James Patterson spills writing must-haves for new book 'Holmes, Marple & Poe'

In a weekly series, USA TODAY’s The Essentials, celebrities share what fuels their lives.

James Patterson is known for how much he writes as much as he is known for what he writes.

The prolific author has written about 200 books, including his latest, "Holmes, Marple & Poe" (Little, Brown and Company, 352 pp., out now), co-written with Brian Sitts. The book follows three intriguing private investigators in New York City and the detective who learns more about them.

Patterson's latest collaboration comes after he has co-written books with nearly two dozen people, including authors Maxine Paetro and Michael Ledwidge, and celebrities such as Dolly Parton and former President Bill Clinton.

"So much good stuff comes from collaboration − most TV shows and movies are all collaboration. And if we're going to save the planet, that'll take collaboration," he tells USA TODAY.

One of his recent joint efforts is part one of a planned trilogy with Mike Lupica called "12 Months to Live," featuring a hard-nosed criminal defense attorney with that exact life expectancy. The two will also publish "8 Months to Live" and "4 Months to Live."

Patterson, known for promoting bookstores, made news just before Christmas when he gave $500 bonuses to 600 employees at independent bookstores across the country.

"I've said this before, but I can't say it enough − booksellers save lives," Patterson wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in December. "What they do is crucial, especially right now."

Whether Patterson is writing solo, or working with someone else, he has a strict writing routine. He shares his essentials.

How does James Patterson write so many books?

Discipline, he says.

"I wake up between 5:30 and 6 every morning. I look in the mirror and mutter, 'You again.' I skim three or four newspapers − including USA TODAY, honest. Then I do some writing.

"But it isn't work. I don't work for a living, I play for a living. Somebody once told me you're lucky if you find something you like to do in life, and it's a miracle if someone will pay you to do it. So I'm very lucky. Blessed."

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A morning jolt of caffeine

"First thing in the morning I like to throw down a couple of Maker's Marks," he jokes. "No, no! I'm a little saner than that. I usually start the day with a Starbucks regular blend, milk and Splenda."

A room of his own, or two rooms

"Spoiled brat that I am, I have an office in our home in Florida, and another one in upstate New York," he says. "One office looks out at the Atlantic. I'm looking at the ocean right now. The other has a gorgeous view of the Hudson. Both offices are filled with books, my favorites over the years."

A golf break is good for writing

"My wife, Sue, and I play nine holes of golf a couple days a week, usually between 8 and 9 a.m. This part is nuts, but I have nine holes-in-one. Sue has six, two of them this year. She's gaining on me, coming fast and hard."

So, does James Patterson really write with a pencil?

"Guilty as charged: I write with pencils. My favorite is a Blackwing 93. I tried to order more last week, and they said they were fresh out. I tried to play the Alex Cross card, but even that didn’t work."

Afternoon treat

"I drink a soda most days. Coke Zero or Boylan Root Beer."

What inspires James Patterson?

"My gift in life − such as it is − is a sprawling, unwieldy imagination. Recently I was on tour with my co-writer and friend, Mike Lupica. We passed an old guy, on an even older bicycle, riding into the wind and rain," he says. "That single image launched a 110-chapter outline for a new book. As Kurt Vonnegut wrote, 'So it goes.'"