*By Jacqueline Corba*
James Patterson is a fixture on the vaunted New York Times bestseller list. But this year, the author of canon thrillers like "Juror #3," "Pop Goes the Weasel," "Zoo," "Jack & Jill," and the "Alex Cross" series is using an unlikely platform to deliver his latest work: Facebook Messenger.
"I call it unofficially 'a bookie.' It's a book meets a movie, there's a lot of text and then video," Patterson told Cheddar Monday. "Nobody has done that before."
Patterson, whose books are often adapted into films, said his latest work, "The Chef," will yield "a 360 experience."
For Patterson, sustaining his readership is a matter of staying current. And that means the web.
"It's so important to me that books keep up ー that they enter the modern age and who knows where it's going to end up. But wherever it goes a lot of it will end up online," he said.
The goal, he said, is to drive more readers to new platforms ー but ideally, the format will allow his fans to have a more immersive experience with his stories.
On Facebook ($FB), embedded videos and clues will enhance Patterson's latest whodunit.
"Unfortunately, the publishing business has been a little sleepy, and we keep trying to wake 'em up," he said.
Patterson's murder mystery "The Chef" will be available on Facebook Messenger on Oct. 30 and the print edition will be available in February of 2019.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/why-james-patterson-is-teaming-up-with-facebook-for-his-latest-novel).
From Jake Paul's next big swing to the possible return of Meredith Grey, here's what's happening in entertainment.
It was a rare sight — a senior British royal testifying in a court of law. What Prince Harry said, both during cross-examination in the witness box Tuesday and in his written witness statement, was just as unusual.
If your summer could use a pop of color, look no further than fashion brand Never Fully Dressed, which is opening its first permanent U.S. store right here in New York City. Cheddar News correspondent Chloe Aiello is on the scene with founder Lucy Aylen.
Creating the 'Barbie' set took a lot of pink paint, so much pink paint that it wiped out one company's entire global supply of it.
The bodies of three men have been removed from the site of a collapsed six-story apartment building in Davenport, Iowa, about a week after part of the century-old structure tumbled to the ground, the city's police chief announced Monday.
From Superman NFTs to a 'Hocus Pocus' trilogy, here are your top entertainment headlines.
In celebration of Pride Month, Cheddar News anchor Baker Machado visited the Stonewall Inn in New York City and sat down with owner Stacy Lentz to talk about the historic events that took place at the bar more than 50 years ago.
The Writers Guild of America has confirmed plans for a strike action at the Apple HQ in Cupertino, CA on Monday, as the tech giant kicks off its Worldwide Developers Conference.
Ticket sales surpassed already lofty expectations for the sequel to the Oscar-winning Inside the Spider-Verse.
Nurse practitioners, who provided care for many trans adults, are now barred from providing transition-related care in the state.
