R.J. Patterson's Blog
December 15, 2017
Big Announcement
Greetings from the beautiful Pacific Northwest!
I have a brief but important annoucement for my readers, especially those of you who've been following my work for a while.
In an effort to further distinguish myself in the marketpace, I wanted to inform you that I am transitioning from using Jack to my initials, R.J., for all my books. Previous titles are in the process of be listed under "R.J. Patterson". However, that is all that will be changing. The cover art and titles will remain the same recognizably-branded titles and series that you've known.
February 23, 2017
Was the Scorpion version of a global seed vault depicted well?
On Scorpion’s episode entitled, “Dirty Seeds, Done Dirt Cheap,” Team Scorpion traveled to a seed vault in Greenland to save the world’s heirloom seed supply from thawing out. But don’t worry—the engineers who created the actual Global Seed Vault in Svalbard, Norway, are much smarter than the fictitious vault and myriad problems created by the show’s writers.
When I was researching to write SEEDS OF WAR and traveled to Svalbard, I learned just how intentionally designed the Global Seed Vault was, starting with the location.
Tags: ScorpionSvalbard Seed VaultGreenlandSeed VaultGlobal Seed VaultGraense Seed Vaultseed vault norwayseed vault svalbardgreenland seed bankWhat did you say? Spycraft Betters the World?
As I’ve been delving into more researching in preparation for writing the upcoming Cold War spy thriller series that will release this fall, the ingenuity of gathering information has intrigued me like nothing else. In popular culture, James Bond always sported the coolest of gadgets, though some of them were purely fictional and unconventional. But in reality, spy tools made for a better world—and I’m not talking about the intelligence gathered.
Tags: spy craftspycraftespionageCold WarCold War spy thrillerOTSCIAJames Bondspy gadgetsspy techMay 27, 2016
FIRST STRIKE is alive!
The long awaited day is here ... FIRST STRIKE is now on sale everywhere -- and I can't wait for you to get your hands on it and devour it.
November 30, 2015
No, Virginia, There Isn't a Mark Richt at Georgia
I NEVER BELIEVED IN SANTA CLAUS. Perhaps it was the idea that a man soaring around the sky behind flying reindeer and delivering presents to every house in the world seemed like a whopper of a story. Or perhaps it was because my parents never perpetrated the myth. Why? Maybe they just never wanted to eventually break the truth to me and watch my heart break.
November 24, 2015
Nov. 24th: The Day D.B. Cooper Stole $200K and Vanished Forever
WHENEVER I WATCH A MAGIC SHOW, my thought after each trick is undoubtedly the same as everyone else’s in the audience: How did the magician do that? And it’s that same wonder and amazement that has kept one of the biggest mysteries in FBI history at the forefront of the public’s mind for nearly 45 years now: The Curious Case of D.B. Cooper.
October 29, 2015
The Things I Learn While Researching ...
When I worked for a small newspaper in South Georgia, there was a cartoon in our breakroom that made me chuckle every time I saw it because it was so true. A blindfolded man stood in front of a cork board that had pieces of paper tacked to it containing different subject names — politics, law enforcement, military, education, homicide, farming, etc.
Tags: coupon cigarettesD.B. CooperDan CooperFBIJames Flynn seriesJames FlynnJack PattersonThe Cooper AffairRaleighnewspaperjournalismconspiraciesRaleigh cigarettes
June 18, 2015
Sneak Peek at "IMMINENT THREAT"
Summer's almost officially here, which means we all need good books to read on vacation. While the latest in the Cal Murphy Thriller series titled "Dead Wrong" just dropped last month, there's another book coming in my James Flynn Thriller series on the horizon.
May 6, 2015
NFL, Patriots Blow Up Deflategate Controversy ... Again
IF YOU WATCHED the Patriots-Colts AFC divisional playoff game back in January, you know improperly deflated balls weren't why the Patriots won. The real reason they won had more to do with their defense wreaking havoc on an anemic Colts' offense.
But Ted Wells' report today released by the NFL did nothing to squelch the story, instead giving it more life when it was on its last breath. (I know -- enough with the air metaphors.) Patriots' owner Robert Kraft has already come up and said how "disappointed" he was with the report.
Now, the real thing to watch will be the NFL's action to this report. Will the Patriots' lose a draft pick? Get fined? Nothing?
Any reasonably-minded person will see the small inflation difference had little to do with the outcome of the game. However, the NFL set a precedence that must be followed earlier this year when it fined and stripped a draft pick from the Atlanta Falcons, who were cited for piping in crowd noise. Amped up crowd noise from a PA system is also benign (For proof, see the Falcons' record in 2014). Yet commissioner Roger Goodell's heavy hand resulted in what seemed like another case of the punishment not fitting the crime.
While these NFL "crimes" must be punished (if not, what's the point in having rules and guidelines), they must also be punished equally.
Though a few months ago I would've thought it absurd to suggest that the Patriots would a draft pick over this ordeal, Goodell's hands are tied and he must administer his justice equally or risk demonstrating the favoritism so many fans of smaller market teams believe the league has for its media darlings. It's no coincidence that this report wasn't released earlier so that he could maintain NFL discussion in the public around the spectacle that has become the NFL Draft Day (err, Weekend). It's what any smart CEO running a company would do.
But this week it's time for him to step up to the podium and deliver a different kind of announcement: the kind that should have Patriots' haters giddy and their supporters reminding everyone how jealous they are of their franchise.
Either way, it should be fun theater ... especially the comments section of every article once the decision is announced ... whatever way the wind blows Goodell.
Tags: deflategateTed Wells reportRobert KraftTom BradyNFLRoger GoodellconspiracyAtlanta Falconscrowd noisedraft picksdraft day
