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So here it is! James Patterson, on “Women’s Murder Club,” his new game, and being James Patterson.
Moxie: First off, thank you so much for taking time away from your incredibly busy schedule to chat with us about the new “Women’s Murder Club” game, Twice in a Blue Moon. Unsurprisingly, the WMC game series has been a huge hit for iPlay and MSN Games! What can you tell us about the latest installment?
JP: The game should be a hit with everyone who likes the “Women’s Murder Club” books and solving mysteries in general. You get to become an investigator looking for clues and solving puzzles. There’s a serial killer to catch, just like there was in “The 8th Confession” and 2010’s “The 9th Judgment.”
Moxie: Your fans are legion, and vocal. What kind of feedback have you gotten from them about the games?
JP: The fans like the games. Readers get wrapped up in stories, especially mysteries like the ones in my books that keep you turning the pages. These games give people a chance to become a character they usually only get to read about, which is understandingly appealing.
Moxie: Honestly, it seems as if all of your creations are able to exist quite successfully in all different types of mediums: books, comic books, TV, film, games… what is it about your characters and writing style that makes it so easy to cross over into different mediums?
JP: A story that grabs you should grab you wherever it is. If it’s a book, or a movie, or a comic, or a TV show, the characters should interest you and story should keep you moving along. When I write, I’m always keeping this in mind.
Moxie: Books, TV, games… what would be the next boundary for you? “Women’s Murder Club” in mime?
JP: Well, I miss the “Women’s Murder Club” on TV. That was a great show while it lasted. Then there are online games, and very soon there’s going to be a Nintendo DS game that sounds like a lot of fun. We’re always working on projects in Hollywood, so there’s no telling what might happen in the future.
Moxie: Everyone here is completely in awe of how much work you do. We actually have a bet going; the most popular guess so far is “he’s cloned himself.” In the interests of settling this debate, why don’t you tell us how you do it?
JP: I often work with co-writers, which is very common for television shows, movies, comics and games, but somewhat less common in the world of books. I have piles of manuscripts around me in my house at pretty much all times in different stages of editing and writing. And I have lists and lists of ideas for books that I hope to write.
Moxie: I suspect this is going to be like asking a parent to choose among their kids, but which of your mystery-minded ladies is the most fun to write?
JP: It’d be impossible to pick just one of them. The idea for the series was based on something I noticed while growing up—that women tend to make decisions in a team, rather than the way men do it, which tends to be more individual. So the Murder Club is really the most fun to write all together, when they’re drinking and talking, or giving each other advice, or even making fun of one another.
Moxie: Have you always wanted to be a writer, or was there a time in your young life when you dreamed of being something else entirely?
JP: When I was a kid I didn’t much like to read. And I blame that mostly on the kinds of books that my school tried to assign me—Silas Marner and other supposed classics. So at that time I didn’t want to be a writer at all. Later, in college, I started to love reading when I could choose to read books that I’d enjoy. Then I worked in advertising for many years before I had my first book published. I don’t think I ever dreamed about being in advertising. I suppose I daydreamed once or twice about being a professional basketball player.
Moxie: I just found out that you're a fellow fan of good movies! So you know I have to ask: if Hollywood was planning a big-budget film adaptation of “Twice in a Blue Moon,” and you could choose anyone in the world to play Lindsay, who would you pick?
JP: I think Angie Harmon did a fantastic job on the TV show, so my first thought is to say why pick anybody else? If we ever get to Hollywood with this, someone should call her up.
Moxie: If you were stranded alone on a deserted island with only your suitcase and the DVD player you rented at the airport to keep you company, which books and movies would you most wish were in that bag?
JP: “One Hundred Years of Solitude” would be a desert-island book. It’s still one on the most engaging pieces of fiction I’ve ever read and reread. I would bring “Ulysses,” too, which is one of the books that influenced me most as a young writer—it showed me how untouchable Joyce was and made me consider what kinds of stories I would be able to tell well. As far as movies, I review a couple every week at my website. Some favorites from recent years have been “Notes on a Scandal,” “A Perfect Getaway,” “Apocalypto,” “Half Nelson,” and dozens of others.
Moxie: Finally, if you don't mind, here's a question from my mom: "How did you end up getting roped into an episode of ‘Castle’?" I'd forgotten all about that, but it sure looked like you guys were having fun.
JP: The main character of that show is a bestselling crime novelist, and the pilot script called for a poker game with other writers like him. So the studio got in touch with Stephen J. Cannell and me to appear on the show in little cameo roles. It seemed like a fun idea, so I agreed. It’s looking like I will be showing up again next season, so tell your mom to watch out for that.
Moxie: Again, thanks so much for your time, and I for one can’t wait to play the new game!
Next Coffee Break…
Two new obsessions, and the return of an old one. You’d think, with all the great games that keep coming out on our site, I’d never have time to go back and replay my favorites. But some addictions are just too hard – and too much fun – to break.
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