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James Patterson Has a New Favorite Writing Partner: His Wife, Susan
The couple spoke with AARP about their novel ‘The Mother-Daughter Book Club,’ and how they’ve been natural collaborators through 30 years of marriage
Susan and James Patterson attend the 2025 Library Lions gala at New York Public Library in 2025.
Valerie Terranova/Getty Images
The mega best-selling author James Patterson, 79, has written novels with Dolly Parton, Viola Davis and Bill Clinton. He’s sold more than 300 million books worldwide and created Alex Cross, one of the most recognizable characters in American fiction. When one of the world’s most commercially successful authors sits down to collaborate, he has his pick.
For his latest collab, he chose his wife of nearly 30 years (and best friend, he says), Susan Patterson.
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Susan, 68, is his frequent writing partner: coauthoring with her husband the New York Times best-selling Big Words for Little Geniuses and the creative force behind the emotional core of their new novel, The Mother-Daughter Book Club. The story features four college friends and their daughters as they reunite in Italy’s Lake Como, where old secrets and new revelations surface between the deeply interconnected characters.
It follows their 2023 novel Things I Wish I Told My Mother.
The Pattersons spoke with AARP from their home in Palm Beach, Florida, about writing together, growing older and what’s next for them.
The last book came out of a personal loss for you, Susan. How did this one start?
Susan: It started with the idea for Things I Wish I Told My Mother, which came to me right after my mom passed away. I was sitting there with Jim, and something happened — I don’t even remember what it was, but I said, “Geez, I wish I could tell this to my mother.” And Jim said that would make a great book [about that intense mother-daughter bond]. So we decided to expand on that.
James: It’s a powerful dynamic — that fascinating thing between mothers and daughters. It’s just stunning. And even if you consider the many different ways that it’s been dealt with in novels before — The Joy Luck Club, Little Women, Beloved — it’s such an interesting area, and we wanted to do our own take on it.
Let’s get real here: Who is the boss when you write together?
James: There’s no boss. This house that we have here, everything in the house, every knob, whatever the heck it is — we both agreed on everything here. And if we didn’t agree, we didn’t do it.
Susan: We’re good collaborators, always on the same page. So we just shared ideas and had the outline ... we would talk about it anywhere. It wasn’t like, “OK, we’re going to sit down here now at a desk and decide this thing.” It was organic, in a sense.
James: Sue and I have been best friends for over 40 years. And my joke line is that if Sue ever leaves me, I’m going with her. And it’s never like, “Who’s in charge?” It just doesn’t work that way.
Did writing this book change how you talk to your own families?
Susan: It makes you think about relationships in general, between you and your family or friends. You should tell people that you care about them. You should make an effort. Sometimes we’re all so busy, but it really is important to stay in touch.
James: I have three sisters. They’re all half an hour away from where we are, and I think it’s definitely made me more attentive, made me pay more attention. All three of them had some physical problems this year. And we’re there for them. It’s important, and it’s family.
You both could stop working today. You don’t need another book. What still drives you?
Susan: I always like to think of trying something new. When I was in college, I wanted to write children’s books, and I always remembered that dream. Years later, we did three children’s books together, which were a real joy for me. So I just feel like there are all these exciting things to do.
James: I get up every morning excited to write. I do. I’ve said before that I don’t work for a living, I play for a living. My time here is short. What can I do most beautifully? The success means nothing. It is all about the books.
Patterson and Dolly Parton discuss their book "Run, Rose, Run: A Novel" at "Dollyverse Powered By Blockchain Creative Labs on Eluv.io" during the 2022 SXSW Conference And Festival.
Rick Kern/FilmMagic/Getty Images
What is the best part of getting older?
James: Nothing [chuckles].
Susan: Forgetting what age you are, I guess. My mom lived till 98, and she was amazing right up to the end. Her body just gave out in the end, but she was still sharp as a tack. She just said, “I can’t believe my age, because inside I feel like I did years ago.” So it was just the outer shell that was 98. But the inner shell, the core, was a much younger person.
James: I’ve been lucky and am fairly healthy. I feel good pretty much every morning. And I think part of my feeling good is the fact that writing is such a positive thing for me. If you’re so positive about something important to you, it motivates you and gets you up in the morning.
What do you know now about relationships that you didn’t know in your 20s or 30s?
Susan: I think Jim nailed it when he said you have to be with somebody who’s your best friend because in the end, long term, you want to be with somebody you trust, and you can be yourself with and that you enjoy spending time with. You need to have enough interests that overlap.
James: I can’t imagine being with somebody whom I didn’t want to talk to a lot. That would be challenging for me.
Patterson and Viola Davis on "The Kelly Clarkson Show" in 2026.
Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
So what’s next for you both?
James: A love story is certainly something we’ve talked about. A love story at our ... I mean, we’re 10 years apart, but at this age, that could be interesting.
Susan (to James): We should do a love story next.
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