Dolly Parton and James Patterson have more in common than you think
Though this might be Dolly Parton and James Patterson’s first time working together, the duo have long admired each other. In December 2020, Parton told the New York Times that she counted Patterson as one of her dream literary dinner guests. Likewise, Patterson had a newfound respect for Parton after watching a documentary about the singer that made him realize their commonalities, per Shereads. “We’re both million-to-one-against-us shots,” the author told Tennessean. As a result, Patterson felt the country music icon would be the perfect person to give him insight into the music industry and help develop the “Run, Rose, Run” characters. He consequently reached out to Parton’s team for her contact info, and she agreed to a meeting. As Patterson later noted to the New York Times, their first face-to-face was “casual,” with “no agents [or] lawyers.”
Following that, the pair kept in close touch for the next few months with ideas and suggestions for their developing story. While Parton helped Patterson with the book’s musical accuracies, she worked primarily on “Run, Rose, Run’s” accompany album. “[James] wrote a lot and then I would read what he was writing, then I would write songs,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “James had not heard the music or the melody or the production; he just knew only the lyrics that I would send back and forth, and he’d incorporate the lyrics into the book.”
The Truth About Dolly Parton’s Relationship With Author James Patterson
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By Jerrica Tisdale/March 21, 2022 9:38 am EST
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Dolly Parton and James Patterson have more in common than you think
Though this might be Dolly Parton and James Patterson’s first time working together, the duo have long admired each other. In December 2020, Parton told the New York Times that she counted Patterson as one of her dream literary dinner guests. Likewise, Patterson had a newfound respect for Parton after watching a documentary about the singer that made him realize their commonalities, per Shereads. “We’re both million-to-one-against-us shots,” the author told Tennessean. As a result, Patterson felt the country music icon would be the perfect person to give him insight into the music industry and help develop the “Run, Rose, Run” characters. He consequently reached out to Parton’s team for her contact info, and she agreed to a meeting. As Patterson later noted to the New York Times, their first face-to-face was “casual,” with “no agents [or] lawyers.”
Following that, the pair kept in close touch for the next few months with ideas and suggestions for their developing story. While Parton helped Patterson with the book’s musical accuracies, she worked primarily on “Run, Rose, Run’s” accompany album. “[James] wrote a lot and then I would read what he was writing, then I would write songs,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “James had not heard the music or the melody or the production; he just knew only the lyrics that I would send back and forth, and he’d incorporate the lyrics into the book.”
Following that, the pair kept in close touch for the next few months with ideas and suggestions for their developing story. While Parton helped Patterson with the book’s musical accuracies, she worked primarily on “Run, Rose, Run’s” accompany album. “[James] wrote a lot and then I would read what he was writing, then I would write songs,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “James had not heard the music or the melody or the production; he just knew only the lyrics that I would send back and forth, and he’d incorporate the lyrics into the book.”
Dolly Parton and James Patterson have become lifelong friends
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Do James Patterson and Dolly Parton plan to collaborate again?
According to the Tennessean, “about 70 studios, production companies or individuals [have] inquired about the adaptation,” so there’s clearly no shortage of interest. As for Parton, she told Shereads that she hopes to play RuthAnne from the novel, so it sounds like fans have a lot to look forward to in the meantime.
