Before becoming one of the world's top-selling novelists, James Patterson's ambition in life was to become a professional basketball player; unfortunately, he wasn't tall or fast enough. Ironically, Patterson did not like to read in high school. However, in his late teens, he started to read everything he could get his hands on. As a young copywriter with an advertising agency, Patterson's interest in writing grew enormously. In fact, The Day of the Jackal and The Exorcist were the two books that inspired him to write. In 2001 Patterson told the Chicago Tribune, "I had just decided I didn't have Ulysses in me, but I might have a Day of the Jackal." Read More..