do you like
about the Big City? What don't you like?
Cornwell: Certainly New York City is the ultimate Big City. By
placing petta in the midst of NYC within its medical
examiner's office, I've positioned her on an international stage
where anything can and does happen. The machinery is huge (NYPD
and the FBI field office, for example), yet the private lives of
the characters remain and small. Not only is this a big
story about a big-city case that captivates the world, it's also
a very close look at the characters and who and what they are to
one another in contemporary times. In terms of what I like and
don't like about NYC? The only thing I don't like about it is
driving there.
Patterson: I often get asked what I have in common with Alex
Cross. What would you say you have in common with Kay petta?
Cornwell: petta and I share the same values and
sensibilities. We approach cases the same way (which should be
rather obvious, since I work the cases by taking on her persona).
Beyond that, there are many differences. I'm not Catholic or
Italian or married to Benton Wesley. I'm not a forensic
pathologist with a law degree. I don't have her emotional
discipline or inhibitions, nor do I have her professional dazzle.
(I always remind people I was an English major who started
working at age eleven, first as a babysitter, then in food
service!) I don't have petta's pedigree. But then, she isn't
a writer, unless she's writing professional journal articles or
autopsy reports.
Patterson: What's your routine like when it comes to writing? Do
you do write every day? On the road? Do you need vacations from
your writing?
Cornwell: I wish I had more of a routine. I begin each book with
research that continues up to the very end of the process. But
gradually, as I approach the deadline, I sink deeper into
seclusion until eventually I don’t even answer e-mails or the
phone anymore (unless it's my partner, Staci). I just write
morning, noon, and night. The pulling together and completion of
a novel is so intense, I'm almost living out of body by the time
I'm done. It's the most wonderful and miserable experience
imaginable. I would love a vacation but never seem to have time,
and I doubt I'd know what to do if you made me "do nothing." In
fact, Staci and I have a strange habit of going to foreign lands
and visiting their departments and morgues instead of just
hanging out at the beach. I don't write every day because I do so
much research, and currently, I have many other responsibilities
that keep me busier than ever (filming, involvement with forensic
institutes—just the business of life, for example).
Patterson: What's the best feedback you've had from a reader?
Or—what was the best piece of writing advice you've had?
Cornwell: Frankly, the best feedback was when a reader complained
some years ago that he wasn’t sure I liked my characters anymore.
And I thought about this and realized I wasn’t sure I did,
either. A horrible thing to realize. It was because the series
had gone on for so long that it was time to reinvent the
characters and their relationships with one another and the world
they inhabit. I think this remake is most apparent in the last
book, petta, and I am on a wonderful and invigorating new
course that is even more evident in the new one, The petta
Factor.
Patterson: Bonus question: How do you feel about the Hollywood
adaptations of your work? Don't be afraid—let it all hang out.
Cornwell: In the past, very disappointed, because the projects
went nowhere. Now, so far so good. The first films (Lifetime
movies of At Risk and The Front, which are non-petta
novellas) air this spring. I had a magnificent experience from
beginning to end with the producers, actors—everyone. It's way
too early to talk about the 20th Century Fox project with
Angelina Jolie, although who wouldn't be excited about her?
