James Patterson
James B. Patterson (born March 22, 1947) is an award-winning American author. Formerly the chairman of advertising company J. W. Thompson in the early 1990s, Patterson came up with the slogan "Toys R Us Kid". Shortly after his success with Along Came A Spider he retired from the firm and devoted his time to writing. The novels featuring his character, Alex Cross, a black forensic psychologist formerly of the Washington, D.C. Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation, now working as a private psychologist and government consultant, are the most popular books among Patterson readers.

James Patterson has been criticized by Stephen King, who called Patterson's books "dopey thrillers."[1] Patterson shrugged off the comments, stating that he wants to be the "thrillingest thriller writer of all time".[citation needed] Patterson's last 16 novels have not only been No. 1 best sellers, but have also grossed more than $1 billion in sales.

In addition to his own writing, Patterson's name has appeared on several books written in collaboration with other authors, such as Maxine Paetro and Andrew Gross. These collaborative authors are acknowledged ghost writers for story outlines provided by Patterson.

Patterson has also pledged $500,000 for the 2006 James Patterson PageTurner Award "intended to celebrate the people, companies, schools, and other institutions who find original and effective ways to spread the excitement of books and reading."

He lives in Palm Beach, Florida.