"I felt I was interviewing James Patterson under the highest permissible does of sodium pentothal, the truth serum, for hours-and he spilled the whole story of his truly astonishing life."-Bob Woodward
How did a kid whose dad lived in the poorhouse become the most successful storyteller in the world?[*] On the morning he was born, he nearly died.
[*] His dad grew up in the Pogey- the Newburgh, New York, poorhouse.
[*] He worked at a mental hospital in Massachusetts, where he met the singer James Taylor and the poet Robert Lowell.
[*] While he toiled in advertising hell, James wrote the ad jingle line "I'm a Toys 'R' Us Kid."
[*] He once watched James Baldwin and Norman Mailer square off to trade punches at a party.
[*] He's only been in love twice. Both times are amazing.
[*] Dolly Parton once sang "Happy Birthday" to James over...
