James Patterson made a bold choice when deciding to outline the plot of his next book, ‘The Murder of Stephen King.” Rather than focus on fictional characters, Patterson chose to plot the murder of fellow horror author Stephen King. Not only does he bring Stephen King into the novel, but he also invites the entire King family.
Totally dislike James Patterson, and yet, totally excited about this book, which I am claiming for #rpf : https://t.co/Q1KP01humz
— Flourish Klink ? (@flourish) September 16, 2016
James Patterson is well known for being one of the most successful authors who doesn’t necessarily write his own books. Although Patterson is the brain behind his novels, he rarely writes the words that are printed on the page. The ideas behind the plot are all his own, and the outlines that plan the progression are his as well. However, Patterson largely incorporates the help of ghost writers to actually write the books, according to the Washington Post . Yet, Patterson does provide insight throughout the process and adds some content where needed, essentially making him the co-author, as well as the promoter.
The creation of “The Murder of Stephen King” may be due to a comment King made in a past interview when he proclaimed Patterson was a terrible writer.
“A terrible writer” who is “very, very successful.”
Patterson responded to King’s comments in an interview, stating that he is not a bad writer at all.
“I know I’m not a terrible writer. That’s a little over the top.”
As members of the horror author community, both King and Patterson know these spats occur quite often. However, they tend to blow over quickly as the authors dive deeper into their newest tale.
The Boston Globe reported that “The Murder of Stephen King” is a fictional story and not based on reality in any way. In the book, Stephen King is hunted by a stalker that wants the iconic horror author dead. Patterson’s website gives a brief reveal of the plot, hinting that Stephen King might actually end up killing the stalker.
“Stephen King is facing a nightmare. A stalker is reenacting the horrors from his novels. And he won’t stop until he kills the master of suspense himself — unless King puts him out of his Misery first.”
James Patterson’s ghostwriter for the novel is Derek Nikitas , who has six books under his name on Amazon with the latest being a short story published in 2014.
According to the Hartford Sentinel , Patterson was determined to point out that the book was a work of fiction, and he was not plotting to kill Stephen King.
“A work of fiction. All incidents and dialogue, and all characters with the exception of Stephen and Tabitha King, are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.”
Stephen King has not responded to the novel as of yet. However, with his whimsical posts to Twitter, it is safe to say that his August 15th tweet could potentially be his response.
This is a sad day. I got strawberry jam in my computer mouse. Now I have to retire.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) August 15, 2016
“The Murder of Stephen King” will go on sale on November 1st and will be part of the “Bookshots” series. Each installment of the series is around 150 pages in length, making them perfect for a plane trip or vacation read. Smaller novels, consisting of approximately 40,000 words have become a staple in the book industry, allowing many authors to publish more often.
What are your thoughts on Patterson’s newest book? Is he using Stephen King’s name to ensure it is a best seller? Do you believe it is payback for past comments or is it just a harmless bit of fun?
[Featured Image by Paul Smith/Shutterstock]
