James Patterson and His Wife Have a Love of Books in Common Among Other Things

Author James Patterson is known for his fast-paced thrillers and drama novels. He has even written three books with former President Bill Clinton, and formed a working relationship which has, according to CBS News, grown into a friendship as well. But what about the other relationship in the author's life? Who is James Patterson's wife?

His wife, Susan Patterson, is an author too. Except in her case, her books are more geared toward children than those with an affinity for political drama and action. Though to be fair, Susan and James did write a novel together called Things I Wish I Told My Mother. Their respective writing careers don't often overlap, however, so who is the man behind those Alex Cross novels married to?

According to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Susan graduated from the university with degrees in science and fine arts. She also serves on the Alumni Association board of directors and the School of Education's board of visitors. Susan has written three children's books with James — Big Words for Little Geniuses, Cuddly Critters for Little Geniuses, and Bigger Words for Little Geniuses.

Susan's 2023 adult novel with James, however, marked a potential turning point in her career as a writer. While it wasn't a first for her to collaborate with her husband, it was far different from a children's book for the first time. In 2023, the couple spoke with West Palm Beach's WPTV, and Susan shared that before they began the novel, she hadn't had plans to make writing a career choice like her husband.

"We were sitting together, and I said, 'There were so many things I wish I could have told my mother,'" Susan shared with the outlet, of coming up with the book after her mother passed away. "Jim sparked the idea. He said, 'You know, that could be a good book, I really like that!'"

They worked with a third author, and Things I Wish I Told My Mother came to fruition.

James and Susan have just one child together, a son named Jack Patterson. Unsurprisingly, Jack did follow in what is kind of/sort of the family business as an author. In 2017, Jack and James wrote the children's book Penguins in America together. Other than that, Jack seems to keep a bit of a low profile. James and Susan do often share social media posts about their only son, but he doesn't appear to have a public social media account himself.

And while James might be a worldwide best-selling author to most, he is still a devoted dad to his adult son. In November 2022, James shared a selfie with himself, Susan, and Jack on Facebook and wrote in the caption, "Our son Jack just moved into his new apartment in New York. To celebrate, Jack bought Sue and I dinner. A real rite of passage."