THAT'S
THAT'S GOT A FAIR AMOUNT IN COMMON WITH STRUGGLING MILLS IN MAINE.
>>> FIRST TONIGHT, DAVE
PATTERSON NOW LIVES IN MAINE,
BUT HE GREW UP IN 4@A SMALL TOW
IN VERMONT.
IT WASN'T THE KIND OF TOWN YOU
SEE IN TOURISM WEBSITES.
IT HAD MORE THAN ITS SHARE OF
DRUGS AND POVERTY AND BROKEN 4@
FAMILIES
>> WHEN DAVE PATTERSON WAS A
BOY, HIS 4@MOTHER GOT CANCER AN
HIS FATHER LOST HIS JOB.
HE TAPPED INTO THOSE
EXPERIENCES AND OTHERS IN
WRITING HIS FIRST NOVEL, "SOON
THE LIGHT WILL BE PERFECT,"
STOIRT OF A 12-YEAR-OLD BOY AND
WRITING HIS FIRST NOVEL, "SOON THE LIGHT WILL BE PERFECT," STOIRT OF A 12-YEAR-OLD BOY AND@
HIS FAMILY TRYING TO 4@GET BY I
RURAL VERMON4@T.
THE BOOK GOES ON SALE NEXT
WEEK.
IT'S PATTERSON'S FIRST
PUBLISHED BOOK, AND EVEN THOUGH
HE'D LONG DREAMED OF BEING A
WRITER, IT DID NOT COME EASILY.
>> I DIDN'T WRITE A STORY UNTIL
I WAS 24.
SO I HAD AN ENGLISH DEGREE, AND
SOME OF MY FRIENDS IN THE
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT WERE TAKING
WRITING CLASSES, AND I JUST
REMEMBER THINKING, LIKE, WHO
HAS THE COURAGE, LIKE WHO DO
YOU THINK YOU ARE?
HOW DOES ONE WRITE A STORY?
I KNOW, THIS IS FICTION, SO
FORGIVE ME, BUT I HAVE TO ASK,
TO WHAT EXTENT DID YOU MIND
YOUR OWN LIFE IN 4@AT LEAST IDE
AND INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK?
>> YOU KNOW, I THINK 4@JUST IN
THE BACK OF MY HEAD, I JUST
KEPT 4@HEARING THIS WRITE ME,
WRITE ME, LIKE MY MOM HAD
CANCER WHEN I WAS A KID AND MY
DAD LOST HIS JOB PRETTY MUCH AT
THE SAME TIME.
AND I JUST REMEMBER THINKING 4@
THIS CAN'T BE THE STUFF OF
FICTION.
NO ONE IS GOING TO CARE.
BUT AT 4@A CERTAIN POINT, I HEA
THIS FROM A LOT OF WRITERS AND
A LOT OF ARTISTS, YOU'RE CALLED
TO IT, YOU JUST DO IT.
>>REPORTER: WHAT IS IT ABOUT 4@
FAMILY THAT MADE YOU WANT TO
WRITE ABOUT THAT AND NOT A
YOUNG HERO OR A YOUNG MAN OUT
FINDING HIS 4@WAY IN THE WORLD
WHATEVER, WHY DID YOU WANT TO
WRITE ABOUT FAMILY?
>> YOU KNOW, I GREW 4@UP IN A
REALLY SMALL HOUSE WITH THREE
BROTHERS.
WE WERE JUST ALWAYS ON TOP OF
50E67 OTHER.
MY PARENTS -- 4@4@ON TOP OF EAC
OTHER.
MY PARENTS, WE BROKE EVERYTHING
IN OUR HOUSE.
IT'S A THING, LIKE, AS SOON AS
I COULD I JUST WANTED TO LEAVE
AND GET OUT 4@AND DO MY OWN
THING.
BUT IT'S JUST -- YOU KNOW, I
WAS JUST OBSESSED WITH IT.
EVERY TIME I WOULD WRITE IT
WOULD BE ABOUT A FAMILY, IT
WOULD BE ABOUT A FAMILY UNIT.
