Thursday, October 11, 2007

James Patterson and the Freeman

A fellow writer and good friend (and reliable source) sent me this e-mail.

"I'm reading (James Patterson’s) novel 'See How They Run,' which is about neo-Nazis and was written in 1986. Part of the story takes place at Minnewaska in New Paltz. And in Chapter 21, Patterson notes blue mailboxes for the Kingston Freeman are in front of each of the homes."

I was stunned ... that my friend was reading James Patterson.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to belittle the prolific writer (that would be my friend, not the best-selling author).

After all, I am reading "The Universe in a Nutshell" by Stephen Hawking -- for the third time -- but only because it has pictures.

...

Side note: The Kingston Freeman does not technically exist, of course, though many refer to the Daily Freeman like that. When it was born, on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 1871, it was called the Rondout Daily Freeman, some years later becoming the Kingston Daily Freeman. More than a decade before Patterson's reference, the paper was simply The Daily Freeman. After that, "The" was dropped from the name.

Yeah, I know is nothing, really. But I'm an editor. And I notice things like these (and I get paid for that, too).