JAMES Patterson knows a thing or three about pace. As the world's bestselling thriller writer with 65 novels, more than 200 million copies sold around the world . Patterson is the prince of page-turners.
He keeps his characters on the move, dodging drama after drama; and keeps the action and tension boiling from the first page.
But to some critics – and some fellow novelists – Patterson's work is more pulp fiction than great writing; sprinkled with "facile trickery", one critic suggested.
And the man himself agrees his strength is as a storyteller, not a stylist; it's high-octane material, never unleaded.
"I tend to think that the colours of the curtains don't need a paragraph. I like to cut to the chase, so to speak," Patterson says from Florida.
"I tend to write fast plots in short chapters – with little discussion of curtains – but that's just me."
Patterson uses a good deal of dialogue to keep his characters on the move and the action rolling. His books are plot-driven and character-fuelled.
"In each book I try to create interesting characters, good pacing, surprise, and a generally good time for the reader. It's just good fun, you know."
Patterson retired from the advertising business in 1996 to become a full-time writer. By then he had had eight novels published, including Along Came A Spider and Kiss The Girls, the first of his books with forensic psychologist Alex Cross as the hero and the first to be filmed, both starring Morgan Freeman as Cross. These helped establish Patterson's career.
So did he believe from the get-go he could make a living as a writer?
"Definitely not. I was a good student but I was actually something of a reluctant reader as a lad," says Patterson, a graduate of Manhattan College in New York.
"The writing bug didn't bite me until I'd fallen in love with reading books on my own. And, from there, making a living at writing – while it was a dream I very much wanted to come true – didn't become a real option until the 1990s."
The authors he loved to read, the ones who made Patterson realise the potential of books, were a mixed bag – James Joyce, Frederick Forsythe, Fred Exley and Evan Connell among early favourites.
Now Patterson's books often outsell Stephen King, John Grisham and Dan Brown, combined, in the United States, according to The New York Times lists.
So what makes crime drama so appealing?
"Action, suspense, good good-guys, and bad bad-guys," the author reckons. "You can do the math but I tend to think, for most of us, it adds up to a good escape from the everyday."
Patterson's plots are sharp, most of the twists and turns coming from the 63-year-old's imagination.
"Not that I'm not thorough in my research, but I'm probably 80 per cent inspiration and 20 per cent observation. For me, it's all about storyline.
"You find that, and the rest, with a dose of good detail, will work."
"Not that I'm not thorough in my research, but I'm probably 80 per cent inspiration and 20 per cent observation. For me, it's all about storyline.
"You find that, and the rest, with a dose of good detail, will work."
And the man – who says he hasn't been stumped yet by writer's block – is no one-trick pony. Aside from his crime dramas, Patterson's bibliography includes non-fiction, romance, young adult novels, children's books (to get his son to read) and manga books (a Japanese medium with illustrations), plus several collaborations.
He doesn't know that the work gets easier but believes he's still learning and getting better. "And most of all I'm still enjoying the process."
The American author has won awards across the world, topped The New York Times bestsellers list more than 50 times and appeared (as himself) on The Simpsons television show.
Full interview at Courier Mail.
Patterson's next novel, Tick Tock, will be published next month, followed by 10th Anniversary in April
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