>>REPORTER: DAVE PATTERSON IS
MARRIED AND HAS TWO YOUNG
CHILDREN AND THE TIME CAME WHEN
HE REALLY NEEDED SOME QUIET SO
HE COULD WRITE, QUIET THAT DID
NOT EXIST AT HOME.
NOW HERE'S WHERE THE STORY
TAKES A TURN.
A NEIGHBOR OF DAVE'S RENTS
VINTAGE AIR STREAM TRAILERS IN
THE SUMMER.
BUT IN THE WINTER NEEDS A PLACE
TO STORE THEM.
>> THIS THING 4@IS SO COOL.
>>REPORTER: SHE PUT THIS 1967
MODEL IN PATTERSON'S BACK YARD
FOR A WHILE AND JUST LIKE 4@THA
HE HAD PERHAPS THE COOLEST WORK
SPACE OF ANY WRITER IN MAINE.
AND YOU WOULD SIT HERE.
>> YEAH, I'D SIT RIGHT THERE
AND WROTE THE MAJORITY OF TH4@I
MANUSCRIPT SITTING RIGHT HERE.
>>REPORTER: TWO HOURS A DAY
HE'D RETREAT TO THE TRAILER TO
THINK AND WRITE.
40 YEARS FROM NOW WHEN YOU LOOK
BACK 4@ON YOUR LIFE AND YOUR
CAREER, YOU'LL REMEMBER THE AIR
STREAM TRAILER WHERE 4@YOU WROT
YOUR FIRST NOVEL.
>> OH, ABSOLUTELY AND 4@FONDLY.
AND IT WAS JUST COOL TO, LIKE,
BE IN THE HOUSE 4@AND, YOU KNOW
ON A SUNNY DAY TO, LIKE, CATCH
A GLIMPSE IN THE BACK YARD AND
IT WAS JUST 4@THE AIR EXTREME
SITTING THERE.
THIS ONE HAS COMPLEX FLAVORS,4@
CHOCOLATE NOTES SO THERE'S SOME
CITRUS NOTES IN IT AT THE END. @
>>REPORTER: WHILE WORKING ON
THE NOVEL, PATTERSON WAS AT ONE
TIME THE BEER COLUMNIST FOR THE
"PORTLAND PRESS HERALD" AND
CAME ON "207" SEVERAL TIMES TO
TALK ABOUT BEER.
HE SAYS THAT WRITING 4@ABOUT BE
HELPED SHARPEN HIS FICTION.
>> HE'S WRITING ABOUT THE
SENSES.
SO I TOOK IT TO BE A VERY
PRESENCE WITH THE BEER AND JUST
THE SMELL OF IT AND THINK OF
THE NUANCES OF IT AND HOW DO I
DESCRIBE THIS THING IN A WAY
THAT HASN'T BEEN DESCRIBED
BEFORE?
AND IT'S A BIG CHALLENGE.
AND SO WHEN I WRITE A SCENE OR
A CHARACTER 4@DOES SOMETHING 4@
CHARACTER FEELS SOMETHING, YOU
CAN'T USE CLICHES.
AND SO I CHALLENGED MYSELF IN
THE BEER WRITING TO NOT WRITE
CLICHES.
AND IT'S DEFINITELY GOTTA BE
THE COOLEST JOB I'VE 4@EVER HAD
>>REPORTER: DAVE IS ALSO A MEU
ITION.
♪ ♪ I KNOW YO4@U KNOW 4@I'M A
MONSTER, ALL YOU HEAR ARE THEIR
NAMES ♪ ♪
>>REPORTER: HE'S PLAYED IN
BANDS AND NOW PERFORMS WITH HIS
WIFE ANNA, 4@A DUO CALLED THE
HIGH SPIRITS, JUST LIKE BEE4@R
INFORMED HIS PROSE, SO DOES
BEING A MUSICIAN.
HE WANTS TO HEAR HOW THE WORDS
LAND ON HIS 4@EAR.
>> THIS NOVEL I READ OUT LOUD
THREE TIMES, TO HEAR THE
SENTENCES NEXT TO EACH OTHER, 4@
TO SORT OF HEAR THE MUSIC OF 4@
EACH PARAGRAPH.
>>REPORTER: YOU TAUGHT SCHOOL
FOR A WHILE.
>> YES.
>>REPORTER: WHAT AGE?
>> I TAUGHT MIDDLE SCHOOL WHEN
I FIRST GOT OUT OF COLLEGE AND
HIGH SCHOOL FOR A LONG TIME
NOW.
>>REPORTER: DID THAT KIND OF
HELP YOU STAY IN TOUCH WITH
JUST THE WAY TEENAGERS 4@TALK A
THE WAY THEY INTERACT?
>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
AND THE FACT THAT THEY'RE WAY
MORE MATURE THAN YOU WOULD EVER
THINK.4@ 4@
SO DOING THAT MADE ME THINK,
LIKE, DON'T DEMEAN THIS
CHARACTER, DON'T MAKE HIM 4@SEE
YOUNGER THAN HE IS.
ACTUALLY, YOUNG KIDS PICK UP ON
A LOT.
>>REPORTER: OF ALL THE
EXPERIENCES YOU'4@VE HAD IN YOU
LIFE, WHERE DOES THIS KIND OF
RATE, WRITING A BOOK, GETTING
IT PUBLISHED?
>> I MEAN, IT'S 4@THE DREAM.
I MEAN, IT'S A DREAM I DIDN'T
EVEN HAVE THE GUTS TO DREAM.
YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S PROBABLY
THE MOST CLICHE THING TO SAY,
BUT OTHER THAN THE BIRTH OF MY
KIDS AND GETTING MARRIED, IT'S
THE THING.
I CAN'T -- IT'S LIKE 4@MAGIC.
I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S HAPPENING.
>> WHEN I WAS READING THE BOOK
LAST WEEK, I 4@WENT OUT ONE DAY
GOT 4@LUNCH, I'M AT THE COUNTER
PAYING, AND THE WOMAN WHO WAS
RINGING UP MY TAB 4@SAID, OH, M
FATHER LOVES HIS WORK.
HE'S GREAT.
AND I SAID DOES YOUR FATHER
KNOW DAVE?
AND SHE SAID 4@I DON'T THINK SO
AND I SAID, WELL, DAVE'S BOOK
ISN'T OUT YET AND 4@THIS IS HIS
FIRST BOOK.
I SAID I THINK YOU'RE 4@THINKIN
OF JAMES PATTERSON WHO HAS SOLD
300 MILLION BOOKS.
NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH DAVE
PATTERSON.
I TOLD DAVE THAT STORY AND HE
GOT A BIG KICK OUT OF IT.
>> MAYBE THAT WILL4@ HELP WITH
SALES.
BE, LIKE, OH, JAMES PATTERSON
HAS A NEW 4@BOOK.
>> IT MIGHT.
YOU NEVER KNOW.
YOU MENTIONED THIS DAVE
PATTERSON'S MOM DID HAVE CANCER
YOU NEVER KNOW. YOU MENTIONED THIS DAVE PATTERSON'S MOM DID HAVE CANCER@
WHEN HE WAS A BOY.
SHE SURVIVED, SHE IS DOING
WELL.
HE SAYS SHE IS STILL AN
INSPIRATION.
DAVE PATTERSON WILL BE TALKING
ABOUT HIS BOOK "SOON THE LIGHT
WILL BE 4@PERFECT" NEXT WEEK AN
BUZZFEED PUT IT ON 37 AMAZING
NEW BOOKS THIS SPRING.4@
>> THAT'S IMPRESSIVE.
HE'S ALSO GOING TO BE AT A 4@
PROHIBIT BOOK STORE IN PORTLAND
TUESDAY, APRIL 9th AT 7:00.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT
EVENT AND OTHERS HE HAS COMING